The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Draft night in the NFL, Belichick on TV, The NBA bans Porter

Episode Date: April 18, 2024

John talks about how the NFL is such a monster in the sports world that even the draft dominates viewership over most other sporting events, and how a large reason why is because the top players getting drafted have been playing on national TV at top schools for years. John also dives into how Bill Belichick has a very bright future on TV, where Joe Alt ranks as an NFL prospect, and how the NBA has done the right thing by banning Porter for betting on the NBA. Lastly, John answers your questions for this episode's mailbag segment. 6:25 - The NFL Draft is huge 18:12 - Belichick is great for TV 25:42 - Joe Alt's eval 30:28 - The NBA bans Porter 35:57 - 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 #Herd  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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See dkng.com slash B-Ball for eligibility and deposit restrictions, terms, and responsible gaming resources. What is going on, everybody? John Middlecough, three-in-out podcast. we are officially a week away from the draft. God, that is awesome. Time flies. I wanted to dive in just why this thing is so popular

because I'm sure like many of you have loved this event for a long, long time. And I think I have a sneaky suspicion given the quarterbacks high in this draft, given the markets. This is going to be one of the highest rated drafts of all time. and this event's only going to grow and grow, and it's already massive. Belichick joined McAfee today, and he displayed something that I've been saying he should do for a long, long time. His personality.

And wanted to dive into some thoughts there. Joe Alt, the top potential left tackle, who is a left tackle from Notre Dame. Not going to lie. I have a little buyer beware on the individual. and the NBA banned a guy for life for gambling and I wanted to discuss why I think the overreaction to this is by all the big Jays is kind of funny. Also the Middilkoff mailbag at John Middlecoff is the Instagram

firing those DMs. You guys know the drill. Have a lot of them so I'm going to try to sort through some little backlog today. And all of our content is up on YouTube, three and out. Go low. We put it all up on the YouTube channel. So go subscribe to that.

If you listen on Colin's feed, you guys know the drill. Subscribe to the three and out podcast separately. I appreciate everyone that has. Other than that, it's just a fun time of year. I talked to a buddy today who's going to come on the podcast. Probably play it on Monday or Tuesday. He is going to be a big part of the NFL draft weekend on television. So a lot of fun stuff coming.

Next week, me and Colin will obviously have some stuff during the draft as well. So buckle up. It's a fun time a year, even though summer's not too far away, but this kind of kicks off summer, the draft. Then the sun's out and it's hot and OTAs. I don't know what I'm talking about. But first, I want to tell you about my close personal friends, game time. Go to your smartphone, go to wherever you download your apps

and download the GameTime app, the official ticketing app of this podcast. Do you know what the summer is fun for? Doing things. getting out and about, having some fun, going to something. A baseball game, go enjoy the sun, go enjoy a beer, do it with your friends, do with your wife, do it with your son. Concert, comedy shows, I got you covered. Just go to game time, buy a pair of tickets wherever you live. Search venues, search where you want to go. Maybe you're on a trip. Maybe you're on vacation somewhere and you're like, oh, so-and-so is coming to this town, to this area. I want to go see them.

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Download the GameTime app, promo code, John. I just saw that the WNBA was up over 300%. Their draft, obviously, Caitlin Clark went number one. She's like Bitcoin just keeps going up and up. Obviously, she is a very unique character. Nobody relative to what just witnessed the draft. Hell, I even watched the first couple picks. I never would watch the WNBA draft,

and I'll probably never watch it again. But she got me there. She's an outlier. She's a Tiger Woods. She's a Michael Jordan. Now, I'm not saying she's going to be that as a pro, but the hype, what she has meant to her sport, very, very unique character. The NFL draft has always been a big deal. I've loved the NFL draft since I was a kid.

I would imagine many people listening to this also loved it. I've never really related to like, I'm not a college football guy. I'm only an NFL guy. Those days are kind of dying with the, I would say, explosion in popularity in college football. But I love college football. I love the NFL. It's an easy transition to watch the draft. Watch the players that you have watched four years. And one thing college football has that now, for example, basketball doesn't have is consistency. Now, guys, transfer, but players have to stay in college minimum three years.

And the majority of guys to get drafted high are prominent programs that are prominent on television. So we have seen them play. Michigan, Ohio State, USC, Alabama, LSU, Georgia. you know all Oregon, Washington, all the cast, Texas, Oklahoma, the cast of characters. Like, the top teams typically have the most guys in a given draft. That's why this year, Michigan is going to have, you know, potentially 17, 18 guys drafted. Washington could have 9, 10 guys drafted. That's 30 players from two teams that played in the national championship. 20 plus million people watch the national championship.

But I read this, my guy Ethan Strauss, who covered the NBA for a long time, And now it's like this hybrid writes about television ratings, social issue. It's just fascinating reads. He's a very, very smart guy graduated from Calp. I've never read anyone like him. He's got a substack. It's the only substack I currently pay for, and it's just fantastic every time I read it. And he wrote recently about the kind of death of baseball.

And I think you could put on a bigger level basketball in this that if people stop watching your regular season, you can't just expect them to come when the postseason starts. And that's kind of borne out these last several years that the diminishing product of people not watching for five, six months in the regular season, they don't just show up in the playoffs. I love golf. Absolutely love it.

I love it as much as football. The majors, I like every bit as much as playoff games. I've never been naive would be the wrong way to put it. but I don't know, arrogant enough to act like it's any bigger than it is. It's a niche sport, always has been. Tiger wasn't,

but everyone else in my lifetime definitely has been. But I enjoy it. But the other day, it was reported that the Masters were down 20%. Well, their regular tournaments have been down. So is it that shocking that if people aren't watching the regular events, the buildup to the big events isn't as much?

I'm sure many people saw across somewhere on social media that there was a report out there that Rory turned down $850 million. Now, who knows if that's true? My personal take is I think people are kind of exhausted with that conversation. Most people are not millionaires. Most people with inflation, I mean, are struggling to go to the grocery store and get two meals for their family under $100. Right. So I just think people are tired of it. And it's come to fruition that less people watch the masters.

It's not an opinion. That's a fact. I'm not shocked by it at all. I watched basically every shot, but people didn't. And I understand why. What football has that these other sports don't is we love the regular season. Same thing college football because it builds up to the playoffs. And obviously, the regular season games have historic amounts of people watching.

And then the playoffs double, triple that. Obviously, the Super Bowl has always been a massive, massive event. in this country. But if you think about it, like, if you're watching a television show or watching a movie that you've never seen, you would never just skip to the end to see how the thing finishes.

You want to watch it through the buildup to the ending. Same thing with a book. You don't skip to the last 20 pages of a book you've never read or listen to, for us audio book guys. You listen to it throughout. So the buildup of the characters,

the build up of whatever you're listening to for the finale. however it's going to end. And that's what football has become. You have to watch the regular season, the ebbs and the flows, and people do for the finishing, right? Which is the playoffs, which is awesome because of the one and done mentality. Listen, I'm not the biggest NBA guy anymore,

but the playing games were kind of captivating. The Laker game and the warrior game. Like, I was interested. Why? Because they were real stakes. But I think with the draft, what makes it fascinating is that when I was a kid, college basketball was really big. And superstar player, Shaq, Alan Iverson, you name it.

The overwhelming majority of guys in my youth in the 90s didn't just play college basketball. They played it for several years. So you knew about the character. And most of them played in prominent programs. So you had a base when they were drafted. And if you think about this upcoming draft, think about like the top 10 players we're talking about. Think about it. Caleb Williams has played at USC in Oklahoma. J.J. McCarthy was the starting quarterback for Jim Harbaugh and the national champion Michigan Wolverines.

Drake May, you say, was a little under the radar because he played at North Carolina, but because of the sport he plays and we've been hearing about his name for a couple years. And Jane Daniels won the Heisman Trophy at LSU, I would say a top three or four program in the country. I'm not saying on a given year, I'm just saying in the totality of college football, especially in my lifetime. Three different coaches of won national championships there in the last 20 years. That's a remarkable accomplishment. Saban, Eddie O, and Les Miles. Like, that is a powerhouse program.

And then you just factor in other players, Marvin Harrison Jr. He's fucking Marvin Harrison's kid and started Ohio State. Even Joe Alt, who will get into, was a star tackle at Notre Dame. game. So you have this buildup, you already know about the characters to get inserted into the television show, which is the NFL. So they're not just random. Now, obviously, random guys come. We see it every year in the draft. A random fifth rounder, an undrafted free agents, a seventh rounder that you didn't really watch in college that played at some random school, Kansas State, or whatever. And if you're not a big 12 fan, you've never really seen him play. And he becomes a

really good player. But for a lot of the guys, we've seen them play in college. We've seen them play in college several times. And I think that's something the NFL has that just these other leagues. And this is why the separation is only going to continue. So there's nothing like draft night, because it is pretty pure. Guys just your team gets to add players. It's one, I remember how we used to say this all the time. We only have several times a year when we get to add players. Free agency starts the draft and during training camp when guys are cut and obviously at the end of training camp when you trim down your roster. So it doesn't happen year round. Now, obviously, on the margins, you can claim a guy or make a trade. But for the most part, the big time to

make talent acquisition are the three moments. Free agency, the draft, and the major cutdown. So the difference here relative to the major cutdown, like a guy's getting cut. Here, when you draft a guy in the first or second round, there's not only hope, but it's like, damn, we just drafted Roma Dunesay, the star wide receiver from Washington that I've watched play five times. Or damn, we just watch Brock Bowers, who I know a lot about. And you just can't fake that. Getting back to Caitlin Clark, one thing she has is we know a lot about her. We've been watching her play now for a couple years.

She has a lot of built-in equity with us. Listen, Steph Curry and the Warriors Dynasty probably ended last night. Now, you could argue it was already over, but Clay Thompson, I would say, is not going to to be back on the Warriors. But one thing that Steph had that a lot of guys don't have anymore is when he got to the Warriors, now no one, even the Warriors, never thought that he would turn out to be, I don't know, a top 10 player of all time in one of the most transcendent, unique talents we've ever seen any sport. But we all knew a lot about him because of the NCAA tournament. We had followed his career. He was a built-in character. So there was a

momentum building as his career ascended. Going back to Michael Jordan, same thing. The dude hit the game-winning shot in the national championship when he was a freshman. Even Tiger Woods. You don't have to watch amateur golf to know. Everyone's saying this guy's a can't miss going to be one of the all-time grades. He just won the U.S. amateur three times. He had been on television show since he was like three years old.

People have been talking about him, even if you don't, you can't stand golf. there wasn't a soul of age in the late to mid-90s that didn't know or heard of Tiger Woods. And that's what the NFL brings us next Thursday. Is a bunch of guys we know a lot about going to a bunch of teams that we all watch 17 times a year. And I love this event. I can never get enough of it.

And I just can't wait until Thursday. 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.

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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clipper 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. Another reason I can't wait until Thursday is Belichick. will be on with McAfee. And I said this when Belichick didn't get the Atlanta Falcons job, that I think Belichick, one, the perception of him, let's face it, being a dictator, tough to work with. And let's face it, a lot of, I don't necessarily agree with this, because I think we all can be this way. Asshole, miserable, crumudgeon. And listen, some of it's definitely probably true, but that he just sucks.

And he's not a head coach in the NFL. Now, maybe it's that he's 73 years old, maybe that he had to be the GM. I don't know. But it is nuts when you just look at the coaching picture that Bill Belichick isn't there. He's been in a league since 1975. Like, I'm sorry, he kind of knows what he's doing. It's why I'm shorting the Patriots. I think they are going to be a debacle the next couple years.

Could be wrong, but if I had to place one strong bet, I feel the strongest on that. And I'd probably bet on Harbaugh and the Chargers being successful. right? Even everyone betting on the bears, I wouldn't feel great about it. Their history would show it's still pretty risky. But I think you saw, if you go, and I would recommend this, because the Belichick we got forever in the press conferences, when he was wearing a hoodie, New England Patriot or his classic kind of blew button up, and he said nothing. And he was mostly pretty awful in those press conferences, besides when he'd randomly get asked about a special team player, or he'd go on some long, you know, diatribe about how the winless, whatever team he was playing in December, actually has a lot of talent and everyone would make fun of him. He has a big personality.

And I've been, you know, know, no people that have not only worked there, that have played there, and they're like, the guy that you see off camera dealing with us is a lot different than the guy that you just see in the 15-minute snippets of the press conferences. It's why I was a big believer in the easiest way to change his perception, Now, maybe he's a lot to get a job next year. Maybe he's not. I mean, he just had his birthdays. He's going to be 74 next year.

I mean, that's, I'm sorry, even though coaches are definitely younger than the majority of, like, 74-year-olds, just because they spend most of their time around younger people. There's a vibe. Like, Pete Carroll's the same age. They don't feel that old when you hear them talk. But I, probably not a shoe in, is to find a way on the Amazon broadcast. He is too good to be on pregame shows. That's a waste.

Reality is, I'm not watching that. And neither are most owners. Why? Their team is at a game. But there are two games that every owner watches. Every owner beside the two playing in the game. That's Thursday night and Monday night. Even Sunday night, a lot of the league is traveling back and not able to watch the game.

But every owner and every decision maker is at home on Thursday night and Monday night. Well, Monday night's set. They gave $150 million to Buck and Aikman. and that was the right move. But Thursday night, let's face it, it is not. I've said forever, Kirk Herb Street's the stud. Love him on college football. I don't think he's that great.

Him and Al don't have great chemistry. If I was Amazon, I would be all over Belichick and try to get him involved in that broadcast. And I also think Bill, like, if you watch him on McAfee, like, he's kind of a different guy. Now, I'm not saying he's Mr. Lucy Goosey. He's not Mr. Politician there, but he's very easy to watch.

and his depth of knowledge is insane. Matt Ruhl, who, listen, we can say what we want about Matt Ruhl is the NFL coach. It was a debacle. He's a good college coach. He's, I would imagine Nebraska, the next couple of years, is going to be much more competitive. Are they ever going to be a playoff team? I don't know, but they are much more likely to win eight, nine games in the near future than they are to be some shit team in which they've been.

Matt Ruhl said that he had Bill come to their operation and spend a day with the coaches. he said, I don't know if he was in the front of the room, back of the room when he was talking, I don't know if he was talking to the entire group or just the defense, that Matt Ruhl said he was embarrassed. I was embarrassed that I'm a head coach, and I don't know a tenth of what this guy is talking about. That's how crazy how much this guy knows. The only way for Bill to give that to the ownership is to put it on display.

And I just hope it doesn't seem like it's going to happen. but I think that would have been the move. There was another story that came out today. I think there was a long, like one of those classic Big J, Wickersham does a really good job, like the ESPN guys. Basically, one of the lines about Belichick and the hiring process and how he didn't get the Atlanta job and how it kind of ended in New England is that Bob and definitely Jonathan Kraft badmouthed him to Arthur Smith.

Now, listen, any times things end in, in, football in any business with rich, big ego guys, it's going to be ugly. I've defended Bill. I understand Robert Kraft. You can have any opinion you want. You figured out a way to start from nothing, make money, buy the team, and you hired Belichick. Jonathan Kraft inherited this entire life, which I'm not one of those people that

looks down on people just because they're born into a situation. Right? I've known a lot of people born in situations that are very capable, right? I've known a lot of people not born in the situations that aren't capable to fucking walk a dog across the street. So where you're born, like, successful people can come from all walks of life. Peyton Manning was born rich. Steph Curry was born rich.

Like, listen, there are going to be a lot of owners that, you know, take over in the NFL that are impressive guys that their fathers made the money. And then there are going to be guys that are kind of clowns. I don't blame Belichick for not respecting that guy. I'm not a big Jonathan Kraft guy, just from reading things about him, watching the documentary that felt, you know, his dad's 80-plus years old,

that it does feel a little bit like Jonathan Kraft has a vendet against Belichick. And one of the things that said in there is he basically badmouthed Belichick to Arthur Smith, to essentially not hire the guy. I would say this. The Patriot Dynasty and their wealth, a large percentage of their name power has come from the success of the football team,

which we know they had absolutely nothing to do with. They've even admitted we never told Bill what to do. Even with Brady, the one time they kind of like, you got to trade Jimmy Garoppel. But then he ended up a couple years later letting Brady walk anyway. They gave this guy, carte blanche, to be in full control. And he made that family name not only very famous, not only very successful, successful, but an NFL champ with Tom over and over and over again. So if I'm Bill, like, and it's obviously just based on his coaching history, he can be very spiteful,

he can be very petty. I would hate those guys, specifically the kid. I already didn't respect them. I would have a vendetta and revenge of doing everything possible to get back in the league so I could play that guy again. Because the Patriots, I think the other day tweeted out, happy birthday, Bill. It's like, guys, you guys are trying a little too hard. I wanted to dive in really quick that I'm not going to break down the offensive linemen, like the defensive linemen, the quarterbacks, and the wide receivers.

But I do think Joe Alt is really interesting. Now, full disclosure, I don't love 6-8 and above tackles. That's a little tall for my taste. I like my tackle to be in the 6-5, 6-4-5, maybe 6-6, 6-6, that's kind of the prime range. the Trent Williams, the Lane Johnson's, Jason Peters, Tyrone Smith. I'm not looking for a power forward in the NBA here. And in 2024, that's really a center. But you know what I mean?

And everyone widely kind of universally feels to consider. And I've even text some buddies that have him as the number one tackle in the NFL or in the draft. And they think he's like, borderline can't miss prospect. I don't know. I think you are at a huge advantage when you are 6-8-plus going up against these pass rushers. Because all the edge guys can, all the good ones,

can bend, get low, and use leverage against tackles. So when you're 6-8-69, the ability to bend down to their level is difficult. That extra couple inches is a disadvantage. And listen, I know this guy's a good athlete, but in 2018, there were two tackles drafted really high. The San Francisco 49ers took Mike McGlinchie, an All-American team captain from Notre Dame. And the Oakland Raiders who wanted McGlinchie, remember there was a coin flip at the combine between John Lynch and John Gruden. I attended that coin flip.

The Niners won, and the Raiders were sitting there at 10, ultimately traded back with the Arizona Cardinals, and they ended up getting Josh Rosen. And they drafted Colton Miller at 15. it is inarguable that the Raiders got very lucky and Colton Miller is a dramatically better player than McGlinchie. McGlinchie's a starter. Somehow he found a way to get Sean Payton to give him $80 million, which I thought was easily the worst free agent contract last season. But here's McGlinchie's problem.

Not a great athlete and like these other guys, really tall. So he really, really struggles in pass protection. Now, McGlinchie is. a good run blocker. But I don't pay tackles to run block. I pay them to protect the most important asset in my building, the quarterback in passing situations. And McGlinchie is a massive red flag in that situation. Colton Miller, who is a much better athlete, foot athlete, straight line speed athlete, movement-wise, has become, I don't want to say a high-end left tackle, but a very, very good starter. Someone who could be your starting left tackle for a decade plus and he's scheduled to be

that for the Raiders. And he's a way better athlete. Now, I texted a buddy who his team, some people think, is going to be very interested in Joel. And he's like, we worked, we worked him out. And he's like, I hear what you're saying. I think his bend and movement ability is actually pretty good. I just think this, that you get McGlinchey, it's not the end of the world. You get a starter. I saw a scout, told Zerline, who my guy who's great at comps, Compton and McGlinchy, he's like, I don't like that comp as much. I like Eric Fisher, who was also tall not quite 6'8, 6, 7 and a half, and ended up playing for the Chiefs for 2013 to 2020, had a long career in the NFL before his body gave out. But if you're taking Eric Fisher or McGlinchy in the top 10, I don't know if you love that.

Now, if best case scenario, you get Colton Miller, great, and you know where I stand. You swing for the fences, you hope for best case scenario. I just think that this guy has a lot of potential downside in a league that has never had the abundance of elite pass rushers. Most teams have multiple. Most teams have defensive tackles that are now 6-4, 6-5 that can rush the passer, that you can kick out to the edges and you don't have a shot in hell. I remember the Rams against the Niners used to kick out sometimes. Aaron Donald to Andover McGlinchy.

I was like, good luck. And he couldn't block him. Now, you can say Aaron Donald's one of the great past rushes of all time. Fine. Think how many teams in the league have elite defensive tackles. Those smaller guys, you can't touch them. So I'm not saying this guy's going to be bad. I'm not saying this guy is not a good prospect.

I'm just saying for me, six eight, six nine tackles are massive, massive buyer bewares. Let's end on this. the NBA banned this dude for life for gambling Michael Porter's brother who's a nobody two-way contract irrelevant player but I have read more articles every time I see a Big J

writing about gambling I just read it I kind of hate read it it's kind of sick probably shouldn't do it but my overall take is when media people talk about gambling I would imagine 95% of media people

not only have never made a bet, would never make a bet. No matter how much money they made. It's not really the way they're wired. Most of those guys, let's face it, I mean, I saw a lot of their tweets over the last, especially when COVID happened, their level of risk is much smaller than every human I've ever met. Like, it's really, really low. So, and I've always thought this about media people who can be very, anti-business.

And a lot of them, again, because of Twitter, you can just see their beliefs, don't really understand it. When you cover billion-dollar industries, it's almost like, shouldn't you guys take some like business courses or be forced to like listen to a podcast to kind of understand the way money works? But that's a whole separate conversation.

My point is with gambling, this one isn't that complicated. The guy bet on his own team to lose. There are some things that I, understand like an NFL team, an NBA team, a major league baseball team, like, hey, listen, guys, we're all in business with gambling. We're all profiting from this, but there are some rules, a little convoluted, but you're just not allowed to bet from the facility. Obviously, you can't bet on this sport or college sports. You can bet on the other leagues. You just can't

bet from the confines. Like, you'd have to hammer those homes. You would have to make sure you consistently went over those. But I think gambling on your own team to lose, I don't think anyone would ever have to say that out loud. Like drugs are legal in California. Crack is basically legal. We all know don't do crack. I don't need to tell my team,

hey, can't bet on us to lose. Like, no shit. This guy is a fucking moron. And also, like this guy, you could argue, it's just a bad guy. And you could say, well, playing for the Raptors, they lose a lot, of course. Like, it's actually probably not a bad bet. But betting on your team to lose, there's nothing worse.

And I have been lucky enough to be around a lot of athletes, definitely in the situations from a team. I don't think anyone thinks like that. I don't think, I think such an outlier of someone willing to do that. You know, back the famous story of the Black Sox when they threw the World Series, those guys didn't have any money. I mean, the average player in the NFL now makes millions of dollars. That's why the check said on his podcast the other day, like the bookie, one of the major gamblers in America like 20 years ago told me, yeah, I can't afford to buy players. You guys all make too much cash, but I can buy the referees. You can't buy someone. I also think it's just

common sense. Like, don't do crack. Don't bet against your own team. Like, no shit. If I have to tell you that, you should not be on my team. You're a complete moron and you will lose me games. Obviously, you might be trying because you're throwing the game. But maybe I'm naive. I truly don't believe there is anyone in the NFL who wouldn't say like, yeah, that's wrong. Even if that guy knows like, hey, we're playing, we're the worst team in the league and we're playing the best team in the league, we're probably going to lose. They would not bet on their own team to lose. I feel very confident about that. 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. 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw,

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

this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow. at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Okay, let's dive in a Middlecock mailbag. Very, very, very easy to get involved. Fire into my DMs.

Ad John Middlecoff. Add John Middlecoff. DM's wide open. Hit me up with a question like Reggie did. Hi from Australia. Ozzie, Ozzie, Ozzie. Good work on the NFL on changing the kickoff rules. Every play should matter.

Do you think the league will ever do away with my pet peeve? taking a knee, running the clock down to end the game, a league that's so proactive to change to better the game, but lets games finish like this. I can't fathom, I know the league purists will sprout bullshit why it's part of the game, but I'll disagree every day, twice on Sundays. Again, every play should matter. Have they ever tried that in the past?

Maybe a bit harsh, but watching a quarterback take a need and celebrate a win while the clock still hasn't run out, feels like the equivalent of soccer player rolling around faking an injury. Cheers and go-niners. I'm going to disagree with you. It usually happens under the two-minute warning with a team up and the other team can't stop them.

You know, I think there's 58 minutes of action, maybe a minute, you know, left in the game, so 59 minutes action. Like, you've had your opportunity. I'm not bothered by it. I was always more bothered. Remember when Greg Shiano rushed, was it the Giants on the victory formation?

That that was pretty low level. That's why Shianu. I love it when media is like, remember when Shianu should have got the Tennessee job? No, he shouldn't have. Shianno would have been eaten alive in the South. That guy's such a clown. He belongs in Rutgers,

and it's a good spot for him. But I'm going to disagree. I don't have any issue with it. You know, many call it the greatest formation in football, the victory formation. I think what it represents, like, we've won the game. We won the game. Right?

It's like, uh, trying to think what older people play. Like, if you play golf, like, you're up three with two to go. You're playing match play against somebody. Like, you don't need to play anymore. Like, it's over. In basketball, like, you skunk a guy in a pickup game. I have no problem with it. With the Rishi Rice incident going around and takes of him possibly missing games,

I want to get your thoughts on the NFL shifting the games that players miss from just being the next games up on the schedule to instead having the players miss the games at the end of the season. I feel like a player missing weeks one to three is kind of a weak punishment. The games at the end of the season tend to be much more impactful. What if we did this? I got one for you. I don't know how many games you're going to get suspended.

Let's just guess four. Let's say the guy's going to get suspended four games for going 700 million miles an hour. and easily endangering people's lives on the freeway in Dallas. Could have killed people. There's no crazy part about this situation is Henry Ruggs, we don't know if this guy was drunk because he fucking left the scene. But like, let's use some common sense.

Why the hell would you leave a scene when everyone's going to know it's your car or you rented the car? Like, I wasn't born yesterday. I've had my fair share of cocktails over the years. Like, let's, or maybe you're high as hell. but if he killed someone, his career is over. But because no one gets hurt, he's just going to get in trouble. That's the way the world works. I mean, it's sad, but it's just the reality.

What if we had a lottery? That basically you get a four-game suspension, and it's like a lottery. You could basically spin a wheel like the price is right. Or maybe you go lottery like the NBA draft. And it's just on there, weeks one to four, weeks five to eight, you know, just that way. and they broadcast it. Or they tweet it out. I'd watch.

I hear you, though. I like that. Thinking inside the box a little bit. Question for the pod. Kansas City recently declined to pay for a new stadium. To me, it was not surprising in these inflationary times. I think the honor's a little cheap, too. But I feel like this has a little to do with the NFLPA grades that came out

and gave the chiefs a very underwhelming score overall. I understand the owners asking to have the stadium paid for by people in taxes from the owner's perspective. But overall, asking for a stadium while giving little in return for the players who earn the Lombardis, insulting to the NFL fans. Viewers will always side with the players, and I'm glad the people of Kansas City declined for the new stadium. What are your thoughts? I think I've talked about this before. Overall, I just don't care about this story that much.

I understand why owners ask. If they want a new stadium, they're going to have to pay for it. The NFL PA grades, you know, it's kind of an older stadium. I don't know. I've never been to the chief's player locker room. So it's like, it's hard for me to have an opinion. Like, God, it's, because here's a thing. If we all spend a week, let's say with the three teams graded the lowest,

like the Cardinals, if you just spent a time in their cafeteria, saw their operation, you would leave and go, God, what a low level operation. Anyone that's worked multiple jobs, you go one place, you're like, God, this is pretty high level, high level people. This is impressive. And then you go to another company or change industries. You're like, God, there's a lot of morons here. These people are, I'm working for a guy that is an idiot.

So until you're in a spot, I would say it's hard to judge. I also think my overall take, and I think I've said this before, most of these players are coming from college where they're not only recruiting you out of high school. They're not recruiting you on your once you're on the team because of the portal. is these lavish situations all over the country. It's not just the high-end schools. It's like every Power 5 school has, I don't want to say elite facilities,

but pretty high-end facilities. And then you go to the pros, like, they're not recruiting you. They recruit you with money. So I just, it's hard for me to go, well, you're bitching a moment about the chairs.

Now, I'd also understand, like, I only worked for one NFL team. And Jeffrey Lurie did everything humanly possible to me. make sure the players were taken care of because if the players were in good spirits, if they feel comfortable, if they like coming to work,

ideally they're going to play better. But wouldn't it be pretty easy for Clark Hunt to go, they've been playing pretty good to what I've provided. So I, unless you saw it, I guess it's just, it's hard to have like some hardcore opinion. Hello,

believe it or not, this is not a husband or girlfriend using an account, but actually a lady herself. I listen to Therine out. So hello, from your what would be 1% demo. Might be a little higher in one, but it's pretty low. Might even be under one. Anyways, I love sports, and as a lady, I also love women's sports,

and try and hype it up whenever possible. So I very much appreciate you calling out the massive uptick in viewership and the interest in the NCAA tournament. I agree with you that the reason why there is an uptick in popularity is because of the star power of some of these women have earned throughout their talent. It is the voices like yours that make someone from being on the edge of watching women's sports to actually sitting down and watching a game, especially on our U.S. women's national team. Well, I think the U.S. women's national team is a little different.

I think they have been a powerhouse for so long and we followed. You know, college basketball women's, like, Gino and Pat Summit in Tennessee and Yukon, like, I watched them when I was young. I paid attention. Not like washed all their games, but you paid attention to them. Because they'd have years where they were like undefeated. But obviously there's a lot of talent in college basketball for women's. You know, all the girls that were drafted high, a lot of them played at the best programs.

But this is a Caitlin Clark story. She's the one. If Caitlin Clark didn't exist, I think the ratings would have been higher. But she is like, I don't know, like Steph Curry or something. She's an outlier. but I appreciate you. Because I don't think just because I said, hey, I watched the women's game.

Would other people watch it? I don't know. But like I've said, I only watched it because of her. She's the only reason. If she hadn't exist, I would not have watched it. Hell,

I almost put $1,000 on them to win the national championship because they were like a two and a half one underdog. Glad I didn't. They got worked. Listen to people talk about Harbaugh talk up JJ as much as he is. Something jumped into my mind.

what are your thoughts on that Harbaugh knows JJ's the real deal? And is trying to push up his stock so that he's gone before he gets to Denver and or Oakland and has the ability to get him in the draft. If he's gone by three or four, then he doesn't have to worry about facing him twice a year. I think you're already like two steps forward. I think he just legitimately on the surface believes in the guy. How would he not? The guy, I mean, had.

two of the most powerful years of the guy's 20 plus year coaching career. They won a national championship at Michigan, which obviously Harbaugh is as Michigan man as you can get and finally won him a championship as a coach. So I think when he's hyping him up,

if you've watched, the Chargers are producing, it's crazy to go from Brandon Staley, who was a fucking laughing stock that nobody respected as a fan. And obviously he unraveled under the pressure to go to Jim Harbaugh. Their social media team and their content has always been good with the

Chargers. And now Jim, because of where he's at in life, I don't think pushes back against any of that. They did three, five minutes, he went to the Michigan Pro Day and the video is fantastic. And then they did like five minutes of him and Greg Roman that live in an RV park right now. It is incredible. Jim, to go from Brandon Staley to Jim Harbaugh would be like, go from making like 50 grand struggling, just keeping your head above water, just going through the grind to all of a sudden making like $10 million. That's what it has to feel like if you're just around the chargers. If you're a charger fan, if you're a charter player, to have that change

and just in terms of what it will do for their brand. But back to Harbaugh, I think he just truly believes that. I don't think he's making it up. I think he believes that to his core. The J.J. McCarthy is the real deal. because he just experienced him being the real deal. When Jim Harbaugh's, his career wasn't on the line, but like his career legacy was kind of on the line.

Like, he's going to lose to this Nick Sabin team in the Rose Bowl as a big favorite. And then JJ leads him on a game-winning drive. It's one of the biggest drives of his career. Currently deployed in the Middle East. Appreciate your service. And your podcast is the best thing keeping me in my crew updated on football. I wanted to know what's the best draft pick that you helped scout when you were with the Eagles.

None, they didn't listen to me. When I started doing college, Chip came in. He definitely didn't listen to me. Told him not to draft Matt Barkley. Took Matt Barkley. When you're at the bottom of the totem pole and you get a coach that doesn't like you, might as well just burn my reports. Did all that work for nothing?

But it led me in a weird way to Colin Coward. Now I'm here. So thank you, Chip Kelly. I saw that he ran the triple wing. the other day at Ohio State. And listen, I respect Ohio State the program. I really do. Like, you're one of the best programs

in all of college sports consistently. Not the biggest Ryan Day guy. I think Chip Kelly's going to be a disaster. And you should be very, very thankful that Jim left. Because if Jim had stayed, all those guys would be getting fired. Get your ass kicked again. I don't care how much money you're paying for players.

Jim Harbaugh was never losing to Ryan Day ever again. It's like when Jim showed up and Urban Meyer kicked his ass. That's what was about to become, especially with Chip Kelly rolling in. Then Harbaugh's defense? Give me a break. Love the show, long-suffering Jess fan. The team is all in with a 40-year-old quarterback. Accumulating talent but injury-prone.

Older guys, to go along with younger studs, Garrett Wilson-Bries Hall, and a young talented defense. You mentioned it's an approach to team building that doesn't happen much anymore and probably won't work due to the injury risk. I see your point. But recently, the Buccaneers acquired an aging quarterback. Surrounded him with vets, Antonio Brown, Gronk, Fournette, Studs, Evans, and Godwin with young, talented defense. So what difference about the Bucks approach?

Well, Tom was healthy, one. The core of the Bucks dramatically better. I mean, Mike Evans' borderline Hall of Fame are already on the team. Vita Vaya, they draft Evan White immediately. Their offensive line was good. They draft Worf's in whatever. 2020 star. Ali Marpet, who recently retired, was really good.

The center, whose name is escaping me, was really good. They had Donovan Smith there, who was the worst offensive line, and who just started for the Chiefs. So their team was just better. Another curveball. They had Bruce Ariens. I got news for you. Bruce Ariens is running circles around Robert Salas as head coach, and I like Robert

Sala. I actually had this thought when I was watching the Warriors, Because Clay Thompson's kind of done. He's just not the same player. And I'm not comparing Clay Thompson to Aaron Rogers because Aaron at his sport is better than Clay, right? Clay's not the number one. Aaron's, you know, the equivalent of a number one.

But like when it starts going physically, it's never quite the same. And I just think the likelihood that he's going to have a successful year at 40 years old coming off in Achilles separate from all these other players that have their own issues injury-wise. I just have a hard time believe in that.

I also think he showed us two years ago he's bad with the Packers. That Packer team's good. We saw Jordan Love's second half a season was excellent. So what if Aaron Rogers is half as good as he once was? Or 75%

and he's like the 12th best quarterback. Your coaching staff isn't good enough. The Jets had Bruce Ariens and Todd Bowles as the defensive coordinator. I just don't think you're as good coaching-wise. On my girlfriend's Instagram, from Ellie, but this isn't Ellie. I don't know. Why does nobody question Malcolm Butler about being benched in the Eagles' Pat Super Bowl? I mean, come on, John.

This guy pretending to not know is more frustrating to Bill not saying anything about it. Malcolm knows why. I agree. I would die on this hill I have a hard time I don't believe I do not believe under no circumstances

that the guy just played all season long I remember it was like whatever percentage of the snaps I don't think it was 100 but it was damn high he was a full-time starter Super Bowl comes and he's just benched he's like I got no clue what happened

right I would say most times in life the majority of times in life the majority of times in life. You know. Before you break up, like, yeah, you know she's not that into you. Maybe you're not that into her. I've been fired from a job.

I can see it coming. I knew it was going to happen. I'm like, this ain't good. Something's off. I've been in trouble when I was a kid a lot with my parents. The guy didn't do it. Like, yeah, I knew I did it. There is, I see under no circumstance.

Think about Belichick. Belichick will trade you without telling you. Belichick will make harsh personnel moves, but he's never made a move like that. And historically, he's always benched guys. Like, yeah, Chandler Jones got traded. Shouldn't have gone in stone to that jail or precinct and spoke with the cops, right?

Could have saw that one coming. Remember that running back they had? I forget his name, but he was like an undrafted free agent, played for Belichick and had a huge Monday night football game and then like the next week like on Wednesday he was five minutes late for a meeting

and I think a couple weeks later he was cut I might be misremembering this maybe he was benched cut I waved a couple weeks later for the most part Belichick hasn't done things of like why would he do that in terms of guys playing in a game

I see under no circumstance the Malcolm Butler can't hasn't told his friends his wife like what really happened I don't believe it

maybe the other players on the team don't know I can't see it just kind of mad to know yeah I'm just bitching them why I just gut feel just a gut feel

I don't know bullshit I'm with you that play though when he made the pick what an incredible interception really is

certain plays in sports I just never get tired of watching that play. I think that's the best Super Bowl play of all time. That if I just watch, it's like, I never get tired of watching it. The other one is James Harrison when he picked off Kurt Warner and took it back and Larry Fitzgerald went out of bounds and was like weaving in and out of people and ended up tackling him into the end zone.

That would be, I'd put that even above David Tyree. Because David Tyree, we've seen weird catches. Julio had won a Super Bowl. Edelman had won a Super Bowl. I would say the Malcolm Butler thing is one of those plays that every time you're like, holy shit. Love the pod. Watch all your videos.

I'm 24-year-old serving active duty in the military. We appreciate your service. I've always had a passion for sports and team, especially football. I'm a junkie through and through. I want to work in a front office one day. I plan on going to college after military to pursue my passion in scouting. U.S. government better pay for that bitch. I'm learning how to break down all 22 film on my off time

and essentially making it my lifestyle. I'm obsessed. I have a connection with a Division I school in Big Ten that I may be able to get my foot in the door. Any recommendations on majors for what career path and advice on the journey? I would say your major is pretty relevant. I would recommend if you're gungho dead set

on working in football, take the easiest major possible. Just because you can dedicate more time to football. There's no point in trying to be like a architectural engineer and spending all your time in the library and not able to do football stuff. Now, if you can be a business major, that always makes the most sense. But I worked with people with all sorts of majors.

It doesn't matter. So I would say just, I would recommend getting the easiest major possible. if under no circumstances, you're not going to do everything humanly possible to do football as a full-time career path. Business, you know, just a basic finance degree. But if you don't like business, then it may be hard.

I would, communications. One of those degrees that everyone on TikTok, you know, liberal arts that everyone on TikTok complains about I can't get a job, well, like, yeah, no shit. I'd also argue, like, who does degree even matter? I got like three degrees. They don't mean it. They do nothing, too, actually. State schools. You know, I'm not exactly a Harvard grad.

But, I mean, I'd say that's been diminished a little lately. As an avid sports card collector, which young quarterback has the highest upside in the NFL at the moment? Could be a starter or non-starter. It's a good question. You would have to take someone off the beaten path. Like, what if this Tennessee crew, like Brian Callahan, make Will Levis into a player?

And then all of a sudden, he's good. I'm looking at value here. Like, Will Levis. You get his card for nothing right now. What if you just look up in a couple years and he's like a legit starter? Trying to think. This draft would probably be Jaden Daniels. Like, what if he goes to Washington becomes a star?

What if he's like this dynamic player? He's like Lamar Light. J.J. McCarthy. I'm trying to think. Let's go. Daniel Jones, hell no. We have a lot of established veterans. Probably buy low on Bryce Young, though.

I think that would probably be a waste of money. money. I would say Levis would just be a good like, you know, throw a little cash in, see if it pops, hoping for like a 10 bagger. And if it doesn't, whatever, it didn't cost you much. Because don't think how many quarterbacks are like Baker, Derek Carr, cousins, Dak, like they kind of are who they are. Purdy, but I don't know, the card market. I'm not a big card guy. It's pretty cheap. Like, what if Purdy becomes a superstar? I guess that would be one. He's already damn good player, but like, what if he does this for the next 10 years? Because if he does, then he'll be, you know, viewed as one of the best quarterbacks in the league for a long period of time.

That's probably where I'd go. I would say just low, low-budget flyer Will Levis. Purdy would be you just kind of bet on this guy just becoming a consistent star in the NFL. 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tantons 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 podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.