The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Is Caleb Williams a BUST, QB and Coach relationship, 49ers CUT Moody

Episode Date: September 10, 2025

Caleb Williams had his toughest game yet, raising big questions about his future with the Chicago Bears. John Middlekauff breaks down why Williams’ development depends on Ben Johnson and what could happen if the QB doesn’t show progress. Could Williams be labeled a bust sooner than expected? John also explains the importance of the coach/quarterback relationship across the NFL and why it’s the difference between success and failure.  Plus, reaction to the San Francisco 49ers cutting their kicker and what it means for their future chances. Finally, John answers your questions in this episode's mailbag segment. 5:51 - Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson's future 13:43 - QB and Coach relationship 29:24 - 49ers cut Moody 46:29 - Mailbag Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest.  All lines provided by hardrock.bet 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. #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you.

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The volume. What is going on, everybody? How are we doing? Hopefully everyone's having a great day, living life. Enjoying yourself. Probably having a better day than Ben Johnson. And I do want to talk about the Bears, Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. And why, if it does even get worse than what we're going to be.

witnessed and get weird this year. That's the reason you hired Ben Johnson. And I think Kevin O'Connell serves as a good example. And I've been thinking a lot about this, the relationship between drafted quarterbacks and established head coaches and the power of that. And then guys that inherit quarterbacks, young quarterbacks, and how situations can kind of go off the rails. And then the 49ers cut a kicker today.

They drafted him in the third round, and he did not. last very long. This is your three and he's booted cut and they're signing another guy. So some thoughts on just philosophies when drafting special teams players as well as a little mailback at John Middlecoff. At John Middlecoff is the

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Yeah, that's the game plan. So we'll just keep chugging along. Before we dive in some football, you know I've got to tell you about my friends, my partners, and the official ticketing app of this podcast, GameTime. And here's the thing with Game Time. Best Ticketing app in America, I've used them all. There is not a ticketing app I haven't used, and this one blows them out of the water.

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that game's so fascinating, is typically, like, going into a game, you have a pretty good idea of what you're going to get. And that game, like, the Vikings have been really good. two of the last three years. They have a ton of established players. They have an established coach, a stud defensive coordinator. But we had no clue what it was going to look like because the quarterback. And the first half wasn't that shocking. First ever NFL game on the road, completely overwhelmed. And then he completely flips the script. And we're like, God, he might actually be a high end of player. What if he goes on to be a franchise quarterback

for them? The Bears, while we had seen Caleb Williams play, we're like, well, he's got to be better. He's got Ben Johnson. They've done a good job with the offensive line. he should be improved. But we didn't know. So we went in that game. Like, we went into Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson Sunday night. We didn't go in blind.

We knew what we were getting. That was better than we thought. But, like, that's part for the course. Like, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson are going to continue to rack up MVPs. I would be stunned if one of those two guys doesn't win the MVP this year. Yeah, you know, I got a little cash on Baker. Do you think Joe Burrow, you know, he started slow last year as well. I think he will be heard from.

But you watch those two guys, like, if they're healthy yet, that's as good as a guy. Those are the best two players right now in the NFL. Doesn't mean they will win. I'm not betting against Patrick Mahomes ever again in a big game. But those two guys, best two players in the league. Obviously Herbert, Mahomes, Jalen Hurd, Stack, Prescott. Like, we've seen these guys play for a long, long time. Now, we can nitpick them, but we had no clue what we were getting.

And when you look at Ben Johnson and you look at Caleb Williams, I think this is why you hire an offensive coach. Because if I was a betting man right now, I would say this is not going to work. I don't think Caleb is good. We have through 18 games, he plays like most coaches don't want you to play. Not on time, inaccurate, hard to just run your offense because there's no rhythm to his game. He's a freelance player, which is great when shit hits the fan, but just freelancing on a basic play can screw everything up. And Ben Johnson's offense is timing related.

he needs everything to be, when he tells you get rid of the ball on your second step or on your third step, it has to be out of there, it has to be on the guy. He's not just making that up. That's the way he has constructed this bad boy and how he got this job based on the success he had doing that exact same thing. But this is why the Bears hired Ben Johnson, because there's no guarantee that this is going to work. And more than likely, based on the history of the league, and when you look at the other quarterbacks in his draft class and the percentage chances that someone's got a whiff, you would put money on Caleb Williams not working out. And we know at the pace in which things operate now, you don't get four or five years. Those days are done.

Based on recent history, you get about two. And this is year two for Caleb. So if they keep losing these games and they just lost a game at home to a quarterback who had never played an NFL snap in the regular season in pretty devastating fashion, how am I going to bet on them to win a lot of games? I remember being on Collins Show in Los Angeles and we did this thing. thing. Like everyone thinks the bear is going to be a lot better. And we went through the schedule optimistically. And it was hard to get to nine and eight. Now after watching that last night, like, yeah, six, seven wins. That's what I feel like. That's going to be your quarterback. And let's face it, like he's going to try to impress the coach. The coach is going to be down on him. It's going to be a

weird situation. But don't be scared, Bears fans, because you have a guy, the reason you paid this guy four or five years, $13 million a year is he can fix that problem. Look at the Vikings, for example. Kevin O'Connell has proven he can work with Kirk Cousins, an established veteran guy. And then once Cousins tore his Achilles, he said, see you later. And what did he do? He signed Sam Darnold for $10 million and drafted the fifth quarterback off the board. The fifth quarterback. Now, he was drafted in the top 15, but J.J. McCarthy was the fifth quarterback off the board in his own draft class.

And Sam Donald went on to throw 35 touchdowns, which matches. a guy who has made over $300 million, Kurt Cousins, career high. So Kevin O'Connell, when you're like, what are we going to do? How are we going to let Kirk Cousins walk? Well, I'll tell you, that's why you pay me the money. Because you could argue, unless I have Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen,

most of these quarterbacks, like the difference between Dak Prescott, the difference between Kirk Cousins, the difference between Brock Purdy, the difference between a lot of these guys is very, very small. If you're not in that truly upper echelon, it's kind of a coin flip and really comes down to the coaching. So when you see Kevin O'Connell, what is his value to the organization, he could win 14 games and have a guy throw 35 touchdowns that everyone universally thought sucked.

And then he could take J.G. McCarthy, who, listen, I was on the fence about, I didn't think it was going to translate because of the offense he played in. And by the end of his first game, accounting for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. And me thinking like, God, no wonder they put a captaincy on this guy's chest. No wonder that Kevin O'Connell had him break down the locker room at the end of that game and everyone gravitated toward him. Like, he sees something in these players. That is his special sauce.

Obviously, being a leader, assembling a staff, running a team is very difficult. But the advantage you have when you have an offensive coach who's a quote-unquote quarterback guru, and to me a quarterback guru isn't just designing plays. It's being able to take several different guys of different shapes and sizes and win games. Andy Reid was known as this quarterback savant before he ever got to Kansas City because you know why he won with so many different quarterbacks in Philadelphia. Mobile ones, guys who weren't mobile, guys who weren't mobile, guys with big arms, guys who didn't have big arms, he won with them all. And then look at Kansas City, won a ton of games with Alex Smith, a guy with

an average at best arm to go to Patrick Mahomes who has elite physical attributes. So to me, Ben Johnson, Part of hiring him is, you know, worst case scenario, Caleb Williams is a bust, which is a tough word to say when you draft a guy number one overall, but it's happened before and it will happen again. But the reason we feel we're okay if this doesn't work out, which we never would have been with Matt Eberfluse, because he had no clue what he was doing. This guy at least, now he'd have to prove it and get it done, but I've seen him resurrect a guy's career. What we talk about and the way that Jared Goff is perceived in 2025 was not the case three or four years ago.

Was not the case when Ben Johnson started calling plays for Dan Campbell. Jared Goff was viewed at like, yeah, got overpaid, had a little bit of success with Sean McVeigh, but that was an outlier situation. That's not going to be over the course of his career, especially going to Detroit. And then Ben Johnson, they build around him, and he starts going to Pro Bowls and win a.

a ton of games. So if I'm a Bears fan right now, this season could suck. And there's a pretty good chance. This season's going to be extremely underwhelming. And by the end of it, Caleb Williams will be viewed as like, he's not our franchise quarterback. But that's why you hired Ben Johnson to figure it out. So if we got a draft guy in the second or third round next year, if we got to see what Tyson Badgett, Badgnet, I can't even say his fucking name, has in the tank. Clearly, Ben Johnson can say his name and really likes him. But I would feel like, hey, this could be rocky. It's going to be rocky,

but you have a coach that everyone else wanted because of his ability to coach that position and coach the offense. And speaking of coaches and quarterbacks, you know, having been married now for six months and having a child on the way, the biggest difference, like, and for those of you that are listening, that are young and single,

it's a great time in your life and especially if you're professionally ambitious, take advantage of it. because time, like, not only is on your side, but you don't have other requirements and other people depending on you. When you get married, when you get into a serious relationship, and obviously whenever this child pops out of her, my life is going to be dramatically different in terms of people depending on me, which is a good thing, which I enjoy. It's part of my life that felt empty for a long period of time. But when you get into a serious relationship, when you get married,

when you live together, when your finances are under one umbrella, everyone stresses are each other's stresses. You know, when I was in my 20s or in my early 30s, the only thing I ever had to worry about were my problems and maybe my immediate family's problems, like, you know, my mom or dad. But I didn't have anyone else an issue with. And then you find someone that you're willing to go like, yeah, if she has financial issues, if she has personal issues, if she's having issues with her job, whatever it may be. And listen, a lot of you listening right now that are married, knows, like, whatever her problems may be, big or small, they become your problems. And that only, I'm sure, gets amplified to the nth degree with a child. I mean, I think back when I was a little kid,

what a pain in the bleeping, you know what I would have been for my own parents. I was not an easy kid to raise. But I was their problem. And they were loyal to me because I was their child. And I was thinking about, you know, Ben Johnson did not pick Caleb Williams. When you, uh, juxtapose that with, Kevin O'Connell and J.J. McCarthy. That's his guy. So there's a loyalty and a relationship there that can't really be faked. Like, you can create a relationship when I inherited you as a quarterback, but it's not the same organic relationship of, I drafted this guy. Like, the power in Mahomes and Andy Reed, obviously, this is a league that is defined by wins and losses. And whether you play well or you don't play well. And when you play well, it's easy to get behind a guy. But there was a

relationship with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid and the chief's organization because it started on the ground floor. He became a chief before anyone really knew who he was. I love football. I love college football. I'd be lying to you if I knew that much about Patrick Mahomes before he began starting for the Kansas City Chiefs his second year. Obviously, with some of these quarterbacks, Tua, Caleb, Joe Burrow. We know a lot more about them because they play for prominent programs and we watch them play a lot. Most people are not banging out seven and six Texas tech teams. I know I was not. But there was a relationship and a power and just a willingness. If it hadn't gone as well, we're going to live through it because we believed in you. We traded up for you. We used a high

pick on you. You mean something to us. And that's to me the relationship when you get married, when you have children. That, with your parents, you don't have that relationship with any other human being. It's impossible to have. And when I look around the league, part of the reason Sean Payton, and we're going to find out if he's right or wrong,

but his loyalty, his belief in this player, it's like you can't talk him off that ledge, at least not for a long time. That relationship that just took a huge step with Kevin O'Connell and J.J. McCarthy, like the power of that last 15 minutes in that fourth quarter is something that they are going to build on, it's going to make it even stronger.

But I was thinking about like Mike Vrable. I'm sure he was very intrigued by Drake May. He's very, he thinks the guy's height, weight, speed, his physical attributes. But if Drake May plays bad, Mike Vrable did not draft that player. So the loyalty for guys like Mike Vrable and Ben Johnson, if it starts to fray, if it starts going in the wrong direction, they will jump ship. Like they are not going down

with that guy by their side. I promise you that. Andy Reid at this point in time would go down in flames next to Patrick Holmes. Look at what they're doing with Travis Kelsey. Travis Kelsey, I think we've got to be real, is somewhat a shell of himself.

And I'm not being a negative or some hater. This is just evaluating him as a football player. Obviously, from a personal brand standpoint, he's never made more money, he's never been bigger. But from a on-the-field standpoint, he's never been a worse player. But there's a loyalty that feats that the Hunt family and Andy have to him, because they've been with him from the jump.

And so you look around the league, like, you know, I think Lamar Jackson would have been a pretty good player no matter where he went. Obviously, he benefited from going to the Ravens. But, like, he saved John Harbaugh's job. John Harbaugh, if Lamar hadn't come in and played well and taking that team to the playoffs, was on the hot seat. People forget that and change the course of his career. And obviously they've gone on to have an insane amount of success.

Sean McDermott was known as a good defensive coordinator in Carolina. Josh Allen made him a $12, $15 million a year head coach and a guy who goes to the playoffs every single year. Now, this is what I'm saying about like those guys are winning, that grows their relationship. But those were the coaches. They were there when the guy was drafted. So as you build a relationship, whether it be with your wife,

whether it be with a quarterback, from the beginning. The moment that player walks in the organization, you're the one talking to him, greeting him and coaching him. You can't fake that. I mean, listen, Bill's a weird guy, but the power of him and Brady's relationship for almost 20 years before it started to break apart

was pretty powerful. I mean, there's no really disputing. Hell, go back to Pete Carroll with Russell Wilson. Remember, one of the issues all those defensive guys had, like Richard Sherman, Cam Chancellor, you know, Bobby Wagner, was like he got such special treatment. I was like, yeah, he's more important in a weird way

if he's playing at a high level than you guys. Even if you guys are historic defense, there is no one more important if your quarterback is good. And when I draft you and you change the course of my career, right? There's a loyalty that is really, really strong. Now, Russell's a good example of like he actually, I would say help ruin that relationship. Head got big, wouldn't listen to anybody was a finger pointer. But there was a period for 7, 8, 9 years where the GM, the head coach just stood by

his side extremely, extremely close. And I think it's going to be fascinating moving forward with some of these quarterbacks. You watch how fast they'll get kicked to the curb. You watch how fast that like if Ben Johnson doesn't believe that Caleb Williams is good in a couple months, because he's not going to get cut or benched this month, right? But if you go 10 games and the team is 4 and 6 or 3 and 7 and the offense just week in, week out is just not good, he's not going to blame himself because he goes, I know what I do works.

I'm going to blame you. Like Mike Vrable goes, I know when I just have a capable quarterback, Ryan Tanyhill, my shit works. Now, maybe Drake May with the ownership gets a little bit more time, but I think the clock is ticking on these quarterbacks now to get it done really, really fast. And the difference, like for Carolina, for example,

no one's really paying attention. So if Carolina's got awful again, they could float a little bit under the radar. And if you tell me that Bryce Young gets four years, I would believe you. But everyone's paying attention to the Bears. Everyone's paying attention to Vrabil and the Patriot. So when it doesn't go well

and year in year two, we have seen this with Anthony Richardson. He didn't make it to year three as a starter. Trey Lance, year three, wasn't even on the team. And I say this all the time and I believe it more every day after seeing these situations. Getting drafted to a good team is great in theory.

Patrick Mahomes, it worked because he kicked ass and dominated. If Patrick Mahomes had been awful and had been worse than Alex Smith, everyone would have been fired. it would have been a problem. So going to a bad team and a coach that everyone makes fun of, you can fly under the radar a little bit. But when you are Drake May and you get higher Vrable

and everyone just goes, well, they're going to be a playoff team, at least they're going to be very competitive. And if you just suck and aren't any good, and let's face it, if you watch that game against the Raiders, that team looked like a carbon copy of Gerard Mayo's team. Awful. The Bears last night Look like the same team that Matt Eberflus coached

Until he was fired and then Thomas Brown started coaching It was the same thing So I just think the loyalty aspect of these new coaches Even with these super famous high picks Doesn't mean shit anymore And one thing that happened a long time ago When I first got in the NFL The lockout happened my second year

and when that thing happened, it changed the power of rookie contracts. Because forever, if you're like 25, you don't even remember this. But when I was 25, these rookies used to hold out. Because the amount of money they were negotiating for was like more money than everyone in the league. Nadomacan Su, Matt Stafford, Jamarcus Russell, Calvin Johnson, these guys were getting, if you were a top couple, you know, first pick, second overall pick, third overall pick, you were making $30, $40, $50 million on your initial contract in guaranteed money. It was stupid.

And this is 20 years ago. Right now, like I think the top pick makes $35 million. It's gone up because the revenue's gone up. But I'm talking, in 06, you had to give a guy $47 million or $50 million. I remember Matt Stafford immediately became one of the highest paid players in the league. And those days are done. So it's actually neutralized the power of your rookie. that their leash with the team isn't as big because you're not paying them as much.

Why can teams pivot when a free agent isn't that good? Because for most free agents, they're not getting that much guaranteed money. Even Saquan Barkley, part of the reason how he had to give him a raise to is off. He didn't have to, but he did because it was like, his contract was kind of a joke relative to the league. I mean, he had guards making dramatically more money than him on his own team. So the contracts and the flexibility that gives teams, if you're not any good, and here's the other thing. Quarterback play, you just watch college football,

they're just solid quarterbacks. Like, what the hell? I don't know if John Mateer just doing a little couch scouting, it was fun to watch him the other night against Michigan. He is a electrifying college player. He's got a good arm. He's a good athlete. And if he keeps playing like this,

clearly Oklahoma is going to win games. He will be in the Heisman mix, and he will be discussed as a top 15-20 pick. But is that an NFL player? I don't know. But there are enough guys like him year-in, year-out now that you just start watching around college football. Like Nussmeyer, Sellers, Matere, you start going through.

It's like, well, this guy's not good enough. We'll find one of those guys. And there's enough examples in recent memory of like, where the 49ers get their guy? Oh, the seventh round. Where's the Cowboys tenure starter? Oh, they got him in the fourth. Kirk Cousins, $300 million.

Where'd he go? Oh, third or fourth round. Russell Wilson was a Hall of Famer until he wasn't. Where did you find him? Third round. So we say this all the time about these quarterbacks. Just because you draft a guy high, it doesn't mean anything. And just because you get a guy in the mid-round's,

turns out he could be your starting quarterback. So I just think we've got to be very careful about thinking these guys are on scholarship because those days are long gone. We are extremely excited to announce our new presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bet. Everyone knows and loves their hotels and casinos, but now you can use the top-rated Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook to place all your NFL bets this season. Hard Rock Bet is the only legal sportsbook in the state of Florida and is also available in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, and Colorado with more states to come. You can also play on Hard Rock Bet's online casino if you are in New Jersey.

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In Indiana, if you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants to help call 1-8009 with it. Gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler. Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia. Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news.

We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're out there. but this one's extra special.

So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down?

Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad Hey Jonas and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jordan O'Don. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody!

But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, hope from a hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man.

If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream. Cream and chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coutura Podcast Network

available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shake my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, Tune into the podcast Deeply Well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery,

and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized,

but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And speaking about a guy who's definitely not on scholarship, a couple years ago, the 49ers drafted a kicker in the third round. Now, this was a time because of the Trey Lance Trey. They didn't have any first round picks. So typically the first picks that they had would be at the end of the second round because they had been winning.

So they weren't picking until like the late 50s. So for the first night and even a long way into the second night, the 49ers didn't have a draft pick. And they had a roster that would be reminiscent now of the Ravens of the Vikings. If I draft a guy in the second or third round, it is going to be very difficult for that guy to start on my team. hell, to make the team.

He's only making the team because of his draft slot. There is no guarantee that he's going to actually earn that spot based on training camp and on the field. But that's kind of the way the league works. I've believed when you're in a situation like that and you can be

I guess a little greedy that if you take a kicker or a punter at the end of the third round, taking a guy in the first couple rounds is insane. But you start getting a kid of the third round, there's that thing called compensatory picks.

And the 49ers were getting a ton of them because they had a bunch of dudes like Robert Sala, Mike McDaniels half black, these guys getting jobs and them getting extra picks at the end of the third round. So they had like several picks at the end of the third round, and they used it on a kicker. And this kicker, Jim Harbaugh used to say when he coached him at Michigan, death, taxes, and Moody's guaranteed. Moody was that automatic. And I'll never forget, my first year in Philadelphia, David Acres was the kicker.

And he had had a fantastic career. And that year got a little weird. He missed some kicks, I think specifically in the playoffs, and how he let him walk. And he went on to the 49ers the next year, and he made the Pro Bowl. And he was probably 35, 36 at the time. Well, the Eagles didn't have a kicker because Acres walked. So what do we do? We drafted a kicker in the fourth round.

I don't even remember the guy's name. He was a star, like, all-American, all-big-12 kicker from Nebraska. All the guy did in college was make kicks. So, like, draft him in the fourth round. And I'll never forget because I, at practice, with Bobby April, our special teams coordinator, whose son Bobby April Jr., I think now is the defensive coordinator for Stanford, love that family, great people. I used to help him with special team stuff, whether it be at practice or during the week,

chart and shit. It was a shitty job, but it was fun. Bobby was cool. And I remember I was doing times. I was charting stuff. And I would kind of have to stand by Bobby and kind of by Coach Reed, who would stand right behind the kicking unit during that period of practice. And usually during that period of practice, if you have, you know, a normal kicker, right, let alone a good kicker. Most people aren't paying attention, right?

During training camp, people are dicking around. Your starting units are on the side during Gatorade water. bullshitting. Hell, even when I was a scout or when I was at Fresno State, you just bullshit on the side. They make some kicks and you just move on to normal part of practice. But when you have a new kicker, especially drafted a guy, like everyone's kind of watching them. And I remember him missing some kicks and it getting weird fast. And the one thing with kicking, unlike these other positions, confidence is a huge, huge element of it. And kicking, unlike playing defensive tackle or wide receiver. It's not really that physical, right? It becomes much more mental. It's like being a

baseball player, being a golfer. You're spending the majority of your time thinking. And once you lose it, I think it's kind of gone. Because not only do you start questioning yourself, I think there's a natural insecurity where you start thinking that other people are questioning you. Because it's not like you're lifting the same weights as these guys, practice is the same for you. You kind of live a different life. though, you know, if you're a third round pick, you're probably making a million dollars. It's a great life. But the moment you start missing kicks, in general,

unless you are such a high-level player, have a bunch of equity like Justin Tucker, but even toward the end with Justin Tucker, before all the news broke, it was like, God, he might just be old and done. Remember the last couple years out of Venetary when he was old? But he got a little bit of the benefit of the doubt because, like, this guy's a Hall of Fame, right?

This guy's a Hall of Famer. But often when a kicker has no equity, and he starts missing kicks, you go, he's done. Because the difference of him, once he starts missing, and 10 guys on the street does not exist. Yet, if your right tackle has a bad game, you know you can't just cut your right tackle and find some dude who's at home

that played in the NFL the last couple years and replacing with that. The gap's too big. But with kicking and punting, kicking even more than punting, I think it's pretty easy to replace the kicker. And I believed that it's like, what the hell? If your team's good enough, take a guy in the third round at the end of the third round.

It's like pick 99. Who cares? That was dumb. And that's a complete waste to pick. And I believe that under no circumstances, probably until like the seventh round should you take a special team's player. Because I googled it like, oh, where was David Acres drafted? Oh, he was an undrafted free agent. Where was Justin Tucker drafted?

Oh, yeah, it was an undrafted free agent. Most of these guys are undrafted free agents. So wasting a pick on something that is so out of your control. Because these guys' mental stability just as quickly as it goes, it's like Paul Asinger said, the famous golfer, that confidence is a powerful thing. When you got it, you never think you're going to lose it. And when it's gone, you never think it's going back.

And anyone that's played golf can relate to that. You can be like, God, I just have two birdies in a row. I feel like Tiger Woods. And then the next hole, you can blast one out of bounds. And all of a sudden, like, I don't even know. I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know how to swing a golf club. And I do believe with kickers, like with quarterbacks.

Look at J.J. McCarthy. Through one of the worst passes, he's probably thrown in his entire life, that pick six. It doesn't get any worse than that. What do you do? Shook it off, threw a couple more passes than he was good. You just kind of battle through it. Like if you're a basketball player. You know, I went 0 for 10.

What's Steph Curry? Just keep shooting. Keep fire. Get to the rim. Just keep going. Like, it's like I haven't got a pressure all day. We'll just keep rushing. You've been using the bull,

the bull rush, try an inside counter. Try a speed rush. Mix it up. Just keep going. Keep playing hard. Good things will happen. Mental sports, golf, baseball, kicking. Like, trying hard doesn't work. It's actually the opposite. But that means you've got to take off

and pull back the reins and think even more. And that's where you get a problem. So the 49ers cut their kicker. I think what it brings in the light, under no circumstances can you take a kicker high anymore. It's just bad business. because I would say nothing translates less than, oh, this guy was an All-American at a top-10 program. It doesn't mean shit.

Honestly, it means nothing because you can get him and he immediately can suck. And I don't give the 49ers any credit. They should have done this last year. They should have done this in training camp. They needed him to miss a 27-yard kick against Seattle, which easily and probably should have cost them the game. They got very, very lucky to win that game, and Jake Moody tried to lose it for him. And listen, most coaches, and I was texting with someone the other day, I think defensive coaches actually have more respect for kickers

because, like, in a perfect world, they want to play in lower scoring games. In a lower scoring game, the kicker has a huge impact on the game. Right? Like, look at John Harbaugh and Justin Tucker. Look at Jim Harbaugh, who's an offensive guy, but technically feels like a defensive guy. A lot of these defensive coach, Mike Tomlin now with Boswell, like they value, they value, kicker highly. Kyle Shanahan can't stand the kicker. He thinks if he could vote, if they ever had in a league meeting, like you can just get rid of field goals, he would vote to get rid of them. And listen, I do understand if you value offense or defense thinking like, how is this a part

of the game? It's like Ben Hogan and golf famously thought like putting shouldn't exist. Right? He's like, you hit the fairway, you hit a great shot from 200 yards, and then I three put. it's like, well, yeah, it is part of the game. Like, kicking's part of the game. And when you have a bad kicker, and most teams don't have Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson. So you're just going to, like the 49ers are going to play in a ton of close games. You had to cut this guy.

And he got, like, way more shots, just like most people get more shots. Caleb Williams, if Caleb Williams was Brock Purdy and, you know, seventh round pick that got an opportunity to start and played bad, he would not play anymore. But you get more opportunity. is when you're drafted I. You just do.

Because of the money people invest in you, because people view that you have better traits. And Jake Moody is a great example. If Jake Moody had been an undrafted free agent from Michigan that had made the 49ers and missed all these kicks and been objectively not a very good player, he would have been cut 12 months ago. They wouldn't even have thought twice.

They would have thrown him to the trash as they do with a ton of players on the team. That's part of the NFL. Guys get cut and transitioned in and out all the time. but there are certain players and every team has this maybe like a second round pick maybe a first round pick

who's not that good who probably should be cut but it's like ah we're just not going to do it yet so they finally cut them and I'd argue it's a year too late but better late than never after week one

which could have been a disaster and I just don't think there's a team in the league I do think you know whenever a team's going through a spell the Eagles had this happen the 49ers have had this happen I'm sure there are other teams

The Lions had this happen last year, where we try to figure out, like, why are there so many injuries? I don't know, some guys, sometimes you just go through a stretch where guys are breaking legs, pulling hamstrings and hurting shoulders. But at least in football, if you go to training camp or in a preseason game or a regular season game, when you see a guy injured, you're like, hey, George Kettle just pulled his hamstring.

Like, it's just, it happened on him running a go route down the seam. Not ideal. Obviously, it's kind of a disaster, But everyone understands. He was running, pulled his hamstring. I don't think there's any team that I ever remember seeing more guys get injured. They're like play the game, have success in the game. You see like in the locker room highlights after the game.

Everyone's high-fiving, breaking down the team. And then on Monday or Tuesday, it'll be like, yeah, a little update here. Brock Purdy, we're adding him to the injury report. He's got a fucked up toe and a bum shoulder. You're like, what? What did you say? the 49ers have guys who finish games look completely fine and then come Monday or Tuesday are injured.

So they lead the league. They literally had last night in the Vikings game, the linebacker who pulled his hammy, had to wait to get into the tent because the center was in there. The 49ers tent is so big, it fit Trent Williams and George Kittle at the same time. They have a large tent because they know that multiple players might be in the tent at the same time.

The Vikings just have a normal tent. it's like only, there's only room for one player. I would imagine most teams, that's the case. Not the 49ers. You know, it's like, God, what size lot do you live on? Oh, I live on an acre. That's like the equivalent of the 49ers. Like, oh, we got the extra, extra large tent.

So it's just, I can't even, I don't even know what to say. Because at this point in time, you just expect, I don't even care if the game ends and you haven't heard anything. Just know come Monday or Tuesday, more injuries will happen. Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news?

Huge news. We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special.

So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names. of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this.

We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, Hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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, S&L'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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple

podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told my about love or relationships can then shape my behavior and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This mental health awareness month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overreesome.

The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jordanano. know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please!

But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike! I'm a comedian! I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice.

One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream. Cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrat, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrat as part of the MyCultura Podcast Network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, mailback time. Ad John Middlecoff, Instagram, fire in those DMs.

Get your questions answered here on the show. We're off and running now. So let's bang out some questions. Enjoy ourselves. We will start with, he doesn't actually have his name. It seems to be that fan and media conventional wisdom, that quarterback ranking is in some order Mahomes, Allen. But are we so sure about this?

Mahomes went to a team with multiple Hall of Famers, arguably the greatest coach of all time, elite ownership, better defense, significantly more pro bowlers. Josh Allen has been handed a football and told, good luck out there, kid. If the situation was flipped, do we honestly think Mahomes could do what Alan could do?

Alan has the best TV ratio in the NFL history in the playoffs. Josh plays reckless, is simply a lie. Since Alan has been the quarterback when they lose in the playoffs, the bills give up 33.2 fucking points. I think today, listen, Mahomes, you're not going to bet on them in a big game because big games get ugly.

He obviously just comes through when it matters the most. But as we sit here today, the best player in the league is Josh Allen. And I would say not far behind him is Lamar Jackson. Like what we witness on Sunday... Those are the two best players in the league. It doesn't mean that that guy won't get it done. Right?

When Steph Curry won the NBA championship in 2012, 22. He was not the best player in the NBA. Was there anyone you were going to bet against with a game online or in a big moment or a guy to come through in game six or seven to score 45, 50 points? So I think that's the way we talk about Mahomes, right? Like was Joe Montana better than John Elway? Or did Joe Montana just have kind of a clutch gene that was hard to argue? Now, I'm with you on Josh Allen. If you gave Josh Allen to the Kansas Chiefs, they are, they are every bit as good. And knowing guys with Kansas City,

the respect level that organization has for Josh, like if you were, Andy doesn't drink, but if you were just having a cocktail in theory with Andy Reed, or just BS him about football. Like he's a great guy to just BS about football, right? Players, GMs, owners, whatever, just nerd out. Like, I would imagine he would tell you in his decades of being in the NFL,

back since Brett Farf, that Josh Allen is as good of a guy he's ever coached against. He would be right near the top. And I'm with you. I don't argue. I just think we got a big four. I would include Herbert if he's going to keep playing like that as a big five. And then Jayden Daniels if he just becomes like,

if he just does it again, like he's just a star as well. It's just hard to argue with Mahomes. Like, I mean, he's had some big moments. He has some down moments, but like it's pretty clear. He's a special player. Now, currently what Josh is, Jallant did the other night was just, that was freaking awesome. That was cool. The Eagles recently worked out seven free agents. Could you please walk us through this process? Do all seven players

work out at the same time like a mini combine? Are the coordinators present or just the position coaches? Do the Eagles cover, travel, and hotel expenses? If yes, would the players typically be flown in first class put up in a decent hotel? Do workouts like this typically take all day? Are the Eagles on the hook for any injury during the workouts. Is there any oversight by the players union such as restrictions? I can't speak to the players' unions restrictions. I think it depends the player you are. Like if you were just an undrafted free agent who, let's say, was at training camp for

the Chargers and got cut and are not on a practice squad, the Eagles aren't flying you out first class. Now, if you are Keenan Allen, I know he's on the Chargers now. But, you know, a guy like that, you might fly out first class. I would say when I first got hired, my job was to pick those guys up at the airport and bring them the facility. And typically they would get, you would take them to the training room. They would get ready. They would stretch.

Maybe they would eat. And the workout varies by position. Now, a lot of times, let's say you got a list. It's called a short list. So Howie and his personnel staff have a list of free agents from quarterbacks to kickers And if you lose If Landon Dickerson breaks his back and is out for the season

Well then there's a domino effect right The backup becomes the starter The There's no longer a backup to the starter So you've got to elevate probably a guy from the practice squad And you need to fill a position on the practice squad So typically you want to know who's the best available guy on the the street. Well, over the course of the year, and this is how he's and the Eagles have been doing

this forever, and I can't speak to every team, is usually on every Monday or Tuesday of a week, you will have a workout of your highest graded street free agents. And they will do, if you're DB, you'll just do just generic DB drills, back pedal, run, break on the ball. It's just kind of to get a gauge, like physically, is he okay? Is he in decent shape? And depending on the player you are, you know, if we need to sign an offensive lineman or a defensive back, then the position coaching coordinator are probably coming, potentially the head coach as well. If these are just a generic workout, we don't plan on signing any of them, then it probably is just the scouts and maybe like a quality control type coach, you know, to throw.

You know, Matt and Aggie, when I was there, used to be the quarterback and would throw. So I think it depends on the situation. You know, in Philly, and it also depends on how I can't, I haven't been to every team's facility. There's a Marriott right next to the airport. So they just stay at the Marriott. Like, these guys aren't staying at the four seasons. And then if I don't sign you, I just fly you home. But they cover the travel.

They cover your hotel. They pick you up, take you back. They feed you. So it's, you don't have to pay for anything. Now, I'm sure there have been situations. In 2000, I would say the last. 20 years. Maybe you're doing a favor for a guy so the agent would pay, but I think at this point in time with most players, if he's good enough to give the GM's time and scouting staff's

time and position coach's time, then the team is paying for it. So there is a budget for this type of stuff, workouts, flying guys in. And this is what I always talk about why international teams would be a pain. What the Eagles just did, these guys probably flying guys, from Florida, Texas, L.A. Imagine if three of your guys you want to work out and you're the London team and you're flying them from L.A. Never been to London, but I know it's a pretty far flight. So, did I answer all your questions?

Coordinators, present, depends, position coaches, cover the travel, first class. I mean, if you're trying to get a job and your 25-year-old street-free agent, then you're not flying in first class. Quick question for the pod. Am I crazy to want to send Jowan Taylor does Siberia for being the reason the chiefs continue to struggle in the offensive line?

He gets a ton of penalties. I would imagine he's way better than the backup. So, like, the penalties are a problem, and I'm sure they are trying to figure that out. You know, Andy's an offensive lineman at heart. Heck, the offensive line coach is a stud. But, yeah, he would not be starting if he wasn't the best option. This is not college football where guys are on scholarship here. So he's the best option.

I don't understand why he jumps so much, though. But then again, I could probably just text someone and ask. Question for the bag. Obviously, the Bengals win was very ugly. For the first time, in years, the defense bailed us out. The rookie Stewart was the fourth highest rated rookie. Did this win change your outlook on the Bengals at all? I say this all the time.

I do put divisional games, my judgment on those games. especially week one. Like I'm not making grand proclamations. Like the Bengals offense will be fine. Last year they lost week one to the Patriots. You got Joe Burrow, you got Jamar Chase, you got T. Higgins. That was one of those games that I had on my second TV in like one of the smaller boxes. And I guess maybe I didn't give the Browns enough respect.

I never thought the Browns were going to win. So I wasn't super dialed in on that game. I do think this. if, you know, Hendrickson held out, right, or held in, you know what I mean. If you can get him going again and this rookie can make plays and you got two good pass rushers, then yeah, your defense, especially if you have leads with a good passing game, you should be better on defense. Now, Al Golden, people in football think highly of them.

Yeah, I mean, I'd say this, I thought the Ravens were going to be good on defense. They got shredded. I thought the Steelers were going to be good on defense. Justin Fields look like Lamar Jackson. Hot take. College football is ruined. With NIL and playoff, the playoff change, only a very small percentage of games and teams are worth watching.

The NIL thing was inevitable, but the playoff change was the nail in the coffin for me. It felt like the hype for the Natty last year was as low as ever, and it's not because the teams that were in it. The playoffs dragged out for a month and felt like they were too many, teams. They should have made a 16 playoff with the one and two seats getting by. That way the momentum

with a good first slate of playoff games plays into a more hype semifinal. What are your thoughts? I was thinking about this recently. One thing that's pretty sad is the little guy, like the mid-non-power

team, right? Think about Washington State. The last two years Washington State has lost Cam Ward to the University of Miami, a historic power for millions of dollars. He became the number one pick. And then this year, Oklahoma not only stole him, they stole the coordinator, and John Mateer is going to be a first round pick.

So programs like Washington State that used to be a Power 4 program, the program that I got my start at, Fresno State, under Pat Hill, had a ton of draft picks. Those guys never would have finished at Fresno State. Ever. Logan Mankins would have been paid a million dollars to go be a guard. at Alabama or Texas. Ryan Matthews would have been at Oregon. These guys, Washington State, every good player they have over the last decade would have been stolen.

Oregon State, they've had a ton of NFL players. They all would get taken. Hell, we are seeing it. San Diego State. Josh Simmons, the chief starting left tackle, started his freshman year at San Diego State, and then immediately went to Ohio State, which is crazy because, God, how good is that guy? But sometimes academically, whatever. I don't know exactly how it happened.

He's from the northern San Diego Helix High School. Actually, home of Reggie Bush and Alex Smith. But, yeah, I just think the little guy has always been a disadvantage. Like, Washington State was never winning the championship, right? Fresno State was never winning the championship. But Boise had a couple years ago you thought they could have. They never would have had that team. That team would have been pillaged.

Ashton Genty, I've said this before, and I will say this again, so if I'm repeating myself, we're never seeing that situation again. He was so loyal to Boise State that he accepted, I mean, based on an athletic article I read last year, the max they could pay them was like $300,000, which is obviously a ton for a young player, just in general in college football. But he was being offered over seven figures by other teams. Like, who know, maybe Texas. Some of these teams were offering them a million dollars to playwright, and he turned them down. Like, moving forward, that is not going to be the case.

It's very hard to be loyal when those are your options. So that's what pains me. And I'm just talking about the non-powerful. What about like when Minnesota or ASU or schools like that that get a good player? Well, the big boys with the big money can just take them away. And that's, we're never going back. So I'm just, I still enjoy it. But there is part, I hate being the guy that holds on to the past.

I saw a good quote. one time on a song on YouTube. Sometimes, like, if I'm just watching a good, like, acoustic version on YouTube, I'll just read the comments. And I think it was like, um, it was like an Eagle song or Don Henley song. I think the guy, it was a Don Henley song playing acoustic at, in Howard Stern's studio, probably like 15 years ago. And one of the comments that I'll never forget is like, I would like to go back in time,

not to do things over, but just to feel that again. because sometimes when you listen to music, right, it brings up emotional things from your past that are positive. And you're like, God, I would love to feel that again. But you never will. But you can remember it by listen to music. I think there's some of that in sports. Like for me, I don't miss the time when I looked at sports just kind of pure.

You know, in the 90s, when I just loved sports, like as a kid, as a 10-year-old, as a 12-year-old, as a 14-year-old, there was something pure about it. And that is long fucking gone now. So, listen, do I miss the Pact 12? It's not like I spend much time thinking about it, but yeah, I enjoyed my time being able to watch Oregon State play USC on a Thursday night and see Mark Sanchez and Ray Maluga and Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews lose a game up there. Like, that was fun. But those days kind of feel over.

So we just have to adapt and move on. Like, we're never going back. You know, I think about this all the time. I try to spend less time on my phone and I've deleted Twitter from my phone and don't call me a hero. I'm not looking for credit here. So this isn't like some self-absorbed thought

but it's just a big picture thought of like, I'm about to have a child. I don't want to be so beholden to my phone. And there are times when I think I hate my phone. And then I think my entire life and all the money I make are essentially because of technology,

are all because of technology. I would not have been able to transition my career from radio to doing what I did now, if the iPhone didn't change the world and you could just have a radio show, listen to on your phone, right? And obviously YouTube has done this very similar thing now. So it's like things that drive you nuts that also benefit you, things you like, you got to just, we're all trying to figure it out and work through. I try not to live in like negativity, you know. I don't want to. I don't want to. I don't want to. I, watch basketball nearly as much.

There are things about the sport that I dislike now that I used to not. But if you tell me, Steph Curry's going off, like, I will sit down and I will watch the game. So I, sometimes I just try to, like, not think too deep. Not everything you have to dive. Listen, I'm not trying to tell you how to think. But I think one angle I take on a lot of stuff that just allows me to be happier is, like, not everything has to be super deep. Do you think with how Moody panned out with the 49ers,

we will never see another kicker drafted as early as he went? We talk about this with a lot of positions. And listen, people will always make excuses if it's like, hey, this guy's been in a lot of trouble. But shit, he's 6-5-2-80 and he can bend the edge. He can hit that passer. And it's like, take him forth, you know. I think the kicker thing, I think there are a lot of organizations that would never touch a kicker high.

But I think once it happens to you, especially teams like in your division, you see it happen, you go, why would we ever do this? So I do think it'll obviously have a huge impact on the 49ers. But I do think other teams study and especially like even if you do need a kicker, that is something like give me the study last 20 years of where all the pro bowl kickers, all the top 10 kickers have been selected. the majority of them are going to be like six, seventh, undrafts free agents. So in what world would you waste a third round pick on the kicker? So it will, he's not the only one. Like we have seen, remember Aguayo, the dude Jason Light took,

who again, old-time greatest kicker at Florida State. This guy was automatic. He couldn't miss. But the pressure, once you come to the pros, everyone starts paying attention to you during the period at training camp when you're kicking. That did not happen in college. So you just had to make kicks in the game.

There's way less pressure, even though there is pressure on you, nothing like the NFL. Because in college you can miss a kick, you're not going to get cut. In the NFL, you will get replaced. So I think when you look at Aguio, when you look at Moody, I forget the kid from Nebraska. He was terrible. He was just like, whenever I looked at Moody's face,

I'm like, God, his face turns me off. Something about his like, he just always looked like he had a frown, embedded to just the way he just casually stood there and looked. Drove me nuts. The dude we took in Philly was just such a puss. I remember thinking like, this guy's going to be an NFL player? And the answer was no, he's not.

Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast?

Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to our... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide. range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys?

I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. We were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down?

Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast where people could call in and say hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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 Side 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. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast. deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming.

The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than me. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently,

I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hippocrat, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends

as we riff rant and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream, cream a chicken suit.

This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the MyCultura podcast network available on the IFart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. As someone who talks about sports for a living, I'm curious how you personally digest NFL football on Sundays. With six different games going on simultaneously in the one o'clock time slot, How are you able to make sure you watch all of them in enough detail to be able to discuss them on your podcast or whatever you're talking on? Do you have a bunch of TVs or are you flipping around back and forth? Well, I have two TVs and a big computer screen, so I technically could have nine plus games going on at one time, which is only an issue in the morning window. But the reality of the business I'm in is we talk about big stories and the things that matter.

I'm not breaking down Bryce Young's footwork. The moment I see that game doesn't matter, I stop paying attention. It doesn't matter. I'm not going to discuss it. So you have to prioritize what matters to the general public. Now, things change. If something crazy happens, you have to start paying attention. But I knew let's use Sunday morning, for example.

I knew the Jet Steelers was an important story. Jaden Daniels was one of the best players playing in the morning window. I'm watching that game, right? I'm trying to think. Raiders Patriots. That was a game I was paying attention to. In theory, I was watching Miami Colts, but 10 minutes in, that game doesn't matter.

So nothing in that game matters to me. Beside the big picture, do the dolphins suck and do they have something in Daniel Jones? And the angle's pretty easy on Daniel Jones. We won't know until we see him play better teams. And the dolphins, yeah, they probably suck. Now, there are going to be some games, that if like in the afternoon window,

if there are four decent games, it's hard to watch them all. So I was really dialed in to Niners, Seattle, and Green Bay, Detroit. And I tried to pay strong attention to the Rams and the Houston game. Well, once the Packer game becomes, I mean, it's like a blowout in the first half. It's 17 to 3 or whatever, but it feels like they're up 40. It's like not even close. They're kicking their ass. I kind of see what I need to see.

Unless there's a crazy comeback, which there wasn't. Like, the storylines for that game have played out. So I dial into the Rams game. I dial into the Niners game. It's harder for me. Like, I do because I'm interested in to see Cam Ward. I need to go back and just watch some of the highlights if I'm going to, if I'm going to talk about, you know, Cam Ward.

Like, I watched enough when Bo Nix was on the field. I kind of just picked my spots. but I also don't pretend to talk about something if I haven't watched it. I'm not running first take here. So if I haven't watched it, I'm not going to have a huge opinion on it. But I know things that I have to have an opinion on that matter. I'm going to pay attention to. And then if something happens that I didn't expect,

I have the technology, I can go back and watch it, right? But I pay attention to kind of everything that's going on on Sunday and lock into the big stories. And then you pivot as things are fluid. Now, do you know what I love? as buys happen. Like when we get to the point where there are three or four teams on buys,

you get a Thursday night game, you only got to pay attention to four or five games in the morning and then potentially sometimes two games in the afternoon. That's pretty easy for me to do. The first couple weeks, the last couple weeks,

are a challenge. Luckily, some of these games, like the Jags, Carolina game, like, I'm not talking about that game, right? If I led my show with that, then I'd have to go back and watch the condensed version of the game. So it's a long way of saying that, yeah, I mean, there's some stuff I'm just going to miss.

And then we probably won't discuss. Now, if someone asks me about it or it's like, hey, you need to watch this. I'll go back and watch and maybe I'll have an opinion. But there's a reason like, you know, if you watch whoever's big, right, unless they're going surface area on stuff, they're hammering home the big stories. I can talk about Caleb Williams, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and J.J. McCarthy, until the fucking cows come on. You know why?

That's what most people are talking about. So I try having a lot of information of what's important, what's not important, television ratings. Pretty good idea of like what podcasts work, what podcasts don't in terms of numbers of people listening through video and audio. Got a pretty good idea at this point in time, like kind of what I'm doing. But yeah, there's stuff that, you know, there are going to be games that there are individuals that are watching way closer than me. Question for the bag. Just a fun exercise. What level of draft pick do you think Prime Justin Tucker goes for?

A third round pick, I would guess. I think a team would give a third round pick. Yeah, third feels about as high. Because the second round pick, I can get Devante Adams. Right? I can get Nick Chubb. I can get, like, high-in, I can get starting corners. I can get great players.

LaShawn McCoy. Third round, would be my guess. Does Tampa officially have The best receiver room in the NFL Let me read read that Does Tampa officially have the best wide receiver room in the NFL Evans, all-time consistent producer Godwin is a one on at least a third of the league

Abuka is going to be a contender for offensive rookie the year And McMillan is number three on 20 of the 32 team You're pretty bullish on some of these guys I mean we'll see Godwin when he's healthy I mean he's been banged up a few times Abuk is a stud and Mike Evans, like you said, consistent player. Isn't McMillan hurt right now? It's pretty good.

It's pretty good. Someone DM me and said, could Caleb become, like, Baker? Like, couldn't he be a similar player, like, and resurrect his career later? Baker was so much better in college in the pocket. Like, Baker's a pretty natural pocket player for a smaller quarterback. He is comfortable playing in that radius. Caleb Williams is not. So one attribute Baker brings the table is pocket.

I mean, look at the game winning touchdown from the pocket, whatever, a post over the middle of the field to Abuca for the game winning touchdown. Caleb likes scrambling around making place. Baker, hot take, if Baker was like 6'5 and could literally see everything, like he was like Peyton Manning or Brady size with his arm and accuracy, he'd be in contention to be like a top five quarterback. He does have limitations because their ability to see. just being a shorter quarterback.

But he's a very natural player in the pocket. Question for the bag. Do you think Ben Johnson regrets not taking the commander's job to be with Jaden Daniels? I mean, it's kind of crossed his mind. Now, I would, I mean, listen, we get very emotional to this, right? Like, this is a way better job. Let's say Dan Quinn is making $9 million, which is a ton of money. Ben Johnson is making 13.

So if you extrapolate that over five years, like it's a lot more money. So he got paid a ton of cash to take that job. I mean, there's probably not 10 guys in the league making more than Ben Johnson. Ben Johnson's making a lot of money. And I bet he would think, like,

okay, this doesn't work, we'll figure it out. Now, you could make way, if Jaydon Daniels is a star, Ben Johnson, you could be a commander for 20 years. You might be making $20 million in five years as the head coach. So it's got to cross his mind. But I had someone tell me who, I don't know if he knows Ben well, but he knew people around him.

That part of the reason Ben pulled out wasn't just because of the Jaden situation. He just didn't feel he was quite ready yet. And I do respect that. I look today. Ben Johnson is like a year and a half younger than me. I'm 40 years old. So when we're talking, this is like 36 years old. When you're in these positions, you know, not everyone is Theo Epstein or Howie Roseman or, you know, in the

these positions that are like, hey, Sean McVeigh, I'll take on the world, give me the best position possible, I'll figure it out. I would have been intimidated, you know, at that age. Hell, I'd be intimidated now, but it's part of life. Some people are not scared. And some people just are a little more pragmatic, patient. He's already making a ton as the offensive coordinator, but like, you know, there's some things I can get better at. I'm not that comfortable, which is crazy because I'd rather work for Josh Harris. and Adam Peters, like looking back, you get Josh Harris, Adam Peters,

Jaden Daniels, or you get the McCaskies, Kevin Warren, Ryan Poles, Caleb Williams. It's like, you want a date a supermodel or the, you know, the chubby chick that works at Wendy's? I mean, it's like, what? Let me read, how could he not? How could that not keep him up at night? A couple more questions.

As a Rams fan, I know all about Josh McDaniel, Daniel's non-Tom Brady O.C. offensive performance. The Rams had the worst offense in the league in 2011, finishing 2 and 14. He scored under 200 points that year. Only one year of sample, he was fired with everyone else, but I think you have a point about the non-Bradie performance. It's a little concerning. Sometimes I'm as guilty as anyone of just kind of not going with the crowd,

but just kind of assuming things that shouldn't be assumed. Like Josh McDaniel's a great offensive coordinator. What are we talking about? And then you really extrapolate. Well, yeah, remove Tom, John. We've been ahead coach twice. He got ran out of the building. All the offensive players hated him.

Like you said, he was an offensive coordinator. Now I'd have to go back and look. You probably didn't have great players on that Rams team. But clearly did not go well. And when he had Belichick and when he had Tom, he kicked ass. Now he's got Vrabel and Drake May and they were an embarrassment. And listen, Max, Max, Crosby's a good player. But

Khalil Mack and Howie Long aren't also on that defensive line. Who are the defensive personnel, I wouldn't say, is like elite. But what do they have? Patrick Graham, who is former Patriot, who's the D. Coordinator and Pete Carroll.

Like they got high level defensive coaching with the Raiders. Patrick Graham was actually Josh McDaniel's hire when he got the Raiders job. Made Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator. Patrick Graham's really impressive. Ivy League guy, Belichick guy forever. People think really highly of him. And he punked Josh and Drake May. Okay, I will end on this. At what point does Goff come under pressure? Gough looks great when

the lions are favored and with Ben Johnson. But over the last few years, I've seen him look terrible in big TV games versus the Ravens, the Packers, the Bills, and the playoffs. versus the Niners and the commanders. The Lions have an elite roster, better than the Vikings in 2024. Yet Sam Darnold got crushed last year for having two bad games despite 14 wins, and Goff gets a free pass.

Well, it was one game, right, this year. So I don't know if he's getting a free pass. If he, at a month like this, it would be a major conversation. The one thing he does not get a free pass on, That's not his fault. He's not a good athlete. So if your offensive line is going to have issues, you guys are missing some guys because retirement, free agency,

he cannot scramble around. So that part of what Sam could do is move around. This guy cannot move. And I'm a Jared Gough fan. I like the human. I think he's a solid player. But he has some major limitations if he's getting scramed, if he's getting pressured,

than not being able to move. Which, in this day and age, when defense is as fast as it's ever been, you could argue it's not as physical, guys aren't as big, but they're quicker than ever. The amount of guys on the defensive line running like four fives and four sixes has never been higher. The amount of teams with good defensive tackles who can rush the passer, 15 years ago when I first got in the NFL, there were like two good interior pass rushers. All the pass rushers coming from the edge.

Most teams, their defensive tackles, were run stuffers. Every team now has a pass rushing interior defensive line. Some have multiple. So Jared Gough, like, if you hit him, he's not going to be good. He's one of those players. He's, I think he's a better version of cousins, but once you start pressuring him,

he crumbles like a cookie. And I think a huge thing with those guys is they cannot move. So while Mahomes and Josh and Lamar, those guys move and make plays, those guys are stagnant, and they're stuck in concrete, and you can just pepper them.

So if they were to lose the Bears, I think it would get really ugly, really fast. But if they win this week, I still think you guys are going to be okay. My guess is, and listen, he's also, he's not considered some top guy. Neither is Sam Donald. So it's like we're talking, Jared Goff is considered like the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, best quarterback. So he doesn't get criticized the same way as like Justin Herbert was being talked about like he's in the tier with the top guys. So he takes a high level of criticism. And he's just more talented.

Like Jared Gough's talent, got a good arm, he's accurate. But he's like a timing, rhythm, kind of an old school player. I say this to Colin all the time. When's the next time we're going to see Jared Gough coming in the NFL? The closest thing is Nussmeyer, and Nussmeier's a better athlete than him. Nesmire, to me, is more like Jimmy Garoppolo. When Jimmy was good, you can move a little bit. He's way more mobile than golf.

Those guys don't exist anymore. A guy comes to the league cannot move. Him and cousins. I watch college football all season long on Saturday. I just don't see those type players. Especially that are good. They don't exist.

So keep your fingers crossed that everything's okay in Detroit. Because if you were to lose this week, it could get weird, Nick get weird fast. The volume. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick.

And guess what? We created our own. podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions.

Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel 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. What's up, fam, it's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game. the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was hungry. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to you. He's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHeart Podcasts presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne.

This is my best friend Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely. A redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey.

With all the snacks and drinks. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they hit a bogo. Well, then you got them. Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human