The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Justin Fields and Social Media, Caleb Williams goes agentless, Fugazi Friday

Episode Date: February 23, 2024

John dives into the latest with Justin Fields and if the media is looking too much into the fact the he wants to get away from football when he goes on a mini vacation, is Caleb Williams making the right decision by not having an agent, and the return of "Fugazi Friday." Later, John answers your questions for this episode's mailbag segment. 6:45 - Justin vs. Social Media 11:10 - Head coaches vs. the media 21:19 - Caleb Williams is going agentless 25:16 - Fugazi Friday 33:00 - Mailbag 34:20 - What's going on with the Giants 52:10 - Can the Browns change their image Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. Check out Gametime - the fastest growing ticketing app in the US, and the official ticketing app of 3 & Out and GoLow -  for tickets to all of your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA teams. Concert and comedy show tickets, too. Go to Gametime now to create an account, download the app and use code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the 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 Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The volume. Get in on the action with Draft King Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner

of the NBA. New customers who deposit $5 or more can get a no-sweet bet, up to $1,000 back in a bonus bet. Download the Draft King Sportsbook app now. and use the code John, new customers get a no-swed bet up to $1,000 if your first bet loses. Only on Draft King Sportsbook

with code J-O-H-N. The crown is yours. Gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler or in West Virginia, visit 1-800 gambler.net. In New York, call 8778-8-Hope-N-Y or text Hope-N-Y-4-669. In Connecticut, help is available

for problem gambling. Call 888-78-9-777 or visit ccpg.org. Please play responsibly. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas, 21 and over, age varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. One no-sweat per new customer. Issued as one bonus bet based on amount of initial losing bet. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance.

See dkng.com slash promos for deposit wagering in eligibility restrictions, terms and responsible gaming resources. What is going on, everybody, John Middelloff, three and out podcast. How are we doing? It is Thursday afternoon, and here's the game plan. We got a podcast today. Hit on Fields, something Gerard Mayo said.

We do draft daily, so every day we're going to talk about something regarding the NFL draft. Today it will be Caleb Williams. Something Callais Campbell said in regards to gambling and the issues he has with the current status quo, that is the NFL stance when it comes to players. It's Friday, so we got to do a little Fugazi Friday. A couple things that jumped out to me. You know I got to hit on the NBA All-Star game, which had 7 million points. Nice Adam Silver special.

And we will also do a mailbag. At John Middlough is the mailbag fire in those DMs. For next week. On Sunday, I'm going to do something with Coward, who I think's been on vacation all week, living the good life. So we will talk some football on Sunday. I'm traveling on Monday to Indianapolis. We'll be at the Combine on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

Do not know my exact status in terms of podcasts. We'll have podcasts next week for sure. Obviously, going there to talk with people and interview them. Ideally, on this podcast and on camera, was texting with a guy that might have just won his third Super Bowl. Today, Coach Reed, said he's done. down. My guy, Howie Roseman, he's down. Have some other techs out to see the coaches and the GMs that I know in the league. And then we'll just be hustling. See who else we can get on the show.

And we'll obviously have those interviews for the next couple weeks. Hopefully we can get a lot. That's the reason I'm going. And other than that, so that'll be the status. So I don't have an exact, we'll have podcast next week for sure. Might not have one on two. Tuesday, but they'll be flowing after that. But we might, depend. I'll just do one from the hotel room when I get there Monday night, order a little room service. But it's a fluid process.

So I'm helping take it the volume to Indy and the combine, which I've probably been six or seven times in my life. It's a good time. A lot of stuff going on. It's very relaxed. It's very chill in terms of, it has a little bit of a Super Bowl week feel to it, but the difference is like all the coaches and all the GMs are there.

Well, not all. I mean, Kyle Shanahan's. not going to go. Sean McVeigh doesn't go half the time. So not everyone goes, but the majority you guys go. So we will set up shop there next week. And other than that, you guys know the drill.

Subscribe to the podcast. We also have YouTube channel. Subscribe to that as well. And we got merch.Thevolume.com. Thevolume.com. Go check out the merch 3 and out. But before we dive in, you know I got to tell you about my friends. At game time. They are the official ticketing app

of this podcast. Spring training, NBA games, college basketball, the NCAA tournament. You want to go to a golf tournament. You want to go to a concert, comedy show. Get out of the house. It's sunny where I am right now. Go enjoy yourself. Take a loved one.

Take your wife. Take your son. Take a dad. Take a brother. And go have some fun. And do it on me. Right now, download the game time app. promo code junk.

J-O-H-N. J-O-H-N. Get you $20 off. any pair of tickets. Honestly, I've probably used them seven times in 2003. I even got more aggressive going out because I was like, my friend's at game time, save a little money, go enjoy yourself, cannot recommend them enough.

I start with Justin Fields, who at this point in time, as we sit here on February 22nd, I think it's inevitable he is going to be on another team. He will be traded. and the parameters of that trade will be constituted and I would say loosely concrete

by the end of next week now I am very very unsure of his value but I think anytime you get trades or free agency if you have multiple teams interested it just drives up the price the problem when you get these type trades

A couple years ago, the Carolina Panthers traded for Sam Darnel. And they gave up a second round pick. And they also picked up his fifth year option. And then a year later, they regretted it. So these situations are complicated because you're trading a pick that usually is a cheap starter for a quarterback that obviously has some question marks if he's getting traded after his third year and the contractual obligations of picking up that fifth year option, which is a purely guaranteed number, which I think I read somewhere, it's over $20 million.

So it's not cheap and it's complicated. But he definitely is not like some bum. I just think he's a pretty flawed player. He's not a great pocket passer as we saw down the stretch of the season, especially that final game against the Packers. But when he unfollowed everyone, and I think, listen, once the content happens, I can all discuss it, especially with a player like this who is kind of in limbo, I can't imagine what a loser you have to be

to search players about following and unfollowing certain things. Like, get a fucking life. But someone did it, and then Justin Fields was asked about it, and he basically said, I'm tired of all the talk, I just wanted to be over,

and I'm about to go on vacation, and I'm just trying to enjoy myself. And as someone, and basically he alluded to, like, I'm going to look at my phone, and when I look at it, I don't want to see the stuff. I just don't.

I actually thought that's one of the most relatable things I've ever heard an athlete say. Because most of these athletes claim they never look. I mean, the NBA is addicted to their phone. Football in the offseason is on it. And listen, we're all guilty as well. I average way too many hours a day

on the cell phone. Now, you could argue I do it for work, but still, it's very, very unhealthy. I deleted Twitter from my phone because I don't want to have to look at it. It is a negative internet smorgasbord of fucking losers being angry on a daily basis. Why do I want these other people's thoughts?

Those people in the media in my head 24-7, 365. So I deleted it. And when I have to go load something for workwise, I'll just sign in on the internet browser. But I do not, I don't have the self-discipline. And let's face it, this cell phone and these apps, the social phone, media apps are as addicting as anything I've ever seen in my entire life. It's not even debatable.

And listen, I use them. I'm not acting like I'm better or trying to get on my moral high horse here. But let's just acknowledge what it is. I can't imagine. I'm almost 40 years old. And when I was in colleges when Facebook started, I can't imagine being 25 years old, rich, good looking, famous, you know, seven figures worth of followers and just seeing craziness nonstop. So I understand. I understand. I understand deleting something, especially, and Fields mentioned this on the podcast to the St. Brown Bros. This is out of my control. Like, I don't control whether I stay or go. When I get traded, it's not like I asked for a trade or wanted to get traded.

They traded me. And I think he's making a, I actually think it's very mature what he's doing, to be honest with you. Most, you couldn't pay someone in the media to delete their Twitter account for seven days. They would jump off a bridge before they did that. So listen, I have no issue doing something like this. And like I said, I actually think doing that is very relatable because it crosses all of our minds. I don't care what we do for a living with just the bullshit we see on these places

on a daily basis. Anytime you fire a coach in college or the pros, if you have currently a guy that's a big, like, asshole, the next guy you hire is usually a really nice. nice guy and vice versa if you have a really nice guy the next guy you hire is usually like a hard line discipline no BS guy I actually think of relationships are a lot like that when you break up with someone there I mean there can be several variables but there are a couple things that you're like God that that really drove me nuts well the next girl you're going to date

you're probably looking to avoid those things now there is no perfect person just like there is no perfect coach, but it's pretty easy to avoid what you just didn't like in the other person. And the crafts now have had four coaches. Bill Parcells, I mean, one of the most notorious, hard-line, tough guys in the history of the sport. Pete Carroll, who is easily one of the most energetic, bubbly, smiley, positive guys in the history of football. And then Belichick, who is probably the biggest cremugin in the history of professional sports. definitely in the running. And now they've hired Gerard Mayo,

a guy that Belichick drafted and played for. And he made some comments this week that really stood out to me. And whether, I don't know the guy, I don't know if he truly believes this or not, but he said something that I just find fucking moronic. But it's something you say when your bosses have specifically talked to you about this.

He said, the relationship with the media is very important. Talking about his assistant coaches. They know the relationship. with the media is also very important. I think there needs to be a good relationship between the two groups. Personally, as someone who's worked on a team and now works on this side, I think that's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard.

And I'm not necessarily blaming him. I think this is specifically coming from Robert and probably Jonathan. Why? Because Belichick, in his mind, had an awful relationship with the media. Right? was gruff, was never open, was just not a fun press conference for those guys on a daily basis. And they want to pivot to be the opposite.

But being in with the media or being out with the media is easily, in professional sports, this is not politics where you use them for propaganda. Because even when you fail in the government, like no one actually cares, where in football, like, you can use media members as propaganda. But then the games happen. and it's either you win or you lose.

So you can play the media for these next seven months and, you know, give them some good information, give them some sit-downs, give them some one-on-ones. You start 0-4. You think any of those guys give a flying fuck? They're coming for your throat. Football is one of the last, it's honestly the only place. These other sports don't have it anymore,

where every day is treated like win or go home in terms of the way it's covered. and I understand Mayo is trying to appease his bosses, but I think this is so stupid. And I think this is so, this is classic worrying about the wrong things. Belichick acted like that. And listen, it came pretty natural to him because he never wanted to give anything up.

And once you kind of open the floodgates, you've got to answer for other stuff, and it just becomes a pain in the ass. Now, personally, I like it when coaches are candid. But it can be a pain in the ass for them. Kyle Shanahan can be too candid sometimes. He says things. He said it multiple times this year about Steve Wilkes.

Now, ultimately he ended up firing Steve Wilkes and it was pretty clear, or Trey Lance or sometimes over the years. I appreciate that, but it can make your job more difficult when you're in that position. The media is completely irrelevant. They truly are. They're just a completely separate entity. They don't control your destiny.

You do. They don't even shape the narrative. Because they can try, they can call you an idiot, but the moment you start winning, they can't say anything. Just like they can call you, hey, this Brandon Staley guy, he knows all of our names, he's analytically driven, and then we start watching him coach. You can write any story you want, but we all know.

So I think like this is very predictable, but the only thing that matters in professional sports is winning and losing, because that ultimately shapes the story, not having some guys like you. Belichick didn't need those guys to like him. Why? He had six Lombardi trophies.

He went to nine Super Bowls. He was going to conference championships every single year. Like, sorry I didn't have the effort to constantly be super nice to everyone in the media room. I bet if you asked a lot of those guys throughout the years, they had a good relationship with them.

I just think optics. I truly believe. this, optics is one of the dumbest fucking things. And for a long time, especially as social media and everyone thought the power of like Twitter and stuff, it was a big deal like with companies. It's clearly shifting because we realize how pointless all the stuff is that way. Like there's a big gap between the internet and actually reality. What we post and what we text, what we say to our friends and what we say online.

What you say in reality is all that matter. The reason Belichick, like, no matter what anyone wrote last year, no matter how many of us that went, like, I think he's a good coach, he was struggling to win five games. That's all that mattered. In the previous year, I think they won seven. So you start losing, no one can control positively or negatively anything about you. The record does.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. Yep, that's me. Clever Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skisks. hits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but literally. No, we don't have plenty. But just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Caleb Williams will not have an agent. And my first reaction is, why would he? He does not need one. He is at worst. And I mean it would be an enormous upset. He would be the second overall pick. But I would say sitting here right now, even before the combine, 98% he's going to be the number one overall draft pick.

The contract's already set. Why would you give a half a percent or a percent to anyone when the contract is black and white? We know what the numbers are going to be. Everyone knows what the numbers are going to be. You could argue, I guess, over a relative cash flow on a given year, but the amount of cash, the signing bonus, it is all set in stone. Now, having an agent for your second contract, if you become a star, is important. It's much easier to get business done when you have one of those guys. But as we sit here, I'd argue it's completely irrelevant.

Unless he went to the combine out of shape, bad attitude, stuff like that. Like, if I'm just assuming he's been working out, he's going to go, smile on his face, interact with everybody else, he doesn't need any representation. And I'm not anti-agent, but for a guy like this, because I saw Floreo wrote, Like sometimes if it starts getting nasty, none of that matters. None of the nasty, I always hate this time of year

because stories come out about guys not being smart enough or getting in trouble and the media always gets up in arms. I'm sorry guys, this is a big boy business with millions of dollars on the line. And creating a market also

of bad-mouthing some guys is part of the deal. Because I want, yeah, I'm going to leak a story that's going to talk bad about a guy that I actually want on my team and hopefully he drops. The teams have all the information.

They know what's true or not. So any team worth their salt knows the BS from the reality. And the media's always, this is so unfair. He just wants to have a balanced life. Because that always comes out. Like, you know, he has too many interests.

And they're like, let him be balanced. Let him be like Anthony Rendon who said that baseball's not his number one priority. Well, that's fine if you're a high school kid. If I give you $245 fucking million, I sure hope it's your priority. I mean, that's kind of the way the world works. You know?

Listen, as long as Caleb just acts normal, I think everything will be fine. And that contract, he can just put pen to paper. It's not that big a deal. Callais Campbell, who is super high-level guy, was a really, really good player in his heyday. It's kind of bouncing around the league at the end of his career. You know, it's funny as I was walking around the Cosmo with Greg Papa.

who is the 49ers play-by-play guy. And he told me that he wasn't allowed as a league employee to even play blackjack. Or, you know, go to play... I was like, you want to play a little roulette? You want to have a cocktail? Can't. Not allowed.

Like, you're not? I understand you're not being able to bet on football, but you can't go to the table. Now, I don't even know if he's correct on that, but he truly believed it. And then he claimed that guys in the league were not allowed to gamble either in Vegas. though I saw a bunch of guy gambling.

Bottom line is Callais Campbell said that he thinks the rules are stupid and clearly no one knows what's actually going on. And I, at first I was like, why does it even matter if you're betting on football if it's not your team? And then the more and more I thought about it, like most of you would agree, you can't have that. I can't have, you know, like Joey Bosa, why can't he bet on the Super Bowl?

Well, because he can call Nick and Nick go, well, you know, Fred Warner just pulled his hamstring in practice. Oh, God, our game plan sucks. I would bet against us. You have inside information. But you could argue like these guys all cross-pollinate, but they can bet on baseball or basketball, which they're not allowed to.

They have friends in those leagues. So maybe that's why, but they are not currently allowed to gamble in any other sport. And Callais was like, in what world are all the teams allowed to be in business with this stuff? And then we're not allowed to gamble on other sports. And I always, I struggle with this one

because I'm a gambler. and love to gamble, and I even couldn't help myself. I bet on the Mexico Open this week. I put my picks up online. They're actually looking pretty good. Cam Champ, nap. And who else did I bet? I forget.

But this is a very slippery slope. But at the end of the day, the players benefit from this too because they share the revenue. I do think this stuff is complicated. Because for so long, they've had a hardline stance. We do not mess with gamble. They're not federally legal, but state by state, they just opened the floodgates and did it. Though, like, the Arizona Cardinals can have a draft king's sponsorship in their stadium and have a casino, same with Mark Davis and the Raiders, but Jed York is not allowed, right?

So there are still some barriers from team to team, but I do think you just got to give it time. I do think over time, they'll pivot and they will try to be, I guess, more fair in terms of Yeah, this is a little bit of an archaic way of thinking. But, I mean, you still open the Internet and see like, oh, Darius Rucker got a DUI. Well, actually, he wasn't drunk. He wasn't even high. He just had weed in the car. Like, how could anyone, like, I can't relate to that.

If I pressed a button right now, there'd be, you know, I'd get a weed, it's not even a weed dealer. I just have a company, come to my house, give him a credit card, and they'd be like, what do you want? You want edibles? You want redibles? You want rolled joints? You want pens? And then here's the credit card. I pay tax on it So I think as society changes

We just got to catch up And the league has to catch up And I think they're very sensitive to this Because I don't think they ever want one of their players To get involved in a situation Non-football where it's like Well this guy bet on the NBA finals Turns out his really good buddies

One of the guys on the team I guess that would be the only logic Because other than that to me it would be open Just open the floodgates Let him do everything but bet on football Because even Clayas Campbell goes, I understand we can't bet on football. That's fine, and that is fair. But betting on these other sports, I can't bet on a baseball.

I can't bet on the World Series. I can't bet on the NBA. You can. Why can't I? Well, it's ended with Fugazi Friday. And sometimes I'm trying to get consistent with these, not forget about it, but it hit me the other day. This is going to be my, well, actually, let's just, we'll blow through this first Fagasy. I mean, I think, listen, the NFL dealt with this.

because their game became a giant, just embarrassment. You could not play like they were playing. So they scrapped it and they went to flag football. And it still does five or six million people watching. I haven't watched one snap of it. But I think they all acknowledge, wave the white flag. We're not even going to try to play a real game anymore. Let's just dick around.

Hell, you could be drunk or high out there with having flags on. Baseball has always been. been able to have a normal game because you can just play a baseball game. Like if you go to a spring training game or a regular season game or the All-Star game, it's like you're just playing baseball or not. There's no way to kind of half-ass it, right? You're still pitching hard. You're throwing your pitches. You're trying to hit. It's just, it's pretty normal. It's the easiest to actually operate without having to worry about injuries. Basketball to me is much closer to baseball than it is football. Now basketball has always had an element of screwing around a little bit.

in the All-Star game, but there have been a lot of videos going viral from when I was in high school and college, and a lot of it revolved around Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. Guys just playing hard. There were almost 400 points scored in that All-Star game. Adam Silver learned a valuable lesson. Adam, I don't care how much you try to be the player's friends. They don't give one shit about anything you say because his whole thing is like he had talk with them. They thought they were going to play hard. And they've never played less hard. They couldn't have cared less.

And that game is one of, like, again, this is not for me. The weekend is no longer for me. It just, it lost its lester a long, long time ago. But you can't have a NBA basketball game with the best players

scoring over 200 points. Like that just, that can't happen. So that's the number one Fugazi going. The NBA All-Star game is just, talk about. talk about a disaster. I've always been a good tipper when I had no money in college or early on in my professional career I'm making 20, 30, 40 grand. If I went to a restaurant and someone was good, I tipped you. It's why I actually always tip well on DoorDash and Uber Eats orders. Like you are doing a service that I do not want to do. You're going somewhere, picking it up,

and driving it to me. Like that's, I appreciate that. Any industry where you go above and beyond for me, I have no problem tipping you. You don't need to throw something in my face when I give you the card a tip. I want to tip you. There has this culture of, and I noticed it a couple years ago in like CVS's and targets

and McDonald's. Do you want to donate to the charity? Well, if I donate to charity, let's say I give 10 grand to a charity. Obviously, I'm trying to do something good, but you get the credit of being able to write 10,000. either off your company or your income well all these companies that are taking that right now

I can't even imagine the write-off CVS is getting right now in terms of when you like oh donate a dollar all these companies it's a it's a giant is that you talk about a Fugazi but when I drive to Starbucks and I get a six dollar ice coffee which makes me very happy I don't I don't spend much time like I make coffee at home but sometimes I just want an ice coffee, an ice, a cold brew with vanilla cold foam is my drink. And hell, it's almost $7 for the large one. And then they get up to you and they hand you the thing and they've just handed you the drink. They didn't even make it.

They're just handing it to you. And they look at you as you're kind of pressing the button. And you're paying $7 for a coffee that costs fucking Schultz and company, $2 to make, max. And they're just staring at you. And there's this weird, there's become this like shame and eye contact, wait, you're not going to tip me?

Like it's my fault that you're working for this Fortune 500 company that's, listen, if you had done something for me to deserve a tip, I have no problem with it. I'm just using Starbucks as an example. It's happening everywhere. It is out of control. Something, and again, I am pro-tipping. I hate chip cheap people.

I despise, I try to avoid cheap people. And I'm not just trying to butter myself up here. I am legitimately a pretty solid tipper. But the tipping on like $3 thing, $7. I've always thought as someone that was single for a long time in like my late 20s who would pick up, who wouldn't cook that often. I would go pick up dinner.

Because I remember Drew Breeze got shamed years ago for going to get a couple pizzas? I fucking drove to you. Like I ordered the food. I'm picking up $50 in pizzas or $25 in burgers and fries or whatever. I'm paying to come here. then I'm paying for the meal. And then I give you a tip for just handing me the thing.

It just, it baffles my mind. It doesn't make any sense. It really doesn't. I think we are broken. We are broken. Now, I don't expect no one's more incompetent than the government,

so they won't fix it. But someone has to come in. There has to be some universal agreement for industry standards. Like some industries, 100% you tip if they do a solid, other tip is not even an option unless I want to give you an extra. It shouldn't be on when they hand me the thing for the credit card. It shouldn't even be an option.

And then when it is an option and you're like, you don't deserve a tip and you fucking give me those eyes. Like, you know, they're kind of screwing me here. That's not my problem. I could be getting screwed in my line of work too. So I just, I think this whole tipping thing and obviously it got accelerated over the last several years, it is just one of the craziest Fugazis I've ever seen.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced. enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman

on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor the fourth.

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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day but just so y'all know I mean at this point Mark this is the second episode where we've discussed crack so I'm starting to see that there's a through line We also have AIDS on the table right now

so Thank you for finishing that sentence I don't think there's a more important year for black people Really? Yeah for me it's one of the most important years for black people in American history Listen to look back at it

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast Okay, let's dive into the mailbag. You guys know the drill at John Middlecough, at John Middlecough is the Instagram. Fire in those DMs. From Ryan. Are you surprised the NFL doesn't have a track man for their kickers to simulate the yardage and wind when they are kicking into the net warming up,

like how track man to simulate the golf round? honestly never crossed my mind but kind of genius I would say the difference though is it's one thing to practice on the trackman indoor simulator in golf no golfer

and if we're using a kicker so you're talking like a PGA golfer just like a professional kicker you'd actually go to the range or you actually go to the course because you want to see the ball fly so I hear what you're saying I kind of understand it

maybe in like OTAs or training Camp, but in terms of games and even game week, you want to kick. I think the kicking into the net is more just warming up your leg, right? Because you kick before the game and you kick at halftime so you see the flight. I think it's just to keep the motion down, less about where the ball's going. But I've never kicked in the NFL, so that's a good question. What do you think happens with day ball and the Giants? As a Giants fan, I'd like to think they can compete this year.

but it ain't looking that promising. If they do miss the playoffs and the offense looks like dog shit again, would you fire him even after winning coach of the year in his first year? Obviously there's the behavioral stuff with him, which if he doesn't clean that, he's 100% gone. One thing's pretty clear. The Giants and John Mara is big on like old school values and looking right and kind of conducting yourself in a certain level.

I know through, because I know people that quote unquote covered the team, you know, as writers and people that are around the team every day. Listen, I was with the Eagles, so I kind of have a feel for the Giants. You as a fan and people that cover the team know, like, it's pretty old school organization. They did not, they're not on board with the way everything played out with Wink and Dayball and the articles coming out about the way he act. Like, let's face it. I know they fired Tom Coughlin, but they like more of a lot. a presidential operation. And Dayball, which I can appreciate

a little rough around the edges, right? Now, when you're the boss, there's a way to treat someone and the way not to treat someone, and clearly everything that came out of there that it's not ideal. And people don't like working there. But like you said, and

we talked about this on the podcast portion, optics and all that stuff, even Wink Martindale said, nothing changed from year one to year two. We lost. When you win, it covers up everything. That's why the only thing that matters in the National Football League is winning. And this year, they were hard to walk.

I mean, they were an embarrassment, right? I don't think he's necessarily on the hot seat because he replaced two people that were two and done, two and done, right? Shermer, Joe Judge, it was pretty ugly. So if he can just have them competitive, I would say seven to nine wins and they missed the playoffs, I think he's getting a fourth year. But I don't think he can afford another just, like you said, dog shit season. So I definitely think there's some pressure.

Here's the other thing. They play in a division, which Cowboys are a playoff team, Eagles are a playoff level team, and now we'll see what Washington does. Like, are they just much more buttoned up next year? Do they hit on the quarterback? All of a sudden, you're looking, if that organization is no longer a joke and is well-run and winning. And when I say winning, just, I mean, competing to be an above 500 team, you're going to have a problem. With Caleb Williams being deemed a generational talent, do you think

him being on a bad USC team helps him long term? For example, we see guys come from undefeated teams like Lawrence, not a generational talent, and to a lesser degree fields and see them struggle. Even Burrow had a bad year at LSU. He also had a transfer. Not like Caleb Williams transferred to follow his coach, transfer because Irmaier said you're never playing here. Yeah, I would say it would be a positive long term. That he just didn't go undefeated this year and it was really easy.

That his team and his defense was so shitty that he had to figure out ways. To just if he didn't have some moments, now he played bad in some games, but like Mahomes winning seven, eight games. And if he wasn't brilliant, they're not going to a bowl game. So, yeah,

I think there's definitely some merit to what you just said. I have a question about choosing content for the show. I've noticed in recent years that by about Wednesday after the Super Bowl, most of the national radio shows and pods start talking heavy about the NBA. I understand you need to start weaning off football some,

but they talk NBA like it's popular is equal to the national footballing. Drives me nuts and is an instant turn the channel for me. I don't care about meaningless and boring regular season basketball. basketball and the TV ratings bear it out. I'll never understand the logic for covering the NBA this aggressively. As someone in the content business, do you have any insight why they do this? I've never had a national radio show. I mean, I have a national podcast, but I can talk about

whatever I want, right? And obviously, we talk football 365 here. And we just do golf because I like golf. I'm a football guy. Football is the biggest sport going, and football is what I enjoy talking. about and obviously what people enjoy consuming. For a long, long period of time in the business, and as I just grew up a sports talk radio listener, is you would just play the seasons. So if you're older, you would talk about the NBA because that's just what you did. And I think there's an element to that, right, where I'm 39 years old. Most of my friends, just like most of the people looking at the television ratings, aren't consuming the sport like they used to. But I do think old habits die hard. So I think there's some of that. But I also think some

people in the media probably just like the NBA. They actually watch it. I no longer do. So I can't, I don't know. I don't really listen to like, I don't know, I don't consume as much content. I actually consume NBA content in a weird way. Not like the breakdowns of individual games like you, I don't care, but the big picture stories. I list some NBA pods for entertainment value, but I don't watch the game, but you don't have to worry about that here. We're talking football, football, and more football with some golf, because that's what I watch, and that's what I like. Listen, I can't speak for anyone else. I do think a lot of people just like the NBA that talk about sports. I like baseball a lot, but we're not talking here on the podcast.

What do you think Sequin will wind up, wind up next season? I think it's going to be very, very interesting this offseason when it comes to these running backs. Because last year they got very, very angry. Nothing changed. Absolutely nothing changed. It's going to happen again. Sequin, Josh Jacobs, right? These guys, you know, Jonathan Taylor got an extension.

Clearly it wasn't that much money. I don't know, man. I think that it's the same conversations that are going to come up. They're getting screwed. This is BS. Look at Christian McCaffey. Christian McCaffrey's better than you guys. He's like a hybrid wide receiver.

He's very unique player. He's also been under contract. The 49ers, and it'll be interesting because Kyle Shanahan loves a guy, but I wouldn't be in the business of paying running backs either. I've been trying to kill this cricket. We have this, you know, like a beverage fridge

in the kitchen island, and somehow a cricket got way underneath it. and I can't really pull out the beverage fridge, and every night this cricket goes nuts. It sounds like he's right next to your ear, and we are far away from the cricket. And I've had people on Instagram's chat GPT. I've Googled it, how to take out a cricket.

And the one thing, you know, that I put a light there overnight in a bowl of water with honey around the rim, hoping to, I could drown the cricket. Has not worked. I don't know what to do. But it's me versus the cricket. Right now, the cricket is dominating. I'm from Portugal, and I've been following the NFL for about three years.

Love it. When are we going to see teams firing the coach to promote their offensive coordinator? For example, if the Saints have a good season, like one playoff win, and a good offense, quotations unlikely, what are the odds of them firing Dennis Allen, we know he isn't that good, and promoting Kubiak. This would also prevent teams from hiring.

What do you think? We're going to see it inevitably, you know, eventually. It's inevitable, right? Let's face it. If the Eagles had a do-over, they would hire Shane Steichen. Right? Like, I'm not, it's not going to ask Howie that.

He wouldn't even touch the subject. But, like, it's pretty clear. It doesn't take, you don't need to be in the organization to know, like, what coach would you rather have? And I'm trying to think of another recent example. You know, the good example would be Bobby Slowick and D'Amico Ryan's. Like the one thing, it's pretty clear, Domingo's good. Right, D'emico is good. Just like, I thought Braybill was good.

You wouldn't hire Arthur Smith over Braybill. If you have a good defensive coach, you keep him around and you just have to lose your offensive coordinator. When you have two offensive coaches, and one guy isn't calling the game and the other guy is, and then you see him go somewhere else. You're like, Jesus, screwed up there. I'm a 21-year-old junior at Iowa State. My hairline has recently started to recede badly. Thinking of going bald once I graduate and get a real job.

Any advice? When I started going bald, it was also in college. I remember being at Cal Poly and looking down at the desk and seeing hairs. And I used to have really, really thick, like bushy hair. I didn't think that much of it and then it got progressively worse. I did not recede though. Mine just fell out. And if I grew it out right now, I would have little to no hair on the top of my head.

My advice, listen, I think this is probably one of the more insecure situations for any man. You just kind of got to play it by feel. You get to a point where you know it looks really bad. If you can keep it short and it doesn't look that bad, even if it's receding a little bit, and you see a lot of forehead, rock it. But there does get to a point where there's the point of no return.

And when you get to the point of no return, you just got to pull the trigger. Here's when I did it. When I worked at Fresno State, we took a team picture one time at a bowl game. But it wasn't a team picture. It was like pictures that the school was taking at practice. And there was like a team huddle.

And the picture was from like above and behind. At like the head coach. you know, addressing the team. And I was on the outside of it. And you could see the back of my head. And there was a lot of head and not a lot of hair. And everyone used to kind of make fun of me. And I actually got the nickname.

We were playing Nevada one year. It was actually my second year there. And this is when Kaepernick was on the team. They were pretty good. They actually kicked our ass that game. Ryan Matthews got knocked out of the game. And the turf, there was like the turf on the Nevada field. if you kind of like moved your hands or moved your foot by it,

you could see the bottom of kind of like the rubbery part. It was very, it was like very thin hair. And a dude, Eric Brown, who now coaches Clovis West in Fresno, who was a player on the team who got injured, who was then like coaching, said, Middokop, this looks just like your hair. And my nickname became turf. And a lot of people from Fresno, that's my nickname. They call me turf.

because the turf represented my thinning hair. I think you just know. And once you do it, you kind of never regret it. And I know some people, I mean, I could afford to get probably hair transplants right now. But the problem with hair transplants is it just replaces the hair that you already have. So it's not like I could just go, I want Brad Pitt's hair. I want Tom Brady's hair flow.

And even he's at him. But I think I just get the hair that I used to have, which wasn't honestly that great. You seem always to give good advice on the pod. I admire the platform you've created. I'm 19 years old and I'm almost feeling stuck. Everyone says that you're young and you have time, but I almost not sure where to even start.

I'm in D2D sales right now while also working part-time. What advice would you give for just getting out there and starting something, whether it's a small business, a real estate, or even growing a personal brand or really any way to start making money. What did you do to start your journey of success? I followed what I liked. That was the key to my second.

Listen, not everyone is the same. We all run different races. But I'm not smart enough to, like I couldn't have just gone to work somewhere and been super dynamic in any industry. So I had to follow what I was passionate about doing. and in my 20s that was football obviously. I worked in football and you worked long days and it was not easy.

And I did not make any money when a lot of my friends with college degrees were making hundreds of thousands of dollars at different companies. But luckily, like I didn't have that much envy or jealousy in terms of money. I'm actually not like listen, I live a pretty expensive lifestyle, but money doesn't mean anything. it doesn't do anything for me. I just have expensive tape. I like playing golf. I like the nice gym or whatever. But for the most part,

I'm not money driven in the sense that I like to gamble. But I don't, like it doesn't get me off. You could send me a $20 million wire right now. Like Collins, like you guys just hit $20 million. Here's $20 million. I'm not saying I wouldn't smile.

I wouldn't fucking be able to do some stuff with it. it, but it doesn't do that much for him. For me personally, some people are. I've always said, though, I think most people that are successful, and I was lucky growing up, some of my friends' grandparents, the guy my dad worked for, they all, every single one of them that were rich, really were addicted to what they did, whether it was farming, I knew a buddy's dad that was a CEO of a health company, and it's just like, they just loved it, and they could do it seven days a week.

it's why the football coaches are so successful. They're addicted to football. So the easiest way to become successful is to find what you like and then go down that path. Now, depending if you go, if what you love is finance, yeah, you're going to get closer to money faster. But if what you like is some of these other industries, it might not be the case. But it will set you on the path when you like doing something, you end up doing more of it and having no problem because no matter what you do, you're going to end up working.

So if you like what you're doing when you're working, when you're working, you're working. working, you don't really look at it like you're working. What did Belichick say forever? Right? Sure beats being a plumber. I mean, the guy was working 20 hours a day for fucking 45 years for nine months a year. But the dude love football as much as anybody. And obviously he's talented at it. We all have different talent levels, probably whatever we do. But I think the easiest way is to not think short term. And that's the best advantage you have when you're 19. you have so much time left. So you've got to think big picture.

Can't think, well, how am I going to make money for the next two months? And I'm talking about, like, how am I going to eat or pay the rent? I just think a lot of people make decisions on like, you could do this job that you really love, especially if you're 19 or 20 or 21 or whatever, in your 20s, this pays you half as much or a quarter as much as this other job, that you don't care about at all. So even let's just pick some numbers.

Let's say I gave you a job of something you really like to do. I mean really like to do for 30 grand. Or you could work at this insurance company and with bonuses stuff, you might make 100 grand. 90% of people are like, oh, you gotta take the 100 grand. More than 3x the number.

Well, I think big picture, that $30,000 job, if that's your passion, whatever that may be, I don't know, I can't speak for you, but is better off big picture if it truly is a good opportunity.

And I guess early on, I don't even know, I didn't have that many options. I never gave myself like a fallback. You know, if this doesn't work or I don't like this, I'll go work and I'll try to get a job at a bank. You know, or I don't pretend to be some like born entrepreneur.

So I was kind of forced into it. And then I realized I'm much better being in the space of not being a W-2 employee, having ownership in the stuff. It gives me excitement. But the reason I was able to do that in my mid-30s was because like the first 12 years of my life, you know, two years of Fresno State,

three years in the NFL, four years in radio, right from 22 to like 32, I guess it wasn't 15 years, 10 plus years, of working, I never made 100 grand. I got multiple fucking degrees.

I mean, I had friends, because Silicon Valley was taken off, working for some of those companies that had seven figure years. Definitely a lot of people making half a million dollars,

like in their late, early, you know, late 20s. Again, that's not necessarily normal, but given where I was living, the perfect timing, the industry is crushing it. Luckily, I didn't even care. It was like that. That's a sweet house you bought. I'm living over here in this little shitty apartment.

But I liked what I did. So I never felt envious of like, God, I wish I was with you, you know, working at Wells Fargo. I don't know if I, hopefully I somewhat answer your question. Been following since the scouting days at Fresno. As a lifelong Browns fan, I don't know. know how you would have done that, but if you did, that's cool. As a lifelong Browns fan, can we ever shake the narrative of being a dumpster fire organization? Over the past five or six years, we've been competitive and made the playoffs a couple times,

which is more than a lot of teams can say throughout the same span. Obviously, we have to do it longer, but it seems like people continue to rip us as the same old Browns. Also, what are some real expectations for us this season? With DeShan and all the other guys getting healthy, I think winning the division isn't too far-fetched. I don't think you can win the division with the Deshaun Watson we've seen the last couple years. We've talked about this during the season. We'll talk about it now.

His salary cap triples. It hit $19 million to like $60 plus. I think it's like $62 or 63. So your team was pretty stacked last year. You had a bunch of injuries and you were still really good because your cap was big and you had a lot of good players. Those days are over. You need Deshawn Watson now to be competitive with

Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes. what Justin Herbert's probably about to be with Jim Harbaugh. You need him to be a pro bowl level guy. If he's not, you're completely screwed. If he's good, then yeah, you're going to be a double-digit win team. But he cannot be the guy we've witnessed the last year and a half. He can't. Because if he is, you're dead on arrival.

You have no shot. If he's good, then yeah. You could win 11, 12 games. Again, I mean, good. like 35 touchdown good. Started listening to you, some season inspired me to start my own podcast. No one asked sports podcast.

If you're not allowed, want to say this on there. Yeah, I can say it. No one asked sports podcast. That wish I had started years ago. Loved your take on the live PGA issue today and couldn't agree more. I don't know the ins and outs of the potential merger,

but it would greatly benefit both parties' wallets if they got it sorted out. Obviously, an entire different sport, but it reminds me of the IndyCar cart split in the 90s. Open wheel racing in America has still never recovered from that, and I fear the PGA live, don't merge ASAP.

It could have the same long-term repercussions of the sport. I appreciate you. Yeah, I just think anytime you have a sport that is top-heavy in talent, tennis has this, golf has this, the NBA has this. if I take of your 10 best players, half of them,

to another league, you're in major trouble. This is what the USFL tried in the 80s. It was like Reggie White, Steve Young, they started buying all these players. Doug Flutie, I think. I'm not Belichick as a football historian.

Hell, I was born in 84. But Jim Kelly, if they would have done that for 10 years, it would have been a problem. Like last I checked, having those guys in the NFL was Steve Young, Jim Kelly, and Reggie White kind of mattered. So they just can't operate the way they're operating, especially because golf is not mainstream like football, right? It is very, very dependent on the lead guys to carry them on a

weekly basis. And right now, it's just simply a disaster, which makes me sad. Now, it's also why I gamble on the Mexico Open because I'm going to be interested no matter what because I got a little cash on some guys. I was wondering, do you believe that one of the teams that are indeed in need of a young quarterback would think about signing Russell Wilson to let the rookie sit for a year? I think Russell Wilson is not the guy that you would let a rookie sit behind. He's too famous. There's too much drama around him.

I think he's the opposite of the type guy you want around a young rookie quarterback. So I think that those teams, we all know them, that are potentially. going to draft a quarterback. I don't think they'd be interested in Russell Wilson. I saw Ocho Cinco said the Steelers. That makes some sense. Canny Pickett at this time? He's like 25 years old.

Maybe he's just not good enough. Mason Rudolph's a good backup. He's bringing Russell Wilson, you start him. To me, that makes a lot of sense. That's the type move where the Broncos are paying the salary. He gets cut. You sign him for like $2 million. They pay the other $38 million.

So he's basically making $40 million. So to him, whatever. And he gets to start for the Steelers. It actually makes a lot of sense. You think the Vikings' only option for getting one of the top quarterbacks in the draft is to trade Jefferson to get one of the top draft picks? I'm hearing a lot of steam about the Vikings wanting to trade up in the draft, but I don't see how that's possible without trading Jefferson or multiple first rounders,

which I do not see our front office doing as we are in our division and need the capital to rebuild our defense. I think when you look historically at quarterbacks, like how often do guys that go one, two, three, two of those guys usually suck. It's one thing if you're sitting there to draft the guy, but how often do teams trade up out of nowhere and draft the guy and then feel good about that guy 10 years later?

Remember a couple years ago? The Rams and the Eagles traded up. They got Jared Gough and Carson Wentz. Neither guy was on the team. Five years, six years later. A lot of guys that got drafted, like, even in the mid-first round, historically have been good players. So I think sometimes you can be a little more patient. I think you've got to be very careful about forcing things in the draft.

Because when you force moving way up for a quarterback, it'd be like overextending yourself on a house and then having, if it doesn't work out, all of a sudden you're looking at a disastrous situation. you know you over-extended yourself on the house economy turns and you're screwed interest rates are high now listen if that area booms your house goes up doubles

you don't even think twice the greatest investment I ever made you trade up and you get some star quarterback you don't even you'll never cross your mind again it was worth ever we would have traded the chiefs trading up for Patrick Mahomes

would have given 10 ones for Patrick Mahomes but when it doesn't work out it's a pretty big kick in the you know what it's happened to the Bears twice in like five years Mitch Trubisky at two and then trading up for fields neither guy's going to be on the team it's disaster and here's the other thing

when you miss on a position player at least the guy can play right let's just say you take a defensive lineman who's not that who's never going to be worth the top 10 pick or five pick I saw the Raiders did it with Cleland Farrell and the Niners did it with Solomon

Thomas. You can still play those guys. They can still play 20, 30 snaps. So yeah, you regret the pick, but he's still playing well for you. When you miss on the quarterback, like the Steelers, you're like, well, we even want to start this guy? You can't play two quarterbacks at once, so he's kind of worthless. Been listening to the pod for two years and love your takes and honesty. I wanted to ask, although they just played in the Super Bowl, could you see the possible trade Brandon Ayuk to the Chiefs? It would give Pat another premier receiver. along with Rice and not only add a deep threat, but a great yak receiver for defenses trying to limit.

Brandon Ayuk would be incredible on the Chiefs. I just don't see the 49ers. Several years back, they traded Buckner for pick 13. It was like, DeForest Buckner was not worth the 13th pick. Their problem is they picked the wrong guy. They took Kinlaught. They should have just taken worst. They got cute.

To me, you can't trade Brandon Ayuk for pick 32. It's not enough value. It's worth it. for you than to just pay him. Now, if someone offers you a pick 15, you got to think about it. You got to think long and hard about it. But I don't think, first and foremost, I don't think 32's enough. He's too good for you. He had 1,500 yards. He's 24. He blocks. He's an incredible player for the Niners. But there is like, how many guys can you pay? How much money does he want? How can the Chiefs afford to give him $25 million a year? Maybe they could backload the deal.

I think the Chiefs would be interested for sure, but I don't see the Niners doing that. Love the Pod, been listening for around six months now. What would the number one priority this off-season if you were the Colts general manager? It's a good question. Also, as a fellow full-time creator, congrats on all the success with the podcast.

I appreciate that, Tanner. I'd be lying if I said I had like a complete breakdown on the Chiefs, or excuse me, Colts roster. You know, in theory, they have their quarterback. They have a running back under contract. Feels like they could use a little more juice on the outside. Pitman's solid, but, you know, a true number one wide receiver or a tight end, like an impact playmaker, I think would definitely help in the passing game with Anthony Richardson. You always could improve the defense, a pass rusher. You could never have enough of those. And same with the offensive line. So I would say

Ballard either go line or a playmaker, would be my guess. But that's, I feel much more strongly on some of the, you know, the Bills, the Ravens, the Chiefs, the Niners, the Cowboys, the Eagles. Just, I don't watch as much AFC South, just being completely real with you. Beside, like, I paid attention to the Texans, but I wasn't super locked into you guys. I would love to get Ballard on the pod. I've tried to get him before. He goes on Colin a lot.

Maybe I can grab him. and tell him Colin wants him to come on my pod. The NFL is hyper-focused on the theme of you can't win without a top-shelf quarterback. Given those are rare, is it possible for a team to win with a mid-level quarterback to winning with the Ravens-type or Buck's-type defense? Well, those defenses don't really exist, right? The best defense in the league this year was the Ravens, and they played probably by the end of the season.

the two best defense in the league toward the end of the season where the Chiefs and the Ravens and they play each other in the AFC championship. So yeah. Now, both those teams have Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes,

but I think if you have a really good defense, like a super... If the Ravens had just played with Gardner Minchu, they would have been really, really hard to beat. If you have a top two or three defense in the NFL and your quarterback is just capable, you can compete. Are you going to win the Super Bowl?

Probably not. Because the day and age of those defenses are probably over. because you could kill people. Part of their defense wasn't just you couldn't score on them. They were knocking people out of the game. Well, you're no longer really knocking guys out of the game. But you are holding people to not that many points.

Even the Ravens. Held the Chiefs 17 points. Chiefs held the Niners to 19 points going into overtime. I mean, they didn't score that many points most of the season. So I think when you look at the NFL, defense is still really, really important at the highest level. The best defenses are typically the one. that win a championship. And the Chiefs won it.

Who knows? Maybe the Ravens win that game. They beat the Niners. The Niners defense actually was kind of coming apart, which was part of their problem. It wasn't as good as it had been. If their defense was better, shit, they're the Super Bowl champs. So I think we're never going to see the 85 Bears or the 2000 Ravens or, you know, the John Gruden, John Lynch, you know, Warren Sapp, Derek Brooks type defense.

Even that Cam Chancellor, Richard Sherman defense with Pete Carroll, they were killing people. Vernon Davis's career was never the same when they knocked them out in a game. They were just, they were hitting people so hard. The Ravens and the Chiefs were doing the equivalent of that in 2024, the way they tackled, the way they hit. But for the most part, like decapitating people and sending them, you know, to the blue tent, every other play is kind of done. You just need to tackle really well, have a good pass rush, and play good red zone defense. But I mean, Mahomes feels like he'd win the Super Bowl every

year. And if he doesn't, then Josh Allen might, right? And Brock Purdy had a pro bowl level season. Like Brock Purdy's season was better than Trent Dilfer's or Brad Johnsons or whatever, right? Those guys weren't throwing 32 touchdowns. And they couldn't run like that. So

I would probably, I guess, come to the conclusion of that's going to be difficult to obtain or for us to see something like that again. The volume. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends.

Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

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

Listen to Superhuman on the 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 Tontons and Wampas on the Ice Planet Hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.