The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - NFL vs. NBA, the NFL's Anthony Edwards, Rookie Mini-Camp

Episode Date: May 9, 2024

John dives into the comments from Austin Rivers saying that NBA players could play in the NFL but NFL players wouldn't stand a chance in the NBA and whether he has a point or if he's completely off base. Later, John talks about who the NFL's Anthony Edwards is and gives a list of players that could be "him", and how much can we really tell from rookie mini-camp. Lastly, John answers your questions in this episode's mailbag segment. 5:14 - Can NBA player play in the NFL 17:07 - Who is the NFL's Anthony Edwards 27:51 - Why teams have leaks 31:56 - Rookie mini-camp 36:16 - Mailbag  Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. Check out Gametime - the fastest growing ticketing app in the US, and the official ticketing app of 3 & Out and GoLow -  for tickets to all of your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA teams. Concert and comedy show tickets, too. Go to Gametime now to create an account, download the app and use code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Well, you know, I've got to dive into this debate about NFL and NBA guys and could each play in the other sport. And mainly could NBA guys play in the NFL have a couple thoughts in regards to that. I've watched a decent amount of the NBA playoffs and Anthony Edwards, who looks like Michael Jordan meets Kobe Bryant 2.0. What NFL quarterbacks could be the next Anthony Edwards? Did the 49ers try to send a message to Debo Samuel and rookie minicamps? What you can't get excited for and what you definitely can't get down on when it comes to these. Little Middlecough mailbag as well. At John Middlough is the Instagram.

Fire in those DMs. Get your question answered on the show. We have a YouTube page. All of our content is up there. If you listen on, Collins feed, make sure you subscribe to 3 and out. Apple, Spotify, wherever you may listen, we have you covered. so before we dive into football

you know I got to tell you about our friends my partners and the official ticketing app of this podcast I was at the gym earlier today and I looked up at the TV and it was Philly's Blue Jays it was a beautiful day beautiful beautiful day

in South Philadelphia and the sun was out shining and like God that would be being at the game having a hot dog having a brusky sitting with your buddies enjoying yourself do you want to go to a baseball game this summer

get outside. We all, as Rihanna would say, work, work, work, work. So we do. And sometimes it's nice to let your hair down. I would if I could. And go do something. Friday night, Saturday night, Thursday night, just enjoy yourself. Some balance in your life is very healthy. And I'm here to help you out. So just download that Game Time app. You can go to anything. Concerts, comedy shows, NBA playoff games, NHL Playoff games, baseball games, college baseball games, if you live in an area that has that. I got you covered. Just take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime, download the GameTime app,

create an account, and use the code, John, for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem the code, J-O-H-N for $20 off. Download the GameTime app today. Last-minute tickets, lowest price, guaranteed. Austin Rivers, I would say, created a firestorm for former athletes,

especially NFL guys, that I felt like were very, very offended. When he said that easily 30 guys in the NBA could play in the NFL tomorrow and no one in the NFL could play in the NBA. And I would say the best conversation or take I saw of this was Chris Long posted some stuff. He was hot and bothered.

And I think he talked to the root of why this conversation is so stupid. Now, I don't think anyone just in the NBA, could just start playing in the NFL tomorrow, right? I think athletically, clearly I was watching the Sixers with Maxie. What an elite athlete. Or Jalen Brunson's body type. Obviously, athletically, these guys have the ability to be NFL athletes. Some of them are the best athletes in the world.

No one argues that. But the culture of football and the culture of NBA in 2024, the gap couldn't be any wider. The NBA I grew up on in the 90s, young people loved to talk shit about it. It was much more enjoyable. Why? It had a football feel. Beside the best of the best, most guys were not on scholarship.

There was an edge and a fight to the players because the contracts weren't nearly what they are right now. And you could be replaced at a moment's notice. And a lot like football, because in the 90s, just the rehab of injuries is nowhere, near what it is now, major injuries would derail your career and you're never the same and you're out of the league. But when I look at the NFL and just football in general, I'll never forget when I became a graduate assistant at Fresno State.

And this was before the new CBA in 2011 and college football basically followed suit and double days don't exist. For about three straight weeks at Fresno State under Pat Hill, whose career really took off when he started working for Bill Belichick in Cleveland. because he was the assistant offensive line coach under Kirk Forens. He ran a very old school 1980s, 1990s operation. For three straight weeks, double days. In Fresno, California, in the summer, in August,

one, the air is awful, and two, it's about 108 to 110 degrees. And I'll never forget, like the first couple days in pads, we ran inside run or nine on seven, where you get seven defenders, the four defensive linemen and the three linebackers against nine guys on offense one obviously being the quarterback

and whether you put on a full back there or a tied end and the five offensive linemen and it is just either off tackle or inside the guard or center runs it is a drill that separates the men from the boys and I just remember watching going no wonder

most people in high school can't make it to this level one I mean the size of these guys even at Fresno State and this ain't Alabama or USC, but the physicality, the speed, and the violence. And I was like, Jesus. And then when I got to the NFL, my first year was before they changed the rules.

We did double days what felt like at Lehigh under Andy Reed for weeks doing similar stuff, inside run drills. I mean, one-on-one gauntlet-like tackling drills. It was goal-line drills in training camp that were just felt like people were going, to get K-O'd. And there is a physical level to football that just isn't there in basketball.

Right? Hockey, football, the UFC, it is predicated on violence. On like legitimate violence. One guy hitting another guy at high rates of speed or enormous human beings tackling guys much smaller than them. Then there's the element.

And I thought Chris Long put this very well. Whether you go to high school football, college football or the NFL, if you go to a practice, these coaches are all over everyone's ass 24-7, 365, especially certain positions. The O-line, D-line, and just defensive guys in general are getting their ass ripped all the time. Just because you go to an NFL practice and guys are making millions of dollars, and I've been going to training camps for 15 years, how intense the coaching us. In the NBA, the culture, and even starts in college now with some of these guys cycling out the coach K's and the Beheims all retiring, those days are done. Tom Izzo is the last

of a dying breed. So culturally, the world we live in right now, these guys aren't used to what is mandated in the sport of, you're getting yelled at no matter what. I mean, the dynasty of my life was most notably known for Belichick could get on Tom no different than he could the practice squad guy. MFing them all day. That doesn't happen. If that happened in the NBA, the coach would be fired

if he MF the wrong guy. So culturally, the shock would be to a 28-year-old making $28 million in the NBA could never handle that. It would not be allowed. It just, it wouldn't fly.

So that would be an impossible transition. And here's the other thing. In training camp, even now there are no double days, but for a month straight, every single day, most guys are getting into the breakfast hall between 7 and 7.30. And you're not going back to your room. I don't know, depending on the team till 9 at 10 at night. In basketball, you show up for shooting around, you go home, you take a nap,

and you come play another game. Training camps barely even exist anymore. They don't practice. The two sports, in terms of the way they're built, fundamentally couldn't be any more opposite. Now, just pure athleticism, there is no debate that guys in the NBA could play in the NFL. But have we seen forever with the Combine? Just because you're a great athlete doesn't mean it translates to the sport. Here's the other thing. When I was working in radio in the Bay Area, I went to a lot of NBA games. I think people underestimate how enormous these individuals are.

The average, like, shooting guard and wing in the NBA is like, six, six and a half to six nine. Trent Williams is one of the biggest guys in the NFL. He's like six, five. So the size component and the huge part of football is all about leverage, getting low. In the NBA, it's all about playing above the rim. So the sports are just dramatically different

in terms of what is ass. But the physicality element, and Barclay has said this many times on television, went out for football one day, started getting hit nonstop and he quit. So to think that these guys that are in the NBA that have never played football, obviously some of these guys that played high school football,

could have played college football, and could have been NFL players. But once you get out of the culture of something, it's hard to get back into it. So I think it would be impossible for these guys to, because I think most of them would hate it and quit. Like, wait, my money's not guaranteed. You're screaming at me.

Fuck this. I'm going back. here where I do whatever I want, whenever I want. When I say jump, management, and the coaches say how high. In the NFL, it's opposite. When Pat Riley went on this long diatribe the other day about Jimmy Butler, basically like, if he's not playing, he needs to shut up. Everyone in the NBA was like, I can't believe, oh my, because no one would say that.

That's like a typical Monday after a game week three for 17 NFL teams. So to me, the cultures are so much different, let alone what is asked of you physically. And then the weekly grind, like in the NBA, just get to play. It's why anyone growing up playing basketball, whether you played in college, high school, whatever, you can play pickup, whatever. You just show up. Who? The NFL is not a sport where you just show up and play football.

You practice like 90% of the time. You spend countless hours in meetings. just watching film learning, taking notes. I'm telling you, if they were two industries, one would be like tech and one would be like, I don't know, construction or something. They have nothing in common, besides athletic people play the two sports.

And I just think it was a stupid argument. If you think, yeah, could a guy just show up and play a game? If he put Tyrese Maxie out at wide receiver and have them run some go routes, sure. could he play 17 games? What happens the first time he runs over the middle and someone tackles him hard? And I'm not acting like the guy's not tough,

but there's a level of toughness in violence in football, college and pro, that has no similarities to the sport of basketball in 2024. None. Absolutely none. So I think this conversation is just

it's fun, it's enjoyable, we all make jokes, about it, but the world the NBA is living in is a completely different universe that NFL players have to take on. And they're used to it. You get numb to it. It's like anyone that works in any industry, you get used to the quirks, the things you like, the things you don't like, but you know, like, yeah, it's probably not changing much. Like the NFL's never going to get to a point where O-line coaches aren't yelling at the offensive lineman. Saying mean shit to them, nonstop. Kind of lets it go off your back. The NBA used to be like that. The NBA

I grew up on, coaches used to coach him hard. Phil Jackson was all over Michael Jordan's ass. That would never happen today. The moment you look at me funny or I think you're an idiot, you're fired. That's not an opinion. That's a fact. So this conversation, while fun, is kind of dumb. Because one, if you're an NBA player, you'd much rather play.

And if you could do both, what would you choose? You would play in the NBA. The average salary is $7 million. The overwhelming majority of just decent players get enormous. enormous second contracts. And the injury risk, which I've always thought was crazy because of how high these guys are jumping, is much lower. And you have much more power.

There's less of you because like the NFL, you split the revenue with the owners, but there's only 12, 15 guys a team. So that's why these guys get paid more money. Where the NFL, you're splitting the revenue up between 53 times 32. And obviously there's two less teams in the NBA. So this conversation to me, and any NFL guy, I think, thinking they can go and drop 30 points. You know, I saw Micah Parsons.

They're out of their mind as well. Because if you're 6-2, you're a midget in the NFL or in the NBA. You're tiny. Tiny. Jalen Brunson's small, right? He's 6-foot, 6-1, size of the majority of guys at different positions in the NFL. Linebacker, corner, wide receiver, running backs. 6-1 are smaller.

He feels like one of the smallest guys in the NBA. I'm watching the O KC Thunder the other night. Every guy they had out there was like 6-6-6-9, and then they had Chet Holmgren who's like 7-1. Draymond Green actually is a very undersized player. He's like 6-5-5-6-6. Clay Thompson is taller. It's 6-7.

So I think we underestimate the size differences, and it's a fun combo, but kind of stupid. Now, one guy who is just a remarkable athlete, and one point in time, I think he was one of the best high school football players in Georgia. And he's always said it was his first love. And it's why I like him. Because he plays like a throwback.

And that's Anthony Edwards. If you've watched any of the Timberwolves in these playoffs, he jumps off the screen like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. He is a remarkable talent slash player. And clearly his, how much he cares to me, resonates why I watch them play because I don't care about the Timberwolves, but I enjoy young players who have a chance to be all-time greats whose give a shit factor is really, really high.

And I find him a fascinating watch. I mean, he is, he jumps off the TV screen. And when you look at the NFL, they have an established group of kind of like the guys 27 to 30 years old right now who are star players. Mahomes, Lamar, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow. These guys, if they stay healthy, another seven, eight years, can carry the league in the league's in good shape. But you would like a couple of things.

other young players to kind of join that mix. So when I look at who in the NFL has a chance to be the next Anthony Edwards, I think the group's pretty clear. Obviously, the number one guy you would pick if the first or second year player would be C.J. Stroud. Historic season, blue-chip guy, Ohio State, number two pick in the draft, comes the league, kicks ass and takes name. Now, of this group I'm about to list, he's probably the worst athlete, even though we've learned he's a much better athlete than we once thought.

but his game is really more, he plays much more like an old school pocket quarterback than he does Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson, which is fine. I mean, some of the best players in history of the league play just like that. You don't need to run around to be a great player. But that's how he's going to play.

So when you watch him, the purity of his game is kind of old school, which I enjoy. And if he just keeps doing what he did last year, he's going to be viewed as a guy that's basically a top five quarterback. and the Houston Texans are going to be a problem for a long time coming. These other two guys are just great unknowns.

Because if you just, to me, I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be a hater. I'm kind of right enough, Bryce Young. And I was someone who liked Bryce Young a lot. I would have taken Bryce Young over C.J. Stroud. I get new information. My opinion changes. Like, I thought one thing, you see another thing, like I'm out. I'm betting against that organization.

I'm betting against a guy at 5'9, a buck 80. I'm just not into it. I watch CJ Strout, he's big, he's got a big arm, he's on a good team. Like, he's going to be successful. I am just betting against some things are out of Bryce's control. And when you just see that size of a human playing in this sport, I give you no chance. I'm sorry, I was wrong. But Anthony Richardson is the opposite.

He is why, despite his, I would say, questionable is the wrong way to put it, just limited information coming out of Florida, people were still enamored with him. and as they got to know the guy, I saw a headline today from Quentin Nelson who loves him. He's like he's everything you want in the quarterback. His work ethic, how hard he rehabbed,

what he's like in the building, how hard he's studying. When I hear things like that, I'm like, I'm in. Because as we've learned, that's the position. If you have the physical characteristics and you're all in on that,

you got a chance. It doesn't mean you're going to be a great player, but you got a chance. And I've said this before. I said it to Colin probably a month ago that the NFL network is clearly just canceling everything. They just show replays.

And so the gym I go to has an NFL network on one of the TVs. It's just constant games. Like yesterday I looked up, it's the Bucks Eagles game. Which I don't even blame. If I ran the NFL network, I would do the same thing.

Why are we paying for all this stuff? Nobody's watching. Just replay the games. We get the same rating anyway. Who gives a shit? The cable bundle's done. This network's probably done. Is the NFL network even going to be around

in five years? I think that's a 50, 50, proposition. But I was watching this Rams Colts game and you're just like, holy moly, this guy physically is a different animal. Now, here's the thing C.J. Stroud has proven for three straight years. Two at Ohio State and one in the NFL. When a game is being played and he's the quarterback, you expect him to be on the field, until he proves us that he gets injured. I'm not betting against him missing games. He's proven to be a very, very durable player. Anthony Richardson is not.

So there are major question marks, can he stay on the field? But there is no debating this guy's physical ability. And this guy's physical characteristics and upside, even relative to CJ. I'm not saying he's going to be a better player than CJ, but he is more physically gifted. So if he ever does get it right,

and I'm telling you, if you just YouTube him against the Rams, there were moments where you're like, God, he can get it right. Here's why, like, you're like, middle coffee, you hate Bryce Young, but you like this guy? Well, yeah, let's look at the Colts. One, I think their roster can go head to head with the Texans.

Two, I think they have one of the more dynamic young coaches in the NFL. So it's like, wait, he's got a great young coach who's also the play caller, and he's got a really good roster. That's kind of what I bet on. So to me, he's got a chance because CJ's already kind of in the mix that all of a sudden we're talking like Anthony Richardson, like, geez, Colts really got something. And then obviously last but not least would be Caleb Williams.

because the hype's there, the weapons on offense are there, the physical skills are there, the name recognition is there. Like he's much more famous than Anthony Richardson. You'd say, in a weird way, he's every bit as famous as C.J. Shrapp. So he already has the built-in, like Anthony Edwards,

because of the diminishment of college basketball and the importance of the NBA draft, I mean, this year, the NBA draft, unless you're just a nerd, you're not going to know one name beside a couple guys that you watch from March Madness. In the NFL, we know all these guys.

Anthony Edwards didn't play at Duke or Kentucky. He went to Georgia, and their team wasn't any good. So to me, Caleb comes in with all the hype. I've watched basically every game he's played the last two years, at least bits and pieces of it. Might have turned off like the Notre Dame game in the second half this year.

But very, very awesome, man. He's got a boatload of talent. and the weapons are all there. I mean, they drafted Roma Dunesay in the top 10 to go with Keenan Allen and DJ Moore. You sign Swift, you got Commet, you got some good offensive linemen. It's all going to come down to the coordinator and him.

There's still a lot to be learned about him. Nothing bad. And Albert Breer wrote this really good article about the bear's pursuit of him, basically saying, like, when they went through the scouting process, a lot was, one thing Ryan Pol, he was at the Notre Dame game,

which is probably the worst game Caleb's ever played in his career and was blown away how he wasn't pouting, how he was with his teammates, how he was encouraging. And then one project they gave one of the scouts, you know, in like February or March, was to call every coordinator he played the last couple years and get their opinions on how they game plan for him. And they also gave other scouts when you went to All-Star games,

asked teammates guys that he had played with either at Oklahoma or at USC about him and everything came back obviously the coordinators were like yeah we changed the whole game plan just for this guy and every teammate said positive things so everything I've read and I've watched him talk someone sent me an email I guess the high school he went to is like a really really impressive school from an academic standpoint I'm pretty sure it's a it's a Catholic high school it's very serious high school like there's not much screwing around there and And you see that when you hear him talking in an interview setting. So I'm very bullish on this guy.

I mean, I can't wait to watch these three guys play. Obviously, CJ already has built-in buzz. But Anthony Richardson, I think Colts are going to be pretty good. I've been thinking a lot, like, what teams am I going to pick the division? I think the Colts and the Texans are playoff teams. And I think the Bears, a little more unsure just because of the head coach, but I think their offense is going to have some moments, even if they were to underachieve.

And if they play up to their capability, they could be a 10-win team for sure. Like, why didn't I throw Jaden Daniels in there? Like, I wonder if it's going to be a little harder transition than we think. Like, I don't know. You know, I'm not anti-Jaden Daniels, but I could see, like, for a lot of guys, it's not just rookie of the year.

I throw 28 touchdowns. Going to a team that's pretty bad, they got new coach. Cliff, everyone loves them. We'll see. That's all I'll say is. is we'll see. Drake May is not going to play. J.J. McCarthy's not going to play.

Michael Pennix isn't going to play. So a lot of these guys aren't even going to play. So to me, and I'm not, under no circumstances would I include Bryce under this conversation. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 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 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. 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. You know, sometimes NFL teams leak things on purpose. Clearly things get out with trays or during the draft that you don't want to get out. and then things leaked at like, yeah, I think we want this out. When I was at the Super Bowl, I went to cocktails with a buddy from the Chiefs. And we were at a bar, having some drinks,

just talking everything. Well, one thing we were talking a little bit about the game is like, you know, we really like our chances with our D-Bs against D-Bo. Obviously, D-Bo, behind the line of scrimmage running, he's a great player. But in terms of running routes, we don't think he's going to be able to get open.

and what happened? Debo couldn't get open. And I'm not anti-Dibo because I've seen him play live. He is one of the most unique players I've ever seen. I watched him carry the Niners on his back to the playoffs in 2021. And he's made huge plays over the last couple of years. But since he got the contract, he never has quite lived up to the height. And part of when you pay a player, like you can't expect that player to be any different than he's been.

and he was never Mr. Marvin Harrison run a route. He's not Devante Adams. That's not his game. But because of his coach and because of the offense, it worked. But sometimes the last thing that happens in a sports season,

like the way you get swept in the NBA playoffs or the way you get bounced in the NFL or think about the Chicago Bears. Maybe their decision was already made before that week 17 game against the Packers. But if they were even on the fence, that game was the nail in the coffin for Justin Fields.

I do wonder if Kyle Shanahan is just goes at the highest level because at this point in time, it's not about winning playoff games, not about win the division. It's like trying to beat the Chiefs, trying to beat the Ravens, trying to beat a team that we're going to see

in the Super Bowl or the NFC championship with an elite defense. Can this guy get open on a corner? And the answer is not really. You can't. I mean, it's not really is. He's always had some success against Jalen Ramsey,

but the Chiefs game was, pretty enlightening. And when it leaked, they're like, hey, the 49ers took a receiver in the first round. Could they trade IUC or Debo? Well, it turns out they don't want to trade IUC. Obviously, they don't want to pay them as much as probably he wants, but IEuk is a player that can translate for 15 years. Runs routes, can go deep, can go short, can break tackles.

It's just a very versatile, wide receiver running routes. Deep was not really. and I wonder if Kyle Shanahan was like, I'm tired of this crap. One, he's been banged up a lot. A couple years ago, he wasn't in shape. And then the biggest game, like, he's a non-factor. So when it leaked out,

the Debo was on the trade block. One, they were never going to get enough to make it make sense to trade Debo. Like, no one's offering pick 27 for Debo Samuel this draft. But what if the 49ers, Kyle and John, wanted that out, to be like, Debo, you better fucking really bring it this year.

Because if you don't, like all these conversations about us cutting you or just trading you for not much after this year, isn't fake. It's real. Look at the books. Your salary cap hit next year is like $28 million. So I do wonder if it was a little bit of a message. Because when you look at the logistics of the trade, they would never have got enough to trade him. He still has value to them.

But maybe they wanted him to know. like this isn't really going to fly. Now the problem is, okay, so like run more routes in practice, that's not really his thing. So, I mean, they're kind of in bed with this player. They had no choice but to pay him a couple years ago, and they kind of got to figure it out. And I also think that reflects why they took a route running wide receiver

with the 31st pick in the NFL draft, because the guy that they're paying $20 million a year doesn't really do that. And last but not least, rookie minicamp. I remember talking to a coach four or five years ago he was a wide receiver coach at the time he's now a coordinator and he was like

rookie minicamp was the biggest shit show I've ever seen no one knew what was going on we had guys that are not going to be in the NFL you know playing guard and safety and it is just a zoo you really are just trying to find out because you have a lot of undrafted free agents you have a lot of tryout players

because you got to feel the roster, right? No veterans are there. Well, if you only had six draft picks and you only sign 10 undrafted free agents, you do the math. You can't run a practice with 16 people. You got to somehow find a way to get 30, 35 people there just to function. And no one knows the playbook. No one knows what's going on. Most of these guys, especially with draft picks, have been flying all over the country or out of shape. It's kind of a useless exercise. I truly believe that. Beside the mental teaching your young guys the playbook. But in terms of anything to be gleaned from the field,

besides just their physical size, I don't think there's much. If anything, the number one takeaway I would have as an executive would be, does the guy look apart? One, and two, no injuries. I don't want anyone pulling a hamstring, getting themselves hurt. So when we actually get the veterans

and we're running real practices, those guys aren't able to go because they have a soft tissue injury. So there is going to be, and this is the world we live in, a ton of reporters at this thing, because it's their job to go to these mini camps, hyping it up, or downplaying it. Like, this guy looked terribly, looks low. None of it matters. There has never been a practice in NFL history that matters less than rookie minicamp. It's impossible to matter less.

Like, you could argue OTAs don't matter that much. They matter dramatically more than this experience. again, no one knows what's going on beside the coaches. No one. That includes your first round pick, your undrafted free agent, heads on a swivel. It's a little intimidating. It's the first time you ever put on an NFL jersey.

You're out there with, you name it, Mike Tomlin or Mike McCarthy, Kyle Shanan and Sean McVeigh. It's an intimidating spot. You're just trying to not screw up. Don't let the internet fool you that something is dire or something is great just because you see a post over the next 40. I'm not saying don't get excited,

but it's more than negative. Anything you read negative, do not take seriously. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clipper Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes

of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me

or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 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's 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. Thank you 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. Okay, a little middlecough mail bag time. At John Middlecough, at John Middlecough is the Instagram. Fire in those DMs.

Get your question answered here on the show. At John Middlecoff, my name, Instagram, DMs. I think the big thing with May is that he's never had a one-on-one quarterback coach since he's always been doing other sports and didn't commit to being a quarterback until two years ago. Anyone who's seen his basketball highlights, he was a Division I basketball recruit and his brothers play basketball. A lot of these college quarterbacks have had a quarterback coach

work with them on footwork since they were 13. Now it's certainly possible that when he cleans up his footwork, that inconsistent accuracy could go away, much like it did for Herbert and Allen. But banking on that is still a big gamble. There are a lot more guys who can't get that fixed than there are guys like Herbert and Allen. The question now, are his bad mechanics baked in or can he fix them with an actual NFL coach? I think this is a million-dollar question. I mean, this is the unanswerable question about drafts. When you get a guy in college that has some raw tools but needs to get fixed up fundamentally,

you could argue in any sport. Baseball, something's wrong with a swing or pitching mechanics, basketball, a hitching a shot. Can that be fixed? Or is there a muscle memory component that can't be coached out? but the reason these guys with elite physical attributes teams are going to draft high Anthony Richardson a couple years ago at four Drake May at three

and look who wanted him Kevin O'Connell and Dayball as well is because they believe they can fix them and if they fix them you're set Herbert needed Herbert to me was different than Josh If you watch Justin Herbert in college One relative to Oregon

Their skill wasn't as great Coaching wasn't as great It was pretty clear like He was a big time NFL talent Josh's inaccuracies Now who he was playing with Even though I saw someone post I think it was on Instagram

Just like an eight play Wyoming highlight of Josh Allen You're like uh yeah So But football is less about the splash plays and more about the layups, right? Most of your plays in football are hitting a quick out route, hitting a slant route on time, hitting your checkdown wheel route in stride so he can get up field and the difference of hitting him in stride and him gaining seven yards on third

and seven or making him stumble behind and he gets tackled and you don't get the first down because he only gains three yards. So the touch on basic stuff or where the fundamentals come in. this gets back to the best players, the two best quarterbacks I've ever seen, right, in their primes. Brady and Manning were fundamental savants. And now granted, they weren't runners, so they had to be perfect fundamentally.

Drew Brees. So fundamentally, they worked on that 24-7, 365. Aaron Rogers got a little out of the loop the last like year of McCarthy and that first year of LaFleur, and then they kind of got them back to the basics because he won back-to-back MVP's. With obviously added his little Aaron Rogers flare

because he could move better in those guys. But I would say fundamentals, no matter what you play, whether it's tennis on a volley, whether it's golf on a chip, whether it's, you know, being a great second baseman on turning two, always matter and always will.

It's why the first period of football practice after stretching is individual, meaning the O linemen with the O line. Well, what are they going over? Stance, steps, D-Lyman get-offs, linebacker and D-Bs, drop reeds, steps, you know, basic placement of hands for linemen,

quarterback, what are they going over? Footwork. Every single practice of every single, you know, football, every day in football at practice, it's the first thing you do. before you go into group and unit stuff is individual fundamental work. NFL to peewee football.

Peewee football, you might spend even more time on fundamental. But college, if you went to Nick Sabin practice or you went to a Belichick practice, the first period of practice once you break from stretching is all going to look somewhat the same. So it's very, very important. And how serious you take that stuff. Like when you hear these people talk,

about how serious Tom Brady and Peyton Manning took practice. They're not just talking about team when it's 11 on 11. They're talking about the individual portion, hammering home, three step drop, five step drop, seven step drop, my footwork in shotgun. So it's just like you don't even think, right? We talk about it in the golf role all the time. The more you're thinking about your swing, the more often you're not going to play well. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning when they ran a play, never thought about their footwork. It was ingrained the correct footwork. Obviously, sometimes you have to add lib,

but what was Peyton Manning the best at when it came to fundamentals? The stretch handoff, he sold it where you didn't know it was going to be a handoff or not a handoff. They did that last year on Hard Knocks. Hackett ran the videos in the meeting room. Is this a handoff or is this a throw? And with Aaron Rogers, you couldn't tell. To me, that, I mean, that's probably what you're talking about. But all that, the fundamentals of playing the sport,

before you can be a great player, you've got to be good on that. You know, Patrick Mahomes gets so much credit for being this like Farvian player. Do you know how much him and Andy go over the fundamentals on a daily basis, six months a year, in practice? Every day, they hammer that stuff home. And rightfully so. I wanted, before I read a couple more Instagrams, I've gotten

some, I've got a couple emails that I wanted to read just because these guys don't have Instagram. Hey John, love the show. You're inside, okay. College football question here. As the gap has never been wider in college football between the Power 5

and non-power 5, what are these smaller conferences even playing for anymore? Between NIL deals and the portal, How can these schools even compete? The odds of them making the playoffs are almost zero. I got news for you as this playoffs moves forward. I don't think we will see non-power-five teams get in.

I think they will be asked out every single time. Wouldn't it make sense for them to get rid of the ridiculous bowl system and have them create their own postseason tournament? Kind of like the NIT. The games would mean more and they could crown a quote-unquote champion in the end. It would give more meaning to their season instead of playing in the potato bowl.

We'd love to hear your thoughts. Well, I don't think we're far away from just seeing the big Power 5 be a group of 50 teams and then just compete to get to the, you either make the playoffs or you're done. I think we are, because the bowls are still going to exist even with the 12-team playoffs, like the random potato bowls. But I think within the next five years, I mean, things are moving at rapid speed now in college sports.

We will see the big boys, the top 50 schools. However, I think it'll inevitably be like the AFC, NFC, the equivalent in Power 5, like the Big 10 SEC, right? Notre Dame goes to the Big 10, Florida State, Clemson, and these teams just kind of go to either conference, the ones that survive. And then the non-power 5s, I love that idea. because once they do this, once they've gone to 12 teams, and this is the hard part because they don't have a commissioner, they don't have like a czar of football,

you should not be allowed, like USC should not be allowed to play Fresno State or San Diego State. You're non-conference, and same thing, Alabama. You should only be able to play other Power 5 teams. Now you can play a quote-unquote crappier Power 5 team if instead of playing Alabama, you want to play Mississippi State. if you're USC or Kansas State or whoever,

you don't have to play Oklahoma, but you should only be able to play each other. Can you imagine in the NFL? It's like it's week two, and the Niners are playing the Memphis stampede of the UFO. You're like, what? What is going on? I think it's somewhat similar.

Now, if you're Fresno State, you want to play USC in Oregon because you get paid. But that shouldn't be allowed anymore. And I think if I was a betting, man, that will inevitably happen. And when it does, those teams 100% should all, the non-power 5 teams should all play each other.

And I love this idea. I had thought of like a tournament, but listen, I started, I went to Cal Poly, D1 AA. They have playoffs. 16 teams make it. And there's a bracket. And you crown a champion. It's usually North Dakota State, Montana,

or South Dakota State. That's what I would do. So I think you're 100% on to something there. I wouldn't be shocked if that inevitably happens in some form or fashion close to what you were saying. This is an email I got, but it was directed from LinkedIn. I have a LinkedIn page, by the way, go follow it. Just because I post some stuff. Huge fan, not because I, you need to read my resume. Huge fan of the pod.

My two biggest passions are sports and marketing. Would love to chat over call some ideas. A couple of examples of content to wrap about. you ever find yourself struggling to fill the air. This guy's filling my show. The NFL dominates because it's the most relatable sport to humans and is solely driven by production and conducted like many companies we all work for,

so it's relatable. With this in mind, football fans want to be as close to the product as possible, which is the best problem to have in business. The draft dominates, why not add an eighth round, but with a nod to fantasy football, it's randomized snake draft and the order isn't known

until 10 minutes before the round starts would add some intrigue to the late round mostly undrafted free agent picks kind of like that idea ability to pick a quarterback as a camera view from Sunday ticket so you can stream your favorite quarterback and watch

the game through his helmet cam with the sound maybe VR the ability to trade franchise tags yearly i.e the 49ers trade their 2025 franchise tag to the Colts for a second round pick. Colts then could franchise Pat McAfee and Peyton Manning in 25 as an example. Would give teams control.

Don't hate that idea. Don't hate that idea at all. If you're not using your franchise tag, you can trade it to another team that can then franchise tag multiple people. I would say, would anyone give up? up a one for the right. I think teams would give a second round pick if they wanted a franchise

tag too, guys. That was a good little thought nugget there. Can you please explain to me as a Niners fan how we're supposed to feel excited about this? When do we fix the offensive line? Where do you get the money to

pay these not on the roster replacements when you pay IEuk and Purdy? Let Trent leave, sign three different ones. Please help me understand this wacky draft strategy. What's the path forward for offensive line on this already less than stellar group?

Well, they did draft an interior offensive lineman from Kansas that can play guard or center. They've invested in Aaron Banks. He's got to be a starter. They invested a fourth rounder in Burford. He's not very good. But historically, you've been able to find

functional guards and centers late in the draft and during the waiver claim period. Tackles a different beast. I can't fault them for not drafting a tackle at pick 31 if they didn't think there was a guy good enough to draft in that spot. And I'm pretty sure an offensive tackle didn't go in the next several spots. It was like wide receivers and defensive linemen and corners.

So just because you need a Trent replacement, they do, because he's 35, 36 years old. he's not going to play forever. One, there's no replacing him. They will never have a better tackle than Trent Williams. Unless one year they absolutely suck and get the number one pick, and there's Jonathan Ogden in the draft, 2.0. So there's going to be a downgrade when Trent leaves.

But you can't force-fill that spot. That's bad business, because if you force a need... And here's the other thing. They lost to the Super Bowl because they couldn't block Chris Jones. true. Their offensive line on an individual basis is not great. They had the lead in the Super Bowl.

So their ability as a coaching staff and as an offense to coach around one high-end offensive linemen in a bunch of randos has proven to be pretty good. Hell, they got Mike McGlinchie $50 million guaranteed. I would say I would trust their ability

to coach these guys up at that position. If their offensive line was the reason they were winning eight or nine games, I'd be like, we got a problem, boys. These had the number one seat in the NFC and went toe to toe with the Chiefs. Now, their downfall was they couldn't block Chris Jones. I got news for you.

Most people can't. So I hear you, but I think it's easy to just say that than in reality, like, I don't know if... Should they have traded up in the second round to get a guy? Well, what's the hit rate on that? You think you're just going to find like Lane Johnson?

You know, I mean, sometimes you got to get a little lucky. Maybe in one of your mid-round picks becomes a five-year starter. They found Lake and Tomlinson years ago, and he became a really good player for them, and then ended up getting a bunch of money from the Jets. So you got to make those moves. Now, at tackle, that's not going to happen. And they have a weakness of tackle.

Their right tackle is not very good, relative to the league. Luckily, Trent is. And you just run to his side. The problem is he gets hurt, then you're in a pinch. Big fan of the show. People love to debate whether top college football teams could beat some of the worst NFL teams, which I don't think would ever be possible.

But what if one of the great college football teams played a UFL team? I haven't watched any UFL, but I'm curious about the level of talent that's in that league. Well, I haven't watched a snap either, but my guess would be, Let's use an example. Georgia a couple years ago.

The team with 8 million pros, I think they had a ton that were like top 50 picks would beat any team in the U.S. Michigan. They just had 13 guys drafted and probably another 4 or 5 signed undrafted free agents would beat every team in the U.S. Because J.J. McCarthy is a better quarterback

than all those guys, and they have 6-7 NFL linemen the NFL does not have 6-7 NFL linemen. Most of the guys in the U.S.L. are not NFL players. So I think it is fair to say that the top teams in college football would beat UFL teams. Now, if you just gave me, like, could San Diego State or could, you know, Arizona State? Yeah, I have no clue.

I would guess not, but who knows? But like Bama, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State, Michigan. Oregon, would they beat them? I would. My first reaction is yes. Again, zero saps of the U.FL. Minor league football is not for me. Big fan of the pod and hearing from your perspective.

If the dolphins don't pay Tua, does taking a quarterback like Pennix, who is similar to what they already have, both are left-handed, so this was before, or do they go with someone like Joe Milton? Here's the thing. I think you can not pay Tua and not drafting a quarterback high

is also a smart move. I do not expect them, let me rephrase that. I don't think they need to. Now, that doesn't mean they're not going to, but I do think the proper business decision would just be to play it out. And Tua knows.

Two is showing up to the off-season. Because he knows, like, what have I really earned? I'm a good NFL player. I'm going to have a job as an NFL starter for a while. If they don't want me, someone else will pay me. but I do think it's fair for the dolphins to go, is he worth investing this much in? When you see these companies,

like in Fortune 500 stock market world, merge or pay for someone, they go, this company is worth $2 billion to us because we think that in the next five years, it'll 10x us or 5x us or generate X number worth of ROI over a period of time. I think you have to look like that with a quarterback.

Can we do better? Is this the best we can do? If we get rid of this guy, could we upgrade? If we do pay him and it limits our budget, is it worth it? Is he good enough to beat the guys we have to beat? I think there are a lot of variables that you could ask yourself. That's why I get back to DAC.

To me, they've paid DAC and they haven't been able to get over the hump, and a large reason is because DAC has under the overwhelmed in the playoffs when you need him to play his best and that's what you're paying him for he's a really good excellent regular season quarterback going to pro bowls putting up good numbers he's a winning player but there's a difference between a winning regular season player and a winning playoff player like i even think lamar took a little step this year you feel better amount of him in the playoffs but like now it's time to go if you ever want to win a super bowl you're going to have to go to that legendary spot where it's like

you have a flawless game against a couple elite opponents. We know you can do it in the regular season. I watched you do it this year. Running circles around all these teams. You guys are blowing everybody out. What happens when we get into a playoff game against Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen or Joe Burrell?

And it's a tie game in the second half. Can you still play at that elite level? We've already paid you. You're already worth it to us. But now our next goal is to win the Super Bowl. like the Dolphins goal now is to win a playoff game and I think it's fair to ask is Tua good enough to win a playoff game

and you could argue in the AFC I don't know think about like the potential first round matchups Josh Allen Lamar Jackson Patrick Mahome C.J. Stroud Harbon Herbert you're not going to have the best quarterback in any of these games

question from Minnesota how do you see JJ's rookie you're going start week one start by Thanksgiving sit out the year, we'd love to hear your take. Observation. In Russell Wilson's final year with Seattle,

he was seen sitting next to Goodell many times on TV during the Super Bowl. I feel like he was positioning himself to be the next commissioner. Obviously, his chances of that may be gone, but I believe that his angle, given his positive and PC persona, do you think there's any truth to that take?

for Russell Wilson to even have a slimmer of hope to be the next commissioner, and again, I've never even seen that or heard that or thought that, he would have to go work for the league office for a long time and get in with the NFL owners. The only commissioners in sports, Manfred, worked for baseball when C-League got out. Adam Silver was David Stern's right-hand guy. Roger Goodell worked for the league for 30 years or 20 years or whatever since they're mid-early 80s.

These leagues do not hire people that aren't league employees and that don't know the dirt of the NFL. They're not hiring outside CEOs. This isn't corporate America here. They only hire from within. I don't blame them. So I would say he has no chance

unless he's willing to go work for the league office for 15 plus years. And then, yeah, who knows? The JJ thing's tough. I don't think he could beat out Sam Darnold in training camp. So if Sam Darnold beats him out, I think then it's all predicated on wins and losses. Usually these guys come in when the team's not doing well. Think about Lamar. Came in because the Ravens weren't playing well, Flacco looks shot.

Mahomes never did. Why? Because they were like 11-12 win team with Alex Smith. So to me, it's all based on Sam Donald, who to me is a wild card. If you tell me Sam sucks and they're one and four, I'd believe you. If you tell me Sam's solid and their team's good and they're five and five and they just keep wrong with them, I'd believe you too. So I think he's the hardest like, Drake May's going to play this year. Why?

The Patriots aren't going to be that good and Jacoby's not good enough. And so you just factor in, they're much more likely to be two and six. Minnesota could be, but I also could see a situation where they're just competitive. The talent around them on offense, offensive play caller is their head coach. He's proven to be a good head coach. Hell, he was competitive with random quarterbacks last year. So I'd be guessing. My guess is he plays.

I would say later than sooner, though, because I think they'll be competitive early. And if somehow Darnels just got awful, he looks like the Jets Panthers guy, then you'll see him before Thanksgiving because that's the way the NFL works because the fans have a lot of juice because the fans will be like they'll start booing, calling into sports talk radio and you'd be like, oh, why does that matter?

Because that's where the owner listens and the owner's not going to go, we just draft this guy in the first round to just watch Sam Darnold. So if you start slow, the rookie plays. Rinse wash, repeat. That's just how it happens. If you're in the mix

and you have even a bridge quarterback, that guy will play. question for the bag would you consider doing a statement on today in NFL history it could revolve around big plays or games controversies contracts or just simple facts about coaches

players being fired or released it would be cool for folks not as well versed in sports history to get a window into the past thanks for the content as a military officer I look forward to listening on the commute every day we appreciate your service uh that's probably not really my uh jam

to be honest with you, not really something that excites me. Obviously, during the off-season, like, May 8th, this day in NFL history, people took the day off, you know? During the season, I guess it would have more relevancy, but there's just so much stuff going on. I just, long way of saying it's probably not going to happen.

This isn't history, pod. But again, appreciate your service. Why don't you think Belichick's assistants have been successful coaches? With a highly successful team like the Pats, you would imagine that there would be many successful future head coaches on the staff. Then you have a team like the 12 Redskins who played one game in the playoffs and lost. But under Mike Shanahan, the Redskins had five NFL head coaches, Kyle, McVeigh, LaFleur, McDaniels, and Rahim Morris. With that much star power on the coaching staff, you would imagine that teams would be playing for Super Bowls.

Well, their team wasn't as good Right? If you gave that staff Brady, Gronk, Edelman, McCordy, Hightower, all those guys They would have been a lot better So you do, like, this is professional sports, you do need talent on the squad

I would also say that's somewhat of a unique situation Sean McVeigh is what? 37, 38 years old Well, in 2012, he was 27. Kyle was in his early 30s Mike McDaniel was probably 30 years old, max. So the guys you see now are much different coaches than you saw then. And I would imagine Kyle would say I became a much better coach when I left my dad,

when I went to Cleveland for a year, then I went and worked with Matt Ryan. It's like any young person in any industry, you kind of grow with time, you hone on to your skills. Think about Sean McVeigh. He was like a position coach then, coach in tight ends. Well, four or five years later, Jay Gruden comes on, he got to call the offense.

So he got to learn by doing. It's what we say at Cal Poly. And that helps you become better at your craft. So would Sean McVeigh have been as good of a coach with the Rams in 2017 and 18? If Jay Gruden never let him call plays? Probably not. So I think it's easy to say this group of guys,

we're all there together. Ultimately, Mike was the boss. and who your head coach is matters a lot, and their quarterback ended up getting hurt. If RG3 hadn't got hurt his rookie season, and they just would have had that level of athlete and player for a couple years, I think they would have been more competitive.

But I think they win a Super Bowl? Probably not. But could they have made the playoffs several years in a row? 100%. But I also think, you know, if you just look at any successful person that's under 45 in 2024, if you looked at them in 2000,

12, they wouldn't be that same person. They might have been a guy that most people thought, like, this guy's never going to make it. This guy's got no shot. I don't care what business you're in. So I think you got to factor in time, different experiences. I mean, a lot of them bounced around, went to different places, learned from different people, and just improved on their craft. So it's not like a player where it's like, yeah, he's kind of ready to win right now. Usually coaches get better with time.

Look at Andy Reid. won three of five Super Bowls over 60 years old. Started coaching when he was like as a head coach in 1999. Now they had a lot of success in Philly but I think he'd be the first tell you

I'm a way better coach now than I was in 2004. So I think it's easy to play that game and that graphic is so famous because mainly the three-headed monster of, you know, LaFleurz had a bunch of success with Rogers and now Jordan Love. Sean McVeigh crushed it

won a Super Bowl and Kyle's been winning pretty consistently now for five years. I just think you look at, if you looked at me in 2012 or I looked at you in 2012, whatever you're doing now, you know, it's like, what? How'd you end up there? I think that happens a lot. There's a lot of 25-year-olds right now struggling, 28-year-olds, 30-year-olds, where in 12 years, you're going to be in a dramatically better spot. It'll be better at what you do.

You'll have gone through experiences. I was just talking to my girlfriend about this. because she's going through some business stuff and, you know, I would say learning hard lessons is one way to say it, but I just say learning good lessons. The faster you learn, whatever industry you're in, like, yeah, it's kind of cutthroat.

Whoever you're dealing with, first and foremost is going to care about themselves and their family more than yours. And quote unquote, trying to screw you, get over on you, fuck you. However you look at, I don't mean, sexually, I mean like financially, you just those are good lessons to learn and they make you better with time to realize like

to become numb to certain stuff to know what to look for uh they they harden you whether you're a coach whether you're a salesman whether you're doing whatever so the more experiences like pro sports you have a short window to maximize for most of us in all the industries we work in we should be this and coaching falls under this too you should should be dramatically better at 40 than you were at 27 or 50 than you were at 35 because you just know more you've seen more you've had more experiences good and bad and bad experiences make you better so i bet kyle learned more about himself the next couple years when they were crappy than he did the one year with rg3 he never run that offense again he did it for a split second with

Tray Lansing, he hated it. He's like, I hate this crap. This is not what I do. You know? So I just think time, none of those guys, if we would have made all five of those guys, and we'll see about Rahim in Atlanta, but the other four head coaches in 2013 after the two, I bet a lot of them would have crashed and burned. And I bet they would all say that. Like, yeah, I wasn't ready. No chance. I would have been overwhelmed. But when they got their chances in 2017 or 2019 or 2021 or whatever year they got, Adam, right? LaFleur a little later, McDaniels is a couple years ago, Kyle and Sean in 2017, Rahim Morrist didn't get his till 2024. And they'd say I'm much more equipped now of going through it all. You should want, it sucks at the time, but professional struggles, I would say, are what

make you or give you the ability for future success. Professional success, I mean, it doesn't teach that much. I'm not saying you can't learn from when you're being successful of what works and double down, like obviously. But when things are not going well and there aren't really answers, you kind of got to look at yourself in the mirror and like, we've got to figure this out. And then you look back a year later and like, God, I figured it out. That wasn't that hard.

Or God, that was that last year, I really changed a lot. I can't do that anymore. I need to do more of this and less of that. So I hear what you're saying. and that picture is going to be, I would say, put up on television screens during football season, probably forever. I mean, in perpetuity. Until the day I die. I mean, that picture is never going away, even when those guys are retired.

But I think it's easy to play that game, and I don't necessarily think it's fair. 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 headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band

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It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences,

having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast.

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