The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Patriots and Giants draft room, Fugazi Friday, Mailbag

Episode Date: April 19, 2024

John dives into the Belichick-Kraft saga that just won't seem to end and what the real reason might be that he isn't a head coach this upcoming season. John also talks about what he thinks the Patriots and Giants might be doing when their name is called next Thursday. Later, you have your Fugazi Friday comments answered and reacted to.  Lastly, John answers your questions for this episode's mailbag segment. 6:42 - Belichick-Kraft saga 15:30 - The Patriots 19:39 - The Giants 26:53 - Fugazi Friday 43:13 - 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.

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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. 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 Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

you get your podcasts. The volume. The 82 game preseason is in the books, and it's finally time for the real season. Don't miss out on any of the NBA playoff action at Draft King Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NBA. From the play in tournament through the finals, Draft King Sportsbook has you covered with same game parlayes, live betting, odds boosts, and so much more. Download the Draft King Sportsbook app and use code John.

New customers bet $5 and get $200 in bonus bets instantly. That's code J-O-H-N, John, only on Draft Kings. The crown is yours. Gambling problem, call 1-800 Gambler. Or in West Virginia, visit 1-800 gambler.net. In New York, call 878-8-Hope-N-Y or text Hopein-Y-4-67-369. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-78-98-9-777 or visit ccpg.org.

Please play responsibly. On behalf of Boothill Casinoin Resort in Kansas, 21 and over, age varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. See dkng.combe-Ball for eligibility and deposit restrictions, terms and responsible gaming resources. What is going on, everybody?

John Middlecock 3 and Out podcast. We are less than a week away from the National Football League's little thing they call a draft. So it's right around the corner here. And I think my plan is I'm going to talk to Field Yates this weekend, and he'll be on the pod next week. He's going to be on ABC's coverage. I've known him for a long time. I think I'll do a mock draft maybe Wednesday. I'll do a mock draft Wednesday.

and then we'll have a bunch of content on Thursday afternoon, Thursday night, and for Friday, draft-wise. Other than that, buckle up, pedal the medal. Today I want to... The Belichick story, man, it's just getting pretty ugly between him and Kraft. And he's going to be, like what John Gruden was for like five or six years, that's going to be all this season with Bill Belichick. And I think there are three teams in the F.C. East that he's going to be.

is going to get linked to constantly if things get weird. The messaging with the top of the draft is pretty interesting. I wanted to dive into that. Obviously, the Bears and the commanders aren't exactly hiding from taking a quarterback. But the Patriot said something today, and I wonder if the owner, with all the negativity and the pressure he's getting from his local fan base, which is pissed off at him right now, forces them to take quarterback. We'll dive into why.

And then the Giants. Joe Shane gave a press conference today. I watched. He's an impressive guy. but he had a lot of pushback on the buyer remorse and if they regret the DJ contract. And I'm sorry. I'll tell the truth for him. That's what we'll do.

And then, of course, Fugazi Friday, Fugazi Friday. So anyone that sees any Fugazi, you can always fire into my DMs. Just make sure you write Fugazi Friday. It's easy for me to search in my Instagram if you write that. So anytime you see it, write that down, I will find it. I've been putting into a folder once I screenshot it in my pictures. I've developed a nice little system. I'm impressed with myself, not going to lie.

And Middlecoff Mailbag, which is also my Instagram, but you can just ask questions in there. At John Middlecoff. At John Middlecoff. It's the Instagram firing those DMs. All of our content. Subscribe to the Three and Out podcast if you listen on Colin's feed. Also YouTube. All of our content is video-wise.

Fire up there. Yeah, man, draft right around the corner. Me and Colin will be on a bunch. next Thursday. So let's get ready. Let's start the, let's end the week off right. But before we dive in, my friends, close personal friends, I saw they had a good ad with Big Cat and PFT

when I was watching, I think I was watching the golf tournament today, or maybe ESPN and it came on. Love these guys. They've been loyal partners. They're the official ticketing app of this podcast. Because you guys, because you guys have hammered that promo code, John. And last night, my lady was like, let's go to a concert. She was looking at her.

She's like, you see, Luke Combs is coming to Glendale in like a month. I'm like, let me check game time. Started looking around. Got to figure out whether I'm going to go Friday or Saturday. But I'm going to use game time, easy to do, type in the venue, type in the artist, type in the team. You want to go to a Yankee game? You want to go to an NBA playoff game. You want to go to an NHL hockey game.

Hell, I don't even have an NHL team in my backyard anymore. They're going to Salt Lake City. You live in Salt Lake City. You want to go next year to watch your new hockey team. Do it with game time. promo code John, $20 off at checkout. And these inflationary times, save a little money. Don't even need a thank you.

Just hammer that promo code. Promocode John save $20. I do think the Belichick conversation is pretty fascinating. I was listening to Michael Lombardi's podcast. He's been on this show before. He was fantastic. He was going off because of the situation in Atlanta and how they, you know, are run by Rich McKay,

who is the executor of Arthur Blanks' estate. I definitely didn't know that until, like, the last week. That's pretty crazy. Like, I've known a few rich people in my day. Usually the people that run their estate are either a child or, like, a lawyer that they've had for decades. I know Rich McKay has worked for the Atlanta Falcons now for almost, I think, 21 years.

But that's a pretty powerful thing to hold. If you have any assets, let alone have the wealth that Arthur Blank possesses, he makes the president of his football team, the executor, like, that shows you the connection with Rich. So, like, whether the Falcon should have hired him or not, if Rich McKay does not like Bill Belichick and Bill Belichick does not like Rich McKay, Bill Belichick was never getting that job. The guy's the executor on his fucking.

a state. He controls all of his money. If that guy was going to have a ton of influence, which of course he does, Bill's never coming there. And I think it's kind of played out that way, obviously. But which I think, listen, Bill Belichick not being a head coach in this league right now is crazy. I'm sorry, I stand by that. I don't apologize for that. I don't even think that's a crazy take. He should be a head coach if he wants to be a head coach. But one conversation that is going to happen nonstop. I mean, nonstop, is going to be what team is he coaching in 2025? It's going to be nonstop. And we already know teams that sniffed around with them, that kept their coaches, the Eagles and the Cowboys. Let's be real. The day or two days after the Cowboys got curb stomped in that

playoff game, it's one thing to lose in the playoffs, it's hard. Right? You can lose a playoff game, be like, God, we played pretty well. Happened to the Packers. Happened to the Lions. Right. It happened to the bills. Played pretty well against the Chiefs. Like, it happens.

Right. It's another thing to get mollywapped and embarrassed. And it's worse when it's at home. And that's what happened to the Cowboys. So I remember being in a sauna, which at my gym, which I love. I try to sit in the sauna like three days a week,

20, 25 minutes. You feel incredible, especially when you're a bald guy, you get right in the shower, shave your head. get an incredible shave. But there were two guys in there. I don't know them. And sometimes if I'm going to lay down,

I take my headphones in there and I'm listening to a podcast or a book on tape or whatever and just kind of lay there for 25 minutes. But I just went in there. And they were talking football. And they were like, when is Belichick? I'll never forget this. When is Belichick going to be the head coach of the Cowboys? They don't know what I do for a living.

I'm like, shit, by the end of the week. I mean, it felt like a lock. And then they didn't do it. And they're going to be talk with the Eagles. And listen, by far, the most prominent teams with the most tangible pressure on them, to me, are the Eagles and the Cowboys. The difference I'd say with the Eagles is, I would say between Fangio and Kellan Moore, they're paying their two coordinators. I'd say over under $8.5 million. Fangio's probably making five.

Kellan's making three or four. That's just what these guys make. So the Eagles want this to work. They want Nick Siriani to work. and to me, if they get back into the playoffs and don't go out like chumps and win a game, I don't think they would fire them.

And the Eagles have proven to be, you know, they got rid of Doug, but they had missed the playoffs. It was pretty ugly. To me, if they're successful again, the young players start ascending, I think they will have no problem running it back kind of with this core group.

Siriani, Kellan Moore, Vic Fangio. That's what they want. I don't necessarily believe that with the Cowboys. And listen, We all kind of mocked Mike McCarthy, rightfully so, because he lied about. He had the year off, said he watched every snap, and then at the press conference, like, yeah, I actually didn't watch every snap. Watch like four games.

Like their roster, like the Cowboys, I'm cool. But one thing he's proven, and it can't be argued, he's a good coach. He is. He wins a lot of games. Won a lot of games with the Packers. He had Aaron Rogers. Then he goes to Dak, who's solid, but he sure is hell in Aaron Rogers. And they have been consistently good.

They've hosted playoff games, two of three years. The problem is McCarthy, the regular season means nothing now. It's irrelevant. Whether he wins 10, 11, 12 games, none of it matters. He's going to be strictly judged in January. And to me, he borderline has to get him in the NFC championship game, which they haven't been to in two and a half decades. I just can't imagine he's going to be the coach next year.

And we already know that he's under his last year of his contract, which is borderline unheard of in the NFL. I think Kaufflin did it years ago with the Giants and obviously he lost his job. So to me, if the Cowboys aren't super successful in the playoffs, and let's face it, based on their offseason, like they've lost players because of their cap situation. They had to get rid of productive guys.

They also lost their defensive coordinator, who, while the season ended poorly for Dan Quinn, I think we all agree, Dan Quinn was a big addition to Mike McCarthy's success the last two or three years in the regular season. So do they come back to Earth a little bit in the regular season? That meaning they've got to go on the road if they can't win the division.

You would assume the division is a little better now that, you know, who knows, Washington would be a little spicier. We know the Eagles and them play really tough games. I just think that makes the most sense, even though people are like, oh, Bill and Jerry, the power, like Bill's going to be 74 years old.

That's what I want to happen. And then let's face it, the curveball, and we'll talk about the Giants and their situation a little bit later, is them. Belichick became a household, name for sports fans in the 80s when he was the brains

behind the motivation of Parcells with the Giants. And clearly, if you've ever watched the two Bills, that organization he has a special place for. He hates the Jets. He wouldn't piss on every player on the Jets if they were on fire in his front yard. He despises that organization.

But it feels like he loves the Giants. And one thing with Bill, and I'm sure we'll see this clearly like Pat knows we can't really ask about the craft situation. Bill probably doesn't want to discuss that publicly, but that thing's getting really ugly. It really is. And even though everyone has Bill's back in the Boston market, all the players, Bill's wired to be like double FU mode. That's how he's been with some of their big scandals, right?

The flate gate, spy gate, he comes out guns blazing. And I can't imagine he. will do whatever it takes to be a head coach in the league next year. And time sometimes, I would say, shakes the negativity around him because the team wasn't very good this year. Quarterback was a joke, and Mack Jones is on the team because of Belichick. Their defense was good, and their kicker was terrible, which he draft, but I just think that I saw it forever with Gruden.

And I was fooled. I really was, because when Gruden... interviewed forever or was like putting his hat in the ring for all those jobs, college and pro, you're like, God, I'd be all over John Gruden. John, you can get John Gruden? And then he came back, you're like, yeah, not quite what I expected. But then you look back, how successful was he the last four or five years in the NFL? Not really.

So I think Bill is going to be constantly connected to these NFCE teams, and that's fun. Like sometimes I think hypotheticals can get out of control. To me, there's substance behind this. There's reality behind this. And it's just going to be something that we continue to talk about, especially with the Cowboys, if this season just goes a little rocky. They already are in a weird situation with the quarterback

and what they're going to do. Are they going to finally extend them? Are they just going to play it out? I don't know. But I think the Cowboys, to me, would be the number one. If I had to rank them, you know, If you told me all three teams have shitty years, which I guess is possible,

you can have a bad team win a division in 7 and 9. I would go Cowboys, Giants, Eagles in the ranking of Bill Belichick landing next year. One thing that has, you know, following these top teams and the messaging coming out of them that's been pretty interesting is the Bears never wavered, right? My mom could have told you they're taking Caleb Williams three months ago. Some people still like, I'd go with Justin Fields.

Make it work. Give them a chance. And the Bears are like, yeah, we're sending him to the Steelers for a six-round pick. See ya. And the conversation, even for those little radicals that wanted Fields to somehow survive, were completely muted and we all agreed. Like, everyone knows. So we don't even talk about that much.

There's nothing to talk about. Honestly, the only conversation with the Bears is what they're going to do with the ninth pick. But the messaging coming out, they don't even need to message. Caleb's taking one visit and it was to Chicago. I mean, he's going to be a Chicago bear. Now, once you get to two, Adam Peters, I don't want to say, has been as steadfast in terms of like the bears left no doubt.

But he has definitely let it be known like, yeah, we're not really open for business. We feel pretty confident at this pick. Now, we don't exactly know who he's going to pick. Most people, and the betting odds would say Jaden Daniels. I wouldn't bet my life savings on it, But when people ask me and when I ask people, Jane Daniels, Jane Daniels, everyone says Jane Daniels.

So I think it's fair to assume Jane Daniels. I wouldn't fall out of my chair if another name pops up next Thursday, but they're going to pick a quarterback. We know that. We just don't know exactly 100% sure who is going to be. But the other teams have not been like that. Elliot Wolfe said today, longtime executive, doesn't even have the GM title,

not quite sure what the crafts you're doing. Honestly, not quite sure. just name the guy the fucking GM. I don't care if it's like, well, he actually has all the duties. Have the balls to name him the GM. I don't understand, separate from all the stuff with Bill and the production company, why are you guys being so weird with this? You have a first time head coach, just make Elliot Wolf the GM.

Are you like giving him a year trial run? He said we're open for business. And then it kind of hit me today. If I'm the crafts, Jonathan and Bob, and I am getting destroyed. destroyed locally. I mean destroyed. I have heard everywhere I look on the internet,

Boston people, I played golf with a guy like three weeks ago from Boston. Everyone I've talked to or listened to say he's getting crushed. Because it's clear like, listen, time to break up, whatever. You don't need to like piss on the guy's grave. Why are you trying to get all that? Why are you doing this? Well, what's the easiest way to make that negativity kind of be silenced?

Because if they trade back, They added two first round picks And they got all these players No one will care No one gives a shit when you draft an offensive lineman Until that guy becomes a star offensive lineman But you take a quarterback You take Drake May or you take J.G. McCarthy

With the third overall pick We stop talking about How cheap the crafts are How shitty they've handled this situation How just what ego maniac and control freaks They've become since Bill left We just start talking about how good is J.J. McCarthe or Drake May or Jaden Daniels is going to be on their team.

Takes all the oxygen out of that conversation. So even if Elliot Wolfe wanted to trade back, one, he has no equity with the franchise in terms of, you know, he's never made a pick before for them. Two, he's not even technically the general manager. And three, if you're the crafts, like, take whoever you like the most of that position right there. We want you to do that. Bill might say, yeah, we're not doing that. and Bill would have traded back. Bill would have done whatever he wanted to do.

Elliot Wolf can't. He just won't be allowed to. So even if the front office and the coaching staff was like, you know, given our roster, like, let's take a deep breath. I don't even think it will be an option because the ownership will never allow it because it's the easiest way

to have everyone stop talking about how poorly they've handled everything. The Giants. you know, Rich Eisen said, I see all his clips on YouTube. I think he's got a radio show, TV show. Not exactly sure what it is, but I follow this stuff on YouTube.

And one thing he said, like less than a week, maybe a couple days after the combine, obviously he's there for a week calling it with DJ, is that one of the main buzz, scuttle butt he had heard is how much the Giants had buyer's remorse on Daniel Jones,

which everyone's like, yeah, no shit. and Joe Shane the day at the press conference was basically asked about that, and he said none of it was true. Now, before I dive into my thoughts on this, I understand where he's sitting. Regardless how you actually feel, even like, you know, I never actually wanted to sign this contract.

I was forced to by the ownership. We were lukewarm on the guy, even dayball. Like, we would have been cool with letting him test-free agency. John Mara forced us on my hand. He can't say that. even if he was on board with the signing and was like, listen, short-term deal, $80 million sounds a lot to 99.9% of people. NFL world, a couple years, move on, no biggie.

We don't really like him anymore. We'll find another quarterback. We plan on trading up in this draft. He can't say that either. So he's in a position where he can't really tell the truth. But let me tell the truth for him. They 100%. Ownership, coach, GM have buyer's remorse.

If they could do it over, under no circumstances, would they have signed that contract? I'm actually confident enough they wouldn't have signed him to any contract. They would have just let him walk. Information changes. You can love your wife or love your girlfriend. And then all of a sudden you found out she cheated on you with three different men. Changes the equation. You're in business with a partner.

You're all making a lot of money. You're getting paid. And then you find out he's stealing. your opinion of that individual changes. With more information, we think differently. Like, listen, they were bullish on Daniel Jones. First year, win some games. And now he's also injured.

Like, obviously you don't know he's going to be injured, but sitting here today, he had a torn ACL. Played like shit, torn ACL. Makes a lot of money. Pretty bad combination. So this notion that they don't have buyers remorse is just a bold-faced lie. It's just impossible for,

that not to be true. And there's nothing wrong. We all make poor decisions. All of us. I know I own a stock right now. It's an ETF, cling to energy ETF. I've invested well over 100 grand into it. Right now, when I open up my account, it says about $40,000. Now, ultimately, big picture, I still believe in the space, but do I regret investing my money into that stock? Of course I do. I would much rather have put it into Netflix or put it into just anything else but that. Even if I like still and I have more belief in that situation than I'm sure the Giants do. But why do I, I believed in it two years ago when it was working and going up. Things change.

I never understand people who are so beholden to the way they thought a year ago, three years ago, eight years ago. It's like it's 2024. April 18th, I'm recording this. We have the information up to this point. You might feel some way right now. Well, April 18th, 2027, if things dramatically change about whatever you're thinking about, you're probably not going to think that way anymore.

I hope you wouldn't. Because if you still did, you'd probably have some issues. You know, people ask me all the time, like, what are your career goals? Do you want to be on television? I don't know. I mean, is YouTube bigger and 10? television right now?

I'd say for most people I know it is. You know, things change at dramatic speeds. I don't know. I'll just do whatever I have to do. I'm willing to do whatever it takes. Wherever things are going, that's where you go. I saw a lot of people when I first got into radio I was around so many of these newspaper guys.

I saw a guy recently on X. It was like, the best advice for anyone in sports media still is to start at a newspaper. Unless I'm not into like Talking shit on Twitter as much anymore. I don't care. It was the dumbest thing I'd ever read. Like this guy's actually putting this out there.

Yeah, if this was 2001, maybe that's pretty good advice. It's 2024. That'd be the last thing I would advise to any young person. Unless it's like the Wall Street Journal. Do not fucking do that. So signing quarterbacks is complicated. Signing the great quarterbacks is relatively easy. even though it's complicated because of the amount of money.

As in like Lamar Jackson. We all knew he was good and it was still complicated. Patrick Mahomes was pretty easy. Josh Allen was pretty easy. Even the Herbert thing. There's pressure for him to be a consistent top five quarterback. Trevor Lawrence has not been paid yet. We need to see a little more before we give you $180, $200 million.

It's a big financial decision. So $80 million is not $200 million, but you could argue after 15 touchdowns that you even deserve $80 million. But there is no way to spin it. They have buyer's remorse. And there's nothing wrong with that. 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. 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 Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to

my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for you. 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. Let's dive into Fugazi Friday. And a lot of you guys are now doing most of the work because I just get, I get DMs. And I was like, yeah, I haven't seen a big Fugazi lately. A lot of you guys that hit me up about my Tahoe and I got one of those plug-in things, works okay. I actually had someone from Chevrolet

reach out, listener of the show. Jeff. Hopefully, you know, something materializes. You know, welcome to the show. We do a lot of business here. So, uh, Chevy, arms wide open, as my guys at Creed would say. Uh, let's start with this. I think this position assignment in the NFL

and how it leads to contracts is somewhat of a Fugazi. Why wouldn't Kelsey's agent identify them as a wide receiver. Bowers too. I think they need to do positional groups opposed to specific positions. Quarterback, running back,

wide receiver, tight end, O line, Dline, ETC. With the amount of scheming and utilizing players in multiple positions with different formations, I think the current model is outdated and they need to revamp considering its direct impact on the cap player contracts and franchises.

Totally agree. Would not be opposed to that. and I'm not exactly pro-agent here, but I think it makes a lot of sense. Travis Kelsey is a wide receiver. The problem is the way the situation is constructed, Jimmy Graham was too, and he tried to argue and he lost.

So it gets to complicated where you just, it's not worth arguing over something. You will not win. And like in real estate, it's all just comps on your position. Even though Travis Kelsey would say, who's my conscience? I catch 100 balls a year.

I'm the greatest receiving tight end of all time because I'm a fucking wide receiver. But that's not the way it works. Micah Parsons. Like, hey, Nick Bose is a defensive end. He's got $120 million guaranteed. I'm not an outside linebacker.

I'm a pass rusher. Just like TJ, just like Boza, and just like Miles Garrett. I am a pass rusher. Pass catching tight ends and pass rushers get screwed. 1,000%. totally with you.

This is a Fugazi Friday. A couple months ago, my wife and I had VRBO booked for a trip to Miami. Taking a little weekend in the sun. Less than a week before our stay, we get a notification from the owner that they sold the place and a reservation was canceled.

While they did technically refund us, so you got refunded, it was extremely frustrating. No alternatives, and the rebooking was on us to figure it out. If it were the rest of, the other way around and we canceled for any reason we would have lost our payment due to the terms

but since the owner cancels they don't have any repercussions what the Fugazi I think there's a simple solution to this and I'll be honest I'm not the biggest VRBO Airbnb like I never set that up whenever I'm at one it's always through someone else maybe I'm living in the past

still more of a hotel guy when I travel maybe that will change with time build a family obviously it's much easier maybe I'm just living in the past maybe I should get into that game a little more if your house I don't think it's crazy right I put my house on VRBO Airbnb

some guy knocks on my door calls me up and says makes me an offer I can't refuse I sell the house if my house is for sale or is pending a sale and I'm doing this there should be some sort of situation that VRBO or these companies

help you facilitate a new place, right? To me, if it's something that just happens overnight, which it's hard for purchase to happen overnight, so they would have known, that to me is another step of like, okay, my house is on the market, I'm just VRB owing it out. I know at any moment it could be sold,

and then people with reservations, especially in a place, Miami, Scottsdale, right, San Diego, Vegas, New Orleans. I mean, there are certain travel, destinations here that are going to be pretty highly impacted when a house sells. So I would say, yeah, I understand your frustrations. And this is easily avoidable, right? Especially if the house had been for sale for a while.

Fugazi Friday. Fast food. Fast food has always been terrible for you, but it was convenient enough and cheap enough to justify, justify sacrificing some health every now and then. Agreed. However, in the post-COVID world, outside of the real estate market, it seems like there is no industry that has taken advantage of inflation, quite like American fast food. I used to be able to go to BK. That'd be Burger King.

McDonald's or Taco Bell and grab a lunch for $6.7. It's almost impossible to find anywhere, much less some already more expensive brands, and not walk out paying less than $15. I ordered four burgers and two orders of fries from one fast food joint. No drinks. $62. Service is suffered at many of the change, yet the drive-thrus are still 20 minutes deep for God knows what burger, and they nearly cost what you can get ordered fresh at a sit-down restaurant.

I'll never forget being a kid. You go to Taco Bell and eat like a king with a $5 bill. Eat like a king. McDonald's used to have pretty good meals for under $5.5. Burger King Definitely had a good 99 cent menu So did Wendy's I don't eat fast food as much anymore

I would say this and I always notice this Because we go to in and out probably once a month Maybe twice a month That is easily the best paying for your buck You can get a shitload of food To feed four people for 30 bucks You can eat like a king for two people for under 20 So I'm talking triple triples

Animal-style fries milkshakes I just think that these companies, I don't know where you live, but obviously in California now, minimum wage 20 bucks. So as all this stuff goes up, the price, like they pass it on to us, right? That's always, hey guys, it's why the government is always so out of touch. Like, cost gets passed on. Welcome to, I don't know, the business world.

So all their stuff, you know, I don't know where McDonald's or Burger King gets their meat, but that's more expensive. Everything's more expensive. So as that gets more expensive, labor gets more expensive. The McDonald's, I think, owns their real estate, but some of these other companies, maybe lease out of land,

that gets more expensive. It just drives up. But I'm with you. It's hard to justify. I also think we need to think about this differently. Because in the history of the world, like the dollar doesn't come back down in terms of, you know, remember when a burger was $28

and then it came down to $15, not usually the way it works. In my 39 years of life, things have steadily risen. Car prices, clothes, food, you name it. Right? Like, this is the reality. And I think for any, I don't know how old you are, but we used to look at $20 or $1,000 or $100, you have it in your head what that means.

Well, doesn't mean that anymore. Which sucks, I'm not, it just sucks. It was out of our control, but it kind of is what it is. So I think you should just boycott the fast foods. I still think you go to Taco Bell. I haven't been there in a while, but Bean and Cheese Burrito, some just regular tacos, even chicken soft tacos. My order of Taco Bell is usually a bean and cheese burrito.

If I'm feeling fat, probably two chicken soft tacos, Supremes. And maybe like a chicken burrito. That's if I'm feeling fat. If I just want to stay healthy, just, and I need a little snack, two chicken soft tacos, boom, little mild sauce, off and running. That's really the only fast food. I would do McDonald's for breakfast, but my body, and I'm someone in my teens in the early 20s, like I'm sure a lot of guys ate a lot of fast food.

I'll be 250 pounds. And like you said, it's not like you're getting some deal. It's not like, hey, you know, I didn't pay anything. Double inflation, Fugazi Friday. companies that are charging more and giving less. I'd rather pay additionally for same product and not have the quality reduction. My dog treats recently started charging more, and now the treats are roughly 50% smaller, cut in half horizontally.

All this does for the consumer is make them hate the brand, and I have sworn off dozens of companies doing this and making my own dog treats. Fuck companies who don't respect their consumer. Yeah, I don't know what else say. Having a dog, not cheap, especially bigger dogs. Food's not cheap. They eat a lot. We always had labs in my house and they eat a lot.

The good thing is, you know, certain dogs make them an egg here and there, feed them some chicken. But I hear you. You know, the reason Amazon, I mean, started running circles around people. Customer service. You could send anything back. Delivery was free. customer, customer, customer. Any person listening to this

as just someone who consumes a lot when you're customer friendly, that loyalty, even if in my generation were less loyal than my parents' generation, it does still mean something. It really does. Shitty customer service is always the easiest way.

You better have an elite product. It's like a player. It's like, well, he's a pro bowler. He's been arrested a few times. Well, it's still a pro bowler. You're not a pro bowler and you're getting arrested? See you. All right.

It's like, yeah, the food's elite. Customer service sucks. You're like, yeah, I'm still eat there. Like, yeah, your product's okay and your customer service sucks. Peace. Because it's never been easier to find other options, right? Got this little thing called the internet. Lakers basketball is a Fugazi.

First time watching a Laker game all year. And the end of the game is just give the ball to AD. Then they have a foul. AD shoots free throws. Lakers win on AD free throws. I think the Lakers, I heard on a podcast earlier this year, were like setting a record for most free throws in a year. I mean, the Lakers won that game because Zion got hurt.

They were going to lose. Zion was dominating. Luckily, we get to watch the Lakers lose Denver Nuggets, who are going to kick the shit out of them. They've got, I'd say five. I'll give the Lakers a courtesy game. Adios, LeBron. Audio's, NBA television ratings.

When you're two most famous players, one gets knocked out in the 9-10, and the other gets knocked out in the first round. It's going to be rough for business. You know, I like playoff stuff, but if you think I'm watching Kings OKC, you've got another thing coming. Fugazi Friday, the market for NFL quarterbacks.

I'm a Dolphins fan, and the big topic this offseason for fans on Dolphins podcast is obviously Tua's extension. Everyone keeps bringing up the quarterback market, and that you can't offer a guy like Tua $30 million a year. because the market dictates that he should make more like $55 million. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. They claim this is why Daniel Jones contract happened among other dumb quarterback contracts.

The quote-unquote market is such a Fugazi. If you put Tua in the open market, there is no shot that a team would pay more than $30 million. I never quite understand this either. Because Daniel Jones and even Tua, you're not afraid to lose them. what drives up a price for a player is like he has leverage. If Justin Jefferson hit the open market, if Nick Bosa or T.J. Watt hit the open market.

Like, you know people would be lined up. 20 teams, the good teams and the bad team. No, everyone would try to sign the guy. Okay, it's like, yeah, here's our offer. Three years, $80 million. We'll guarantee 80. We'll guarantee the whole thing. But this is your offer.

It's like, no, what the disrespect. Okay, play this year out, hit free agency and see what happens. If you play so well this year, maybe we'll up the offer. I never quite understand that with these middle tier quarterbacks. I don't get it. Makes no sense to me. Baseball's all out of whack just in terms of guys signing right before the regular season. Their business models fucked up.

But one thing that's come back to Earth is like, yeah, Otani's worth. 700. Mookie's worth 400. Most of you guys are worth like 100. And some of these outrageous contracts have definitely slowed down. And it's just healthier. It's like, yeah, not everyone's worth this. The NBA is obviously all out of whack.

They max out of everybody. But the NFL has that problem at quarterback. Like, yeah, Lamar, Mahomes, Allen. I'm sorry, like, what's two of the 14th best quarterback in the NFL? Here's $28 million a year for three years. If you improve, we'll bump that number up.

We like you. Someone's going to pay you? Yeah, someone would pay us. That was what his agent would say. Okay. Go play for them for $45 million. Good luck to that fucking team. Godspeed.

I'm with you. I never have understood that. We've seen it happen with that. We saw it happen with Dak a couple years ago. Feels like we're going to see it with Tua this year. Be interesting what happens with Dak again. I just don't get like a more manageable number, how there's not a gap, right?

Because there is a gap in terms of the play. So if there's a gap in terms of the play, shouldn't there be a cap in terms of the compensation? If one of my sales guys is bringing in $10 million a year and the other sales guy is bringing in $2 million a year, who do you think is making more in bonuses? Right? It's like, well, one guy's just way better than the other guy,

by every metric. The eye test, playoffs, like it's not even debatable. I don't get it. Never have, never will, to be honest with you. 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. 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 ruling. of two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

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

This is a place for Raw. unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Cliverts 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. Okay, Middlecoff mailback. Very, very easy to get involved. At John Middlecough. At John Middlecough. Instagram handle. Fire in those DMs. Let's start with Johnny.

Wanted to hear your thoughts on Pennix. I think he can be something special. whenever I hear people critique him, it's because of his age, his injury history, and his tape against Michigan. His injuries can't be ignored. However, that was before he got to Washington. And unless you're Eli Manning or Brett Farve, you're going to miss some time. The tape against Michigan's not very good. No, it was not.

My problem with people bringing that up is I feel like the top prospects would have struggled against that team. They were, after all, the most complete and dominant team. I love Michael Penix. I've loved him for two years. I mean, he's one of my favorite players in the draft. The problem is to, like, push all my chips in the table. I'm not as concerned the injury history because he's proven for two years he can be healthy. I think it's more the Michigan game.

And when you look at it in a vacuum, his team, like, he had a really good offensive line. Several NFL players. Obviously, he's playing with several NFL players, a wide receiver. in that game he got hit and it really threw him off. He didn't get hit all season. He didn't get touched. He got sacked 11 times. So when he is not touched, you could argue he's as good,

if not the best quarterback in the draft, and that includes Caleb Williams. Not touched. No one I'd rather have thrown the ball. When you start touching him and hitting him and just getting around him, it threw him off in that Michigan game. That Michigan team was an NFL team. That's kind of what it's going to look like.

That's what gives me some reservation. Now, if the guy's in the 20s or the top of the second round, no brainer pick. But I do understand, because after the Texas game, I'm like, how's this guy? I'm not going to be a top five pick. I get it. The age, who gives a shit? Someone DM me the other day, like, why do we talk so much with ageing quarterbacks? Whether you're 21 or 24, who cares?

If you play for 12 years, one guy's 32, the other guy's 34. Who gives a shit? Totally agree. Age means nothing. to me in terms of a positive or negative. Though, like, you know, Jaden Daniels was a fifth year guy, right? So he should have a really good year. But he did.

So it's like, I don't care. Age doesn't bother me. The Michigan game, though, and I had a little money on Washington, was it was more holding over to win the two games. But I just think that that is a little concerning. Because if you factor in the way he played, he didn't get touched. and that's not the NFL. You get pressure and you get hit.

And you get moved off your spot constantly. When he's not moved off the spot, he's elite. Elite. But in the pros, man, coming from all angles. Can you move? But, and this is where he gets intriguing. Pro day. It's like, well, he's not a big movement guy.

Then he runs a 4-5-5. So you're like, God, this guy's a really good athlete. Move him around. So maybe you can incorporate that. He's one of my favorite players in the draft. though I'm concerned with that game. It's hard to get that game out of my mind. But that's why he's going to go,

I mean, if you're talking about a guy, if I can get this guy in the mid-20s, that's incredible. Every scout I talked to is like, God, you watch Panics when I'm watching Rome and Dunes. Like, Jesus, this guy's good. So I think we're all in agreement. The guy's a really good player.

I don't hear anyone arguing that. Because you can't argue that. He's fucking dominated for two years. He made a program that is mostly, I guess they've been good since Chris Peterson went there. But a lot of my life, hanging their hat on the early 90s, I was like 5 to 8. They were not good. And then they had bad 2000s, even Sark, like got a bunch of hype.

They never won like more than seven games. Pete got there and made them real program again. This guy took them to like that next level. It's like Chip Kelly. Blotty was damn good. They were constantly in the top 15. Then Chip Kelly took him to another level. Washington was really good under Chris Peterson.

It felt like Pennix was the curveball inserted. I forget what was the quarterback's name, a kid from Sacramento. He's the Bengals backup. He filled in for Burrow this year. My mind is not working. Played at Washington. I mean, a solid college player. I'm stunned.

He's in the NFL. He actually looked pretty good this year. Penix is in a different universe than that guy. What else is his name? Jake? I want to say My mind's not working. It's just what happens in middle April. A lot of things flying through this brain.

It's going to piss me off because I'll look it up when we're done. Mailbag question. A lot of you guys listening. Like Middilcoff, you're an idiot. I know. You have the name. If Caleb Williams is a good rookie season, maybe 80 to 90% of what Stroud did, or make a wild card spot,

do you think the Bears would consider trying to avoid what happened with Philly's regression and promote Waldron to head coach and fire Iber Fluse, if Shane Waldron is really good this year and your offense is dynamic, which it's on paper going to have a chance to be. Right?

And if this kid's shining and he starts interviewing or it's going to look like a lot of teams are going to want to talk to him, I don't even like, who cares? See, Iber Fluse. Adios. Nice knowing you. Cool new look. Again, if you feel confident about it,

because let's face it, if the Eagles had a redo, it would have been the craziest thing ever at the time, but it would have been the right move. They would have fired Sirion for Shane Stiking. If the Falcons had a redo, the moment Kyle Shanahan started interviewing, do you know what they would have done? They would fire Dan Quinn. Now, it's easy, obviously after the fact, we all know the information, but you now have information to go off of.

Like, we know how this goes. So Caleb Williams, your future. He, especially if he looks good, we'll be talking like, this guy, this guy become a top five quarterback. And if they get along, wouldn't even be. be a question in my mind. I'm a Marine, thank you for your service, and grew up in Oakland, not far from the Coliseum. Obviously there's a big East Bay and San Francisco rivalry in the Bay Area. Now all that pro sports teams are out of their way in Oakland, I can't bring myself to continue

rooting for the Raiders, Warriors, or Ace. I feel like it's a logical reaction. However, the city of Oakland is as much to blame for the teams leaving as the respective ownership groups. interest to hear your perspective on what you would do in my position. Roof for the diners or the Chargers. Jim Harbaugh, my favorite coach. And the Niners are a great team. But rooting for a team I used to hate just feels weird.

Don't want to bandwagon. I don't think in modern history we will ever see again. And I don't even know if it's ever happened. The Coliseum where the A's and Raiders played and right next to it was Oracle, three teams left in like a four-year-state. span. Here's what I'd say about the Warriors.

Like that area, the Coliseum area, 66 and Hagenberger, is one of the biggest fucking dumps of all time. Like, if they nuked it tomorrow, no one would notice or care. So Joe Lacob just picked the team up and went to the city where there's a lot more money and financed it himself. So I don't think you can blame. The Warriors weren't Oakland's team. They just played in Oakland.

They were the Greater Bay Area's team, and he just moved him down the street. I mean, mileage-wise, it's like 15-20 miles. Obviously, it takes a lot longer with traffic in the bridge, but Joe Jacob did not do what the other teams did. The Raiders, listen, you can't, I mean, it was the right move. I mean, there's no way around it. He never would have got a free stadium.

It's in an area way more vibrant now, way more money behind them. It's not even close. He couldn't have financially survived, one building a stadium on his own, and two of the Niners suck up all the money. and listen you're from the East Bay I live there for a decade you know I'm from Davis Sacramento area

the East Bay is majority Niners fans just like it's majority Giants fans Danville Pleasanton like the Niners and Giants sucked up all the oxygen so even the A's like I don't my bet would they'll stay in Sacramento

and they should Sacramento makes a lot more sense than Oakland next year they will sell out 15,000 people at the AAA stage every single night. What was going on in Oakland with the A's? And listen, their ownership's a joke. I mean, the politicians in Oakland have historically been one of the biggest laughing

stocks in America of my 40 years of life. I mean, absolute joke. Now, John Fisher, rich guy, doesn't want to spend. But, and I get it. But it wasn't working. Like, it was time. It was over. The Raider things more complicated.

They're the one team that I see the point of the fan, which is what you're asking about. Joe Lakey 100% made the right move, and every human being in his position would have made that move. The A's thing is a combination of a lot of variables. But the Raiders, I do kind of believe him that he would have stayed, but he would have needed a handout, and he just wasn't going to get it there. And Vegas gave it to him. And now he's way richer and living in a $20 million house, you know, Dayton. just tens.

It might be working girls. Might not be. I'm not one to judge. But listen, Mark. Mark doesn't regret it. I would say this. I would go hard bomb. It's not,

the Oakland Raiders that you grew up rooting against played the San Diego Chargers. They're now the Los Angeles Chargers. And the Spanos has got in the league because Al Davis. So there's a connection there. I'm rooting for the Chargers. People think I'm a Charger hater.

No. I thought Brandon Staley was a clown. I love Jim Harbaugh. I'm a Jim Harbaugh fan. I mean, my squads next year, Niners, Andy, Veach, and Harbaugh. Those are teams and the Eagles. I like the lines.

I like Dan Campbell. Jared Goff's cow guy, so. But I'm 100% rooting for the Chargers. I love Jim Harbaugh. I've rooted for Jim Harbaugh now for 15 years, and I will not stop. So props is Dean Spanow. for hiring a real coach.

Got me on board. Keep up the great work. Question for the mailbag. I'm a Cardinal fan, and to be honest, I don't know how to feel about the fourth pick. I'm a big Kyler Murray guy, and drafting Marvin Harrison or neighbor sounds enticing, but I'm wondering,

would it be more productive to trade back for extra capital and possibly draft a receiver who falls in the draft? We already have the Texans pick, so I'm just not sure if the extra capital is necessary. What I think the move is for the Cardinals, and this is what I expect. it'll be a early teaser for the old mock draft coming

is I think the Cardinals and Peter Schragher is pretty dialed in with the Giants I think the Giants trade from 6 to 4 so the Cardinals go to pick 6 well four quarterbacks go 1, 2, 3, 4 even if the Chargers which I do not think are any lock to take a wide receiver but let's say they take Marvin Harrison you'll take Roman Duneza. I've talked to enough people in the league that know Montiossumfort he's not risking it on neighbors because neighbors is a little bit of a wild card

but you will get one of the top three wide receivers and add I don't know a third round pick so if Marvin Harrison Jr. is taking at five which again I feel pretty confident that is not a lock. That is not a lock at all so you either get Marvin Harrison or Romaduzzi one of those two players will be your wide receiver at six

I think that's what ends up happening but I'm with you like to go from like four to 11 like that's probably two four because you do need an impact skill guy. I guess if you went to 11, you could take Bowers, but your tight end is actually pretty good. McBride, so maybe not.

I see on Instagram all the time. McBride's playing golf all the way around. That guy's good. I mean, I like that guy a lot. Should the team that drafts Jay Daniels trade next year's number one pick to get neighbors? In recent years, many college quarterbacks are paired with their college-wide receivers, Joe Burrell and Jamar Chase, and many of the Alabama team produce high results. With this strategy, should the team drafting JD consider overpaying.

Well, if we assume Washington takes them, which is kind of universally assumed right now, Washington doesn't have another first round pick. So if neighbors is going to go in the top 10, they couldn't get up that far. No one's trading pick eight or nine to go to the second round. Even if you give me a couple first round picks. I just can't move back that far. So it's not realistic. I hear what you're saying.

And in a perfect world, it makes a lot of sense. But yeah. Any thoughts on O.J. Simpson? I think I talked about it last week. Since I talked about it, he made him the kid sign an NDA. What a fucking bizarre life. I mean, seriously. That's just icing on the cake of the whole situation.

Children, to get into the, when the guy's on his deathbed, has to sign an NDA. I mean, I've been in a hospital room with my dad on a deathbed. I can't even imagine. Hey, sir, you need to, before you can come in, Jeff needs you to sign this. What's this?

This is an NDA. So anything discussed in here, you can't be said. I mean, he owes him $96 million. That's what OJ's the estate owes him. Just, it's just, just, just feel dirty, the whole fucking thing. Great podcast, always checking for updated wisdom from you. Would you happen to know how they determine who gets a vote for NBA MVP? I think it's just the media.

People that cover the league. Beat reporters, the main guys, the Bill Simmons, Winhorse, Zach Lowe's of the world. I don't think it's that complicated. I don't think they think that deep into it. Like if you've been covering a team, like Anthony Slater in the Bay Area covers the Warriors and now the Kings, from Covered the Thunder Forever with Durant. Like, I'm sure he has a vote.

I think you just want, I think if you were running these things, here's the problem. Is people get votes, right? If you are play-by-play guys used to have them, well, they see their team 81 times a year. Same thing with baseball. You're not watching the rest of the league

because you're always playing. Like in the NFL, you can kind of keep up. It's easier to keep up. but you still miss a lot of games. I'm actually probably more suited to vote for some of the awards than a guy that covers the New York Jets. Because every week he's at a game. So he's missing the majority of games.

I'm on my couch. Three TV's up. Seven games on television. Watch it everything. You could argue that the GM should vote. Sad Broncos fan here. What is stopping us from, trading Certain for a premier quarterback in this year's draft.

I feel like PS2 and a first rounder at least gets us the paths on the phone. Peyton has brought the options down to a quarterback from left field like Brady or one from the draft with Danucci and Stidham. It's a rough quarterback room. Being the only quarterback's rostered is trading Certain Feasible. One million percent. obviously you don't like trading elite players, but you're in this

Fubar situation. And let's face it, that's what it is. It is a disaster. You're eating all this cap room because of the Russell Wilson trade that is one of the worst trades of all time. Regardless what happens to Seattle, for the Denver Broncos,

it's one of, if not, the worst trade of all time. The money, the production, the assets, the cap implications. So I think you've got to think out of the box. Whatever, if they do that, here's one positive for Sean Payton. He doesn't give a shit what other people are saying.

Clearly. I mean, he cut Russell and didn't even think twice. Ask him take a pay cut in the middle of the year. He's like, yeah, if you don't take a pay cut, we're going to bench you. Which turns out wasn't quite allowed, but he didn't care. So, yeah, I would say everything's on the table. with them. Nothing will shock me with Sean Payton. Nothing.

What are the expectations for the commanders this year? New front office, new coaching staff, a bunch of new free agents, can't help but be hyped. Josh Harris has made. I think it's realistic to go like eight-ish wins and just look like a team on the come. Now, you get to eight wins, that would mean Jayden Daniels, assuming he's a quarterback, shows a lot of signs. that's the wild card. I think we all do this with the Bears too. NFL quarterback's hard. Even if it's easier to play now than ever,

is still difficult. And there can be a massive learning curve. The speed, the play calls, everything. So, like, the commanders in three years could be a dominant team, and this year could suck. Like, that's on the table. You're not being that good this year,

if Jayden's kind of swimming. which might happen. And this is where you've got to be careful about like CJ Strah last year. That's not normal. Obviously, I mean, he shattered rookie records. That was abnormal. That was an all-time outlier.

So most guys are kind of up and down. It's difficult. It really is. And here's the problem. The difference for the bears, bears have a good defense. so the Bears might be able to win some ugly games. So if you tell me the Bears are 9 and 8,

I'd be like, well, maybe also their defense is like top 12. Your defense might suck. I mean, you just got rid of defensive linemen. You just have a lot of holes. You're obviously investing your first pick in a quarterback. I think you've got to see the big picture. To me, this year is all about just like getting this guy's feet under him and him showing a lot of signs for the.

future. I would say eight wins would be a really big success. But even if you win six or seven, but it's like you're in a lot of games, maybe your defense is getting gashed, that's how you feel pretty good. And honestly, if you're going to win six, you're almost better winning five or four so you can get a high pick next year and draft a sweet

defensive player. I think we've got to be careful with these rookie quarterbacks. Most of them just do not play that well. Question. First, though, I want to say how cool it is to see what you're doing. I first heard you doing Raiders post-game right after the Rams kicked the shit out of the car is rookie year.

It was refreshing to hear an honest take about how they had little to no talent compared to the rest of the league. I'm pretty sure after that game, if I remember correctly, they had like six games left, and I thought they could go winless. I didn't think they were going to win a game. And that's when the president, who now got fired for fucking up the taxes on the team, called me from the plane. he was waiting in line to get on the plane and called me because he saw a tweet that I said like

the Raiders have 0 and 16 on the table. Weird place, I know. They were 0 in 10. Let me remind you. O'N 10, but he was not happy. Luckily, the guy I worked for the time at the radio station was like, fuck, say whatever you want. And I did.

Now for my question, it seems like they ended up beating the, they got their first win against the Chiefs that year, Alex Smith Chiefs, on a Thursday night football game. It was pretty cool, actually. The place was rocking. Rough loss for the Chiefs. It seems like every year there are more and more talented receivers coming out in the draft.

With the passing offense, 7 and 7 growing so much in the youth, high school, and college, it makes sense. Could you see that position eventually being financially similar to running backs? They don't have to wear and tear factor, but it'd be supply and demand issue. Not to mention, not many teams that overpay that position make it that far in the playoffs. I see what you're saying. The problem is is the wear and tear is a big thing. Like, if I had Christian McCaffrey right now,

and it never crossed my mind, like, I was just always healthy, no big deal, like he's going to play 10 more years. You wouldn't hesitate giving him another huge contract. But when you have these running backs, all you ever think about is like, oh, he's going to get injured, he's going to get injured. You don't really say that with wide receivers,

even though they get injured too. But like, I don't know how old Devante Adams is, 31, 32. You just think, like, God, Devante could play like six more years, right? Justin Jefferson's got 10 years left. You start looking around the league. These guys can play forever. That wear and tear is a huge part of the price.

And the other thing is, I think historically, receivers have been very hit or miss in the draft. I think in recent memory, it's been a lot more hits than misses, at least in the top couple rounds. but when I have a good wide receiver, just pick a guy in the top 20. Iyuk's a good example.

Because it's like, well, how much do I want to pay him? Would I trade him to the Steelers and use that pick on a wide receiver? There just is no guarantee. I have Brandon Ayuk. I know he's really good. I know I got to pay a little more than I want to, but if I take that position, look at the Titans. It was one of the reasons that cost John Robinson's job.

Maybe it was the ownership, didn't want to pay them. That's been out there. But like, they traded A.J. Brown. Which in theory, like, okay, you traded them for pick, whatever, 16, 17. They immediately take a wide receiver. And then that guy sucks. So it's like, I wouldn't, obviously most of us wouldn't have done it. But if you are going to do it, you're like, well, you get a really high pick, pick the right guy.

The Vikings did the same thing. They just got Justin Jefferson. So it's like, when it works, it's awesome. When it doesn't, it's a design. disaster. Disaster. Easy to say. Much easier to fill on running backs.

High-end wide receivers, there is a big drop-off. I mean, that's some of the Patriots, the Giants, the Giants, some of these teams that last year the Titans, the Cardinals, I mean, they got nothing. Seattle's like, yeah, we got three wide receivers. Locket, he's sweet, Jackson Smith, baller, DK. You know, it's like some of some teams.

And then, but you also, this is a hard part about the draft. I would have said, like, if Cooper Cups average, the Rams are in trouble. And then they land Pooka and Nakula, and he has the greatest rookie season ever. So I guess I'm contradicting myself here. I don't have a great answer for you. I think the risk is really high when you feel you have a really good player. I think that's a huge factor. Appreciate everyone listening.

Have a great weekend. And we'll see you next week for some draft talk. The volume. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-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.