The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Sean Payton BELIEVES in the Broncos, NFL betting odds, What to expect from DK Metcalf

Episode Date: August 5, 2025

John dives into Broncos head coach Sean Payton's comments on Bo Nix and how he is "light years" ahead of where he was last year and how he believes in this Broncos team as much, if not more than many of his Saints teams that he coached.  Next, John talks about some of the best early betting odds for teams and how placing certain bets this early is a smart move to win more money. Later, talking about betting, John talks about a wild story of Andrew Tulloch turning down $1.5 Billion to bet on himself. Finally, John answers your questions in this episode's mailbag segment. 05:10 - Sean Payton and the Broncos 23:23 - NFL Betting odds 35:24 - Wild AI story 45:37 - 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. #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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I'm excited to be here. Well, given this is my house, but I'm excited to be talking about football because that's what we do. I did a podcast yesterday with Colin, so you can find that on his YouTube channel. You can find that wherever you listen to podcasts, Apple, Spotify, you guys know the drill. So I did not do anything on the three and hours. podcast feed channel, but I'm excited to talk a little ball of the day. Because Sean Payton had some comments that I went, wow, he's not kidding. He loves this team, a lot of positive momentum.

Kind of a little different vibe right now in Chicago. So we'll dive into those two teams, which Colin and I've talked a lot about the young quarterback, so I kind of want to piggyback of what we've been discussing. And then I was looking today on the Draft Kings app. There's one team. I'm going to hit on betting on the divisional futures today, and I got four bets that I really like. One is one of my favorite bets on the board. So we'll do some of this leading up to the season, but I do want to hammer on some future bets as we kind of work our way into week one.

And today we will do some divisional winners. So I love to gamble. I saw a story today that talk about love to gamble. I mean, betting on yourself, this guy, we'll be. dive into it. This guy turned down a lot of money from Zuckerberg to run his AI operation. It was just an incredible eye-opener.

It's like, Jesus, this is insane. But before we dive in any football and Sean Payton, you know I've got to tell you about my friends, my partners and the official ticketing app of this podcast, I'm not a big FOMO guy. I'm really not. But I saw something this weekend that gave me FOMO. Morgan Wallin

is doing a little stadium tour selling out left and right. He was in San Francisco. Well, actually, Jose playing Levi's. Friday night he walked out with Barry Bonds and Steve Young and the place went nuts. I think Barry's 61 and Steve 63, they look fantastic. I don't know. I will die to look like they do in their 60s. But then Saturday, I was like, God, that's pretty cool. He walked out with George Kittle, who was slamming beers and Trent Williams. So if you want to go see Morgan Wall and he's on his big tour this offseason, or I guess this summer, some people

or in season if you're a baseball player. But if you want to go check that out, you can search by concert venue, you can search by artists. It does not get any easier. Obviously, football's right around the corner if you want to go to a college game, if you want to go to a pro game, there's some incredible early season college matchups. And if your team's playing in one of those games, you want to go to the game, search by the stadium, search by the team.

Just take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime. Down the GameTime app, create an account, use the code John for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem the code. John, for $20 off, now on the game time app today, last minute it's the lowest price guaranteed. You know, it's funny, when you have a young son on the way, you start thinking about life a little bit differently.

You start thinking, like, what am I going to do to raise this child the right way? And you start thinking of all these different angles of like, how am I going to instill confidence? How am I going to give this young man the belief in himself to go take on the world, to go follow and chase your dreams. Because chasing your dreams and doing something big in life,

take some confidence. It's hard to do things in life when you are young. And I'm talking in your teens, in your 20s, hell, in your 30s, without older people, accomplished people, people that you look up to that believe in you. That is a very, very powerful thing. I know that just speaking from my own experience, I've been very lucky to have people believe in me

throughout my life, starting with my parents, leading into my professional career, sitting here right now to have Colin Coward, who is, I would say, is big of a champion for myself and, you know, a guy that has, you know, been behind me and led the way that I couldn't, I couldn't pay. I can't even quantify what that has meant to me personally, professionally, and I'm sure many people listening, right? no matter what industry you're in, people that kind of show you the way that have done it, that have accomplished things that you want to accomplish is a powerful thing because confidence as a young person can come and go. And it's very, very easy to lose.

The older you get, the more experiences you have, the more things you've seen, it was harder to really rattle a 38-year-old Peyton Manning, a 41-year-old Tom Brady. Like Jeff Bezos, Phil Knight, some of these guys, they've seen some shit. so even a quote unquote bad business day like pretty easy to kind of shrug your shoulders dust yourself off and come back swinging obviously for those guys a lot of cash but you know what i mean and when you're 23 25 28 like your your life experiences even if you've seen some shit are nowhere near what a lot of people that are older than you and sean payton is you know one of the more accomplished coaches in the NFL he's won a Super Bowl he is widely considered one of the

best offensive minds of his generation. And let's face it, he's kind of a no-nonsense, no bullshit guy. Now, he's a big talker, big bravado, kind of cocky, but I don't think he just throws out things if he does not believe him. And he had some comments today that made me go, whoa. One, just he's clearly a big believer in his team. He thinks they are going to be really good. Last year they won 10 games.

This year, they obviously have higher expectations and definitely starts with him. and he said that I've coached six teams that I thought could win the Super Bowl. Some went to the championship games, some to the playoffs. This is my seventh team that I think has that. So he believes in his career that this Denver Bronco team is as good as some of those Saints teams. Obviously, one won a Super Bowl. He has countless others that got back to conference championship games and had a team that was just peppering playoff bursts on a yearly basis throughout the 2010s.

So he knows what a really good team looks like. But you can't be a really good team. I don't care how good your defense is. And let's face it, Denver's defense is awesome. I don't care how good your offensive line is. Their offensive line is really good. Their skill positions. I think they feel a lot better about their skill group this year than they did last year,

especially a running back. But you can't do it without a quarterback. And I think sometimes in the NFL, like we've seen a lot of story, especially now that a lot of these player podcasts and, you know, older players have voices and guys talk. talk about their experiences and guys that have had really, really good careers. They say early on, like, I don't know if that offensive coordinator really love me. You know, I got drafted here, but the defensive scheme did not fit my skill set.

And then the position coach turned on me. He didn't think I was any good. It was just weird vibes. It wasn't until I got to coach X. It wasn't until I got to Organization Y that I thought, okay, these guys believe in me, I believe in myself, and we're off to the races, and I can thrive. Some people are lucky enough to go to a place, and that place and that coach are all in on that guy. The best example in recent, I would say, NFL history would be Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.

Patrick Mahomes couldn't have, you know, written a script to get him to a place better than the Chiefs. And Andy Reid's belief in him, the organization's belief in him, and it's been perfect. And they've had borderline unprecedented success for like six years, right? at least, you know, non-patriots. But a lot of guys, you know, go to places where it's like, yeah, the GM wanted me, the coach didn't, or the coach wanted me, but the organization's not a big believer. The owner's kind of on the fence. Happens all the night.

And here's the thing. Sean Payton, next year, Drew Breeze is Hall of Fame eligible. I got a newsflash. He's going to walk right into the Hall of Fame. He is going to be a first ballot Hall of Fame. So Sean Peyton's got a pretty good idea what a really good quarterback looks like. And Sean Payton said this to Charles Robinson of Yahoo that I went, damn, he doesn't like this guy.

He freaking loves him. This is Sean Payton on Bo Nix. He's going to be one of the top four or five quarterbacks in the NFL in the next two years. That's what we're seeing right now. He doesn't take sacks. He's got an exceptional arm. He threw the longest ball of the season last year at 67 air yards against Cincinnati. He can run.

He can throw it in funny. body angles. Sean Payton's all in on this guy. He told you last year, I think there's a decent chance and we'll never know, because it's easy to do the exercise when you draft 10th or 15th or 20th to go.

We would have taken this guy number one. He was our favorite player in the draft. That gets said a lot, and it's easy to say, it's easy to justify. We love this guy. He's one of our favorite players. But if I put the Denver Broncos last year at number one,

I'm not saying it's a lock that Bo Nix goes number one, But I think there's a decent chance that Sean Payton, who gives zero fucks. And I also think it's easier. The older you get is as accomplished as you are. And let's face it, financially it helps. Like, he's got a lot of money in the bank right now. He's not worried about perception on the outside.

Because we saw a couple years ago, he couldn't stand Russell Wilson. And it was easy for him to turn on him because that wasn't his guy. He definitely didn't sign him. And one thing that you see right there, and I heard Diana Rusini say this, and she knows Sean really well, he hates when guys takes sacks. Like that's not a pet peeve of him. That's like a deal breaker. He's out on you. We all know people that like, if you do

something to cross them, whether it's personally, whether it's our friend, whether it's someone we work with, like you're done. You're dead to them. Right. And some people, it's like, God, just take a deep breath. They're not that bad. Like, give them another chance. But some people, we all know these people, I'm not necessarily like this. But I know some people that are like this. I've definitely worked around some people that are like this.

They just won't give you another. chance. And it was clear early on in that season, Russell Wilson was dead to Sean Payton. And he was lucky. The owner had a lot of money, didn't care and let him do whatever he wanted. And he punted. But now he's all in on this kid. And listen, this guy, like, for a long college career, saw some stuff. And he's got some scars and, you know, just some, uh, he's got through a lot of adversity. Like, he's got a unique background and track record of adversity for a young player. I would say the same thing for Michael Pinnock's. They aren't your typical like

Caleb Williams basically showed up to college. Everyone was on their knees saying, do you want to blow or you want a handy? And then for the next three years he got unlimited money. No one can stop talking about them. And it's been a little hard for him. And you got Ben Johnson now saying like, yeah, this

a lot going on here. He just said yesterday. Our practice was so sloppy. I expect more at this point in time in camp. Ben Johnson a couple weeks ago said, I think like they're three or four days into camp, there really isn't a ton of carryover from what Caleb was asked to do

from a play call standpoint or anything of that nature before. I mean, he's always been very comfortable as a shotgun quarterback going back to college and even last year. He's very comfortable in the two-minute. He's very comfortable with tempo plays. And so now we're asking him

to be a little more structured in terms of the play call. Sometimes there's multiple calls, you know? There's shifts, there's motions, There's more going on mentally than probably there's ever been for him. And so at this point, this thing will start slowing down. And he's going to be able to catch up. And his physical ability will take him over from there.

But right now, because mentally it is what it is, he's playing a little bit slower. And obviously there are a ton of clips with Caleb just being completely overwhelmed, whether it's in team drills or inaccurate. I don't know if Caleb's going to be a star. as of right now I would bet against it. But I do know the power of confidence and I know the power of belief. And just because you get pick number one,

once you go through the season in which he did and now you get the opposite of this coach coming in who's like, I know my shit works. Even if I got to change my offense a little bit to try to bring out some of your strengths that are different from Jared Gough, my offense is predicated getting rid of the football fast, reading the defense and getting rid of the rock.

I think there are some parallels with Ben Johnson's success in Detroit and the way Sean Payton likes to run his offense. Even if I'm going to be open-minded and make some changes. Bo Nix is a lot different player than Drew Breeze. You can use some running attributes of Boe into your playbook that you wouldn't have with Joe with Drew Breeze, just like you can, with Caleb Williams, that you couldn't have with Jared Goff.

But there are some non-negotiables. There are some fucking deal breakers. And that's holding onto the ball, taking sacks, and ruining the flow of the offense. You have to play within the play call. It's one thing Russell Wilson could never really do. The difference is for like four or five years with Russell Wilson, he was one of the most incredible playmakers in the history of the NFL.

And then his athleticism kind of dipped, he clearly didn't want to take hits, and he wanted to dominate from within the pocket, he couldn't do it. And all these offensive coordinators started turn on the guy. So I think when you look at Sean Peyton, it's easy to have confidence and belief a lot of GMs and coaches do when they make the draft pick. but you eventually then got to play, right, and become a good player.

And for them to believe in you, I have to see it. I'll never forget, like, the Brock Purdy experience, where I knew like Trey Lance was done because the star players didn't believe in them. Trent Williams, Debo Samuel, Fred Warner, George Kittle. Yet when Brock came in, all those guys, all their chips were in the middle of the table, was like, I'm telling you guys have no, you guys don't understand how good this guy is. they were the one saying it. Oftentimes, coaches will say it

because clearly, like, they need to instill this confidence, but when you hear it from the players, when you hear it from the team, especially a team full of like accomplished guys, like they're not bullshitting with you. You know, it's the thing with Justin Jefferson about J.J. McCarthy, he's like, yeah, he's got some work to do,

which, of course he does, has some work to do. But like, sometimes work to do doesn't ever turn into a good player. And I, listen, I told that, I said this to Colin yesterday. because in the history of the league, you know, if you have four first round quarterbacks or five first round quarterbacks, there's never been six,

we know the percentages of first round players that hit. It's around 50%. And when it comes to quarterbacks, obviously there was an awful year in 2021 where they all flopped except Trevor Lawrence, and that's still a work in progress. He's just a highly paid guy. But, you know, Zach Wilson,

Trey Lance, Justin Fields, Mac Jones, they've all been on countless team since. That is more of an outlier from a negative standpoint, but typically, like, not all these guys are going to the Pro Bowl. And Jaden Daniels is going to be good. Like, C.J. Stroud had a down year. We all know he's good. You know, Jaden Daniels, even if he doesn't have, like, an all pro year, I think he's going to be a good player. Like, he's not, it's not a whiff. Like, he's going to be a good player in the NFL for a while. Bo Nix, this is real. Like, it's not, now, how good is he, top four or five quarterback in the league? I don't know. But I know he's going to be good. Why? Because

his head coach, where offense is his baby, on a team with a loaded fucking defense, and now clearly like a winning high-level culture, like, it's going to work. I would say Mike Vrable, Drake May, like, kind of betting on that. Again, do I think he's going to be a top seven quarterback? I wouldn't go that far, but I think he's going to be a solid player in the NFL. Some of the other guys are going to whiff. J.J. McCarthy, Caleb Williams, Michael Pennix. I like Michael Pennix the most out of the next three guys.

Like, I love Michael Pennix in college. But, like, I just bet against it. Atlanta. I know we got Drake London tossing Raheem Morris in practice to the ground when he's trying to jam at the line of scrimmage. But like, 50% hit. Like if Jaden and Boer hits, you got to pick one of the next four guys. And I don't know, it gets a little iffy quick. But Sean Payton's belief, his confidence, he can't even fake it. And where Ben Johnson, and listen, he's a new coach. You come in and the pressure, like sometimes in practice, there are certain things that that happened in training camp that would mean nothing to me.

You could tell me, Travis Kelsey dropped every pass. He had 12 targets in practice during group and team. You couldn't even write. If you wrote that as a headline, I'd be like, who cares? Joe Burrow threw five picks in practice. Who gives a shit, right? But there are stuff going on in practice. Like when Ben Johnson is talking about it and these videos come out, you're like,

Jesus. and it's the opposite with Bo Nix and Denver. It also shows you, and listen, in fairness to Caleb, and who knows whether he would have been good or, you know, some star regardless where he went, but it does matter where you go. Who's coaching you? It's like, remember those quotes in that book excerpt about Caleb and his dad?

It wanted to go to Kevin O'Connell. They wanted to go to an offensive infrastructure and a guy that knew what he was doing. Instead they got Iberflus. And now they got this guy that, you know, I think hoping this works out, but if it doesn't, he'll pivot and he'll get another quarterback. Pro golfers drive for show and puff for some dough. And the easiest way to make you some dough betting on this week's tournament at Draft King Sportsbook.

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Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it.

We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And, well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers.

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

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy. Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own

experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people score board watch life becomes about wins and losses steve burns dustin ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid because that's two different intentions bro absolutely and that that's two different levels of trust i want you to just really be a good person join me keir gains is we have real conversations about healing

growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions,

the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action

with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. I did want to do some gambling. We haven't talked much about this upcoming season in terms of odds. Obviously, we'll talk about week one and definitely the college football week one.

I've already looked at that slate. I'm pretty excited about three or four of the games. But I thought some future stuff, whether it's, you know, rookie of the year, defensive player of the year, MVP, over-unders, we'll get into. but today I was looking at this is why I love to gamble. I mean, I saw a story today that just excited me.

We'll get into that after we do this. But it's like, I love gambling so much. And I did this last year, and I was talked out of the Chargers, and of course they made the playoffs. You'd get them four to one. Hell, the Broncos were like eight to one to make the playoffs. So you can get some pretty tasty odds in August on teams

if you like them either to make the playoffs or to win the division. And one team that I think is a lot. lock. Like, sometimes you don't get good odds. Like, for 20 years, the Patriots, you weren't getting good odds. The Chiefs play in the toughest division in football, and they're the only team out of the Ravens bills that have plus odds, but still, it's like the Chiefs win it every year.

Their odds are plus 150 right now. You know, the Ravens, I think were like minus 200, and the bills who have won at like six straight years now are, you got to bet like $330 to win 100. So it's like, yeah, I'm not betting on those. I do think the Houston Texans, who are clearly the best team in that division, who have won this division two years in a row with C.J. and Domingo as head coaching quarterback. They have a chance right there with Denver to have one of, if not the best defense in the NFL. You would think that offensively, they were clearly out of whack last year.

The offensive line was terrible. The play calling was awful. that they can flip it around a little bit and just have more cohesion on offense and just have a better ebb and flow to their play calling because as a season went on, you're watching, what is Bobby Sloick doing? And what he was doing was getting ready to get fired,

and that's what happened. But I think the Houston Texans at plus 110, like there's a few locks, right, especially in the AFC. Like the Chiefs, let's face it, I mean, it got a little harder last year, even though they won 15 games. They're going to have a year,

and they might go on a 15-year run, right, assuming Andy's healthy and can coach, that they could have another six, seven years of winning at a high level. One of those years, they might not win the division. It happened to the Patriots. The year Tom Brady got hurt. They still won 11 games. They lost the division. One year you could win 12 and a team in your division wins 13.

It could happen, right? To me, the Ravens, like, it's not crazy if everything went right for the Bengals and they had another incredible offensive year. Maybe they could win 12, assuming Trey comes back. Everything works right in the Steelers, the defense. is unreal, you win 11, 12 games. Like, it's foreseeable. The bills, like, no chance. They don't win the day.

That would be the biggest shocking, probably in the league. Like, the bills feel like they lock to win the division. I just look at the Houston Texans and I go, the Indianapolis Colts today put out that it's Anthony Richardson or Daniel Jones at quarterback. Anytime you want to be a playoff team and you have to put two guys

with or in the middle as your starting quarterback, I'm out. Now, you guys know where I stand. I think Daniel Jones is going to end up being the starting quarterback, but, you know, at the end of the day, they'll probably both end up playing throughout the year. I think the Colts, you know, got some issues. The Titans, who I actually think are going to be better, because defensively, it's pretty solid. Their quarterback situation could not have been any worse last year. I mean, Will Levis knew that he was probably about to get cut, and it was like, oh, yeah, cut my shoulder, because who gets surgery

right before training camp, a little weird situation there. But the Titans are going to be improved, just because I actually think Cam Ward is going to be pretty solid NFL player, but they're not sniffing the division championship. And the Jags are the Jacks. Like, on paper, they don't look that terrible. Travis Hunter's playing both ways. Can Liam Cohen resurrect Trevor Lawrence defensively? They got some pieces on the defensive line.

But I just don't see how the Texans don't win this division for a third time. Plus 110? Love that. I would say, speaking of the Chiefs, I've been, I've bet against them just based on like, oh, this is the year. You know, two years ago, the Ravens were going to beat them. The Niners in the playoffs.

Last year it's like, oh, this is the year the bills take them down, right? And it hasn't happened. Right. Hell, then I take them in the Super Bowl and they get blown out. One of these years, I think the Chiefs are going to be good. But, like, you get the Broncos. Like, I just think there's value here. Denver last year went three and three in the division.

And if it wasn't for a block field goal, they would have beat the Chiefs and they would have gone four and two. They went six and two at home. which obviously mile high, the elevation is a advantage for them. And they have an elite defense. As we know, the coach loves the quarterback. I just think there's value there at plus 300. And I think I'm going to put just a chunk of change on there.

They're not, I'm not putting them on the same tier as the Houston Texans who feel like a lock. But I do think there's value with the Denver Broncos, who we might look up by midseason. They're one of the best teams of the league. You guys know where I stand when it comes to the NFC North. I'm taking the Packers to win this division. I think, listen, Minnesota's roster is awesome. Their coaching staff's really good. We know nothing about their quarterback.

And if it turns out he's just average at best, maybe a little bit below, that can derail a season. Like, it impacts the way you call plays. And then if he's off, it puts so much pressure on the defense to be perfect. Never forget last year. Early in the season when they came out the gates swinging. They were up like 28 to nothing, 28 to nothing before you'd even blink. I remember two of their first three games of the season were against the Texans and the 49ers,

and they just beat the shit out of them. And Darnold's making these incredible throws. He hit this bomb against the Niners, I remember. They killed the Texans. Like, God, how good is this team? But a huge reason was the quarterback, right? Because when your quarterback's making plays, everything builds off that. Their defense was humming.

Now, roster-wise, they're better this year. than they were last year, but their quarterback through 35 touchdowns. The Bears, I don't even know if the head coach likes the quarterback. And then the Lions, I'm not overreacting to the Hall of Fame game. I know Coward thinks the coordinator changes.

Right. He judged the third stringers. But like, they do have two pretty big coordinator changes. And Johnny Morton, you know, for a guy that Dan Campbell loves and John Gruden loves and Sean Payton loves, why wasn't this guy more

dominant offensive coordinator throughout, you know, the course of his career. This is a guy, it's not like he's 30 years old. I mean, this is a guy in his mid-50s. And then defensively, like losing Aaron Glenn is a real thing. He was easily one of the best defensive coordinators of the last four or five years. Like, you would put him on a tier with like a Fangio, a Sala, a Domeko Ryan's, Mike McDonald, like he was big time. And there's just going to be a drop-off. Most guys at defensive coordinator, to me, it's easier to find offensive coordinators, right? Not saying that every offensive coordinator is going to be good. We see a lot of guys flame out. But if you've studied long enough with the right people and just the

instincts of calling play, especially if you're a former quarterback, you know, former skill guy, just kind of comes naturally to you. Defensively, it's twofold. One, you need the talent on that side of the ball. And two, you like have to be pretty smart. So you can't, it's not just, it's like, you know, on offense, it's very cerebral. You don't have to be a super tough guy if you're an offensive coordinator. That's why we've seen some of these quarterbacks. Like Andy Reid's an outlier. He's a former offensive lineman. Most guys are former quarterbacks.

And I would say quarterbacks aren't like the toughest guy in the room. But defensively, you kind of got to be a tough motherfucker. Right. But you also got to be really cerebral. Like, yeah, Vic Fangio, when you listen to him talk, like pretty old school, pretty gruff, but he's brilliant. And he knows his defense inside and out. So like,

is there going to be a drop off on defense? They were winning games last year on defense with me and you playing linebacker in DB and defensive of line. I don't know if there's a margin for error losing Aaron Glenn like that. So I just think there's a lot of question marks in a division that has a ton of talent and Green Bay plus 250 like I'm taking. And then I think the best value in the entire league is this. Seattle at 5 to 1. I think sometimes the Rams are discussed like they're the Eagles or the Chiefs. They won 10 games last year. And listen, they played the Eagles better than any team in the playoffs.

They had them on the ropes, and it felt like they were driving to win the game. I mean, technically they literally were. And they were hot at the end of the season. But I think we talk about them like they're a 14-15 win team. One, currently, their quarterback is week to week with a back injury, and we're talking three plus weeks now. And no end in sight. And if they got to play Jimmy Garoppola,

if they've been winning 10 games with the 37, 36, 38-year-old Matt Stafford, they're not winning 10 games with Jimmy Garoplo. I don't care how much Sean McVeagast is them up. The 49ers, who I still think are pretty valuable and they are the favorite to win the division, got a lot of question marks. One, they just had to cut a kicker today because they were in a kicking competition, but they needed the roster spot because they have so many injuries at training camp. Their team is not as deep as it was in years past.

They had to let a lot of guys go. They're going to be very dependent on young rookies, which, listen, rookie's going to have a good game. Rookies can have a good month. But most rookies, even guys that go on to be Hall of Famers, don't have great rookie seasons. And then the Cardinals, like, I know they're getting a lot of like underground.

They're like this hipster pick right now. It's like the Cardinals. I'm just not picking a team with Kyler Murray as a starting quarterback to win the division. The Seattle Seahawks went 10 and 7 last year. They had the same record as the Rams. they were the best play of Sam Darnold's career when he threw the game-winning touchdown against them in Seattle

from winning 11 and just winning the division. The thing that jumps out to me is they went 3 and 6 at home. They were not very good at home. Well, I would say, like, this Seattle team, there's going to be a lot of buzz coming into the season. I'd imagine at worst, they're going to be 4 and 4 at home. Honestly, they should win 5 or 6 games at home because of the schedule this year and the teams that the NFC West plays

the two South divisions, pretty big advantage. They had an excellent draft. Sam Darnold, like, even if he's not the version that we saw in Minnesota, guy just chucking touchdowns to Justin Jefferson throw 35 touchdowns, why can't he throw 27? Clint Kubi acts the offensive coordinator. They're going to run the Shanahan system. He already knows it.

They got some good pieces on offense. I'm not saying this is, I think the Texas are going to win the division. I think the Packers are going to win the division. I think Denver, there's just value there. I wouldn't bet my life savings on it. I think this is by far the best value on the board and worth taking a flyer because I think there's just so many question marks. Arizona is just a yearly question mark.

The 49ers, I mean, what are they going to look like by the time the season comes around from an injury standpoint? And the Rams fucking quarterback can't even practice. It's not one of those like, hey, we're just giving them the rest of his back hurts. And he's already old. And let's face it, for a guy 36, 36, 37 years old, he's pretty weathered given how many hits he take.

And I love the guy. But if he's going to be missing games, like I'm just not buying into them with Jimmy Garoplo. And speaking of I love gambling, it's one of the greatest stories I've ever seen. Because the balls it would take and the belief in what you're doing would... It's second to none.

And I'm a huge believer in betting on yourself. and your gut and your instincts in life have to carry you sometimes in big decisions. I know some of you are very, try to be very objective and break things down, just try to quantify everything. I'm a big instincts and gut guy.

So I've made decisions before based on gut. I'm not saying it's always going to work, but to me it tends to lead you in the right way. This AI, AI, I can't even speak, artificial intelligence, arms race, is insane. I mean, Mark Zuckerberg is paying people stealing them from other companies and paying them like their Luca or Janice or Steph Curry. I mean, he's paying people hundreds of millions of dollars.

People in their late 20s, early, mid-30s, like their NBA players. He's giving them $250 million contracts. I saw this tweet today that just blew my mind that Zuckerberg offered this guy to be the head CEO of this crew that he's built. $1.5 billion. He's trying to build the AI dream team and he wanted this guy to be his lead dog.

He offered Andrew Tulloch, an ex-metta and top-tier talent, a four-year contract that included salary, equity, bonuses that totaled around $1.5 billion. You know what Andrew said? He said no. Because he owns 3.75% of his own

AI startup, thinking machines. I mean, that's got like, you know, some sci-fi movie written all over it. But if valuations keep pumping, the thought is that it's a potential $3-plus billion payday for this guy. Here's a thing. Zuckerberg's offer getting the know, he needs this to survive, this Andrew character, until his own company IPOs. And there's no guarantee.

And listen, everyone in the finance world thinks his AI bubble is going to go on for a while and it's not even a bubble, it's a real thing. I've known people in the alcohol industry that I had a buddy telling me a story like last year. It was actually at my wedding about some of these craft breweries that, you know, years ago, within the last 5, 10, 15 years were the apple of everyone's eye and these big, you know, Budweiser, Coors Light or Miller Coors, like the big dogs would pay 50, 80, 100, 200 million dollars for these little guys. And they would sell out and they'd become. really rich and it was awesome. And then there was a line when beer wasn't selling at the same rate.

And craft breweries weren't valued at the same way. And some people that turned down valuations of $75 million thinking that within a year they would get $180 million, a year came and they were told, we don't want to buy your business. And your business is now trending in the wrong way. And you got either going out of business written all over you or just kind of surviving on a yearly basis written all over you. So listen, I commend this cat. It takes balls. It takes stones to turn down a lot of human beings over the course of their life. We'll say no when it comes to money. It's like, hey, this new job, I'm making 125K. You're offering me 160K, but I got to move. I don't want to do it. Athletes do it. People do it all the time. But $1.5 billion to say no on the fact that your thing is,

is going to hit. You talk about belief. You think Sean Payton believes in Bo Nix? This guy believes. I mean, he couldn't believe anymore because to turn down that type money for your contract. It's not like tying my entire life. In four years, it even fails. I'm filthy rich. So, you got to commend him for, I guess, having stones and a belief in his own company. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news? huge news. We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast?

Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And we were thinking

I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing,

a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, Hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an

a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real.

From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial, calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness.

So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levin this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me?

Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, let's do a little mailbag. Add John Middilcoff. Add John Middlecalf is the Instagram firing those DMs. Get your questions answer here on the show. Here's the thing. We're going to go rapid fire because I got a lot trying to get it.

to everyone. I know I'm still missing a lot, but I'm really trying. I really am. So if I've left you out, either re-hit me back up or keep fired in there. Question for the bag. If you were starting to franchise today, who are the guys you would take over CJ? The point

of this is the future. So considerations keeping guys like Stafford out. Next five to seven years. Well, I don't think the top four changes, right? Mahomes, Allen, uh, Burrow, and Lamar.

are you just, there are locks to be the first four guys taken. Then I think you started having conversations. I think last year, I had him as my fifth quarterback. I had him above Herbert. You know, Jared Goff was coming off a really, really good year. You know, Dak, Jalen, I just had him above all those guys. And then Jaden Daniels appeared. So I would say right now, again, we have more C.J. Stroud information.

I would take Jaden. but I think then you could have the conversation of him for the next five to seven years in the mix of all these guys. Like, Eagles fans like, you take a Jalen hurts? Like, yeah, I've seen Jalen play excellent in the Super Bowl. Like, can he throw from within the pocket for the next five years? I mean, that's a question mark. It's why he gets argued over all the time.

What's Brock Purdy going to look like with all these randos? How's Jared Goff going to do without his offensive coordinator? Dak, what the hell is going on there? Right? So I think he's somewhere between six and seven would come off the board. I think he's a lock to be a top 10 off the board, and I think he's probably either six or seven, depending on who you talk to. Did you see Jerry Jones said to the media that he offered Micah Parsons, almost 200 mil?

Guaranteed. There's no way that's the case, right? Question for the pod. Jerry, I said this to Colin yesterday. I really think he's starting to lose it. I mean, hearing him talk, think he's. rambling on. Listen, Jerry's always had the gift of gab. He's a salesman.

He's an elite salesman in his heyday. I think his heyday's over. If he was an athlete, he would get cut. If he was an artist, he would not be putting out any number one hits. If he was a chef, his restaurant would probably be going under. It's like, you watch him talk, you're like, Jerry,

how is this guy still so active here in front of the mic? Loves it, which, listen, to each his own, some guys don't like it. some guys like it. He's definitely not turn it off in his mid-80s. But I think everything coming out of his mouth, it's getting really bad.

There's no dispute in it. He hired Bryant-Shoddnheimer to be his head coach. Saw a coward learn and ran about his backward advisor. Big Vikes fans. You and Colin are my guys. But all I hear is the J.J. McCarthy reservations. While I understand some, I think everyone forgets that the organization said no to Aaron bleepin-Rodgers,

who wanted Minnesota and said he would play for $5 to $10 million. Doesn't that speak volumes to the belief they have in JJ? We have a ready-down Super Bowl contending team. I agree. Yet the Vikes brass says we're rolling with JJ over Rogers. I feel like that's forgotten, not discussed enough. Wouldn't that manipulate the thoughts and reservations about him from you guys, the media?

Well, I think a lot of people look at Rogers last year like, it's over. I don't want to be in business with this circus, right? If it starts going weird, he goes on McAfee and starts turning on me. He's not playing nearly at the same level. I know he can still spin it, but he doesn't move as well. And the conversation wasn't just to sign Aaron Rogers. Because I think week one, Aaron Rogers is a better player in J.J. McCarthy. Even if J.J. McCarthy's good, right?

He's just veteran, he's just going to be better immediately. The circus he brings in and the attention, also what it does to, JJ, it's like this could derail any chance he's ever good, right? I mean, there's a huge risk. There are variables signing Rogers that are different than, you know, signing other quarterbacks, right? So I think it's more than just a belief in JJ. It's just, did we want to be in the Aaron Rogers business?

Think of the last couple of quarterbacks. Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold, pretty low-key quarterback operation, right? even JJ is good or bad like he's kind of a low-key high-level cat not that Aaron's not I mean all kumbaya right now in Pittsburgh but he's

probably the most famous guy now that Brady's retired in the NFL right I guess Travis with Taylor Swift would be near the top in Mahomes but so the hoopla of his fame it's hard to be really famous like would also if Aaron shot can you bench him in week six

for JJ. So all that stuff is discussed when they said no to him. So I think it's more than just they think J.J. McCarthy is better than Aaron. Because I don't think it's just that simple. But I hear what you're saying. And listen, here's a simple reality when it comes to JJ McCarthy, more specifically than any other quarterback. We have no clue. Absolutely none how it's going to go. None. Like I think I got a pretty good idea how Caleb Williams plays. I've been watching Caleb play for like three straight years. He's kind of always played the same. So I'll be a little stunned if he plays differently. I think I have a pretty good idea of what I'm going to get. Right? Like, I kind of know what I'm

going to get with Bo Nix. I'd say I don't quite know with Drake May and Josh McDaniels. Let's see what that offense. I know what Michael Pennix looks like. I've seen him sling that that pill for years at Washington. I got no clue what Jay's going to look like. Passing offense, well, he's never played in a passing offense. How's it going to work? What expectations do you have for D.K. in Pittsburgh. They made the trade and gave him a ton of money, but he really hasn't matched come close to his best season, which was 2020. With the aging Rogers new system, will he have a good year? Do you expect? This is a good question, because you can probably get him a little bit as a fantasy sleeper. I think the last couple years for him, now, he's been a little

banged up, but I think the first three years, I don't know if no one had more. touchdowns in NFL history, but he's right near the top. His first three-year production from a touchdown standpoint was 7, 10, 12. So he had 29 touchdowns through his first three seasons and did not miss a game. 19, 20 and 21. 2002, he had a good year. He had 90 catches, six touchdowns, but 1,000 yards. Last year was weird.

Now he got banged up, 6, 6 catches, 5 touchdowns. I think they would take the 23 season where he was a full-time, you know, he didn't miss a game. Well, I guess they were, were they playing 17 games in 23? I think they were. So maybe he missed one game.

He had 66 catches and eight touchdowns and averaged almost 17 yards of catch. Would they sign up for that right now? 16 games, 66 catches, 17 yards of catch and eight touchdowns. I think they would. I think in a perfect world, they probably like the catches to be closer

to 80, but I think 17 yards of catch and 8 touchdowns and playing basically every game, I think that's what they're shooting for. Because last year, he averaged less than 2 yards, you know, 23 was his highest yards per catch.

Like you want him to be an explosive down-the-field guy. And if you think about Rogers' best wide receivers over the course of his career, you know, Jordi, Devante, they were not players like D.K. Meckoff. When's he ever played, you know, Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Garrett Wilson. He's never really had, I mean, D.K. doesn't really exist.

They're out of the history of the league. But it'll be interesting to see how it works. But I think they would sign up right now for eight, nine touchdowns. Given Trayvon Diggs growing off-the-field issues, like his recent injury from messing around, the 500K fine for not using the, Cowboys trainer and him inserting himself into the Micah Parsons negotiations. What do you think the Cowboys could realistically get in return for him?

Well, he signed a huge contract right. What year are we now? 25. Was that two years ago? And then he tore his ACL. I haven't broke down the film because they were so bad last year. But I don't think you're getting a lot for him, given that he makes a lot of money, everything that happened. I think, yeah, I don't know. My guess is not. it's not worth trading him unless he becomes such a big headache. I also think chiming in on Micah Parsons, I don't think the front office cares, that they want your teammates to back up your teammates.

So like C.D. Lamb, DAC, those guys supported him. I don't think that's that weird. I think the other stuff with them being mad at him for the leadership stuff, not using the facility in the offseason when they talk to him about leadership. Like, that's on the Cowboys. Like, you know this guy, you pay this guy, and then did you change?

Was he always like this before? I think the Cowboys have just become such a zoo. You got Des Bryant arguing with... It's not the Cowboys' fault necessarily, but Des Bryant inserts himself with the Jerry Jones comments and then Nikki Minaj starts talking about people beating other people's moms. It's like, what the fuck is going on here? Why is Joe Gibbs never brought up in the discussion of all-time greatest coaches?

He won three Super Bowls, which is tied for third all-time, with three different starting quarterbacks, none of which were Hall of Famers. All the other coaches in this conversation had Hall of Fame quarterbacks. The Goat coach is certainly up for debate. This is one of those, like, if you wanted to argue, like, how good Mean Joe Green was, or Kenny Stabler, or Bill Russell or Jerry West, a little before my time. It's hard for me to feel great. How great of a player was Howie Long?

I don't know, I never saw him play. my Howie Long experience was the John Travolta I forget the movie what it was called but it was really good it was in like the desert in Grand Canyon it's a thriller in the action movie in the mid-90s but that's just like God Howie's the pretty good looking guy what the hell is that movie called

I'll have to think of it later my point is arguing over Joe Gibbs like I'd never watch them coach so it's hard for me to go Joe Gibbs versus Chuck Noel versus I don't know clearly pretty important impressive guy. I mean, went to run NASCAR, has very, very successful teams, but you're right,

he never gets talked about. I can't answer that question. As a Giants fan, I can't help but admire the stability of the Green Bay Packers organization and the solid job that LaFleur has done. But do you think the Packers, once again, don't make a deep playoff run, LaFleur might be in danger of gaining the Kyle Shanahan reputation? Creative play caller who can't get over the line. Well, every coach until they win a Super Bowl is a guy that can't get it done when it matters most. I mean, no one holds that more right now than Kyle, right? Marty Schadenheimer held it for a long time. Then Andy Reid held it.

It went from Marty to Andy to now Kyle. Now, the difference, you know, Marty passed and never won a Super Bowl. Andy didn't just get over the hump. He became a freaking legend. You know, I would bet, now, does it happen in San Francisco? if Kyle's going to coach 20 plus more years, he's going to win a Super Bowl. LaFleur still is like, has a little while to go before you get to that point, I would say. But this is a big year for LaFleurre. It really is.

Kevin O'Connell is often talked about as one of the top OCs, and Brian Flores gets similar praise on the defensive side. But I don't really see it. O'Connell's O'N2 in the playoffs and lost last year's Week 18 game against the Lions with a division on the line. The Vikings were favored in all three of those games. His play calling is extremely pass-heavy. His reluctance to run the ball has felt like it's a major hole. On the other side, Flores, defense looks incredible against the average and bad teams.

But the moment they face the top offense with a good quarterback, they often get lit up. Just look at how many points they've given up to teams like the Packers, Lions, and Rams, or any of the top-tier teams the last two years. I don't see any performances that stand out as impressive defensively. So why are they still, why do they still get so much credit as one of the best coaching duos in the NFL? Well, two years ago, they punked the Niners when the Niners went to the Super Bowl on Monday Night Football on defense.

And Brock Purdy said after, like, I didn't even know what I was looking at. So I think Brian Flores is pretty good. I think he's widely considered, I'd say, as we sit here right now, Vic Fangio gets the universal praise as the best non-head coach defensive coordinator. Mike McDonald, if he was in that situation, would be right there too, right? But he's a head coach defensive coordinator. But elite defensive minds. I think Flores is easily a top three or four defensive coordinator in the league.

Robert Salas probably up there too. I think Dennis Allen's pretty good, too. I mean, there are some excellent defensive coordinators, and Flores is elite. I'm with you on Kevin O'Connell. He's an impressive guy. He looks the part. former quarterback, well-spoken, I mean, like drawn up in a lab to be a head coach.

But I've seen him in the biggest moments, not be able to pivot because he's not like the Shanahan tree. He never coached under Kyle, but he kind of, because of McVeigh, McVeigh's a lot different than LaFleur, then Kyle, than even Mike McDaniel. Those guys love running the ball.

Sean McVeigh wants to pass. Kevin O'Connell is like Sean. The difference is Sean will pivot in game if he has to. Sean's a great adjuster. I can't remember the Giants game three years ago. When they lost to fucking Daniel Jones at home, that's a horrendous loss. Last year, you know, to lose the Lions game and to lose the, who'd they play? Oh, the Rams game in Arizona.

Your offensive line is decimated with injuries. Your quarterback early on looks a little rattled. the easiest way to settle the game down. I understand when you're down 35 to 7, you're not going to call runs. But early on the game, you can settle the game down. But former quarterback likes to chuck it, and then everyone's like, oh, it's Sam Darnel's the idiot.

No one was critical of Kevin O'Connell last year. I felt like I was the only guy that talks for a living that even brought it up besides if you're like a local guy or a fan. Like every national guy's like, Kevin O'Connell can do no wrong? Well, I don't know. Can he win a playoff game first? yet he's compared to like Kyle and McVeigh, Matt LaFleur went on the road and won a playoff game.

Wake me up when Kevin O'Connell wins a playoff game. He's been favored in, like you said, both the playoff games. Three years ago, he lost to a 9 and 8 Giants team that is one of the least talented teams to win a playoff game in a recent memory. Because even if you wanted to say that about the Washington commanders last year, their quarterback was like having one of the great years rookies ever had. Daniel Jones threw 15 touchdowns.

So I'm with you. Again, I like him. He's a good coach. But he gets talked about like he's second coming of Bill Walsh. A question for the bag. What was your reaction when you became a scout for the Eagles? Could you believe that you were technically in the NFL? When you got fired, did you try to get another scouting gig?

Or would you if a team called? I would say I was pretty thrilled. I mean, I had paid for my flight. to interview. Typically, like once you get in the league and you're interviewing with other people, they fly you out, they put you up. In 2010, when I was a GA and I got hired in Philly, I paid for my flight out there. I paid for my hotel, which was in the hood, and was basically like a prostitution ring being run out of there. But, you know, I had to pay for it. And I'm, you know, I'm 24, 25 years old. They don't have any money. So I get the cheapest flight possible. I get the cheapest

hotel room possible. And I got the job on the spot and it was pretty exciting. It was pretty cool. Not going to lie. But, you know, getting offered 22 grand, no health insurance. I was doing like cartwheels down the street. I went out, had some cocktails and had dinner somewhere in South Philly. I don't know.

It was cool. It was exciting time in a young man's life. It was, yeah, it was really cool. It was awesome for anyone that people at Fresno State didn't help me get there, my family. It was cool. When I got fired, I did try, but I just didn't know that many people in the NFL. You know, now, like looking back, I got friends all over the place. I know way more people sitting in my chair now than I did then.

I mean, I'm not. Never, this is what I do for a living. But I kind of tried. I mean, I called around, but didn't work out at the time. I mean, it worked out big picture for me. You start looking in the mirror, you go, I graduated college with, you know, an ag business kind of degree. Then I get a master's degree in like sports management or something.

I got multiple degrees. I've only worked in football at Fresno State and in the NFL. And then you get fired. Even if I wanted to pivot, I'm like, how can I walk into a job if I wanted just like a more normal job like to sell insurance or go work at Facebook or I don't know, go work at Bank of America? It's like, what are you been doing? It's like, yeah, I've been evaluating the practice school. of the Green Bay Packers and the Arizona Cardinals?

Like, do you know anything about interest rates? No, but I really have a good feel for the backup guard situation for the New England Patriots. You know, it's like, oh, you want to talk about, there's a couple of young sophomores at the University of Washington. I think we should keep an eye on. To hire here at the bank? No, linebacker and tight end. I think they've got a bright future. You start thinking, and you're like, my skills and what I've learned, and I feel pretty

confident in those skills. And if I would have got, if someone would have hired a young John when he was down and out back in the league, I would have been equipped to handle whatever role. I'd worked in-house, I'd worked on the road. But if I had gone and tried to get a normal job outside of football, I didn't have any skills. I remember, you know, you're just kind of desperate because you're like 28, 29 years old. You don't really know what to do at the time.

especially the first couple months, and I started calling, I had met Joe Lacobs' son Kirk, who now is like the assistant GM of the Warriors. And I remember reaching out to him, I'm like, hey, you guys have any opportunities?

I'm like, and looking back, like, what would I have done with the Warriors? Now, granted, if they would have hired me, I would have been part of the dynasty. Maybe I would have been

one of the most unique sporting careers. Worked in the NBA, worked in the NFL. He was like, no, we don't really have anything. I don't even know what I would have brought to the table. Hey, you want to talk to USC football? but then I just got a job in radio and kind of never looked back. Sometimes though you realize, like let's say it all ended tomorrow.

Like there's podcasts and sports talk just stopped. And I couldn't do it starting tomorrow, August 5th. I could not do anything under that umbrella. What would I do? I mean, if I wanted to create a business, if I wanted to go interview places, like what are my skills? Talk football? Like talk. I can sell.

I mean, I am essentially a salesman, but everything I've done has mainly been related to football. Or I could break down like Cam Young's win yesterday on the PGA tour. Set a record made $19.1 million before his first win. Tommy Fleetwood will break that record if he ever wins, but he might not. But these are type conversations that I would have in like, you know, I don't know, some real estate firm. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what?

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

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

Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, Hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas,

and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs,

the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month,

I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it

and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Delete me makes it easy, quick, and safe to remove your personal data

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When scouting offensive or defensive linemen, does having a belly or a super jacked play a factor in college or in the NFL? Have you ever seen linemen that maybe didn't have the best physique but were super strong or linemen that were really jacked but easy to move? I think you're way less judgmental. if the guy is a good player, what his body type is. If you have a belly, like, you know, a noticeable, you're kind of flabby, and you're not a good player or an average player,

then you get discriminated against big time. But if you're just good, your body type, you know, some guys naturally are a little more cut up, some guys are bigger, some guys just fluctuate, you know, I'd imagine, I'm trying to think, Like, every guy's body type is a little bit different. But, you know, some people need that extra weight to help them anchor. I think if you're a really good player and a good athlete, having a quote-unquote belly doesn't matter. Especially for an offensive lineman.

I think sometimes with a defensive lineman, it goes, hey, this guy could lose a little weight, especially if I got a belly and you're playing at 3.30. It's like, hey, if you cut 15 pounds, you would be that much more explosive. I saw Jordan Davis, the Eagle. defensive lineman has, I think, dropped like 25 pounds. It looks good. So I think one knock on him is he'd get out of shape, and it would hurt his ability to play late in the games.

So if you have a quote-unquote belly and you're good and you're in shape, you just got to carry that weight to slow guys down. I can't think of, you know, some guys get big. You know, Trent can get big. I mean, he, last year I thought when he showed up after holding out, he looked like he was 380 pounds. And now he might play at 340 pounds, but like him, like Jason Peters, some of these guys are just such physical freaks. They can be 330, 340 pounds and not look that fat. And some guys, like Lane Johnson's a good example.

Joe Staley was like this. They look way more in shape when they're playing really well than quote unquote fat. but I bet, you know, what's Jason Kelsey retired now? 2.40. Congrats on the wedding and the baby. Love the show. I wanted to ask. Two-part question.

Do you watch NFL Red Zone at all during an NFL season? Second question. What do you think of ESPN buying Red Zone? All my friends watch Red Zone and we love not having commercials. Just curious if you think Red Zone will change and have more commercials with ESPN as the owner. Well, typically my setup in this office, we actually might be moving offices here. Might be building one on the side of my house and then looking to have one just outside of the house as the family expands so we can have a little separation between home and work. But I have to have multiple TVs.

And I typically throw up all the games, right? Especially now with YouTube TV, I can, I have a 60 inch TV and like a 50, 4.4.4.000. 40 inch TV, and I can have like six, seven games going. Now, if we get to a number where I have an extra box, I will put on Red Zone. But I don't watch Red Zone like I would if I wasn't doing this. So I try to have all the actual games going on so I can, you know, especially the main ones, but they, I have the sound, whatever the best or most important game is going on. So I never really have the Red Zone sound on.

Now, aren't there two separate, like, DirecTV or the package, their Red Zone and whatever was on Cables Red Zone? So isn't there Scott Hanson and there's Andrew Siciliano? I feel like I've watched Scott Hanson forever, at least, you know, had him on the box. So, yeah, I mean, I'm not against Red Zone at all. I just, for what I do, I can't focus on it as much. What I use it for, because it's usually a little delayed, that if there's a touchdown, or a big play if I'm watching like six games at one time

and like the Colts Texans game and I missed it then I look over and a minute later Scott Hanson will throw to Jonathan Taylor going 70 yards, right? I would not be as worried in the short term. Here's the thing. ESPN bought the NFL network

which the NFL wanted out of business, right? The NFL is making so much money from football. They don't want in on the media business. it's not lucrative enough for them to waste their time fucking with. That to me is as simple as it gets when it comes to why they're getting away from it. It wasn't financially worth it for them to be in the media business. But two, they get ownership in ESPN.

So if you want to be in business with me as the NFL, even if you purchase something from me, like CBS, ABC, NBC, when they purchase the league's product, play the games. The NFL still tells them what to do. Now, they can't totally tell you how to run your business, but if Roger Goodell and the Powers to Be like Scott Hansen running the Red Zone, he will continue to run the Red Zone. So my guess is Scott Hansen is at least safe for a little bit. There are some funny memes and stuff going around,

like how ESPN will have Kendrick Perkins or Stephen A on there. I wouldn't be that worried at least for a year or two. But yeah, I mean, you never say never when stuff like this happens. I do think you're safe for at least the foreseeable future. Because again, the NFL has equity in ESPN now, even though ESPN bought their properties. It's kind of a weird business transaction that still needs like government approval, which I'm sure we'll get taken care of. What are your favorite, your three top TV series? I would say number one of all times is Sopranos, and I would say 1B is the wire.

I would say those are easily at the top. You know, a lot of people, I feel not even hipster, but I think it's like you feel like you're smart if you say Mad Men. I'm pro John Hamm and I watch the majority of the show. I thought it was a little overrated. I would say Breaking Bad. Again, good.

I think some people put it near the top of the mountain it was solid I think Sopranos in the Wire are just in a completely different level for me and there's nothing that I've watched and I've watched a lot of TV not proud to say I should be reading more

but there's not a major television show over the last 20 plus years a series that I have not watched I'm watching a show right now called High Town on Netflix we're on season two it's really good

I'm not putting it with the Sopranos or the Wire or anything but it's it's it's it's pretty freaking good there's another show that's

I don't what was the show called this show became pretty toxic because Kevin Spacey got accused as a pretty heinous shit but one of Netflix's first big hits House of Cards with Kevin Spacey.

They tried that last season when he got canceled and he wasn't in it. The show was a joke. But I'd say the first three or four seasons of House of Cards were pretty special. I was always a sucker too for Dexter. Maybe it wouldn't age as well. Californication is another sleeper.

I love that show back in the day with David Dukhovany. Question for the bag. With all the NFL contract talk about Parsons talking about Jerry tried to do a backdoor deal without his agent. It got me thinking, do you think players in the past have gotten paid a little something extra under the table to avoid hurting the cap? That is 100% your question has been talked about for decades. And the answer is yes. Think about all the different industries we all work in.

And listen, with technology, it is, I couldn't walk into the Ferrari dealership and hand them $250,000 cash in a bag for a Ferrari, right? You're not allowed to do that. I couldn't knock on the door of a house and say, hey, I'll offer you $2.5 million. I have it in two briefcase. Like, this isn't the 70s or the 80s. So there are levels in which you have to do stuff. But one thing that I think definitely happens is the team helps play.

get marketing deals, especially with their sponsors. So if you play for team whoever, and you are a key player, and I give you my bank, who is a big sponsor, my airline, and they pay you money. Right now, you do stuff for them, but I facilitate that deal. I mean, people always said, Tom Brady, his, what was it called, TB12, his office was in the craft building across the street from Gillette. I mean, that to me is nothing. What's $5,000 rent a month for,

but it's like, who knows what Robert Craft? Guess what? It's called business. I'd do it too. But there's a difference of like, can I buy the guy a $10 million mansion in my community? Like, I don't think you can do stuff like that. But I think stock tips,

business ventures. You know, I know the 49. had a lot of guys invest into the soccer team internationally. No, it's above board. Like, you can just be an investor in stuff. But, yeah, I mean, I think a lot of shady stuff has happened over the years. In all sports. I mean, the Warriors have been funneling those guys' deals forever.

Question for you. I recently saw a clip of you and Colin talking about top ten quarterbacks of all time and notice Breeze and Rogers getting left out for guys like Bradshaw and Eggman. I don't think you saw my list because I do not include Troy Aikman and Terry Bradshaw in my top 10 Aaron Rogers are better

Troy Aikman's more accomplished clearly than Aaron Rogers Aaron Rogers is a better player I can't even speak on Terry Bradshaw he played before I was alive but I would have Aaron Rogers You know Drew Breeze is unique I mean he's a first bout hall of famer

but he's a dome quarterback So these guys that play outside in inclement weather, like, to meet Rogers is on a different tier than Drew Breeze. Both some of the great quarterbacks a whole time, but to me, Rogers is close to the top five, then Drew Breeze is sneaking into the top ten. But I don't put Troy Eakman as a top ten quarterback. No shade at him, I just.

Big Commander's fan and season ticket over. I think the take that Jaden will have a sophomore slump because C.J. Stroud struggled at times last year after losing all three of the starting receivers is lazy analysis. I also think it's disrespectful with C.J. I don't think it's about lazy analysis or anything. I think you just, you've got to be very careful. That putting together elite careers, like, good players have a down year.

And early on your career, the more information these defensive coordinators have on you, the more difficult it gets. I'm with you. I would be stunned if we look. at the commanders and their offense feels like the Houston Texans did last year. But Terry McLaren is a question mark. And I would say the more and more Cliff Kingsbury has coached typically as the years have

gone on. It happened in Arizona. Now, obviously, Jaden, I like more than Kyler. But like, is he adapted? Has he changed? You know, some of the stuff's out of Jaden's control. Now, when you throw it, when you're that good in the pocket, when you throw that beautiful of a deep ball,

when you have that ability to run, yeah, I mean, I don't expect to fall off, but is he more likely to throw 28 touchdowns or 50 touchdowns? Football's hard. We see plenty of all-time quarterbacks finish their careers on different teams. Brady to the Bucks, Peyton of the Broncos, hypothetically, if you had to place a bet,

which of the top, which of these quarterbacks will end up leaving their current team first, whether it be because the player or the organization decision, who would it be and why? Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, or Lamar Jackson? I would say Patrick Mahomes, 1 million percent would be dead last on the list of going to another team. Listen, you never say never, like you said, Peyton and Tom Brady, but it would have to get really, really ugly. I would say Lamar just because, I think, that's a good question, I don't know, but Josh Allen get her too.

I'd probably go 1A, Lamar, 1B, Josh, and then like at 25 Patrick Mahomes. I wouldn't even include any of those three, I'd include Joe Burrow. I would say Joe Burrow. I mean, look what Carson Palmer once upon a dime did. I quit. So I would say Joe Burrow would be the guy over Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. I mean, Lamar Jackson won two MVPs and could have won his third last year. Josh Allen just won the MVP.

These guys aren't going anywhere. It'd be Joe Burrell. Do you see Roger Goodell pulling an Adam Silver and forcing a star player to a great team? I say this because what would Joe Burrow look like with Sean McVeigh? Speaking of Joe Burrell. You know, a lot of people have said, John, conspiracy theorist like you, saying that Adam Silver forced Luca to the Lakers and then gave the Mavericks Cooper flag,

the difference is the reason that conspiracy conspiracy theory was somewhat believable is because markets really matter in the NBA. The NBA finals with Indiana and Oklahoma City for like a stretch of their three games, game two, game three, game four and game five, so really four games, did like two million more views than the Hall of Fame game. But if it had been Lakers Knicks, they would have done 20 million people watching. Last year. year the World Series. Dodgers, Yankees, what happened? Huge ratings. Baseball and basketball are very dependent on the markets and the superstar players, but the superstar players on the big markets. The NFL is unfaced. You can have Chiefs, Cardinals, and 100 million people are going to watch.

Now, if you got Cowboys, I'm trying to think who's the biggest team in the AFC, well, I mean, technically is a Chief, it just doesn't matter. It just does not matter. Cowboys haven't made the conference championship game. in 35 years and it has not matter. 35 years? 30 years. It's a great question though. We went on this.

Saw the other day you were discussing what defines a war daddy and you mentioned Mahomes, Lamar, Burrow, but left off hurts, by your definition and what we've seen, he's proven to be just that. Yeah, I would include him. I can't list everybody all the time. I think a lot of these quarterbacks are really tough. I think most good quarterbacks

are tough guys. It's hard to be a good quarterback and not be a tough guy. And Jalen is, I mean, you can't be that good at the tush push and be that strong and not be a tough S-O-B. So yes, I would say Jalen Hearst is a war daddy. But most good quarterbacks are going to be, you know, war dabbies, right? Especially running quarterbacks. Lamar, Cam Newton, Michael Vic, Jalen Hertz. Listen, Kyler's not a wuss.

Jayden Daniels. I think these guys, it's hard to be a good quarterback, especially if running as part of your repertoire, and not be pretty dynamic with your physical toughness and mental toughness. So I would say yes, Jalen Hertz would fall into the category of War Daddy. The volume. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas.

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

We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman helped make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come in to you, he's like, you know I love you, dog.

You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is, getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is. getting a new one put up in its place.

I'm Akila Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 is about both of those things. As I was watching these statues come down, I was thinking about what it meant that I grew up in a majority black city, in which there were more homages to enslavers than there were to enslave people. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.