The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Middlekauff – 3 & Out – Kyler Murray decides; Kareem Hunt signs; AAF takeaways; Gase/Williams already butting heads

Episode Date: February 12, 2019

Subscribe here to the 3 and Out with John Middlekauff Podcast https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/3-and-out-with-john-middlekauff/id1352730623?mt=2.   In this episode, Middlekauff discusses Kyler Murray's decision to enter the NFL Draft, the Browns signing Kareem Hunt, his impressions from the first weekend of AAF games, the Chiefs pulling Mahomes off the basketball court and looks at Adam Gase and Gregg williams already butting heads in New York. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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John Middlecalf, three and out podcast. Back at it again. You know, just, it's the off-season, slowing down. I was like, you know, we'll do a big Middlecough mailbag, do it every week, slide up into my DMs at John Middlecough on Instagram, and I answer your questions. Twitter handles the same at John Middlecough. Easiest way to get a hold of me, I always say, is on social media.

But I was like, you know what, I'll talk about the AAF, a couple other topics that I kind of dug for, and then we'll get into the Middle Cough mailbag, kind of keep a shorter podcast. And then things got crazy. So I'm still going to talk about that stuff. But I'm going to start with really the two big stories of the day. Kyler Murray announced he's going all in on football

and the Cleveland Brown signed Kareem Hunt. Let's start with Kyler Murray. I've been talking about Kyler Murray really all year long just because he's a fascinating player. He's one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He won the Heisman. And he was drafting the top 10 in baseball. But I said last week, I said the underrated part,

I compared it to online dating. It's one thing. and in football, you just, all these general managers, most of, they didn't go to Oklahoma during the fall. The coaches 100% don't make any school visits during the fall. So I'd say maybe a couple of coaches, I know Kyle Shanahan, and there were some head coaches that were at the Super Bowl, the media days, the radio row,

so maybe some of them kind of ran into Kyler. But I bet there's a chance that of the 32 NFL head coaches and the 32 NFL GMs, maybe a total of five have, met Kyler, literally shook his hand and stood next to him in person. Like that number is probably pretty small. Now, you know, high level college scouting directors and a lot of people in your organization have probably seen them, the decision makers have not.

And we all can relate to any business we work in. At the end of the day, it's one thing to think something and want something. But if the decision maker in whatever department or business you work in does not want to do that, it will not happen. It's why you learn early on in business school You got to get in with the gatekeeper Because ultimately usually the secretary Of someone that is a decision maker

You have to go through her or him To get to the decision maker Now for Kyler he's going to go right to the decision makers Right? He announced he's going pro in football I'm not going to rehash it because we've talked about it a bunch on the show Is the economics are a no-brainer You get way more money especially if you're drafted in the top 20 in football Lamar Jackson at the 32nd pick last year

Got almost double the amount of guaranteed money That Kyler got as the ninth Major League Baseball pick You also Basically as a baseball prospect You have to do with the equivalent of like an internship To go to the minor leagues You play in front of nobody No one wants to do that

If you don't have to Now if you don't have any options You're forced to and it just becomes part of life Well in the NFL if you are drafted Let alone draft in the first round you go right to the show. You play on Sundays. If you're a first round quarterback,

history would show us, recent history, which I think the game has changed dramatically, not only will you make the team, you're going to start. Obviously, you're going to make the team. You're going to be the starting quarterback. If not week one by mid-October.

It's just a fact. Just look at the history. Hell, even Patrick Mahomes, who redshirted, still played a game his rookie year. Think about that. He legitimately redshirted, and still played a game.

And that was with Alex Smith, and they were, you know, the number two seed or whatever, or I guess they ended up being the three seed. But you get my drift. So this was really a no-brainer. I still look back a couple weeks ago when Kyler went to the Super Bowl. Don't understand why it was so difficult, not just for him to announce it.

Because again, the only way for him to get drafted super high in football, he was going to have to fully commit. Because no one was going to draft him high, especially top 15 picks, if I didn't get a commitment, I am all in. I don't want to do both. I don't want to dip my foot here in the water, but also keep my other foot here in this pond, this baseball water. I'm going all my chips are in the table on football.

That is the way he's going to get drafted the highest. Now, I think we need to pump the brakes. A lot of people, like he could go number one. He'd go number one overall. Clearly you can't discount that. but last year Baker who I liked I thought it was pretty bold to take him number one overall but at least if you liked Baker

and you love the bravado but you love the player he had a comp he was Drew Breeze with a little bit better arm like that's he was super accurate smaller player but a pocket quarterback that threw darts and was just teammates loved him like it was easy now he had been in a little trouble but you get what I'm saying as a player his comp best case now obviously the likelihood of him ever becoming Drew Breeze are still slim, even though it looks like he's going to be pretty good. But you could go, one day, he could be like Drew Breeze. With Kyler, he doesn't

have a comparison. You go, one day he could be a smaller Michael Vic, but more accurate. RG3 was 6'2 that first year when he was running around, right? I just think his comp is a little difficult. Now, I do think when it's all said and done and the dust settles, he's going to go pretty high. top 15 but as I said last week when you date on the internet I mean people and I I'm gonna say girls but guys can do the same

I guess I don't even know how to do a filter but you can filter and you can make it look pretty good if you're a chubby guy I can only do shoulder up pictures you're like god he's got a good smile turns out you know I'm you know what if I'm really chubby I'm not I'm actually you know

cutting down some LBs it works both ways but until you meet the person in person right until you actually see them it's one thing to see a picture. It's one thing to watch a dude on film, and he was remarkable. Now, you can tell he's small on film. It's another thing to have him walk through the room,

and you're just a six-foot general manager, and you shake his hand, and you got him by three inches. I know there was just a pro football talk story that the Giants, he's already a little too small for them. They love huge quarterbacks. You think they're going to draft a guy five foot nine? You know, and I'm not saying they shouldn't draft him, but this is going to be a fun conversation.

because it's all football. And it's not character stuff. It's not a bunch of woke people on Twitter. It's just, can a five, nine guy playing in the NFL? And I don't think there's necessarily a right or wrong answer on this. It's going to be a really fun topic. The other big story today was Kareem Hunt signed with the Cleveland Browns.

I say this over and over and over again. I don't look at the NFL or watch the NFL to have those guys be potential of my children's role models. I don't ask that upon them. I don't ask that upon the management to set the moral compass for society. I never quite understand why people freak. I mean, I get why people freak out. We constantly freak out about everything on social media. But I watch the NFL to be entertained, to gamble on it,

to watch the best in the business play football. If you're a bad guy, if you're a great guy, I don't really care. Would I rather watch a bunch of Drew Breezzes and Tom Brady's like high-level guy? Sure. But that's not the reality. There are a lot of guys in the Hall of Fame that have done a lot of stupid shit. and if you knew all their baggage, you'd be shocked. I've heard some stories and it's shocking.

And I've heard a small percentage of the stories. I mean, we know some of them, right? Like, L.T. was, you know, banging hookers and doing crack. He's arguably the best defensive player ever. So when I watch the NFL, I never hold him to the standard that higher than society. Like, Kareem Hunt didn't go to jail. I'm sorry, it's society's problem. If he's arrested, if he committed a crime, that's not on the NFL to figure that.

That's not on any private sector. business. You are at a competitive disadvantage. Now, we don't know the suspension. He might get suspended for a year and it's all moot point. But if he gets a four or eight game suspension and they get this guy for half the year, he is one of the top five running backs in the league. He led the league in rushing as a rookie. He's one of the best past catching running backs in the NFL in a league that really values catching the football out of the backfield. Now more than ever. So some team was going to sign him. So again, if you are not in that kind of little realm of you would even be interested, you're at a competitive disadvantage. And you can say,

you know what? Our fans would not stand for this. That's BS. Because every single time, I remember years ago when the Seattle Seahawks drafted Frank Clark, Twitter freaked, how could John Snyder and Pete Carroll do this? And then John Snyder, I remember he kind of gave a weird answer. It felt like they hadn't quite done the research, even though I'm sure they had. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, but Twitter didn't think so. And it was like, this is ridiculous. Three or four years later, everyone on Twitter is like, Seattle has to resign Frank Clark.

He is too good of an edge rusher. We have to franchise him. No one cares. You do not hear a peep about it. You know what I haven't heard a peep about is Tyreek Hill's issue in college. You know why? Because he's running go routes for touchdowns. Because he's running circles around every DB.

No one in the NFL, especially Kansas City fans, no one gives a crap. I haven't heard one person complain. But all the complaining about Kareem Hunt never should have got another chance, never should have got another chance. Again, that is society's problem. That is not the NFL. Because you know what?

If he wasn't good enough, he wouldn't get a second chance. But you know the way America works? If you are good enough, you do get other opportunities. Doc Rivers once famously said, you have to be better than your problems. And Kareem Hunt has been a problem because he literally got cut in the middle of, you know, one of the greatest Kansas City Chief Seasons ever, not in the middle toward the end, you know, and he was, he had 14 touchdowns, seven on the ground, seven in the

air. He was dominating. I thought he was one of the more underrated players in the league. But the Kansas City fans, the best player on their team beside their quarterback, was this little receiver that had hit his pregnant girlfriend in college and got kicked out of Oklahoma State. You couldn't find anyone complaining about Tyree Kiel on the internet. Why? Because he was on everyone's fantasy team. If you were a chiefs fan, he was kicking ass. If you were an NFL fan, he was remarkable to watch. It was entertaining. That's what this is. Entertainment. Like, I don't go to the movies. I don't need to get my rap sheet on my actor. I just don't care. Now, you can say maybe I'm not compassionate enough. Maybe I'm not woken enough. I don't know.

I just, like, I would hold my child to a higher standard. I would hold my business partner to a higher standard. But I don't hold the NFL to that standard. They've never been held to that standard by the way they've operated, and they never will be. Because if you're good enough, if they think you can play, and you're still really good, they'll keep signing you. That's always been the case. It will always continue to be the case. Most people don't have 14 touchdowns in the bag. They can't do that.

If you could easily find guys and give you 14 touchdowns, and running back is one of the most replaceable players in the league. And it's still hard to find. Like, he's better than probably every player in the league at his position than, I don't know, 4 or 5, Zeke, Gurley. I mean, the list is short. He's that good. Camara. I mean, the list is really short.

There are probably three or four guys. Maybe Levion, you could argue. I might rather have Kareem Hunt. Again, all things being equal. So you're not going to find me freaking out. Like, John Dorsey deserves to lose his job or the Cleveland Browns deserve to be condemned. I just don't hold the NFL to those standards.

I hold them on a simple standard. I want to be entertained. I want to watch the best players play. I'm not looking for them to be role models to me, to my children. You know, if you have a problem with that, parent, your kids better. Have them be a role model to you. You know, if you're worried about Kareem Hunt standing for the wrong things,

like, maybe don't watch the NFL. That's your loss. I really don't know what else to say. Let me tell you about my friends at Robin Hood. Robin Hood is an investing app. They'll let you buy and sell stocks, ETFs, options, and cryptos, all commission free. While other brokerages charge you up to $10 for every trade, Robin Hood doesn't charge anything.

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and just football people on Twitter were really excited and it was cool but I also think there was a little bit of an overreaction maybe I'm a little different I'm definitely not different than most because the most people are casual sports fans now obviously I'm not a casual sports fan

I do this for a living and it's really all I watch. But I do watch it. I don't really watch it for overachievers. I don't watch. I struggle watching Mac football games during the week. You know, I struggle watching bad NFL games. Like, I like most people, like watching Tom Brady or Aaron Rogers or Russell Wilson. Not just the NFL, but the best players in the NFL. When I worked in the NFL, I liked evaluating and talking about the top prospects. The six and seventh rounders didn't do as much for me. It's probably why I enjoy the media more because all we talk about are

quarterbacks and sweet players. We don't waste time talking about like backup offensive linemen like you do in the NFL. I enjoy personally that more. I also like other sports and I know the ratings the NBA beat the game on Saturday night. I had some money and I was just watching. Now I got

two TVs so I had the AAAF game on in the background but on my main TV with the volume I had the Rocket Thunder game on. But I do understand the people's appetite and love of football, but it's hard to watch football on any level, high school to the pros, when the quarterback play is bad. And the quarterback play in this league is really bad. I had a buddy text me, maybe Saturday night or maybe Sunday morning. It was Sunday morning

because the tweet came out, I think, from Darren Ravel about the ratings and the AAF beating the NBA. And he's like, and he's an NBA fan too. He's like, God, that's kind of crazy. He's like, just peeking at one of the games. The best player I saw in the game was a dude. we cut in training camp. So it'd be one thing if I was watching this game, and I got a pretty good idea what it looks like, and I've been getting texts from buddies, like how good are these guys?

They're just not very good relative to the NFL. You know, if this was the minor leagues, it'd be like AA. But the difference is in AA, you get a lot of guys with upside to be in the big leagues. Most of these guys were drafted four or five years ago or undrafted free agents. Like they've got their cup of coffee in the NFL. Now, that doesn't mean,

some of them fell through the cracks or overlooked. But it is so much more difficult in 2019 to fall through the cracks with a 90-man roster. So think about, when I first got in the NFL in 2010, it was before the CBA. The rosters were 80 players. And I think for the last like five or six years, they were 80 players. Like two years ago, they got bumped up to 90. So multiply that by 32. That's 10 extra, that's 320 extra players.

I don't know how many players there are in this league, but it ain't. that many. It might be more than 320, but think about those 320 players that would not be on a roster right now might be in this league. So you got guys that are probably fringe practice squad players that are in the NFL that are not playing in this league. I also think, and this is clear that I don't know if they'll ever merge, but there is some connection. Bill Polians talked about his desire to have it be like the minor league. How about this idea? Each division, and it's a little, it'd be difficult, I don't have it quite ironed out, but let's just use the NFC West, for example. There's a team in San Diego.

The Rams, the Cardinals, the Niners, and the Seahawks. Get a developmental team, and it's in San Diego. You put all your practice squad guys and maybe a couple of quarterbacks that are either on the practice squad or like a fringe late-round draft pick that's like her third stringer. They're on the team. So when I'm watching, if I'm a Niner or Seattle fan, and they're playing the, let's say the AFC South's team that has the Colts, the Jaguars, the Titans,

You know, and what team am I missing? The Jags, the Titans, the Colts. What team am I missing here in the South? Oh, the Texans. So I'm losing my train of thought here. So you're getting two teams, let's say they're playing, and the team is just littered with practice squad guys. Guys, they've drafted or undrafted free agents, they believe it.

And you're like, damn, that's, if I'm a Texans fan, that's our six-round running back. Or I'm a Seattle fan, that's, you know, my backup quarterback. And think about the quarterbacks that should be in this league. Deshawn Kaiser, Kyle Luleta, Brett Hunleys, those type guys, instead of the Metenburgers and the Hackenbergs, they aren't sniffing the NFL again. I watched the Pac-12. Mike Berkavici, he's not an NFL player.

He has some physical tools, but he doesn't sniff those guys' ability. CJ Bether, that's now the third-stringer for the 49ers. He could use this league. There are guys all over the league that are like second and third-string players that could use Mason Rudolph. You know, that was just drafted by the Steelers. Couldn't beat out Josh Dobbs, the kid from Tennessee. Was the backup quarterback all last year? He could use this league.

Like, that's who this league should be. And again, obviously, I'm kind of jumping the gun and maybe we're headed that way. But I think this league is somewhat capped because, listen, I'm a football guy. I talk about it for a living. It literally pays my bills. And I struggle to watch because a quarterback play was horrendous. I also think it's pretty hypocritical. I have never once cried,

foul on the violence of the NFL. Maybe I don't sound compassionate. Maybe I sound like an a-hole. I like the big hits. I watch for violence. And the reality is most of you do too. Most people do. It's why from the moment we're in like junior high, when there's a fight, everyone runs to it.

The moment, once you get to like college, everyone orders the fight. They still order the fight as you get older. We loved big hits forever in the NFL. And that became negative like four or five years ago. The media played a huge role in it because they were scrubs. screaming CTE, screaming concussions. It was pretty much on my Twitter timeline universally applauded the big hits. It's like, you guys are hypocrites.

It's because you don't know any of these players, you don't give a shit about them. Like, I like the big hits because I like big hits. It never bothered me in the NFL. Like, you know, listen, I understand CTE is terrible and it's a real thing and guys get injured for playing football. We get that. But I watch football. I don't like, you know, the quote-unquote wistification of the NFL is somewhat real. Now, I want my quarterbacks to be protected.

I can't have you going out in guys' legs. I'm all for that. But down the field, there is no such thing as a defenseless receiver. Let them get lit up. You know? This is 2019. People want it. I get the big picture health of the league, but that's one thing the AAF has going for.

People get destroyed and the media doesn't care. If I'm in the NFL league office, I'm like, what is your guys an issue? You guys were bitching a moment about this for years, right? books, like promoting that concussion movie with Will Smith, and now you're applauding it? You know, it's just, it's kind of hypocritical. I'm on the right side of history on that one, because I never, ever. I'm sorry, I'm not bothered by concussions. And I'm not saying they're not real and they don't affect people's lives, but I watch

football knowing that's part of it. It's like, when I eat a hot dog, I kind of understand how it's made. I don't mind. I just put a little ketchup on it, put it between a bun and I power that bad boy down. When I watch the NFL, I know it's somewhat dirty. I don't really care. And the reality is most people don't either. So I hope the NFL takes a hint from the AIAF.

Get back to the violence. One of my favorite stories so far on this NFL offseason came out either Friday. I might have read it on Saturday. And it involves the Jets, who I have said the Jets coaching staff on paper. I think Adam Gase, of all the young offensive guys that were hired this offseason, let's not forget, the unshaven. under 40 offensive gurus. He was the first of this kind of whole movement.

Adam Gase was, like four years ago when he went to Miami. Well, the big thing with an offensive guru, you got a good defensive coordinator, right? Sean McVeigh, got Wade Phillips. It's been a problem for Kyle with no defense. Robert Salas struggled. Matt and Aggie kind of just, they had Vic Fangio there. We'll see how good Chuck Pagano is.

But having a good defensive coordinator matters. Say what you want. He's crazy. But, and he's had some. crazy controversies in his coaching career, Greg Williams can really coach. Now his ego is probably bigger

than half the head coaches in the NFL, let alone it's the biggest assistant coach. Like he's got a massive ego. So when they first hired him, I'm like, you know, I kind of like this mix. Now, will the egos work? And then a story comes out on ESPN.com

about how Adam Gase did not want Greg Williams to hire his son. And I don't think football is really that different from most jobs. Like a lot of jobs, nepotism plays a big part in it. You do jobs, you know, you hire family members. I'd probably argue that usually leads to more problems than just hiring the best possible candidate. But that's life.

That's the way the world works. The one curve ball on this one is that Adam Gase, according to this ESPN.com, Rich Samini story, did not want to hire Greg Williams' kid to be a position coach. So finally he just let him become like a defensive assistant. He did not want to let him become a position coach. And they kind of butted heads. And I think you're going to start seeing this around the NFL more and more. And we saw this last year with Todd Haley and Hugh Jackson.

A lot of, and maybe this has been happening forever in the NFL. I just know covering the NFL. I think it's happened more of these last three or four years. These assistant coaches get so famous. These agents, which there's three or four of them in the NFL, have all this power. and these owners are kind of so big on if you hire the quote unquote big time coordinator your fan base pulls off you a little bit

and you get credit even though the most important thing is in any business relationship let alone a coaching staff is the interpersonal dynamics like do you get along and do you respect you know the assistant coach does the assistant coach respect the head coach when you do most times arraign marriages are not going to work out very well. They're not. They're kind of forced upon you, right? Now, I don't know anyone that's in marriage. I've read about them. I have a good friend who married a girl that was going to be in one,

and she told her parents, no. This is the best thing she probably ever did, you know? She'll tell you that. You do see a lot of marriages happen probably on blind dates or whatever. No different in an interview. You don't need to know someone before you interview with them, but it seems like a lot of these coaching marriages now between the head coach and whatever the opposite side of the ball he has, you know, if he's an offensive guy mainly nowadays, they kind of force like the most famous defensive coordinator on him. And I don't know if that's the right thing to do. Now, if it's the right guy, like Vic Fangio just gets along with coaches. He's just a high level guy. Greg Williams butts heads. And clearly this is the period where you just get hired on a new

staff, you know, in the middle of January or whatever, probably till like the draft is the ultimate honeymoon period. Like, it really is the equivalent of a marriage where it's just times are as good as they get. Or like, you just start dating. It's usually the best time. Everything's fresh. Everything's new. You're having a blast. You know, the sex is great. Every meal's fun. You're just watching TV. Everything's cool to do. Eventually, that kind of subsides, right? Well, if you're having problems, two or three weeks in to your hiring as an assistant coach and already being frustrated with the head coach, this is a pretty big red flag. Again, I like the Jets coaching staff on paper, and I'm an Adam Gaye's guy, but I don't know if this thing's going to work. I mean, this is already leaking out.

New York is a market unlike any other market, probably beside like Philly, you know, of just the aggressive reporting and just when things, once the snowball starts, rolling down the hill, it doesn't usually slow down with the steam, right? It only is going to gain traction in these crazy markets like New York, because it's only going to piggyback. This is a story that's not going to die, and they're already off on the wrong foot. And someone had to want this out, whether it's Greg Williams or Gase. Someone wanted this out there. Now everyone knows. So this is something to keep an eye on. And I think you're just going to see this more and more in the NFL where just like legitimate interviews, I don't know if they happen as much as you think. A lot of these coaching connections now with staffs are all...

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 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, 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's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Kear Gaines, is 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. Life throws hurdles big and small. The question is, how do you conquer them? On hurdle with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them

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It's about showing up, even when it's hard. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. 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.

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.

All agent-driven. Or now all owner, the agent goes right to the owner. You've seen it for years in baseball, right? Scott Boris always ends up going to the owner and gets his money. Well, the agents are doing the same thing. You want Greg Williams or whoever your client is, Vance Joseph or Steve Wilkes, you're going to make sure they get a coordinator job. So if you can go right over the head coach, you go right.

You go right to the general manager. You go right to the owner and you make it happen. And I think usually these things like Belichick doesn't operate like that. And he never has coaching problems, right? And he doesn't operate like that. He has harmony on his coaching staff. When you have stuff like this happen, it's usually not going to end in a harmonious relationship.

So just, you know, it's early February, just as we go in the off season and then once the season, let's just keep us in the back of our pockets here. This is something to keep it. eye on and I think this is a league-wide problem. The Jets aren't alone in this. You can probably see a lot of these new staffs that the general manager and the owner probably played too big of a role. The guy that should play the role is the coach. And if your coach is not a good evaluator of assistant coaches, then you probably shouldn't hire them in the first place. Can I tell you about my friends at Shopify? It's the sound of another sale on Shopify,

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And that's what I'm not okay with. Because why? Why? Because I have cellulite because I have thick thighs. I can't do that. I can't feel sexy in my own skin. And that's, those are the things that I want to break because there are so many women like me. And I want to be and represent us, you know? Obviously, there's always room for improvement. I always want to look better. I want to work out. I want to lose weight. But in reality, this is the body God gave me. And I've never really been skinny. Listen to the MyCultura podcast network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Can I tell you about my friends at LinkedIn? Listen, it's a new year, 2022. We're all trying to find people that hire, for those of you listening that are in HR, running small businesses, wherever you are.

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one thing i've noticed as i've gotten older is i really only get mad now at other people getting mad at stuff like i don't i'm never the first reaction triggered it takes a lot to really anger me and maybe that's kind of a sad state of just how um accustomed i am to just weirdness because that's what kind of the world is. But it's hard for a story to come out and me to get really mad. I only get mad off those reacting, usually typically in the media, to being mad at what just happened. That triggers me, getting triggered at other people getting triggered.

I saw a story last week, and Brett Veach, buddy of mine, came out and said because there was a viral video of Patrick Mahomes, playing hoops. And it was sweet. He did like, through the legs, 360 in the whole sweet layup. and he kind of tongue in cheek said, but also kind of serious, that I had to call his agent, and we had to nip that in the bud.

And I saw some former players, and Richard Sherman, who I actually respect a lot and think he's really smart, started freaking out. Like, you can't tell players what to do. That's not in this contract! You know, God, we just, former players and then Twitter,

you know, so pro player. And I got triggered off that reaction because it's like, Brett Veach was not trying to be in police this guy's life. Brett Veach went on record before it was sexy and popular to say. Really, kind of on an island. I remember running into Coach Reed last year at the Combine after Veach talked.

Brett Veach, verbatim, he's the best player I've ever scouted. No one in that office, including Andy, liked Mahomes as much as Veach. Now, obviously, Andy loved him too, but that is Veech's guy. Loves him. Clearly, Andy loves him too. So if they're telling him not to play basketball, it's not because they're like trying to... They love him more than any fan loves him, more than any player loves him, and I know that the players love to virtue signal about player empowerment and player rights.

That's not what they were trying to say. Simply, for the next 15 years, you can change this franchise. For the next 15 years, you can change the NFL. You can win six or seven MVPs. You can take this league by storm and do things. clearly it already looks like that no one else can do. We don't just trust you. We think the world of you. We trade it up to get you from I think pick 27 to pick 10. We are smitten with you beyond belief. You can change all our careers. We're going to do everything in our power as you've

already seen to change your career. We have your best interest at heart. I know players love to think that teams have like ulterior motives with guys and you saw this last year with kaii leonard with the spurs different sport but you see it sometimes with the NFL like their doctors don't have their best you know the players best intentions on their mind they all they care about the team which may be true to marginal players but i promise you one thing and you saw this year with carson wince's injuries the phillyelialy eagles by a country mile have Carson Wences, like his health, his long-term future, and everything, player-first, player-centric in mind when they look at him. When Brett Beach saw him playing basketball, all that crosses

his mind is like, bro, I don't want you to tear an ACL or an Achilles playing hoops. I don't want to control your life and have you sit in and play video games all day. Clearly, you work out, you'd be active to do whatever you want. Just playing that sport, and I think guys would tell you as they get older, I know, you probably couldn't pay me to play pickup basketball right now. I couldn't afford an Achilles injury. I couldn't afford to put on 40. You know, I'm bald, I'm single. I couldn't afford an ACL injury.

I don't have the energy or the, uh, probably just the ability to rehab. I'd be screwed. But I think with my home, it's like, bro, you now, we have entrusted you, giving you the keys of the franchise. And you know what? Everyone in this building, including me, Brett Veach, And Coach Reed, it's the best thing probably will ever do in our careers is go all in on you. We have your best interest at heart.

He knows that. And I'm not saying he's saying that. He probably completely understood. But the rest of the players, like, I promise you one thing, the chiefs are out there to screw him. And here's the other thing. Teams, just in general, in any sport, when it comes to their best players, they care about the best players. They may not treat marginal players that well. It's no different business, right?

You spend most of your time if you're in real estate with your highest priced real estate items. You know, if you're in a sales job, you worry about the clients that spend the most money with you. Welcome to America. If I have Patrick Mahomes and I got a practice squatter and they both, let's say, have a broken toe, I'm probably going to spend a little more time with Patrick Mahomes than I am my offensive line practice squad. may sound, you know, everyone's supposed to be equal in this Twitter world, but I got news for you. They're not. And in the private sector, just like in the NFL, certain things are more important than others.

And I promise you one thing, that as long as Brett Veach and Andy Reid are alive and employed with the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes, by a mile, you know, it's the size of the Grand Canyon, will occupy their time, their effort, and they will have his best interest. at heart 24-7-365. Okay, let's get to the Middilcoff mailbag. Easiest way to get a hold of me every week at John Middlecock, Insta, DM's wide open, leave a question, and I'll answer it. A little behind, you guys have been peppering them out, so I got like 50 in here. Okay, I have a question about the Minnesota Vikings. Do you think that Gary Kubiak hire for the Vikings essentially running with two head coaches? Like Zimmer is the defensive head coach and Kubiak is the offensive head coach?

they would almost become co-head coaches? I would say no, because in Zimmer's tenure, he's the boss. You know, he's got kind of a Parcellian, it's his way or the highway. I think he hired Kubiak, and actually I think Stefansky's the OC, right? Kubiak's like a basically a consultant type,

just to run the ball more, because in Kubiak scheme, they hang their hat. I remember back when the Texans were really humming. They were the best running team in the league. That's what Zimmer wants to do. He wants to play defense and he wants to run the ball. And anyone that listened to this show for a while knows that I kind of question that. Like arguably your two best players, I mean, Daniel Hunter and Harrison Smith,

I mean, they got some elite defensive players. But Diggs and Thielen, I mean, we're talking beside Brown and Juju, probably the best wide receiver combo in the league. And you have a $30 million quarterback. Like protect them and throw the ball. So, no, it's not two head coaches. It's Zimmer's way or the highway. I think he just views Kubiak as kind of a catalyst to running the ball

and a guy that can really coach it and scheme it up, which is what he wants to do. Because Zimmer doesn't know the place on offense. And again, that's not a shot at Zimmer. Most coaches on the opposite side of the ball do not know the place. Generic stuff, but not the place. Especially when they're the play caller, offensive coordinator or the defensive coordinator,

as well as the head coach, they are not into the minutia of the other side of the ball. That shows you just how elite Belichick is. He knows every player's role on every play, offense, defense, or special teams. Can coach every position. That's really why he's on a completely different level than anyone. Like, he literally could coach long snappers. He could be your long snapper coach. He could be your offensive line coach.

He could be your wide receiver coach. I think that really speaks. I hope people realize this. Belichick is the best position coach in the NFL. at every position. Most coaches, like Coach Reed, is an unreal offensive coach, right? Or Pete Carroll, unreal defensive coach.

But they don't have anything to do with the opposite side of the ball. That's kind of a separating factor of why they're so good. So overall, do your questions, no, Zimmer Show, baby. Do you see Aaron Rogers making a comeback and winning the Super Bowl? Furthermore, do you think the Packers' defense will be able to step up with Jair, Alexander? Are the Packers even possible landing destination for Levion? And if so, would they be good for him? It's a good question.

Will Aaron Rogers win another Super Bowl? I've gone on record. I don't know much about this guy, and I've said I went to the one practice in Tennessee this offseason, and it was really impressed by the offensive coordinator. Now, then their offense was terrible all season for the most part in Tennessee. And then his press conference, he felt a little over his head. And the other thing is that Aaron, while statistically he had a statement,

solid year last year. If you watched him, any Packer fan would say something was off. And he's been in a weird spot the last several years because we all acknowledge, like he's really good. He's one of the best players we've ever seen. But it's like I demand a little

bit more. His body language is terrible. I said this last year when it kind of fell off the rails for the Packers. One of his problems is he's not very fundamentally sound anymore. And as you get older, your arm's is going to diminish a little bit.

And some of those back shoulder throws or those, you know, throws when his feet aren't planted aren't quite as accurate as they once were. The one thing when you watch Tom Brady or Peyton Manning forever, their fundamentals are perfect. And Rogers'ers are terrible, but he's, you know, one of the greatest just pure throwers ever. He can get away with it. Well, as you age, your arm's not going to be as electric. Will he get back to the fundamentals of football?

Will he let LaFleur and this coaching staff get in his ass? You don't really coach him hard? I don't know. If he does, and let's say LaFleur is the next McVeigh, then yeah, they could win another Super Bowl. But if I also think you could go the other way, it really could. If LaFleur is over his head, I don't care how good Rogers is. To me, they wouldn't be guaranteed to be like one of the elite teams. Now, they'd still be good just because if you have an elite quarterback, you're going to be in pretty good shape.

But I don't know. I mean, the division's going to be good. The Vikings, clearly, I think, kind of underachieve last year. even if they somewhat take a step back, they're still going to be really good. Just look at their roster. Everyone's coming back. So I think it's going to be difficult.

In the NFC, just as a whole, the Eagles are going to be good, the Cowboys are going to be good, Seattle's going to be good, the Rams are going to be good, the Saints are going to be good, the Falcons aren't going to be as shitty as they were, the bucks are going to be better.

God, if the Giants could ever get a quarterback, the NFC to me is on a different level, top to bottom, than the AFC. The Niners would, Jimmy back are going to be just more competitive. Hell, they almost beat the Packers this year with CJ Bethard.

So you just, the NFC is tough. Your margin for error in the NFC is slim than none. Your margin for error in the AFC is just much bigger. I mean, we can count on one hand the good teams. The Pats, the Chiefs, we'll see, the Steelers, I don't even know anymore. The Chargers, kind of, but they're not really, do the chargers

in the playoffs scary? No. I mean, the Colts they're good, but Andrew Locker, if you get him outside, it's just not been that great in the playoffs. Bottom line. End of story. And I'm an Andrew Locke guy. But he was terrible last year outside.

Earlier in his career when he played outside, he wasn't good. Now, his teams weren't as good, but he's not quite the same guy. Okay. Let's see if I can find another question here. John, love the show. Born and raised in Danville, right down the street from me. Question for the show. Not sure how much you taught college ball.

I talk in a decent amount in the full. just right now, we're not going to dive into recruiting minutia, but I spend 15 Saturdays a year basically all day sitting on my couch watching college football. So I absolutely love it. We'll talk to here right now. Curious on how you think the retirement of Urban will affect Ohio State and ultimately the Big Ten. Well, it's going to have a negative impact. You just lost a top five college coach ever. He's that good. So one of the things that he hung his hat on was he was one of the best recruiters we've seen ever, right?

I mean, the recruiting he did at Florida and Ohio State was just top-notch. I mean, it was saving level. Like those two are equals. Now dabble is kind of they're equal to. There are just three top dogs on a different level. And then clearly his in-game coaching, the guy was special. His teams were legit. So anytime you go to Ryan Day, I don't know Ryan Day personally.

I know people that know them because he coached with the Eagles. He coached here for San Francisco for a year when Chip came. Everyone I know thinks highly of them. But your first time head coaching job ever at Ohio State, that's hard. Look at Urban Meyer. Didn't he start at Bowling Green? He went Bowling Green, Utah, then Florida. Most times, look at Sabin.

Michigan State, LSU, then the pros, then Alabama. It's hard. Sabin didn't just start at Alabama. That's asking a lot. because the pressure at Ohio State, it's not good enough just to win the Big Ten. It's to win the National Championship. This year, they won the Rose Bowl and it was a letdown. Here's the other thing.

Urban Meyer had been kicking Jim's ass. So he'd been winning the Big Ten and he's been kicking his rival's ass. Well, what if Jim Harbaugh beats Ryan Day next year? That's the other thing. Ryan Day is going to have pressure playing Jim Harbaugh. And I'm a Jim Harbaugh guy. He got humbled by Urban. I don't think Ryan Day is going to hit him in the teeth.

quite like Urban Meyer. Now, Urban Meyer is still going to be around the program, and who knows, maybe he'll be at SC next year. I do think that would be a little weird, given that he just kind of randomly quit, but Urban does weird shit, so who knows? Question, do you feel the Patriots need to sign a quarterback, draft a quarterback this draft to be mentored by TB12 to take over?

Well, Brian Hoyer, who I think Albert Breer wrote about it in the MMQB, the McCorrey brothers were just raving about how awesome he was in the Super Bowl prep, getting ready for the Rams. Like how seriously he took the scout team quarterback. He didn't just read it off the cards. He lived it. He learned it. And he gave him just an incredible look.

And it clearly translated because the defense kicked off's ass. But he's not good enough. You know, if you lost Tom Brady, I still think Belichick and their team would be good enough, probably to, let's say, Brady missed the season. they could probably win nine games with Hoyer maybe 10 just because Belichick's that good but they they wouldn't have a chance a snowball's chance in hell to win the Super Bowl do they need to draft a guy they got a first round pick they got two seconds and three-thirds this year I think they could easily take a guy in the second or the third round

the problem is when you're the Patriots is you want to win the championship next year now Bill always thinks big picture I would expect them to take with five picks on the second day, probably a quarterback. I just don't know. Part of taking a quarterback is you've got to like one of the quarterbacks. You know, it's one thing, you've got to take a quarterback high. Well, what if Belichick just doesn't like him?

And I'll give Belichick some credit. He's been on the right guys for the most part at that position. I mean, wasn't Hoyer, his find? Obviously, Jimmy Garoppolo, he nailed that pick. Brady, I know that was a little weird, but I'm trying to think of some other quarterbacks he's had. Mettenberger didn't quite work. if he's going to take a guy high, he's going to like him.

Jimmy Garoppel is the highest. I remember reading, he's the highest quarterback Belichick's ever drafted. Now it's a little skewed because they've had the same quarterback for 18 years, who's been, you know, the best player ever at his position, so you're just not drafting quarterback's high. But the one time he drafted a quarterback high, as in the second round, he hit a home run. It wasn't inconceivable that he could have moved on from Tom and gone with Jimmy.

So I don't know I don't really like the quarterbacks that much in this class For second and third round guys Now could he take like a Gardner Minchu You know a guy like that in the later rounds Once you take a guy past like the fourth round It's you're not getting a starter You know the Tom Brady's are once in a

In the history of the NFL right Tony Ramos Tom Brady's the 6th 7th undrafted free agents Come around once in a blue moon the majority of the NFL are first round picks at quarterback or second just go around the NFL I can just look in the I'll just start on the west coast russell wilson is probably the lowest guy third round jimmy garoppel second derrick car high second jerry goth first philip rivers first josh rosen first Denver doesn't really have one the texans first rounder the colts first rounder titans first rounder you just start going to

Blake Bortle's first rounder, James, first rounder, Drew Brees, top of the second. Most quarterback, Eli, first, Wentz first. You just start going around the league. Most starters are higher round picks. Alex Smith, before his leg fell off, first. They're just a lot. Rothersberger first. Lamar Jackson first.

Baker Mayfield first. You know, Flacco was a first. Most guys are drafted high, so if you do draft a guy late in the, in the draft, I don't think it's realistic. You know, the Niners last year, they got Nick Mullins as undrafted free agent. That is not normal. That's really more of a testament to Kyle. I don't even know how the hell he did it.

It's crazy. To be honest, I didn't even know much about Nick Mullins. Then all of a sudden, he's winning NFL games. It's incredible. That's, I give Kyle credit on that one. I give him somewhat of a pass. If you win NFL games with Nick Mullins, I don't care who you're playing.

You win an NFL game with Nick Mullins, let alone two or three. That's incredible. Okay. What do you think a realistic possibility for the Colts this offseason? I'm hoping for Demarcus Lawrence if he hits free agency. Demarcus Lawrence ain't going to hit free agency. I talked to a buddy in the NFL.

And I remember this when, I remember the first time I ever got to put the Magnus up for the free agent board, and you're like, hello Dina. Logan Mankins. all the top sweet players at the top of the board like who are we going to sign it's like the NBA equivalent

like look at the free agents Kevin Durant, Clay Thompson, Kauai and then in the NFL it's like franchise franchise franchise franchise franchise franchise franchise franchise franchise of course you franchise

them so DeMarcus Lawrence is just too good I think there's a sweet spot this year like D Ford would kind of be the sweet spot and just talking to people in the league I know Veets said they want to keep them

are they going to franchise him. Is he good enough to franchise? Probably not, but he is a really good pass rusher. Would I want to give him $18 or $20 million a year? No, but you know, guys get overpaid in free agency. It's just simple economic,

supply demand. The supply is not there because all the top guys get tagged. So the demand, you guys have all, if you're listening to this podcast, you probably know something about the NFL. There's never been more money on the free agent market. So there's a ton of money

there are only so much inventory. D-4, he's going to get like $20 million. I saw last year in my own backyard, Derek McKinnon, who was the ultimate role player. I was like, I didn't even like him that much. Nader's gave him like $8 million a year. And it really wasn't that crazy because they were bidding against two other teams.

That's all life is, right? If you got a little leverage, the price goes up. So to me, D-Ford is going to be the big winner because DeMarcus Lawrence ain't hitting for, agency. How do they let Frank Clark walk? He's too good. So D. Ford's probably going to be the best pass rusher. I also think that Chris Ballard, they got a good thing going. Well, it's, I wouldn't want to waste money. I wouldn't be in the business of overpaying above average players. I'd have no problem breaking off a superstar, but superstars, it's hard to get Khalil Mack. Sorry, my phone

froze here. You just kind of stuck with the market, and the market is typically not great. Texas A&M has had the highest ranked recruiting classes and NFL prospects ever since someone was hired. But they have also underachieved with all that talent. Very true. After seeing Jimbo Fisher work this year in College Station, do you think he's the key to the Aggie's success? Thanks and gig him. Gig him. I like that.

Yeah, for sure. I mean, Jimbo, with Urban gone, if Sabin's your top coach and Davos 1B, you could argue dabble is better. I mean, I'm not putting dabble above Sabin, even though he's beat him two or three years and kicked his ass this year. But let's just put those two in the top notch. I'd put Sabin in the next group of probably say, you know,

Jimbo, Chris Peterson, Lincoln Riley. There's four or five guy. He's as good as it gets. They've never had a problem in recruiting. They've always got top guys. And you saw this year, I thought they overachieved. Their team was kind of weird. They clearly have talent.

They're going to have a lot more talent. Now that Jimbo is not going anywhere. he's going to be there forever. They're going to benefit one day, because Saban can't do this forever. You'd think in the next year or two, Nick retires, and when Nick retires, if they don't get DaBo, that's Jimbo's time.

Because Jimbo's a better coach than Ed Ogeron. Now, LSU will typically, and again, this is the top notch of the top, is going to have slightly better players. And when I say one team might have three first rounders, and LSU might have five. So this is the cream of the crop And if Texas A&M does it right

Maybe they can have the equivalent The hard part about TexanM is even if you crush it in Texas Not only do you have the SEC guys that occasionally come over there But that's a breeding ground for Oklahoma And Oklahoma has always kind of excelled And also Texas I wasn't the biggest Tom Herman guy But I got to give him some credit

He's actually pretty solid And I thought their team Probably the most improved team in the country this year Just watching Texas play start to finish they're going to start recruiting better. So it's not going to be easy. But A&M's problem has never clearly been talent. It's coaching.

And I think Jimbo is a big time coach. Okay, last question here. This is a life question. You don't want to do life question here. Lifetime Browns fan from Sydney, Australia. Question about the future. Does the kitchen's hire basically let Baker be Baker and he continues with the immaturity

or even gets worse? or does he say to Baker, hey, we're giving you your guy, you're in the driver's seat, take this team where we need to go, and he settles down and matures. I'm worried he gets exposed next year and the wheels fall off this thing. Well, there's going to be immense pressure on this team because I think they're going to be one of the sexier just playoff teams that people are going to pick and really kind of blow all off season. Once we get post-draft, everyone's going to be picking the Browns to probably win the North and be a team that's going to compete for the playoffs.

I can't remember the last time the Browns went to the playoffs. And Baker's a winner. It comes from Oklahoma. He's used to winning. And I think they have, you know, Nick Chubb winner, Miles Garrett, kind of a winner. But Freddie Kitch is a first time head coach. And the pressure and the intensity in that city, it's not going to be easy. So the pressure is either going to kind of expose Baker.

And I like Baker. I know Colin was not a big fan. I got no problem with him. but there is no dispute that he's got some immaturity, and a lot of it stems from he's just got a chip on a shoulder. And when you're a chip on your shoulder guy and you're young, it just comes off sometimes the wrong way. Like Tom Brady, he's 40 years old now and he's skinny eating kale shakes.

His chip doesn't quite look the same, you know, even though it's still there, probably stronger than ever. And I think Baker, as he matures, it gets older, I know he's engaged right now, he'll get married, I'm sure he'll have a kid here soon. I think he'll gradually mature. Us men just, we mature, you know, a little later in life. I also think when you're really good at something super young,

and most of us listening have never been anywhere near the point of he's basically been handed a franchise. He's the number one overall pick. He was winning in college. Like, this guy's, and I don't blame him, kind of feeling himself. So I would imagine if you're the Browns, you wouldn't mind somewhat humility to, like, maybe lose your, your first game. There's a long way away from the season, but if it just, because it could get away

from yourself a little bit. If you just start kicking ass, it started like 3 and 0, then everyone's like, oh my God, the Browns are going to win the Super Bowl. Then the wheels could come off, you know, with a couple losses. But they're going to be one of the most fascinating teams in the league. I'm excited to watch. Again, I think Baker's really good. But one of the things that made Drew Breeze, Drew Breeze, and I think that's his comp, was maturity and was focus, and was just a burning desire to do things the right way. And I'm not saying Baker doesn't have, I don't know. No one does because we're going to find out now.

Because these next couple years, and I'll even not give him a pass this year, but he's still pretty young, first time head coach. You'll find out a lot in the next couple years. Like, what's he really doing in the off season? You know what, Brady and Manning and Breeze and these guys are doing in the off season? When they're not Instagramming or keeping eye on them, they are grinding. They dedicate their life to it. and you know, you've got to dedicate your life to it.

And we're going to find out this year. I mean, I see it in my own backyard. Like, Steph Curry has given his life to basketball. And it shows. It kicks everyone's ass. If you'll dedicate your life to it and you have the skills, it's basically impossible to fail. If you have the requisite physical attributes and you have,

he's clearly smart if he has the work ethic. And I'd say, well, he didn't make it this far without the work ethic. I do think when you get super rich and super famous, it can derail you a little bit, and I hope it doesn't. I think that's going to be the biggest question mark for Baker moving forward. Can he just stay focused despite all the hype? Now, history would say he did at Oklahoma. Now, it's a little different when you're getting paid $6, $7 million,

when you're making a ton of endorsements, when if you win a little bit, you'll get another big contract. I'm fascinated to see. I think he's one of the most fascinating players in the NFL from that standpoint in 2019. Thanks for listening. Keep sliding in the DMs. If I didn't get to your question, I just had so many of them and I don't want to run over an hour. I'll get to them next podcast. Keep firing them in at John Middlecoff, Twitter handle, Instagram handle. Always answer your guys' questions. Appreciate everyone interacting and I'll see you Friday. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1-800flowers.com.

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