The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Middlekauff – 3 & Out – Middlekauff's backstory; NBA vs. NFL player movement; Kyler Murray's height a combine turn-off

Episode Date: February 8, 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 tells listeners his back story, compares NFL vs. NBA player movement, and explains why Kyler Murray's height will turn off teams at the NFL Combine,.and answers listener questions in the Middlekauff Mailbag.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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or get left with whatever jobs are left. Find your next job fast at careerbuilder.com. What's going on, everybody? It's me, your boy, or that dude, John Middell Koff, three and out podcast, brought to you live by Colin Coward's Podcast Network. And we are in the full swing of the off season. And I was thinking about doing a couple things a little different today. I want to kind of start off the show by just introducing myself.

Because I know there's just a lot of people that listen, like, who the hell is this guy? They just might not know me. If you don't follow me on social media, at John Middlecoff, easiest way. I always say this easiest way to get a hold of me. It's easier than calling me. If you tweet at me, Instagram slide up into my DMs. And at the end of the show or the last segment of every one of these podcasts, I do a Middlecoff mailbag. And it's all from questions from my DMs.

You know what I'm going to start doing is you can tweet me stuff too. If you have a Twitter, Middilkoff mailbag question, you can do it that way as well. And I'll kind of keep tabs on them and answer questions. The easiest way, though, is definitely in my DMs on Instagram at John Middlecoff, and I answer those questions. But I know the show's really, you know, a lot more people have started listening in the last, obviously, during football season than probably did eight months ago when this thing started. or hell, it started about a year ago.

I think my first shows were at the Combine. And just some of you people aren't going to know me. So I wanted to introduce myself, you know, some thoughts on the NBA trade deadline. And I think one of the biggest differences between the NBA and the NFL, it's kind of fascinating. Because I think as we've seen with the cap explode in the NFL, there has been a lot of movement, right? I mean, players move, major trades. And I think we're going to continue to see that hopefully this offseason. Trust me, I got my fingers crossed.

You know, a lot of trades, specifically trades, because a lot of times, unlike the NBA, really good players don't hit free agency in the NFL. And then, you know, the Combine list came out today. I actually just saw a good stat by Albert Breer. He said the Big 12 had 12 defensive players invited to the NFL Combine. That's the entire conference. Oklahoma, Texas. I mean, if you're listening to this, you probably know football.

You know who's in the Big 12. Clemson had nine. So that's a pretty telling stat. Very indicative and symbolic of the conference. And also, I mean, nine players on defense from one school. There's a reason Clemson won two national titles in three years. So we'll dive into Kyle Murray and then we'll get into the Middlecock mailback. But I just wanted to start with introducing myself.

Many people know, I'm John Middlecoff. That's me. And just some of my background. You know, how I got here. Born and Raisin Davis. You know, it's the home of UC Davis. It's where my dad went to school. He was a farmer.

My mom, two-parent household, talking like, I'm giving a scattering report of myself. Mom also worked my entire life. So both parents work, working class family. Spent 18 years there. Where Davis is, relative to where I'm sitting right now, I'm in Walnut Creek, suburb of the Bay Area, probably 15, 20 minutes away from downtown Oakland, 30 minutes, no traffic. Hashtag, there's never no traffic, away from downtown San Francisco. So I spent most of my time in Davis.

It's kind of a hippie liberal town like Berkeley because it has the UC system. But there are a lot of normal people there too. And I'd say that was my family, just a working class family. Then I went to school at Cal Poly and I guess I wasn't very mature leaving high school. I really had no clue what I wanted to do. My life revolved around sports my entire life. And then once you hit a certain point, I can't play anymore. Played football in high school, played golf in high school.

I'm going to be able to do that in college. So I'm like, okay, I'll go to school, get a business degree. And my first year, I had an internship at Morgan Stanley. It was through a guy actually, like my mom went to high school with. He was like, I'm going to be a day trader. And then by about week three, I'm like, this is terrible. There's no way I can do this. So then from there, I pretty much transitioned.

My media career actually sneaky kind of took off like a year later. After screwing around, probably 19 and 20 years old, I got an article in the school newspaper. It's called The Must. Mustang Daily, Cal Poly Mustangs, and a buddy of mine that I live with, Aaron Warshocki, biggest Clipper fan I know, we named it Johnny in the Box. So for like three years, I was on the five-year program. So like my third, fourth, and fifth year, I had an article.

I think it was like every Thursday in the Mustang Daily. And I was like, I like this. It was like an opinion column. I was a big Bill Simmons guy and I tried to kind of copy him. That's what I kind of did. And then my senior year, I got a job, again, senior year, fifth year of Cal Poly. got like an internship kind of unpaid to work for the Kansas City Chiefs. And I went out to Kansas City for like my fall quarter.

I got credit for it. And I worked in the business office. And then at night I wanted to get into football so bad. I started talking to some of the guys on Herm Edward staff. And they said, well, you can help us out at night. And I kind of did that for a couple, you know, probably like a month or two. And just kind of got to see what was going on. And I was like, this is awesome.

Now, I didn't really get to do anything, but just kind of felt like I was a part of it. And again, it was like, it's hard to even explain. I can't even tell you what they had me do. It was like print stuff. I mean, it was so stupid. And the team was so terrible. And then we ended up, my internship ended. I went back to Cal Poly.

I started to get more involved with the Cal Poly football program. I started working in and recruiting. Because, again, I was going all in on this profession. I didn't necessarily know what I wanted to do. like, did I want to be a GM? Did I want to be a media member? I was still writing my football column. It wasn't even a football column.

It was just a sports column every week. I didn't know where I was going. You know, just kind of see what would happen. And then my cousin had played football at Fresno State. So one time I think I was there visiting him, and I was walking through the football offices, and I started talking to the director of football operations. And in football, there, at any Power 5 or any major program nowadays,

and I would count them out in West in that. You have a graduate assistant on offense and on defense. For those of you know, like in the NFL, they're basically the quality control guy. The difference is in college, they don't pay you. The way they pay you is you're on scholarship. So if you're a quality control guy, or excuse me, a graduate assistant at Stanford, at Fresno State, at Alabama, the way they pay you is you go to graduate school, you're on scholarship, and you just basically get the same thing a player again.

You get a monthly stipend. You get, you know, you basically do everything except you coach or work in recruiting and they play. But you are compensated the same way. It's obviously, it's different. I mean, you just work the craziest hours by far of the coaching staff. For me at Fresno State, I got to work in recruiting. And I did that for two years. And it turns out they had, this was back when Pat Hill ran the program.

And he was obviously worked for Bill Belichick, very tied in to the NFL, had a lot of NFL players. I did that for two years. When I first got, Derek Carr had already been committed, but over that period of time, we had Ryan Matthews on the team. So my second year, every major scout, a bunch of general managers, a lot of heavy hitters were coming through the program in the fall

because Ryan Matthews was clearly going to be a top guy. And then he goes to the combine, he blows up, it's clear he's going to be a first rounder, and everyone's coming through. And I realize over that period of time, and it started before then that I kind of wanted to get involved in the NFL. I'd been a big football fan and it was just, it's not one of those things like

I'd grown up dreaming up. It was just one of those things that kind of happened. And Coach Hill was really tight with Andy Reed. My graduate assistantship was kind of coming to an end. He made a phone call and I got an interview and they had like an internship

slash basically the lowest guy on the totem pole. So I flew back there to interview. I had to pay for my own flight. Shows you, you know, where that position is on the totem pole. And I remember walking in to Philadelphia. I'd never been to Philadelphia in my life. I'd spent my entire life either in Davis or San Luis Obispo

in a couple months in Kansas City. But I was a California guy. So I'd go into Philly, pretty intimidating, walk into the office, and you sit down at the cafeteria, and there were like three other dudes there also interviewing for the same spot. I'm like, damn, welcome to the NFL. Interviewed for the job, it was basically just, you know,

you just introduce yourself and spend time with different people like Lewis Riddick. The irony is now you're going to know. all these people. Lewis Riddick, Howie Roseman, and Brett Veach, those were the three guys that I mainly spent time talking to. And you evaluate a couple of players. Nailed it. Shocker.

And I got hired on the spot. It was pretty cool. Obviously accepted the job. And then for two years, I moved back then I did that in 2010 and 2011. My first year, I was technically an intern. My second year, I was a full-time pro scout, but you basically do the same shit in both jobs. My third year, another kind of famous guy, Daniel Jeremiah.

who you now see on NFL Network, who's kind of taken over for Mayock, and he's the draft guy on NFL Network, was leaving the West Coast job to go work for NFL Network. So I'm like, damn, I didn't, it's not that I didn't like Philadelphia, because I did, I just, I kind of miss California. Like, I'm a West Coast guy. I don't thrive on the East Coast. I can spend some time there, but I was ready to go.

So the West Coast job came open. I mean, I started pleading, begging for Howie, to give me the job. You know, I really wanted the job. and I was lucky because most people in the office are East Coast guys. They didn't necessarily want to move to California. I desperately wanted it. It worked out. I got the job.

And it was cool. You know, I basically had the entire West Coast territory from Colorado down to Arizona up to Washington. Now, the shitty part about the Eagles, and really most teams are like this, you drive everywhere. Where in like the South, like if you have the SEC, all the schools are drivable. You know, you have a couple hour drives. Can you imagine driving from like, Saccharacterial? Sacramento to Oregon, from Oregon to Washington. I mean, I had some treks, but it was sweet.

And I got to do that for a year, and then after the season, Andy Reid got fired. So then Chip came in. I thought it was kind of a made guy, because Howie Roseman, GM, anyone that's been listening to this podcast the whole time, I had him on last combine. I'm buddies with Howie. And obviously, I had worked for him for a couple years. Well, then we had some draft meetings, and Chip first got there. And, you know, you listen to this, you know, I'm pretty opinionated.

I crush Matt Barkley. I wanted no part of Mount Barkley. Well, you were like, well, they drafted them. Yeah, it turns out Chip really like Matt Barclay. He had played well against him. So we kind of disagreed and butted heads on that one. Contentious might be the wrong word, but it wasn't ideal for like an area scout

and the new head coach that was making like $7, $8 million a year. I was like, God, that didn't go well. But again, I mean, I was standing up for my opinion? Ultimately, was I right? Matt Barclays actually been in the league a lot longer than I thought. And then things got weird, and it was clear I was going to be part of it. of the team by like the combine. I was like, God, I'm going to get fired or not my contract,

not renewed. This is not good. And that's what happened after the draft. So you work the whole draft period. That's normal in the scouting world. And then it ended. And then I was like, you know, I don't want to move around. I had been, I had moved back to California. I was actually living in San Francisco at the time. I'm like, I'm not going to bounce around. Like, I'm not wired like a coach. I'm not going to go try to work in Kansas City and then bounce to New York. And like, screw this. I worked in the NFL, cool slash a little over. rated. I really wasn't making that much money at the time. Those a lot of people in the league were, but when you're, you know, in your mid to early late 20s, you're just, you have no leverage. So the immediate thing kind of took off locally because we had, we just had a new radio station expand in the Bay Area. So we had two sports stations. One of my buddies that I went to high school with was working there. And I actually lived with them at Fresno State too. And I started coming on a show. And kind of one thing led to another. I started working for this radio station. We got a show. So then for three years, we had a show, and we got the show like in our late 20s,

had to be the youngest show in the country for a major radio station and a major market. We did that for three years, some management change, and I really liked it. I was more suited for the media than I was a scout. And I'm pretty good at evaluating who can play and who can't. But there were things and elements of not being able to control your own destiny. There's business elements of life that I like that you're not going to really do working in the NFL. I aspire to do other. things. And a lot of people that I was around in the NFL, like they were football junkies and that

was it. Like, first off, I like other sports. I'm watching the AT&T tournament in the background. I love playing golf. I love watching the NBA. I obviously love football, but I watch a baseball game every night. I'm a big Giants fan. Like, I like talking and that's what I like more about the media. Like, I can do other stuff. It doesn't necessarily pigeonhole me. But football, I mean, as my as my former radio co-host and now my current other podcast co-host guy, Haberman once told me, if you are going to get pigeonholed in a sport, football is the one. You know, that is the cash cow for America, right? You don't want to be like a baseball analyst. No one gives a shit what you have to say. Again, I kind of do, and people think I shit on

baseball. I actually like it. I do watch. I am by far in the hundredth percentile of baseball consumption for a millennial. But ultimately, the show came to an end. We kind of got into the podcast realm of things and have been doing that ever since. And people, often ask me, how did you meet Colin? And I was like, you know, I've known them since junior high. No, I met him on the internet. I met him on Twitter. I met him through Twitter. Like probably many of you, I'm a huge sports talk radio guy. Been listening since I could, I remember in junior high, I listened to Jim Rome. And then obviously you kind of grow out of that and you, Colin, I'm sure most people can relate to this, was by far the smartest host. Like, I like being intellectually stimulated

while talking about sports. So I had been listening to a show probably since the mid-2000s when he really started taking off with ESPN and was a huge fan. So then when I became just Twitter, I remember when he followed me. It was a really big deal.

There were two people I remember when they followed me. One was Adam Schaefter, and the other one was Colin. And one thing led to another. He asked me, what is it now? Probably a year and a half ago to do this. And, you know, it's been really cool. And it's cool to see everything grow.

but I just, you know, sometimes I just talk and I realize, you know, you kind of know know Colin or Dan Patrick or whoever you're listening to, Bill Simmons, whatever podcast. A lot of people probably listen to this because it's through Colin's feed, don't even know who I am. So that's somewhat of the Cliff Notes version of me in my life, in my plight, and people are like, where do you want to do? Where you want to go? You know, I don't know.

I think the evolution of this media thing for me that also likes the business element of it. Like I sell ads for our podcast that I do with Guy. I do a daily Periscope show on Twitter that I get to sell, that I own. I like the entrepreneurial aspect of that all. So I don't really know where everything's going, but I do know this. The future is podcast. I've worked on radio.

I've worked now in podcasts for a while. I know how people consume their content, you know, and especially younger people. You will not get into a car, but my little brother actually just turned 29 last week. You can't get into a car with him or any of his friends. And the moment what they do is connect their phone to the front panel or whatever, to listen to music or their audio. That's how they consume stuff. So I was kind of forced into this.

I didn't necessarily want to leave radio, but it's the best thing that ever happened to me because I'm with the times and the wave is coming. And, you know, I love doing this. So we'll just keep it rolling. And the plan is to keep doing two. And now let's talk about some football. Well, I think it's pretty fascinating because the NBA trade deadline just happened. And there was a ton of moves.

Only probably a couple really big ones like Marcus Saul got traded. That's probably the biggest one, I guess. I'm trying to think. Tobias Harris to the Sixers. But to me, the big difference between the NFL and the NBA, and this is something that's just talked about a lot. And, you know, it's pretty common knowledge. right? One is a player-driven league and the other is a management-driven league.

And there's a reason to me that the NBA is clearly and always has been behind the NFL. This is somewhat of a theory of mine. I think the common guy slash girl, which is the majority of an America, most people in America are not rich, do not attend games, are not sitting in boxes at NFL games, are not sitting in the lower bowl at NBA games. get to go to games. They can't afford it. Most people have to watch it on television, which is fine for both leagues. Because the way these leagues make money, I don't think people often realize this. The fans pay for everything. Even if you do not spend a dime, whether you

don't buy a player's shoes or whether you never go to an NFL game, if you watch games, you help with ratings in any sport, and that is where the majority of their money comes from. Media rights. Well, media rights is sold off eyeballs. So time is money, and time equals money for these leagues. Your time. My time. All of our times. But I think the NFL is so much more relatable to players, or excuse me, to the fans. Because as a, most of us, we're very replaceable. We're kind of at-will employees, depending on what your job is. Most of us do not make huge, huge casts. Most of us, even if we're good at our job, always think, you know, we should get a little more money. We should get an extra year, you know, potentially in our

contract, we should be able to, you know, given that client or that opportunity, we're always fighting for more. We kind of relate to a lot of the NFL players that always kind of feel like they're getting screwed. And I think the common fan, I wouldn't say necessarily feels bad for NFL players because they do make a lot of money, but understands the majority of guys kind of have to fight for every penny. No, they can be replaced. We can kind of relate to that. And it's why the NFL is the trading deadline and just trades in general have never been that. prevalent? More because it's just so much harder of a sport, not a plug-in-play league. You do see trades in the off-season, but in-season scheme is so important. You can't just fire in a guy

and have him seamlessly transition. Now it happens, but not very often. I think in the NBA, you saw all these trades are all fear-driven, especially in the East. They're all afraid Kauai is going to leave that one day Jimmy Butler will leave this off-season. that, you know, Giannis in a couple years will leave Milwaukee. They're terrified of the player leaving. The great thing in the NFL is you're never really terrified of, you know in free agency you're going to end up losing some guys because you can't pay everyone.

But if you really like a player, you keep them. Why? Because there's a thing called the franchise tag. And you can always maneuver where you can isolate the one guy that you really want to keep. Sometimes there are situations where there are multiple guys you'd like to keep and you have to choose one. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but trades rarely happen in the NFL, and I would just say movement in general out of fear of losing people. Now, one thing that is happening a lot in the NFL,

teams are getting aggressive with quarterbacks on their rookie contract, but they're never in fear of that quarterback on the rookie contract, like the Rams, the Chiefs, the Browns now, the Houston Texans, they're never afraid that they're going to lose their start. young quarterback in free agency. Like every team in the NBA is terrified if you have Giannis, if you have Ben Simmons, if you have, you name it, that guy will leave in free agency.

One, because the money no longer matters to those guys. They make infinitely more money now than NFL players because of shoe deals, because of just NBA second contracts are enormous, that there's an out-of-touch level with their sport when it comes to their players. Do you notice like, even Antonio Brown, he never was unhappy with the Steelers. It was more like he was unhappy with Ben. Like, for the most part, once players sign a big deal in the NFL, they may be mad at losing

or like angry at another player, but they never feel like, I hate this organization. I don't want to be here. We're in the NBA. Every player kind of feels like that lately, besides like Steph Curry. They're always miserable. And that's a pretty big turnoff to fans. Because again, I always get back to this. Fans pay the bills.

And I know Twitter and social media is so progressive and they love the players having all the control. Is that the right thing? Like, seriously, is that 100% the correct business model? Now, it is the business model of the NBA and because of basketball, there are way less players. It's always kind of been like that. Michael Jordan, Magic Joss, whoever,

the top players were always going to be infinitely more important than the second best player on the team. So that will never change. But is it great for the players to just completely run the league? Like the NFL for the majority of my life, and definitely since this new CBA, let's just use post-CBA in 2011, has never seen greater revenue, greater interest.

Now, there are certain things and variables that play just the nature of the sport. You only play once a week. There's more urgency in every game, the gambling. So it's not apples to apples. But doesn't the NFL benefit from having a management GM run league? Now, here's the other thing. Even if your team sucks, you never have to worry about losing your best player.

One day, he's just going to come in and be like, this sucks. It's like, bro, we just signed you to a contract. I'm not saying that doesn't happen, that's never happened, and that won't happen again. But for the most part, the NBA players make way more money and they feel way more unhappy about whenever they're at a situation once they get paid. Like players always are going to bitch and moan, like, oh, we should get more money, we should get more money. But once guys signed deals, they seem relatively happy, you know, in their given cities.

And that's somewhat, if you're the fans, you can take pride in that. Like, you just, this guy's going to be around. Now, if he sucks, it's also good for... 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.

Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsLice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and 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. Trip 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. 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 Hardway. Open your free, I Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff.

Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, Hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rec, my mama wants you to wave at her. What?

Where's she at? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam, Ms. Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast. podcast point game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed.

And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup,

he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get to fly. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick.

Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. You get your podcasts. The fans, I can get rid of them. I've always said, and I will continue to say, that the NFL by far is the best model for a fan, because you never get stuck with a guy for long. We're all baseball fans of different teams,

and if your team has any money, they sign bad contracts, and you're just stuck with a dude. The NBA, especially, not as many crazy contracts get signed anymore because these GMs are so smart, but we've all seen them. You're just stuck with a guy. You're like, God, I can't move this contract. In the NFL, that pretty rarely happens.

Occasionally, there's a crazy albatross contract, but for the most part, they're basically at max like three-year deals. So your team doesn't have to do crazy shit. Make trades because they're scared. They make trades because they're trying to win. They make correct trades. Like a lot of trades today in the NBA were like reactions. We're almost being scared of what a player on their team will ultimately do when the season ends.

Teams in the NFL don't think like that. And I think as a whole, as a league, that is a huge reason that it's so fun to watch, that so many teams have hope. Like, we all benefit from the way the NFL is structured. 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. And LinkedIn makes it easier than ever to find people you want to talk to faster and for free. Create a job posted minutes. I've done it on LinkedIn jobs to reach your network and beyond to the world's largest professional network of 770 million people. Focus on candidates with the right skills and experience.

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Beneficial State Bank member FDIC 2021. Terms and conditions apply. Visit aspiration.com slash zero for more information. Can I tell you about my friends at Shopify? It's the sound of another sale on Shopify. the all-in-one commerce platform to start, run, and grow your business. Shopify gives entrepreneurs the resources once reserved for big business, so upstarts, startups, and established businesses alike,

can sell everywhere, synchronized, online, in-person sales, and effortlessly stay informed. Scaling your business is a journey and endless possibility. I love how Shopify has the tools and resources that make it easy for any business to succeed, from down the street to around the globe. Like mine, Shopify powers millions of businesses from first scale to full scale. Reach customers online across social networks and in an ever-growing suite, integrations and apps,

including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and even more. Gain insights as you grow with detailed reporting of conversion rates, profit margins, and beyond. More than a store, Shopify grows with you. This possibility powered by Shopify. Go to Shopify.com slash John. that's all lowercase for a free 14 day trial and get full access to Shopify's entire suite of features. Grow your business with Shopify today. Go to Shopify.com slash J-O-H-N Shopify. Shopify.com slash John. Okay, let's get into Kyler Murray.

It came out today because I think the Combine released, it's maybe NFL.com or whatever, release the list of names that are a attending the combine. And Kyler Murray, name is on that list. He is attending the NFL Combine. And I think it's going to be fascinating. And here is the number one thing to watch. And I'm going to relate it to this. I'm single.

I internet date. I've been internet dating on and off, you know, for, I don't know, six, seven years. I remember when Tinder first came out, now it's like kind of looked down upon and there's a million other websites or apps, Bumble. hinge, you name them. I mean, there's a million out there. But the one thing with internet dating and anyone listening to experience this knows this, and it's fair for guys too. You know, if you put on a little weight, you throw on your 2014 picture, even though it's 2019. We all do it. There are filters. A lot of times you can match with,

you know, the opposite sex, more with the same sex. You know, we don't discriminate here. And you're like, damn she is hot she looks good and then you go on the date and you're like god she doesn't quite look like what she look like now also you have she looks pretty good and then she looks exactly like her pictures

for the most part I think myself pretty you know what you see is what you get so if you match with me you know what you're getting when you see me you don't quite see the personality which I hang my hat on because I don't on my looks but we anyone that's internet dated has has gone

on a date and met the person for the first time and thought they were going to look a little different than they actually do. Now, sometimes, it's why you usually go to a spot where no one quite knows where you're going, so if it doesn't go well, if she doesn't quite look as good, you know, no one's there to judge you. That's kind of my go-to move. But the point is, you never quite know what they look like, what they truly look like, until you meet them in person.

In the NFL, general managers, and especially the coaching staff, during the, you know, the fall do not really get to go on the road. The coaching staff does not. I mean, they're not going out, you know, to colleges to evaluate anyone. A lot of times general managers, especially on good teams, are not able to leave the team. Just too much stuff going on day to day. They travel with the team. They don't get to see that many players up close and personal. And the ones they do, like if you're playing LA, you might get to go to SC. You know, if you're playing the Saints, you probably go to LSU. Like, you can hit a big school that's in your area if you're playing the Niners, you can go to Stanford.

You kind of get my drift. But you're never going to Oklahoma. So the only time you've ever seen Kyler Murray is either on television or either in your office on the All-22 tape. And listen, anyone listening to this, probably a football fan, you've watched

him, he looks like Michael Vick. I mean, he's incredible, a more accurate Michael Vick, just on television. But here's what we do know. He is not very tall. So the Combine is the first time For coaches and general managers, and I got news for you, the scouts and everyone, and I've been one of those guys that are going into the school.

You can fall in love with a guy or you can hate a guy. At the end of the day, you're not a decision maker. So you give your advice, but you really play a small role in the ultimate acquisition of the players. It comes with the coach or the general manager, depending on who has the juice. And regardless which one does, those two are going to spend the most amount of time deciding on the player, especially in the first round. Maybe the area scout can fight for guys in the later rounds, but when you're talking about a first round player

and a player of Kyler Murray's fame, impact, and someone that's probably going to go in the first round, the owner, the coach, and the general manager are the ones that matter in that. They have not met this individual in person. At the senior ball a couple weeks ago, all the general managers got to meet all the players, got to see all the players, got to eyeball the player. Guess what those general managers are around every day?

Actual NFL players in their building. So you kind of have a feel for what that individual looks like. And clearly size matters in the league. Kyler Murray is going to walk through that door. The way the combine is set up, there are all these, it's like a hotel, and there's like a former where the railroad used to be, and they basically built rooms inside these railroad cars. It's pretty cool.

and they have every team has a little station and basically like a little hotel room that they interview all the players and you get I think a total of like you can interview up to 60 players Kyler Murray will more than likely get an interview now it's only 15 minutes with every team in the league and in that room 100% will include the head coach and the general manager and coordinators

on either side of the ball depending on who you're interviewing obviously and maybe like you know with the with the Cowboys Jerry Jones Some owners go just because they're bored But for the most part They're not in attendance Kyler Murray is going to walk through that door

He's going to be 5'9 And I got news for him. It's going to turn people off. It just will. I'm not saying it's going to make or break His draft status But it's going to be an eye-opening experience Again, like when you go and you date someone

And you meet them for the first time That first look when you get to see the person with your own eyes Not on a filtered picture on some app is an eye-opening experience, good or bad. You know, I'm sure anyone that's done it has had both. And a lot of times when a guy walks in the door, like Quinn and Williams, or I'm just throwing out some potential draft picks,

Jonathan Allen, you know, some of the guys from Clemson, Rishon Gary, Nick Bosa, they are going to look the part. Clearly their film speaks for itself. It's why they're top 10 potential picks. And then you're going to see them, and you're going to go,

that guy's 6 foot 4, 200, he looks the part. When Kyler Murray walks to the door and the majority of general managers that are way bigger than them, I'm just telling you, get ready for this red flag. Because like anything in life, the first time you get to actually have a human interaction with someone, it impacts the way you think about them. Regardless how many times you talk to them on the phone, regardless how many times you emailed back and forth. think about especially when size really matters in what you're doing. If a guy walks through and he's really small.

You know, you can lie on your internet dating profile. I can say I'm 6'4 foot 4. But eventually I'm going to show up and I'm going to be, you know if I'm wearing some boots, maybe 511. So I can lie all I want. If I'm going to see you in person, you're going to find out the thing with Kyler Murray, like no one disputes he's small. It's one thing to be small and having teams seen you. Like eventually all the teams,

that watched Russell Wilson, probably most of the league really liked him on tape, but he was 5'10. And then they met him, and he was still 510. And that's the reason he went in the third round. Now, he's clearly incredible. He should have gone, you know, looking back, it would have been the number one overall pick or whatever. But for the most part, short little midgets do not play well in the NFL. And I get the games change, and I like Kyler Murray. But you're going to read stories.

People are going to red flag them. The internet's going to freak out. And I don't think it's just that crazy. A lot of coaches, a lot of general managers, I think, are going to be floored just because it's one thing to read the number. It's another thing to shake his hand and size them up in person. And when they're way shorter, then that number looks on paper when you actually are standing right next to them.

Not an ideal thing. Okay, let's get into the Middlekopf mailbag. Easiest way to get a hold of me on Instagram. Also, same thing as my Twitter handle at John Middlecough. the DMs are open, write a question, and I will answer them right here on the podcast. Robert Sala was absolutely deplorable as the defensive coordinator last year in San Francisco. With that said, do you expect a new D.C. hire in the near future? If so, who do you expect the candidates to be?

Well, here's the problem. Obviously, he's going to be the defensive coordinator in 2019. So because Jimmy's coming back, I do think the 49ers could be a lot better. I'd say his job status is probably 50-50 as we stand here right now going into the season. When I say 50-50, meaning he'll be the defensive coordinator in 2020. If they win and they get to the playoffs, I think he'll be back. If they win, let's say they go 9 and 7, but the offense is awesome, you know, awesome, throwing up a bunch of points.

Jimmy's like an MVP candidate, but the reason they're 9 and 7 is because they have one of the worst defenses in the league, I think he'll be going. So I do think you have to see big time improvement from the defense. They're going to need some of these young guys on defense, like a Solomon Thomas,

whoever they end up drafting at number two. I guess it'd be a Bosa or a Josh Allen, a guy like that to look like he's got a chance some other young pieces on defense to take steps. So I'd say right now 50-50, he's not around next year. If anything, if you had to ask me to guess, is he the defensive coordinator in 2020? I'd say no, just because he's already been here three years.

They haven't, or excuse me, two, this will be his third. They haven't been good on defense. But I don't think he's just some lock. Now, his one problem is just simply he does not have a lot of equity built up, just as a coach in general, in terms of, you know, think back in the day when Dom Capers hung around forever. He had a bunch of equity built up in the franchise. Andy Reid fired Don Sutton. Is that his name? Bob Sutton, not Don Sutton.

Bob Sutton this year. Well, the first three or four years, the Kansas Chiefs defense was really good. So he had some equity built up in the franchise. Salo really has been pretty terrible for the most part through two years. Shanahan has stood by him. I don't think he could withstand a third year of not being productive, of not having young players grow. Excuse me, grow.

I can't even talk. and just kind of take a step. So I root for him because he's bald. I hear he's actually a golfer too, but it's time to somewhat put up or shut up. He's not really my style of coach on the field, like at practice. I like my guys to be a little quieter, and when they have to yell, they yell.

He's a little bit, a little rah-rah. It's all positive. It's just not for me. Now, people like them that are around them, that I know that know them, but it's time to put up or shut up for sure. Hey John, love both pods. What's your take on the Super Bowl broadcast as a whole?

From a viewer's perspective, the entire watch feels flat. That on top of the low score and all the punts. It's hard to enjoy the game. It just seems like there's a lot of dead air, you know, and BS in the background. I think whenever you have a massive game, whether it's, you know, the Final Four, Super Bowl, World Series, whatever, and the game is really shit.

like the game is just bad. In this Super Bowl, I didn't think it was that terrible because you still had Brady, you know, you still had McVeigh, but when they don't get, it doesn't feel like in the red zone. I'd have to check,

did they not get in the red zone in the first half, any of the teams? That's not ideal. There's only so much the broadcasters can do. Like, there's only so much Romo can say when you're going three and out every series and you're throwing picks, you're turning the ball over.

It's hard for me to blame the broadcast. A lot of times as a broadcaster, you know, you are tied to the game you're calling. It's why a lot of the great calls ever have just come in great games. You know, you never hear some historic call from Bob Costas, you know, Jim Nance, Al Michaels in a blowout, you know? All the historic Jim Nance golf calls, you know, for the masters have been like walk-off putts for Phil Mickelson. Al Michaels, do you believe in miracles?

It was one of the biggest upsets ever. This, the Patriots, were kind of in control of the game. They are the Patriots. I just don't think there's much they could have done. I do know what you're saying, though. I like Romo. I think Jim Nance, you know, is a little cheesy, a little stiff, but he's very on brand for CBS.

That's what they like. That's what they desire. He's their number one guy. He's been their number one guy forever. He's not going anywhere. but I will say that I do think that Romo has How do I put this? Kind of energized them, you know, made him a little happier, I guess, if you can do that.

Because I thought with Sims, the two of them were just so stiff. It was a terrible broadcast. It is much better now. I think Romo adds some youth, some just excitement, some exuberance, just some, he's excited to be there. and there's something to be said, and I don't blame Nancy. Nancy's done it all. He's called Super Bowls.

He's called Tiger Woods Masters. He's called Final Fours. There's nothing he has. He's super rich. While Romo is super famous and he's got quarterback money, you could feel these last couple years, and this is the one thing I do value in what he brings to the table, a genuine excitement as Romo is almost being a fan.

He's just educating us from the fan. perspective, but it sure feels like he enjoys it a lot, and it's really fun to watch. Hey, John. Okay, last question. Dear John, with the Raiders eye in playing at Oracle Park, the 49ers for sure will not waive the territorial rights. But I also have heard if all 30 owners unanimously vote against the 49ers, the Raiders can play at Oracle Park.

Do you see the other NFL owners doing that to the 49ers? I do not. First, this is a big story where I live. the 49ers, every team in the NFL, if they were in the 49ers shoes, would not waive the rights. Now, I do think the Raiders could get a lot of votes simply because the NFL wants this to be over. The other teams are tired of dealing with this BS. But I do think there would be a lot of people that would just stand up on precedent, and you would never want to set this precedent, that another team, if they're in a lame duck situation,

can come into a market that you own. and basically squat there for a short period of time. So I think there would be enough owners in the NFL that would stand on that principle. Plus, the 49ers have a dual stadium that you could just play there for a year. Here's the problem. Mark Davis is so mad at the city of Oakland.

The city of Oakland hates him. It's just gotten really ugly. I think what we've learned, not that we didn't already know this, when you are going to move, just leave. Because if you don't just leave, it gets ugly for everyone involved. It becomes very emotional.

And there are, like I always said, there are fans involved. There are people around here that are season ticket holders that are involved and that are being treated, that are getting the short end of the stick here. It's not fair.

I thought it was a terrible look for the Giants to even get involved. You know, some of their fans are Raider fans in this area that haven't been treated, you know, right is the wrong word, but just, have kind of gotten shit on during this period of time

because their team's leaving. That sucks. On the most basic level, I get why they left. They got free money. Their owners broke. Teams in shambles. They just don't have any money to build a stadium. The owner refuses to sell. They needed a welfare handout.

And Nevada, Vegas, it's one of the last states that somehow just avoids. We couldn't pull that off in California. One, we're just too highly regulated. Like, no one even pays attention. the desert so they can just play with their funny money. And it was basically criminal activity, which I don't blame Mark Davis for taking the cash. But I will say that, you know, if somehow he would have been able to bring in a partner,

give up some equity, I think they could have been successful in the Bay Area. There's just too much money and too many people here. But I will be the first to admit there is bureaucracy and BS that comes with being around here. And the city of Oakland's a joke. I wouldn't want to deal with them either. not that the city of Santa Clara is that much better, but Silicon Valley's right there and they pay for everything. So I do understand why Jed went down there.

And Jed gets crushed for being in Santa Clara. I don't think people realize. When you watch the football life of Bill Walsh, and he's out there at practice with Montana, with Rice, with Young, their offices have been down there, I think since like 85. So it's not, they just picked up their shit

and moved down to Santa Clara. They've been there. Now, I wouldn't have built the stadium there. I personally don't like where it is, but I do get from an economic standpoint why they ended up there. It would have been way cooler in the city. Downtown, you know, stadiums are awesome.

For example, Seattle, I know, Seattle's right downtown, it's sweet. A lot of basketball and baseball arenas are downtown. It's awesome. Niners screwed up there in a sense from a location standpoint, and it stinks for a lot of us that you live an hour away when you factor in traffic.

But I think at the end of the day, my guess is the owner, it'll never get to that point. If I had to take an educated guess, the Raiders play at Levi's, though I think they end up maybe going back to the Coliseum, but who knows? And really, at the end of the day, who really cares? I'm exhausted by this story. Keep the questions coming, slide up in those DMs, at John Middlecough, my Instagram handle. Same thing on Twitter.

You can also tweet at me, and we'll use the questions here as well. So just holler at me, social media. Thanks for everyone for listening. We kind of went a little different on this podcast. We'll see if people like it. If not, I'll be back next week. Talking more ball. See you up.

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This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slical Life 12.

and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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 Smygle and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app. podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th.

And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out.

Quarterback on office blue of 42. A rep. My mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. American Soccer is about to explode.

The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on to earn a score at the chip. Score! I'm Tab Ramos. I'm Tom Boca. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines, the biggest decisions, and the truth about the U.S. national team.

It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tabramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.