The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Middlekauff - 3 & Out - Pats' huge Super Bowl edge; Chiefs' DC change; Future of NFL analytics; Senior Bowl; Derek Carr fight club

Episode Date: January 25, 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 explains why the Patriots' Super Bowl experience is a huge advantage, Andy Reid replacing defensive coordinator Bob Sutton with Steve Spagnuolo, the future of NFL analytics in player evaluation, why the Senior Bowl matters, Derek Carr's beef with Stephen A. Smith, and answers listener questions in Middlekauff's Mailbag.. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, 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, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

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That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming until he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball.

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we'll get into that game a little later. The Chiefs, I think just actually right as I'm recording this, officially hired Steve Spagnola as the defensive coordinator. There was an interesting story that I have some thoughts on how the football guys in the league, meaning the scouting community, like the football guy scouts, are just displeased with the analytics and those kind of the new age personnel people in the NFL. You know, I've had some experience on that working in Philadelphia, and I definitely have some thoughts. Derek Carr arguing back and forth with Stephen A. Smith, a couple nuggets there.

But I've got to start with one thing. And I've said this before on this podcast, and I think we all learn differently. No different than, you know, in school. Football's the same way. Some people learn in a meeting room. Some people learn on the field. Some people can study, you know, through, I don't know, PowerPoints in classrooms. Other people need to, you know, actually do out their homework.

I don't know. Everyone just learns differently. I don't learn very well. I'm just not that smart of a human. Somehow I had got a couple degrees, but probably more luck than it was natural ability. But I went to school of Cal Poly. And it's, for football fans, Ramsey's Barden, drafted once upon a time, third round. Chris Go-Kong, third-rounder.

We're not, you know, not a football factory. One-Double A, blue-collar program. You know, about 30,000 people go there. It's a state school in California. It's basically smack dab in the middle along the coastline between the Bay Area in Los Angeles. And for the most part, people that went to the school were split. A lot of Southern California people, a lot of Northern California people. But the motto of the school, which just kind of fit me perfectly, was learn by doing.

And it's kind of a motto, I mean, it's cheesy or whatever, but it really kind of works for me. The more I do something, the better I'm. I get out of it. And I do think that it works for most people. You learn by doing something. You don't learn through someone telling you. You have to actually do it. Like the more I've done this podcast, the more ability I have to just be more efficient

doing it, know what you guys want, just make it sound better, whatever, pick the right topics. But I also was more equipped to do that because I had worked in radio for a while. If I had never worked in radio and just attempted to do this right out of the NFL, I probably would not be very good. not saying I'm great now, but I got a pretty good idea what I'm doing and what I'm not doing. Well, I've learned that through doing it. And I think when you look at the Super Bowl, you know, you have one team that, let's call what it is,

Trees the Super Bowl like you and I do dinner. It's just part of their life. You know, the Patriots, what, this is the ninth Super Bowl for Belichick and Brady. Say that out loud. The ninth Super Bowl. And it feels like they've been in every Super Bowl the last like 10 years. They've definitely been in like three or four times just in the last. Obviously Denver and Carolina went to the one, but before that, what have they been in four and five years?

Like they go all the time. So to me, obviously teams change in football because of the turnover with players, but their core group. Obviously just beside Belichick and Brady, Grinkowski, Edelman, Hell, Hogan played in one last year. A lot of their defensive or offensive linemen, High Tower, the better McCord. and now his brothers on the team. Gilmore, who came from a bad team, played for the Patriots last year, and was in the Super Bowl.

Obviously, the entire coaching staff, because a lot of these guys, I know Patricia's gone, but Brian Flores, who's actually about to be gone, has been on the staff forever. Like, they've all been through this. The game planning,

the way the week goes, like most people, just like most football players, are creatures of habit. You get in a very consistent routine. Even the playoffs has a pretty common. consistent routine. Once you have that buy, which is a little unique, though you have a buy during the season, you immediately get back in the rotation of you play Sunday, then you play

the following Sunday, and then you play back-to-back games like a normal week, right? Well, then the Super Bowl goes back to a buy week. The difference is, is then you travel to this neutral site. You're not home. You're not on the road. I mean, you are on the road, but it's not a typical road game because the other team you're playing is also on the road. Well, all these guys know how to operate. They know when to tell their wives to do this in terms of how many tickets they can give out. Everything is just kind of natural to the majority of guys on the Patriots, obviously including the coaching staff and the most important player, the quarterback. But Grinkowski, you name it. They're just used to this. Like the advantage they have, and they're always

peaking at this time anyway, but like think how hard it's going to be for the Rams. Jared Godf had never played in a big game before in his life before he got to the pros. And now he's playing in the Super Bowl? He went from playing like they barely got into one bowl game in his collegiate career to three years later he's a starting quarterback of a Super Bowl team. Sean McVeigh, like six years ago, was a tight end coach. Now he's a head coach. Now he's a great coach.

But think of the jump. Now he's clearly really smart and he's clearly on top of it. And they are going to benefit from two guys to see it. obviously Wade Phillips, who just helps him out a lot and is a sounding board for him, former head coach and Ben through the ringer, was just in a Super Bowl, what, three years ago when Denver came right down the street for me. And they played at Levi Stadium and beat the Carolina Panthers. And obviously, Talib was on that team as well.

So they got a feel for it. But for the most part, girly, you know, no. Think about like Whitworth. I think just won his first playoff game of his long, illustrious career this season. So the advantage the Patriots have Of probably just being a better team Like if you just look at them On paper

Assuming Gurley is not 100% Which I think it's safe to assume he's not You go the Patriots should be And I think it's already up to three points Neutral field probably like a four or five point favorite But then when you factor in How crazy Super Bowl week is You're gone for a week

You do all this media obligations It's just crazy You know it's just a wild week that think about my first year in college when you don't have your parents to yell at you like you got to do your homework you got to wake up for school you're like I don't want to go to class today

you kind of just can do whatever you want and my first year at Cal Poly I got the worst grades I've ever got sneaky I don't know if my parents knew this like I don't know if I was going to last long but then you get a hang of everything and then it gets easy like you know how to procrastinate you know how not to procrastinate

well if you're on the Rams like do you really know like I can study a little bit next week And then you realize you're in Atlanta, you're like, I want to go party or I want to go screw around with my brother. You know, well, Brady and Gronk and all those guys know the schedule like the back of their hand because they always are in this game. Now the venue may change, the city may change, but the schedule for the most part doesn't change. The preparation, like this is not just a normal by week. Because in a normal by week, you can study the week of the game. Well, during next week, it's going to be a little difficult just because of all the things you have to do.

Well, Brady and all those guys know exactly what they have to have done by the time they get to the Super Bowl site. Because once they get there, they know exactly kind of like what takes away, how much time you got to spend with your family to exactly what practice is like. Because it's different than any other normal week. The advantage the Patriots have, like, I keep wrapping my head around this game and we'll get to it a lot next week. I just don't see how the Patriots lose. Because the advantage they have in this game from every aspect. The experience, which, again, I think really matters in this game.

I don't know Belichick will tell you, who cares? I do think it matters. Because I saw it a couple years ago when I lived it, when the game was at Levi's all that week being on Radio Row, seeing the Carolina Panthers, they were just kind of happy to be there. They were just excited and screwing around, where the Denver Broncos were kind of pissed off because just two years ago they had been there. They had got their ass kicked by Seattle. they had a huge chip on their shoulder.

Obviously, it was clear. It was probably going to be Peyton's last game. Had a lot to play for. And then they came out and they just kicked their ass. This one feels a little bit like that. Like, are the Rams just going to be happy to be there? And I wouldn't blame them. I didn't blame Carolina.

Like, you should be happy to be there. It's a big deal just to get to the Super Bowl for 95% of teams. Like, this was the baseline of success. Like, the threshold that even began to have a successful season, if you work, coach, or play for New England is just make it to this game. Obviously, the goal is to win it. But anything, like, this game is just the standard. Like, this is what they expect.

No other team expects this. Most teams celebrate just making the playoffs. Like, that's a big deal. There is one championship or bus team. There's actually two in this country. And that's the Warriors. And that is, you could argue Alabama, too, or maybe even Clemson now, and the Patriots. So it's a college team, one NBA team.

and the Patriots. Or it shouldn't be like that in football, but it is because the standard in which they raised it. So I just think the experience, the learn by doing, just their ability to look back on things that worked, on things that did not work, and just be comfortable with the craziness of next week

is something that is just invaluable, and I think is just going to be a big variable and a large variable in why the Patriots end up winning this game. I think easily one of the biggest non-head coaching changes happened this week. And that was Andy Reid fired Bob Sutton who had been. I think a lot of us forget. It just shows you society we live in. Like I say this all the time.

Like people complaining like about, like I complain a lot about the San Francisco Giants because they tick me off. They should operate like the Yankees. Like every even a couple down years, should go all back in and try to be winning championships. And people are like, 2010! They won a championship in 10, 12, and 14. 2010 was almost 10 years ago.

Like, in the pace in which society operates, that feels like 20 years ago. So you can't really live in the past. But in all that being said, this was kind of starting off as somewhat of a defense of Bob Sutton. People forget when Andy first got there and Sutton was a defensive coordinator, the unit was really good. Tomba, Houston. Remember, they had Don Terry Poe.

Derek Johnson was still really good. Eric Barry, before he got sick. They were one of the best defensive teams in the NFL. Alex was not that good. I mean, he was okay, but those first couple years, they were a defensive-oriented team. And their defense was legit. I remember going to a game, it would have been 2014,

so maybe Andy's second year in Kansas City, and they were playing Jim Harbaugh's last year for the 49ers. Levi Stadium. And it was a defensive bloodbath. And I think the 49ers ended up winning, but it was a Alex through a late touchdown. But it was just a physical, like they were kind of like two equals of a team. And I think everyone's all their defense has been shitty forever. Now actually it's been pretty good. And it's been bad lately. And I think the change was needed. But I do think it's just the kind of world we live in. People forget when you, it's just a what have you done for me lately, just society in general.

And maybe you could argue it's always been like that. But I'd say with social media and the pace in which we do everything, we forget things faster than we ever have. Like what you did five years ago has never meant less, ever, especially in football. But I do think Andy was justified for firing this guy. And then there's six years. They were only getting worse. And I don't think he was judging him as much on, you know, statistically where they were

ranked. It was just you watch them. and they consistently blew coverages, guys look like they had nowhere to go, you had to make a change. Because in this day and age, you have to be able to match up in coverage, at least have a chance of knowing what's going on. And that Patriot game was a clinic. Like, you guys have no clue what's coming.

The irony is they run the same thing. It feels like most games, like, hey guys, when James White's in the game, they might run a wheel route to them. You know, that might happen. You know, when Grunkowski, I mean, and then when Romo starts calling out, the plays, you know, it's like, God, do they even practice this? And it's the one thing with Andy Reid, elite offensive coach.

And there, he has consistently been a great offensive coach. To me, this is the best quarterback. I would say most complete quarterback he's ever had as a head coach in the NFL. And don't, don't forget, again, it's a long, long time ago. Donovan McNabb was a pretty damn good player. Patrick Mahomes can become a much better player than Donovan McNabb. So like you're going to be able to win big with his offense. That's clear.

They played like crap in the first half and they still put 31 points on the board. When you combine Andy's play calling and Patrick Mahomes' talent, ability, and upside, sky is the freaking limit. The sky is the freaking limit. But he is dependent on a good defensive coordinator. And when he had his most success in, you know, in Philadelphia, he had Jim Johnson, who you could argue is like a Hall of Fame level defensive coordinator. You know, I know they run a defense.

different defense, a 4-3 defense. But he was kind of the Vic Fangio of his time, like the best DC in the league. Now, he was different, more aggressive, 4-3, and it's what I would imagine, I haven't read any quotes, that Kansas City is going to run. And as a friend texted me in the NFL, and I do believe this now, it's just easier to run a 4-3 nowadays than a 3-4,

because it's hard to find the 3-4-nose tackle. It's more difficult to find the linebackers. With 4-3, it's just easier to find the personnel. and I do think that Kansas City will benefit from this. And bottom line, Coach Reed's going to win a Super Bowl or not, not depending on his offense. They're always going to be able to score points. As long as Mahomes is healthy, and let's call it what it is,

that's the only thing that matters, it's going to be, can they get stops? Like, they don't have to have the number one defense. 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.

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 SportsSlic on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced 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, 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

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and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search learn the hard way, and listen now. 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, this linebacker walks up to me, he goes, wave at her. What?

Come out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Wreck. My mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm CJ Toledano, and our 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 gotta manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

I think Joker's gonna 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 stopped by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash will get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. 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 get your podcasts. It's going to need to be Seattle or San Francisco several years ago. you just need to have come through in-clutch situations. If they can ever just be a good situational defense in these next several years, the Chiefs can win it. And now it's on Steve Spagnola.

It wasn't very good the last time he was a defensive coordinator. But Coach Reid knows them. They have a good working relationship. He has seen the mountaintop, right? He was a coordinator on a team that won a championship and played a huge reason that they got over the hump against the Patriots. To me, getting an inspiring pass rushers will never be the issue for coaches.

It's about can you scheme up and understand and coach coverages? Like, that is the differentiating factor. You listening or me sitting here, like, we could probably coach Khalil Mac or Aaron Donald. Because the position, I'm not saying we could be an NFL coach, but we'd have a chance. I'll tell you what we could not do. We 1,000% could not coach coverages.

We 1,000% could not match up against certain offensive schemes. We'd have no clue. It is the hardest and most difficult part of a difficult job in general. Like, you can build a podcast. Like, I can just talk into a mic. I can download the software. But can you build the software, right? Can you build the software that can isolate where my listeners are coming from?

How old they are. Like, that's the hard part. That's the, like, can you decipher what Josh McDaniels is going to call? what whoever the offensive coordinator now is of Pittsburgh is going to call, right? That's going to make or break this team. I think Andy knew it. I think he made the right decision. And I don't know if this is going to work.

I mean, he hasn't been in the league. It hasn't been great. But you had to make a change, and this was probably the best available candidate. This episode is brought to you by Royal Caribbean, an award-winning global cruise line. A vacation is what you make it. So are you ready to make the most of it? A Royal Caribbean adventure is the perfect opportunity to not just take a vacation, but to take it for all its worth. We know you're eager to get back out there, and with Royal Caribbean, you can make the most of the moment and rise to the vacation.

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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. Well, there was an interesting topic. I actually saw the headline.

I go to Rodo World. It's basically like Twitter before Twitter existed, and you use it a lot in the NFL. It's a fantasy website, but the way it sets it up, you use it in the NFL to keep track of injuries. you know, especially like when you're a personnel, when you're starting off as an intern or the lowest guy in the totem pole, you know, you kind of manually enter injuries in your system. So I go there just naturally every day. It kind of aggregates, you know, in a way because I don't want to go to, I don't go to pro football talk.

I go to Roto World and it does the same basically. But it's much easier. It's kind of like Twitter on a website. And there was an interesting headline yesterday. I'm recording this on Thursday, so this would have been Wednesday. They kind of grabbed my attention. It said, according to NFL draft insider Tony Poline, Pauline, I'm not sure who that is, but some general managers and scouting departments are starting to detest analytics as a means of decision-makings and evaluations.

I thought this was fascinating, and it's been a, I would say, point of contention for years in pro sports, especially the last, what, 10 years, 10, 15 years, as the rise of Billy Bean and Daryl Morey. It's definitely overtaken all of baseball, which, let's call it what it is, is basically a game of individual matchups, and you can judge the game pretty easily like a stock market. Like, it is a very number-centric game.

Basketball, somewhat in the middle, very numbers-driven now with the three-point shot, with foul shots and percentages. But I think it's fair to say that the game, there is to me an element of things that aren't quantifiable. In football, it's hard, right? I do think that we struggle to separate. Like, football has been using analytics forever.

What do you think the 40-yard dash is? What do you think height, weight, and speed is? What do you think, you know, he had 80 catches on the season? But I also think that the new generation of analytics, I guess personnel people and I worked for a guy that is considered one in Howie Roseman and I think what really separated Howie and the thing that I always respect about him is how hard he worked at evaluating players like he always watched the tape he was always calling coaches or people to find out information on a player things that you can't quantify

to then also balance with the numbers. I also think that it is human nature in any industry. When things start to change, people get uncomfortable, right? If you have a job, you're not always into change because that may mean your job may no longer be there. It's just basic like human survival, right? You just, you detest that person because you start thinking, this guy might wipe me out.

You know, it'd be the equivalent of like, Amazon. You know, they charge and they get all these tax breaks and they build these warehouses all over the place because they say they're going to employ all these people. But they really are employing way less people than they possibly could because they use so many robots. And obviously it's different than football scouting, but I think that football scouts are just kind of nervous all over the country that eventually they'll slope more slowly and slowly and slowly just kind of be pushed out and there be irrelevant. And I'd argue with anyone, you just have to adapt for the job. Like, clearly they value analytics and these owners a lot more than they ever have. In the sense that they want you to dive deeper. Like, okay, the guy, yeah, he breaks a bunch of tackles.

If you just say that, do you have any evidence? Now, the football scouts have always, you know, made clips of a guy. Well, now you can also back it. I'm sure they have this in-depth data that you can go, you know, he broke, 20% of initial contact. Just stuff like that. It's not really that complicated. There's only so far you can go, you know, with this stuff.

But at the end of the day, football, I mean, baseball's on the opposite. Your personality means nothing. There is no such thing as chemistry in baseball. You either get guys out or get hits or you don't. In football, who you are as a person, the unquantifiable stuff, like how tough you are, how much heart you are, have, what your work ethic is, is so important. Because lifting and practicing and just working on your craft, you practice, the ratio is like five to one, you know, on a given week.

We're in baseball. You play every day in basketball. You play three or four times a week. So, like, evaluating people is still always going to be the most important job of any front office. Now, why wouldn't you use the numbers with the tape to do? try to balance it out and make the best decisions. But I do understand on the most basic level where if you are a 60 year old football scout,

you start thinking like, am I just going to get blown out? Am I not going to have, are they just going to, you know, basically destroy and evaporate my position? Is it just no longer going to cease to exist? And I think it's understandable for these guys to think like that. But I also think like that's part of when you don't own a kind of, company, as times change, and as systems change, and as information change, you better change with it, or you can easily, in this environment where technology gets more important, right? Every year, every six months, it just becomes more in the forefront of being able to use it,

right? Like 10 years ago, a lot of people didn't email. Can you imagine saying you don't email anymore? Imagine saying that, or you don't text. Like, and I'm not, I'm just relating this to scouts that like in 2019, I do so much of my business and the commerce that comes my way or that I generate other people off emails and texts. I don't call that much anymore. I don't need to. Now, I'm not saying that's a great thing. You know, sometimes you like to have a personal relationship with people, but you don't

necessarily have to have it anymore. If you can just, you know, back up how many downloads I get. if I'm selling a podcast or selling Periscope show on Twitter. Well, you know, in 2019, these scouts, you do have to think outside the box. And anyone that's seen Moneyball knows the way he talked to his scouts, I do think you can look at it and say, well, you don't need to be Billy Bean here, but you do have to bring something else to the table than just saying,

he's fast, he can jump. Like, yeah, we've heard that a bunch of times, and we've missed a lot of times on that. Can you back it up? and I think that's where we're headed. I don't think there's just going to be some mass wipeout of scouts, but I do think the more dynamic scouts, the people that understand how to mesh the numbers,

and again, they've always used numbers, but the more in-depth numbers with the tape and our great judges of people are always going to last. They're always going to have jobs. And I also understand why there is some detesting, right? Why there is some anger from one side. It's natural. When I start forcing you to change, humans don't like change.

We don't like to be scared that whatever we're doing in life might not have value. And that's what I think a lot of guys are thinking. Well, the smart ones, and there are a lot of smart ones, I know a lot of them, especially a lot of young ones, you've got to just slowly adapt. And you'll be fine. If you're good at anything in life, the cream always rises the top. And I think these two sides will continue to mesh. and it's a little bit of a blown out of proportion deal right now.

Okay, let's dive into the Senior Bowl. The two teams coach in this game happened to be in my backyard, Gruden, Shanahan, and, you know, it's arguably the most important draft in Raider history. I mean, the reason you got here, your draft in the top five is because you suck, and you traded one of the great defensive players in recent memory, Kaleel Mack, and you traded one of the better players you've, had in the last 10 years in Amari Cooper. So you have to, that's three picks in the top 27.

And obviously the Niners have the second overall pick. Well, when you draft second, that also means you draft really high in the second round. I think the pick is 36. Because the Raiders, Niners, and Jets all have the same record. It kind of rotates after the first round. So the Niners draft second and then it kind of flips. I think the Jets draft second in the second round, the Raiders draft third, and the Niners draft fourth.

But there is no disputing. this game, I was just doing a little research on the Senior Bowl website because I knew it was a lot. And obviously a lot of top quarterbacks. So this game has become a lot more sexy the last four or five years. Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, Carson Wentz, you know, Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppel. A lot of quarterbacks over the last, you know,

probably half decade, have played in this game. And the quarterbacks in this game, Drew Locke, Daniel Jones, the kid from Duke, is a guy that I've heard a lot of good things about. and someone like, you can't, if you're Gruden, he comes from the Ron Wolf School of Thought, like for the 49ers. Jimmy Garoppel is going to come back off the ACL,

and it's clear Nick Mullins is going to be the backup quarterback. Good find is an undrafted free agent. But when it comes to the Raiders, like, they got Nathan Peterman and A.J. McCarrant. They got to find a backup. And he comes from the Ron Wolf School of Thought, Andy Reed, Holmgren, all those guys. Reggie McKenzie did it a couple years ago with Connor Cook.

He drafted Connor Cook, even though they had just maxed out Derek Carr. You always look, you know, to add quarterbacks. And I really think the Raiders are going to be in position after coaching this game. You know Gruden's affinity for quarterbacks. I will be shocked if he doesn't draft a guy, you know, probably betweens round three and five. Whether it's Trace McSorley, whether it's, you know, Gardner Minshu. He's going to like one of these guys. One of these guys from this game is going to be on their team.

Now, I think the last two years, it's averaged about 33% of the draft has come from this game. I saw John Lynch today on with NFL Network. He's like, Fred Warner, he was one of their better rookies this year, came from the Senior Bowl. Now, obviously, they had scouted him during the year, but they loved him during the Senior Bowl. Both these two teams, like the hardest part of scouting, like anyone can tell you, Rishon Gary's sweet, right? Anyone can tell you, Nikiel Harry is really good. Anyone can tell you guys are really good And it's clear at this practice

You know I don't know how many people are listening You know you guys probably are at work So they're not able to watch the practice Like there are certain guys, Debo Samuels From South Carolina Is just dominating at wide receiver This guy I didn't even know that much about it And he's right down the street from my house

Where I grew up Keelan Doss A wide receiver from UC Davis is kicking ass I mean there are going to be so many guys from this game You know obviously once the underclassmen come out They usually litter the first round But this game usually gets four to six players in the first round But then it just littered the second third and fourth rounds So these two teams like the hardest part of evaluating talent is not whether guy can run

Not whether guy can catch not whether guy can pass rush It's how does he tick like how does he respond in a meeting So when you yell at a guy on the field and then you go correct at the meeting room and then you go back to the field Does the guy get it? Does he understand that and these two teams get a front row seat? They get to do it, you know? And I'd argue this is, it's not a make or break year for Lynch or Shanahan, but they need a big year. I mean, they've drafted now in the top 10, two years in a row, obviously this year, number two overall. Now, you've got to put it in context, Jimmy Garoppel was hurt, but next year with Jimmy back and you're paying him 25 million time to win. Gruden,

you trade all these players, like, you better nail this draft. Well, you can't ask for a better opportunity. And I know Gruden has like, him and Mayok, have like a male erection at this game. I mean, there are not two guys, I promise you. I do appreciate about this, about both them. And I think John Lynch really likes it. Would Kyle rather not be doing it? I've heard yes. And I don't totally blame him. But Gruden is like a kid in a candy store. So it is fun having just watched the practice how much joy he's getting on the field. And we all know that Mayock, I mean, freaking lifts for the senior bowl and the combine. Like you could just rename that, Mayock. So I think both these two teams, their scouts are going into meetings.

Like for those that don't realize, like at the Senior Bowl, two of the 32 teams coach the Senior Bowl. So those coaches get those players in actual install meetings. Now at night, there's like kind of a huge ballroom slash convention center where all the scouts can come and you interview and guys can sit down with head coaches, you know, Mike Tomlin. I mean, all the coaches or GMs are present. So they're. interviewing these guys one-on-one or as a group. So it's not like they necessarily have a lot more inside access, but there is an inside access where tomorrow's Friday.

Well, if you're listening to this, is probably Friday or Saturday. All the NFL personnel people bone out of town Thursday night or Friday morning. So the Niners and Raiders get those guys for like an extra 32, 40-plus hours, just one-on-one with them. And I think I saw Drew Locke was saying that he sat down at breakfast. and Gruden started drilling him about passes, you know, that he screwed up during the season against Alabama. And then you can, I mean, you're getting to have this conversation with this guy over breakfast that is just a unique situation. And it's really more powerful for the teams than it is for the players.

And I've always said for the players, you never, there's been like two major injuries in the last, you know, 10 years there. You go to make money. It's hard to lose money there, especially as a quarterback. If you have a good arm, you should go if invited. And if you're fast and you're a wide receiver, you 100% go because fast always jumps off the field and good pass rushers. My last year in the NFL, Ziggy Ansah, was like this raw product. It was clear.

He was like 6-5, 260, whatever could run like the deer. But he wasn't like, you watch him at BYU and he doesn't know what he's doing. Well, of course he doesn't know what he was doing. He had moved from Africa like three and a half years before. I think the coaching staff found him like on campus. he was playing pickup hoops and one of the dudes was like bro you should come out for the team and they introduced him to bronco mendenthal so yeah he was really raw and then he went to the senior ball practice and wasn't even that good and i vividly remember bret vich i think was on the chiefs

by then text me like bro you got to watch the game tape because sometimes you know Saturday like this Saturday i'm going to play golf i won't watch the game live scouts are out with their families whatever you might not watch the game live you go back and watch the tape and ziggis he dominated the game. It was like a high school recruit that's going to Alabama. You're like, oh my God. And then what happened? The dude went fifth overall.

And I think the guy sweat right now from Mississippi State is doing that. And it's pretty clear that he's going to be a top 10 player. It's really probably, I was thinking about this today. It might be the most lucrative college job interview in America. I mean, it really, for seniors in college, in all of America. I mean, how many seniors get to go to a job convention? That's what this is. And basically interview for a job that's going to pay them anywhere from, you know, a $15 million bonus to at minimum $500,000 a year.

Like, it's basketball, obviously you can make a lot too, but none of the top guys ever work out at the combine. And two, they only have two rounds. When football, you can eventually become a millionaire if you get drafted in the fourth round, right? You play three sweet years and then you get extended. So it's just an incredible opportunity for all these guys. and it is a fun game to watch. Like, I never understand this. And I think a lot of people that listen to me like college football,

but sometimes pro people don't love college football. Well, if you love the NFL, why wouldn't you like watching? Now, specific college football games when you go, well, they got three first rounders. Like, how would you not be interested? It's like the minor leagues. It's where the guys come from. Now, I know a lot of people that aren't maybe not that into college football start getting into it now with the senior bowl and then the combo.

and then we start getting a pretty good idea of who's going to go where, give or take. The marketplace kind of starts, you know, playing itself out. What pick will I have to use to get that guy? How many picks would I have to trade up to get him? Could I trade back from 5 to 15 and still get the guy I want? That's really kind of in full swing right now. And I think they're feeling it out. The other story that's kind of national and it's,

It's kind of local for me, and I've talked about it on my other podcast on my Periscope show. So I can't even talk about it that much more. Derek Carr, getting into it with a first take guy. Listen, I don't take. I've met Stephen A couple times. I like Stephen A. He's a TV entertainer. I don't go to him for opinions on anything but probably maybe a little bit of basketball.

Max Kellerman, I've never heard him utter a word that I take seriously ever, so I don't care what he says. but I think Derek needs to get out of this like clearly he's a little defensive right now and airing your stuff on Twitter is a can't win proposition but I think he needs to get out of the business like we all know especially people around the Bay Area like you're a high character guy you work hard you've played through broken backs you came right back from eight

we get it but like when you always say I'm gonna keep working hard you know part of being a pro is you're just expected to work hard like anyone listening if you have a big boy job and you make a lot of money like no one is, you know, checking the clock when you get to work. You're just expected to be there early and stay late. You know, anyone that makes a lot of money and owns a company. You just put in, you don't count hours. You just grind.

Like, it's just part of the expectation. It's part of the standard. Like Tom Brady is just working his ass off. You know, Peyton Manning forever. Just grinding. Like Russell Wilson grinds. It's part of the deal with being a star quarterback making $25 million. Here's the other thing.

Part of the reason you get all the money is because you get all the praise. Well, usually when someone gets all the praise, that also means when it doesn't go well, you get all the blame. It's usually why you get all the girls. It's why you get all the fame. It comes with being a quarterback. This is part of the deal with being a franchise quarterback. You get shit on sometimes. It sucks. You know, but you make an astronomical amount of money. And it's part of the reason. You are the face of the franchise with the good and the bad. You know, the quarterbacks in the NFL are basically like NBA superstars. They just mean more to the franchise. They are just more.

more popular, they're more well known, they probably get too much credit when it goes well, and they probably get too much blame when it goes shitty. But it's part of the deal. Sometimes you just got to suck it up, you know, but you can't, like, once you get to a certain age in life, you know, probably over like, I don't know, 24, 25, you can't really brag about how hard you work. You know why? Because most people in this country that are successful, work hard. Just as a wise man once told me, my partner, Guy Haberman, that's the price. of admission. You know, you're getting $25, $30 million. You're not only

expected to win games. It's a great part about pro sports. You just need to not say anything, just come back and win games and play well. That's the only thing we care about in pro sports. We don't care. I'll give you an example. No one in the Bay Area ever complains about how much Steph Curry makes. You know, he makes like 35. He's going to make like $40 million next year. You know why?

He just wins MVPs and championships. That's all he does. He just kicks ass. You know who we do complain about around here? Jeff Samarja for the Giants makes about $20 million. Can't get a guy out to save his life. You know? In pro sports, just get the job done.

When you don't get the job done, like for example, Aaron Rogers this year, they started losing. He started getting a lot of crap. Why? Because I think he literally made $80 million over six months. So it was like the money, we, you know, just common,

the average guy in this country kind of resents wealth. Now, we'll respect it if you're just kicking ass. There's nothing we can say. Like, you can talk crap about Jeff Bezos all you want. Like, we all use his product. Like, you can hate on Tom Brady all you want, but no one can dispute. All the guy does is win, right?

It just, it is what it is. But when you're the star quarterback and things did not go well and you're drafting four overall, like, yeah, you're a good guy. You're a high character guy. You've played well at a high level, but you haven't played well lately. So just, there's no reason to clap back. You know, it's a never-ending cycle that you will never-ending cycle that you will not win as a player.

It's why most quarterbacks don't say anything. And it's probably harder for Derek and even the guy's younger than him because they've grown up on social media. I'll say this. Like, I really think millennials, you know, they take a lot of crap. They are a very, very friendly generation. Like, they're more friendly personally than, like, I'm the older end of millennials at 34. I'd say 34 to like early 40s, much just meaner humans.

Most people I know in their 20s are just very, very. very friendly. And I think it's hard for them sometimes just because they're so active and they see it all and they watch it all now. Not that they always didn't. But it's just you can't keep fighting those battles because you will not win them. Okay, let's get in to this thing called the Middlecough mailbag. Slide up into my DMs at John Middlecough and ask away. I actually just had a question again, at John Middlecough on Instagram, slide up into those DMs.

I think I just deleted a question. It was basically why does the media, I don't even know if the media, just us in general, people, when we talk about football, like Brady's playing golf, Russell Wilson's playing, you know, DAC, even though this isn't basketball. It's not like they're on the field at the same time. And I think the answer is pretty simple.

Quarterbacks are just the most famous people. So that's just who we talk about. You know, if you have an all-pro guard, the casual fan's not going to be like, you know what? Anthony Munoz? You know, I mean, it's just not how they talk. I don't know why I dropped Anthony Munoz.

I couldn't think of a sweet guard off the top of my head. You know, Zach Martin, whoever. But you just, it's just not the way we talk. Even though those guys get highly compensated, you know, quarterbacks are just, you know, like I was just talking about with Carr, are just the most important player. They get paid the most, they get talked about the most.

They get the most praise. They get the most blame. They get it all, you know? It's just the deal. Long-time listener could be wrong on a couple points here, but I believe Wade Phillips was the defensive coordinator for Kubiak on the Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50. True. And Vaughn was the MVP.

They also beat the Patriots in the AFC championship game. I think he was one of only a few times that Brady has ever seemed overwhelmed with an elite pass rush like Denver had. Do you think this will be the storyline on game day Brady versus Phillips defense? haven't heard anyone talk about Phillips' previous success against Brady. That's a good question. Let me give a little thumbs up emoji. I do think it's a little different

in the sense that when Brady got his ass kicked in that AFC championship game, and if you remember that, you know, I'm pretty sure Gronk wasn't 100% healthy, but their defensive line was, and I watched so much of them because they were, that wasn't like their heyday

and they were playing the Raiders twice a year. I just watch them a lot. And I'm sure probably a lot of people listening, watch them a lot. They were one of the best teams of the league, so they were always on national television game. It wasn't just Vaughn. You know, it was Malik Jackson,

it was Derek Wolfe, and he's a coaching now, but DeMarcus Ware was still on the team. And then I think they had Shaquille Barrett coming off the bench. Shane Ray, I think, had just been a first round pick, and he wasn't even that good. But their defensive line was just stupid.

and that was a year people forget this. Dante Scardinicca who actually went to college with my uncle. They've been good friends for like 50 years. We had retired and they had another offensive line coach. I think his name was like Guiyermo. I can't even say his name. He was actually just the offensive line coach for the Colts and they just fired him. But my point was that it was just kind of a weird year and this is an all-time great defensive line.

I mean, Vaughn Miller, Super Bowl MVP Hall of Famer. Malik Jackson turned out he was a match. player. Derek Wolf, before some injuries, was an elite player. DeMarcus Ware, Hall of Famer. So I think it's, and if you look back on the defenses that gave him trouble with New York, Justin Tuck, I've met Justin Tuck, he's like in his prime, 6-6-270 can run like a deer. JPP, Kiwanuka, Osi, back in 07, Strayhan. I mean, they had dudes. When I look at this Rams defensive line, Aaron Donald, Hall of Famer. when he plays hard is a mother.

I get this guy credit, never been a huge fan, but Fowler Jr., who they traded for from Jacksonville, former top five pick, has looked a lot better. So their defensive line, I mean, Aaron Donald, you know, I'd put, Von Miller three or four years ago was elite. It's like Aaron Donald. You know, I wouldn't say Sue is quite as good as those other guys. But yeah, I mean, it could happen.

I would say one thing, though, this Patriot team and just the coaching staff because they've lost some of those games, there's not, you could argue, maybe like Walsh, and there were probably a couple like late 80s, Parcells, Belichick game plans. This is probably a top two or three game planning staff in the history of the NFL, that being the combination of Brady, Josh, and Bill, like the combination of the three of them. Like, they're just going to see things getting ready these two weeks that, you know,

beside Parcells and probably Walsh, wouldn't even notice. I'd be a dead serious. I mean, it's just probably the greatest think tank, unlike, because it was just Walsh. I got news for you. Love the guy. He's a legend. Joe Montana's up the smartest guy. And Parcells really had Belichick, and he said in the 30 for 30 that he leaned on Bill.

Like Bill's pro, Belichick, that is, probably the smartest football coach. smartest football coach, beside being the best football coach of all time. Josh McDaniels, say what you want about him. He is an elite coordinator, an elite game planner. And Brady has just turned into like, he's morphed into Peyton Manning. The crazy thing in the early 2000s, like when I was in high school and then I went to college, probably like a lot of people, I love Peyton Manning. I thought he was a badass.

And I was rooted for him against the Patriots. and then eventually it kind of flipped and I kind of became a Brady guy I still like Manning but remember back in the day people are like oh Tom's just winning because of the defense and the coaching staff he can't carry the team

like these last 10 years he's been on a war path a war path of greatness of just kicking ass winning MVPs and winning chips you know and just going to the Super Bowl he kind of became Peyton Manning with like a better arm you know

it's just a genius think tank. So, yeah, I think it'll be a storyline. Aaron Donald's a monster, but man, they get rid of the ball so fast. And Dante Scaredecki is back, and as I think Brady said on his W. EEI show this week, he's the greatest offensive line coach in the history of the league. I'd agree.

Middokhov mailbag. You mentioned Sean Payton's bad play calling in your last episode. Does he get a bit of a free pass as a head coach? McCarthy just got killed for only winning one Super Bowl with Aaron. Peyton has only won one with Breeze and missed the playoffs nearly half the time. five out of a 12 season.

Is he a bit overrated? A guy I lean on in the league, an assistant coach coordinator, has told me multiple times he thinks Sean Payton's the best offensive mind in the league. Now, that could be argued. You know, I think like Andy, they're very dependent on their defensive coordinator. So a lot of those seasons that he missed, their defense was historically bad. They always dominated on offense. I think this team, they made a little bit of a,

calculated risk. Like, remember, they traded up in that draft to get Marcus Davenport. And I was texting with a buddy in the league. I'm like, is Marcus Davenport good? Because they don't have a first round pick this year. And he's like, yeah, he's pretty good. He's a little stiff, but, I mean, he's like six, he's a monster. But he's not like, he didn't have a rookie season.

Like, is he going to be Khalil Mack or Von Miller or Aaron Donald? You know, it doesn't quite look like that. And when you trade up a first round pick, you're basically a player away. Well, now it's going to hurt them this year because they're always kind of tight with the cap because they have a lot of highly paid play. They only have two players on offense, Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara. So I think it's a long way of saying, I think Sean Payton's really good. I think he's a consistent top five coach in the league.

I think it's just hard to win in the NFL. Like he's had some powerhouse teams these last two years. He won. It's hard to lose at home. I'll say that. Like last year, they lost to Minnesota, but that game was on the road. So this year, losing it home near the one seed to Jared Gough, I didn't think. Now, part of it is, I mean, Drew Breeze is 40 years old.

And these last two games, he looked 40 years old. Now, again, I think part, they don't have great offensive weapons. They have one elite receiver and one elite running back that's basically like a pseudo-slot receiver too. Like Alvin Kamara is kind of, you know, Darren Sproul's in his prime on steroids meets like Christian McCaffrey. You know what I mean? He's sweet. But you're better off having a little balance. and that really kind of hurt him in that game. So over, I think he's properly rated.

I think there's one all-time great coach in the league, who's arguably the best coach ever in Belichick. He's in his own little category. And then there's, I think, a group of four or five guys that are just awesome, you know, that are just consistently really good. They're flawed, you know, just like most players are flawed. Even great players have flaws. Like Kevin Durant, you know, he turns them all over.

You know, Sean Payton, he's got some flaws. Andy Reed has some flaws. Pete Carroll has some flaws. They're better. They run circles around most of the league. I mean, they really do. Now, I know Andy hasn't won a Super Bowl, but I think we'd all agree. He's one of the best coaches in the league.

You just don't win it every year, unless you're Belichick. You know? I throw Doug Peterson there. He's pretty damn good, too. There's just a lot of good coaches in the league right now. McFey, Nagy, a lot of young blood. Still, like, I make fun of Zimmer being a meathead, but Zimmer's still a really good defensive coach.

John, big fan of the podcast. What is your opinion on the Nebraska Cornhusters' future under Scott Frost? Will Frost forecast hype come true, or are we going to see them continue to be average? I'm a big Adrian Martinez guy. Their true freshman quarterback who from Fresno had some moments last year, got banged up. I talked to a buddy that worked with Scott Frost think he's big time. I believe in Scott Frost. I just think the quarterback's pretty special.

And if they can keep them healthy, their coaching staff has proven, you know, I was going to say USF, but it's UCF. I mean, they can win. They know how to coach. You just need more talent in that conference. The conference is good, right? Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State. I mean, that's four, and Michigan State's pretty damn good.

I mean, the conference is damn good. And it's physical, but I think they got a quarterback with, I was trying to think, Yeah, Dwayne Haskins is coming out. So, I mean, they might. I like, I'd take Adrian Martinez over the kid from Michigan. I'm trying to get. His name escapes me. Shea Patterson, I'll tell you that much.

I like Nebraska. Now, it's just hard, you know, there's a reason usually coaching staffs turn over. It's probably a little more difficult than you think to bounce back. But as he showed at UCF, he'll bounce back fast. Now, it might be 8 and 4. It might not be like 11 and 1, but I think, and maybe, by Adrian's junior year, so a year from, like, not this fall, but the following fall, they could be a legit team.

Anyways, was wondering your thoughts, another question. On the Seahawks, especially now that the NFC West is loaded with these offensive coaches, McVeigh, Clay, Cliff, and how you think that Pete and Russ are going to match up. Well, I know this right now. The Rams are the cream of the crop. Seattle's played them really well, actually, the last two years. They had a game, I think it was two years ago in L.A., they went toe to toe with them. They played them really well both times this year.

Easily could have won both the games. So as long as you have Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson, like, you're going to be good. Seattle, to me, is going to be better next year than they were this year. Think how many young players they have. You know, Rashad Penny is going to be a year older. He should take a step. I mean, they did draft him in the first round. They have a much higher first round pick this year because, you know,

know, they got knocked out in the first round, so when are they ever drafted in the, you know, like high 20s? Or they might even be like 19 or 20. I think they're 21. But, yeah, I love them, you know. I think that I'm bullish on Kyle and the Niners if Jimmy's healthy, but I can't just chalk them up that they can beat Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson. Like, I've seen some of the best teams.

Like, listen, I know they didn't win the Super Bowl, but I've been watching the 49ers since probably, like, that I can remember, like, 91. So I've seen it's a pretty good team. 92, 93. That 94-N-N-Rs team is one of the best teams ever. Like, the hard-baw-n-n-n-niner's in their peak were unreal. Never won a championship, no rings,

but that team was, could hang with anyone, any era. You know, I know what I saw. And Pete Carroll could give them a game. Yeah, Pete Carroll can coach. Like, you can put him in a parking lot against whoever, and his team's going to hang. So, yeah, I mean, I'm always bullish on the game. in Seattle as long as they have

Russ and Pete. I think it's up to the Rams have proven they can beat them, but the Niners and Cardinals clearly Kyle hasn't and Cliff Kingsbury, I mean, shit, he's never coached a day in an NFL game in his life. So I think he's going to be okay, actually,

but I can't just say, like, I would expect him just knowing what I know now to lose both games to Seattle. I think it's going to be hard for Cliff Kingsbury to win divisional games this year. I'm seriously considering going into sports analysis and wanted to know a recommendation for a great school. My first couple choices are full sale and Hofstra. Any advice?

Well, I went to Cal Poly and was an ag business major and basically transferred into majors a normal business major. I think the key is now with all the avenues from YouTube to Twitter to just everything on the internet. It doesn't really matter what you major in. You know, I know there are some broadcasting schools, Syracuse, Missouri, you name it. There are some big ones. I think you can go wherever. Cream rises, just work on your craft. That's what I'd recommend.

Just if you want to get into broadcasting, whether it's play-by-play, whether it's opinions, whatever you want to get into. Just get behind a mic. Start recording. That's a great thing. iPads. I mean, I do a daily periscope show on my iPad and make money off it. So, I mean, you can do that. You can do it on your phone.

You know, technology is your friend. You don't need to be, you know, I'm lucky that Colin reached out, but now I couldn't, I wouldn't have the reach clearly. But, I mean, I just started a podcast for a while before I started doing this one. So you can just do the, I mean, I just have an Apple computer right now talking into a MacBook Pro. It's a great part about technology. It's really kind of there for you to do what you. You don't really need other people. Now, you eventually do to make money.

And I get to all that. I'm not just trying to sell you on a dream here. but you can start now with kind of bare minimal essentials that you probably already have. So yeah, good luck. Just, you know, you don't need to go to the best school. I mean, so is the guy that couldn't get into any of the schools. One more question. I know you've talked about how baseball is dying and only old people watch it.

What do you think about Major League Baseball expanding and creating new buzz to younger generation? There's been rumors that the A's relocating in Portland being a viable option and financial support, from Russell Wilson and Sierra. Do you think that would reinvigorate the casual baseball fan? Maybe in Portland. I just think that the NFL, and I say it all the time, like, listen, I watch NBA games every day. You know, I watch over 160 baseball games.

Like, I'm kind of a sports loser, but I know most people don't. I think a huge element is just gambling and fantasy football. I do think that the A's could eventually move to Portland. I also think that Seattle is going to get a basketball, basketball team, having scouted a little bit in that area, the University of Washington, Portland State, Oregon, I mean, it's just, it really is one, I went, my little brother got married, we took his bachelor party at Bandin Dunes. It is one of like, Oregon and just

the state of Washington is probably one of the more underappreciated just areas in all of America. No one really talks about it, but anyone that knows knows, like if you, if you're a goal, golfer and you want to play band and dunes, it's pretty incredible. I mean, I shot, and I'm a decent golfer, I shot a hundred and had the time of my life. I mean, it's awesome. It's really cool. Went up there for a couple days, partied, play golf. And obviously, I've gone to, I've actually never been to a Seattle, Seahawks game in Seattle,

but I went to a University of Washington game when they were playing there. Yeah, I mean, I think baseball would work. You'd have to go a dome because it rained so much. I think that's why I back, I mean, my favorite baseball team ever growing up. up even as a Giants fan was that, you know, 95 Seattle team with Griffey and A-Rod and the big unit, Jay Booner. I mean, I batted like Jay Buhner in Little League for like five straight years. I couldn't hit shit, but I had that open stance and now I'm bald so it kind of works. But yeah, I mean, I think that it's just hard. It's just a lot of inventory and people aren't

as interested. But I appreciate everyone. Keep hitting me up. Instagram at John Middlough. and, you know, I'll talk to you guys. Have a good weekend. I'll talk to you on Tuesday, and we'll start getting ready for the Super Bowl. John Middlecop, Three and Out podcast, out. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800flowers.com

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This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where sports slice 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Another podcast from some

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on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert 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?

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And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come until he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.

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