The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Who Wins NFC North? Broncos Poised For Breakout? Pay Micah Parsons? LIV Tour

Episode Date: June 30, 2025

Colin’s joined by John Middlekauff, host of “3 and Out” to talk all things NFL and LIV golf! They start by recapping John’s time filling in for JMac on The Herd and his take on the experience (3:30). They pivot to the NFL and debate whether Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons should be paid top dollar (6:45) and who will win the NFC North (11:15). They discuss the 49ers recent lack of draft success and whether Kyle Shanahan has had too much say in personnel decisions (16:00) and whether Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel could end up on the hot seat if the Dolphins struggle this season (28:00).  Colin argues that the success of Sean McVay inspired a wave of teams hiring young coaches trying to land the “next McVay” (34:00), and they point out that no warm weather or dome team has ever become a dynasty (39:30). They shout out Sean Payton for the incredible turnaround made by the Denver Broncos and argue that the Broncos could be poised to win the AFC West on the strength of their defense (40:30). Finally, they discuss the crazy finish in the LIV golf tournament in Dallas, what to make of Patrick Reed (54:45), the disappearance of Brooks Koepka (1:00:00) and Rory McIlroy’s comments indicating he’s getting a bit burnt out by life as a professional golfer (1:05:00). (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.) Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates!  #Volume #Herd #3andOutSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

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

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

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, 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 SportsSlic on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slicalife-Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on. A Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you're. know is somebody coming after me? Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcasts. Bear knuckle boxing. Yeah. Airs on Vice TV Friday, July 5th at 8 p.m. Eastern. Fighters step into the ring with no gloves, hands and pressure. That's it. No long walkouts, no drawn out rounds. It's fast, direct, and every shot count.

So if you're into combat sports with no extras, this is what you'll be watching. Bear knuckle boxing. catch at Saturday, July 5th at 8 Eastern, only on Vice TV. Find your channel at ViceTV.com. Well, Jemak had some kid duty this past week, and so John Middlkoff came into the L.A. studio and joined me in the herd with flying colors. I knew he would. But it was funny, John, because, you know, the volume is my company, and Fox has their company.

So I've tried not to, like, cross-pollinate, you know, just. I don't want to bother them. But Fox actually came to me. And Witt Album said, I like Middilkoff. You want to use him? And I'm like, oh, I didn't know he was eligible. So he put you on and you were great. You just, I mean, really, it was even you're talking hoops.

Did you have any for the audience? Did you, was it what you expected? Like, you know, when you come to a new show, my only worry was, oh, John would be a bit nervous. he won't know what to do, but our staff's great. I couldn't believe how good you were. Yeah, I mean, I obviously anything you asked me to do, my answer is going to be yes. You know, people ask me if I'm nervous. It was one of those situations where, you know, sometimes in those situations you're like

gunning for a job or you're trying. I'm not going after J-MAC's seat. So I just went in to help you in the situation, but also you and I do a podcast together a lot. I mean, I don't know the exact. number, but the number's got to be over 100 over the last three or four years. So in terms of a chemistry of working with someone, I've watched and listened to you, I don't know, for decades. So it's kind of unique. You're not kind of going in blind working with someone you don't know, even if someone you know from far away. And when I got out of scouting, I did a lot of local TV

work with that in CSN Bay Area. I don't even know if it's still around, but I mean, they have the Giants and the Warriors. So, I mean, I've been on television before in situations other than just going on your show as a guest. So honestly, I wasn't that nervous besides just not wanting to screw it up. And luckily, it's, you know, it's once after the first day, you kind of get a little rhythm. But the lights are bright and you're firing. I mean, it's, you know, I was telling someone the other day, a buddy of mine in the NFL, listen, you're not going to get credit because no one sees the inside of your show.

but your pre-show meetings, the ability to allow, I mean, there's 10 plus people in their ages ranging, I'm sure, from early 30s to 50s, beside yourself. And it is, everyone has a voice. People can say whatever they want. People can chime in. It is, I'd argue it's a pretty unique experience in terms of it. It's not like you're just this dictator at the front. Everyone's firing their opinions. Everyone's involved. that's everyone feels, I'm sure, like they have a piece of, you know, maybe on a given show, they're not as active, but over the course of months, everyone's pretty active in your operation. It's, it was a sight to behold.

Yeah, no, we've got really good people. Scott Holmes, who sits at the very back, so he's the furthest from me. He's actually probably the funniest guy. Yeah. And it was so funny, he was, you know, the first six months he was back there. He'd fire away. And I was like, who is this guy in the back with a beard? That dude is. funny. And he did some comedy writing and does some stand-up. And so he and I screw around and write some essays on Sundays. I found him, I'm like, you know, you're too good not to be doing some writing. You really got a great sense of humor. So we write essay once a week just for something to do. But I'm glad you enjoyed it anyway, because it's a, we really, guys loved having you did a

terrific job. So I was saying this the other day. I think what the Kansas City Chiefs started of doing, and I think the Rams have followed suit, is there's kind of a trend that the Steelers are not doing this, which is, listen, we're going to draft our defense. We're going to stay young, cheap, and twitchy. Defensive players get hurt more than offensive players. So you want a younger defense. We will pay for Chris Jones. The Rams, I think, will eventually pay for Jaredverse. You want to have most of your money on the offensive side. Left tackle, quarterback, weapon, And that feels like what Kansas City started to do with Mahalms. Like we're going to pay for some stuff to help him, offensive line,

but we're going to keep our defense super, super young. You know, because offense is more choreographed. It's more of an offensive league. You want to make fewer mistakes. Now, the Rams defense was the least penalized last year for its age, which just doesn't even make sense. But anyway, this week I talked about Michael Parsons. And I said, I couldn't pay him top of the market.

I like him. But I don't think he has the strength of Jared Verse, the consistency of Miles Garrett. He doesn't play inside like Chris Jones. I don't think he's as kind of intimidating or as consistent as Max Crosby. I don't think he's as good as Trey Henderson. That's my interpretation. How do you, I think he's a splash player and a really good one. How do you view Michael Pars?

Yeah, I think he's better than probably the way. you just described him, but I'm with you, like the upper upper echelon of, you know, of Miles Garrett or whoever they are at their position, Justin Jefferson or Trent Williams, you know, given what you have to pay for a pass rusher, you know, Bosa a couple years ago got $125 million guaranteed, give or takes to what's Parsons, $150 million. I mean, are we talking quarterback contract? But Jerry's already down this road. I mean, the chance to trade him or move on would have been before the draft. And we also know the way that Jerry does business is like anyone thinking, that Mike is going to get paid during the 4th of July holiday, hasn't been following the Cowboys. This is going to happen mid to late August right before the season, and it's going to be absolutely top of the market. And I've always theorized, I don't know if Jerry has this incredible investment. He never likes pulling out the cash till the last second, but he does, I mean, he's done

it very consistently now with Dak, with C.D. Lamb, he waits until the last second on his premium players. They would have been way better off clearly. Like, we have enough evidence now. The market's only going up and up and up. So they should have paid him after last year. It would have been way cheaper, but they're down this road. I'm with you.

If he's the cornerstone, like you're Ray Lewis, you're Reggie White, you're Chris Jones. Because the one thing, Chris Jones, at this point in time, in his career, takes some plays off. But in a big game, he can be the best player on the field. Yes, no question. Michael Parsons can, but, you know, against the run, is he an elite player? I would say no. He's a special pass rusher, but when does a pass rusher come into play? When you're up, 10 points.

You know, is this cowboy team going to be leading a lot of people? You know, I don't know. So I think, yeah, I mean, I like him. I mean, he's definitely a high-end player, but he also plays a high-end position that costs a premium, and any time that a guy like him gets paid, it's going to be an, it's an astronomical amount of money now. It's essentially like what they paid to a couple years ago at quarterback.

I mean, I would imagine his number comes in 175. They come in at 120, and then they'll meet somewhere, 140, 150, 150. So now the Cowboys, to me, it's the way they built their team. They're all in on two players. Micah Parsons and C.D. Lamb. C.D. is an excellent player. Micah's damn good. And a quarterback who's, you know, on his good days, like eight,

and on his bad days, like 16th. And that's, that's, and the coach staff has a lot of question mark. So I don't know. I go back and forth. I know everyone in your down on the Cowboys, rightfully. So usually that's the time, like, when a team actually is better than you think, but you look at their division. they're the third best team in their division. Schedule's pretty difficult.

I mean, Dak, I think we got to ask major question marks about what he's going to look like now off another major, major injury. You know, is he completely immobile? Yeah, I mean, they've invested a lot in the offensive line. So they're going to pay them. And then it's just going to be, he's got to be, you know, a 15 to 18 sack guy to make you feel good about it moving forward. So I was a little surprised you like the Packers doing the NFC North.

and I'll kind of throw out my belief system, which is, I think to win a Super Bowl, you have to have seven elite players generally close to their prime or just out of it. And, you know, there are obviously exceptions. But if you go look at the Patriots Dynasty, it was like Edelman, Gronk, you know, Tom Brady, they'd have Logan Mankens. There'd be a pass rush or somewhere, one great corner. And they always had like six or seven guys who were really step. up big player guys. Now, they, I mean, the Ravens teams with Ray Lewis obviously had that. The Chiefs have mostly had that where they have Chris Jones, one elite corner. They almost always have a good safety. Now they've got linebackers, Travis Kelsey, Patrick Mahomes, again, Joe Tunney for a couple Super Bowls. But it's like at least like five to six really high-end players. So I look at Detroit. And I think Detroit,

Jemir Gibbs, Amarong St. Brown, Hutchison, Penae, Sewell. They did lose their center, which I think is a real thing. That hurts. He was an elite center. But I see about five guys with them who I, I think they have

a young safety we like, right? Who's that? Detroit. Yeah, Brian Branch, the Alabama Kid. Brian Branch. Yeah, yeah, Brian Branch. I like Green Bay's running back, Josh Jacobs. Jire Alexander, I liked two years ago. The receiving core, I thought, was incredibly promising at the beginning of last year.

But now they drafted a receiver in the first round signaling they don't trust it. Here's my knock on Green Bay. Do they have six elite players? Because that's kind of what wins the Super Bowl. Philadelphia certainly just did. Yeah, I mean, I think they're very beholden on and predicated on the quarterback playing really well. And two years ago down the stretch, he was a top six, seven guy in the league, the way he played. Last year, obviously, it was really bumpy.

So, me, if he's a Pro Bowl guy, he definitely has the physical characteristics. I think the question mark on him coming into the season is very fair. I'm with you on Jacobs. I think Kenny Clark is a excellent player. Xavier McKinney, who they signed from the Giants, was excellent last year. I think they're receiving unit. I'm with you. I mean, there were high hopes for a couple of those guys, concussions, injuries.

You know, Watson couldn't catch now. He's got a torn ACL. I think the tight end, Tucker, pretty good. Musgrave is the other tight end. I mean, they got two good tight ends. To me, they are, I'm with you. Like, do they have the Justin Jeffersons and the Micah Parsons and the Fred Warner's? I think you could push back on that, and that's more than fair.

Coaching staff's pretty damn good. Like their talent is good, right? They won 11 games last year and want one in five. So they are a good team. This is a team sport. It's my pushback always on the NBA. There's more talent than ever. Well, it's not an individual sport.

It's a team game. So it's like, are the teams that good? And so I think the Packers are probably better as a group than they are individually. Because I'm with you. If you just did like a draft from scratch in the NFC North, their players might not go as high as some of the other players, but you'd go, they've been running circles around the bears for years. and last year you would have gone into the year,

bears have all these great players. So it is a team sport. Their head coach is not just the head coach who's proven to be good. He's the play caller, which is powerful. And I think Jeff Halfley proved to be a pretty damn good hire. I mean,

their defense was vastly improved. So I more like the reason when we did the segment last week about picking them to win the division is, they won 11 games where the quarterback was banged up and they won one division game. And honestly, they kind of got lucky to win that against the Bears, if you remember. They could have got 0 and 6.

So it's like, that's not going to happen. I would say on average, they're going to split, let's say 3 and 3. And then their culture, I just think that I like their coaching staff. And I'm betting a little on the come on the quarterback, which I could go the other way. But I think they have a long history. Even if they goes Montana Young to Jeff Garcia, if this guy is Jeff Garcia, Jeff Garcia was banging out Pro Bowls. Now, he's got a wild approved.

He's even Jeff Garcia, right? He's going to need a big season, stay healthy. But he got injured in that first game in Brazil. And I just felt like that kind of derailed their whole deal. Yeah. And I think when you're a young quarterback and you get hurt and you get out of a rhythm, I don't think it's like a veteran quarterback who comes back. I felt like Jordan Love never got into a rhythm last year.

He was gone, then he was back, then he was inconsistent, then he had a couple great games stretched, then he struggled. We don't know if he was 100% healthy. So I just, I do think he's super talented. But you mentioned coaching. So there was an article this week. I think it was maybe Thursday. It was after you'd done Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday shows.

Sports Illustrated.com said, you know, now that you've paid Brock Pruittierton, you're coming off a losing season. Let's say Christian McCaffrey gets hurt or Trent Williams. And they're seven and ten. They just, I mean, let's face it, McCaffrey is a, he's the bell cow. He touches it. They're really good. I think Kyle's excellent.

And I, I, you can get away with firing a great coach. I mean, Philadelphia is a factory and they let go of Andy Reed. But, um, I do see something with San Francisco and I worry about. And I, and I saw this the last six or seven years or maybe more with New England. And I talked about it a lot on the air is that Belichick had too much say in the draft. And they started drafting very poorly. I thought Pete Carroll had a stretch, uh, with John Snyder. before the last year, I think it was, maybe the last two, where he had too much power. Pete did

when Paul Allen died. There was a void. There was a hole in the organization. Snyder almost left. You remember, to Detroit. He wanted the power back. And then when he got it back, the drafts were great again. And I thought they had the best draft this year in the NFL. So Schneider. And so you see this. You've talked about this. The coach makes the money. And if the coach starts winning Super Bowls are getting to him, he's going to have a say. I think Sean Payton, this draft, had real say I could tell. Either John Lynch misses a lot or Shanahan has a little more impact than I'd be comfortable with. I didn't love Pearsall as a pick. I thought they've, I think they've drafted too many receivers.

The offensive line drafts picks have been weird. Jake Moody is a kicker third round. I didn't love. There's a lot of real misses. is that shanahan usurping lynch he is the most respected kind of revered guy in the building what do you make of the Niners bad drafts well i think i told you this um around the draft time because i had a personnel guy tell me because he was listening to the podcast he's like the way we describe it is coaches view drafts like a depth chart hey i'm missing a guard we need to draft a guard

high. I don't have a starting guard where front office personnel view it through the lens of over the course of the next three or four years. How do we build this team and see big picture? And I think this draft, you know, for the most part, was pretty clear. Kyle, they had some emptiness in their debt chart, right? Because they let half their team go during free agency and with the cut. So when you make $15 to $20 million, and John Lynch, I think, is one of the highest paid, if not the highest paid GM, but relative to coaches, he's not making as much. And Kyle had in his contract the moment he got hired, he has the final say. Same with Pete. I do think Pete and John over time work together, no different with Kyle and John because they have a high level of respect.

But at the end of the day, the coach, you know, when he's in these predicaments like the Niners were in this season because they had to kind of revamp the roster financially, they had a lot of holes. And the first thing you try to do with holes is plug them if you're the coach. So I think this draft, there's going to be a lot of pressure on these last two drafts. And I'm more bullish on the Niners than everyone else. To me, Kyle Shanahan is going nowhere for the foreseeable future because the ownership just signed Brock Purdy and Brock Purdy's tied to Kyle. So they're getting a couple of year run. And obviously, if Kyle was let go at the end of this year or the end of next year, regardless of these next couple years, he would be hired immediately. He'd be the number

one candidate if he wanted to keep working and would be hired. But people would think about firing their coach, right? So he's not worried about like he's in one of these spots where like a Dayball or McDaniel or some of these guys that might get fired. They're not guaranteed to get another job immediately. Kyle's guaranteed, right, to get immediate another job. But I do think, you know, this season is big because the expectations are lower, but everyone's like, look at the schedule. And I don't know, Edelman, you know, the way they talk about in Belichick, you never,

and I understand it's the NFL, but like their schedule is a lot different than playing the Ravens, the Bills, and the Eagles. I mean, they're playing a lot of the Titans and the Saints. They have no excuse to not win. I think at minimum nine games, and part of it is when you pay a quarterback, you know, it's the Bucky Brooks tractors and the trailers. Regardless where Purdy is, if you're willing to pay them, you should be very competitive with him as your starting quarterback.

I'm hard on Tua, but there is no disputing. When Tua plays 16, 17 games, the Dolphins are just going to be a competitive team, right? So now, even as they've changed the construct of the roster, I think at minimum, anything other than nine wins if you're the 49ers. based on this schedule, based on, you know, investing in the quarterback would be viewed as a disaster. And I expect, because again, it's a coaching league. And I do think Kyle's pretty awesome. And if he wasn't, McVeigh a couple years ago was really humbled by the experience and came back.

And obviously what they've done the last couple of years speaks for itself. You know, Coach Reed when he was fired, had a big chip on his shoulder, came back. That had to be a pretty humbling year for Kyle at 6 and 11 with all the money. They were spending the way they lost those games. Now you bring in Robert Sully, your guy, I think they're going to come with a fury. I think they've got a lot to prove. And I'm higher on Purdy than you are mainly just because of the offense. But I'm with you.

If McCaffrey gets injured, their record with and without him speaks for itself, though they have been very, very open about like he's good. He's in great shape. You know, I know people have been going to practice that he looks good. Last year was weird. You know, the Achilles weren't working. And then he tears his knee when he finally comes back. Yeah. So if he gives them, I don't know, 90% of the season, I think they'd be in pretty, he's a, he's a unique player, right?

Oh, I think he is. I think take out Walter Payton and maybe Barry Sanders. I think he's as good to running back as I've ever seen in my life. Now, Adrian Peterson was more forceful and faster maybe, but he couldn't catch. He had a fumble issue. I think McCaffrey, I, Walter Payton was stronger than Barry Sanders. Barry was shifty. Walter was shifty and incredibly powerful. Pound for Pound. I mean, Maltropayton is one of those. Could have been the strongest guy in league history pound for pound. He was incredible. You couldn't tackle him one-on-one. Linebackers couldn't. So, but I think McCaffrey is in that class. I think he's just a, he's a remarkable player. Nothing says summer like long days, clutch plays and firing off a few

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Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes.

I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential. title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen.

We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. 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. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across.

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

From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. You know, it's interesting. I think the East Coast version of the Niners is Miami. McDaniels runs largely Kyle's offense, Tua like Purdy when he has time to throw.

And decent movement throws a very accurate ball. It's not that I dislike Purdy. I just, I see him as kind of a B guy with an A coach. It's interesting. The one thing though I'd push back, though, is, you know, Kyle for an office. offensive guy is a tough guy. His teams have been tough. I mean, last year they lost games. They are tough. They've gone into Green Bay. They've gone on the road. They go toe to toe to toe with the Eagles. They own the Rams. Mike McDaniel, to me, is not a tough guy.

Kyle, you know, his dad, Mike Shanahanan was a tough guy. He's a tough guy. Mike McDaniels is just not Vic Fangio laughed at him and left. So that is my take. So you beat me to it, But it's my point, is that a lot of times you can take somebody's system in the NFL, but it's to the players respect to you. I mean, there's some of these guys, Bill Parcell's had it, Dan Campbell, Mike Vrable, there's an alpha to stand in front of a bunch of badass dudes, deliver a message and they buy it. And Mike McDaniel, and you know why he's popular with the media. He looks like a sports right.

He's kind of small and quirky and clever and funny. and I'm not disputing his brainpower. But when I watch Miami and I do think they have the system and a comparable quarterback, I think two is more talented, but he and pretty kind of share, you know, don't have huge arms, move enough, accurate, smart guys. But Miami to me, you know, we were talking coaches on the hot seat. Miami has a history of moving off people. And the two years before Mike McDaniel got there, they won, I think, 19 games.

Two years, first two years with him, they won 20. Is that I think a lot of what he's selling is the Niners without any physicality. They're not a physical team. It is just, it's ice cream cake. You know what I mean? Like, there's just nothing to, it's just wasted calories. I think McDaniels, to me, for all the money they've spent, I think he's in trouble in Miami with a bad year. Do you know the irony is the guy they fired Brian Flores because he was awful with offense was an

unreal defensive guy and the team was tough. And then the defense now stinks and their offensive innovation. I mean, it's stalled a little bit. If you could combine those two, you'd have a real good head coach, right? That's right. One thing, you know, I remember talking to Kyle Eusecheck and like him and Kittle, those guys loved Mike McDaniel, right? In the room, how smart he was, how good he was.

He was like a savant with the run game. But it's kind of easy to be close with the players and impress them when you're an assistant coach, because it's not, you're not in charge of finding them or ever getting mad at them in the sense like the head coach or the boss. So you kind of play a unique role, right? You're like middle management, not the CEO laying off everyone. No one blames you. And then you become the guy at the front of the room. And what happened last year? Players were showing up late. And you and I have talked about this. It's obviously not the majority of the team because they can't afford to show up late. It's the rich guys. Well, why do you think they want to trade Jalen Ramsey? You think Jalen Ramsey respects Mike McDaniel?

Well, clearly not by his actions if he's not showing up on time. That's right. Every human being is late every once in a while. But if you're constantly doing it, and Mike even like, listen, my finance system doesn't work. They don't listen. I also think there's an element to, I do wonder, you know, Pat Riley runs a very, very tight ship with the basketball team. It's honestly, it's kind of like a Belichickian football operation. And they've fallen off a little bit because they've lost talent.

But over the course of 25 years, they have been really, really successful. I almost think you have to do that with the football team to even have a chance with your disadvantages. One, it's a unique city. These guys are all filthy rich now in the NFL. There's a ton to do when you factor in. I mean, it's just gorgeous weather, basically, 365. Oh, it is. I've had people in the league say GM for the Dolphins is hard.

You have to draft maturity, free agency. You can't go get the flashy wide receiver with a big personality. It's like it doesn't work there. There's nothing. It's hard to get into trouble in Buffalo. You can get into trouble at noon in Miami. It's like, you can be like, well, what about L.A.? I think L.A. is much more spread out, a little more low-key, not nearly as crazy.

A lot of places shut down way earlier. There is no time limit in Los Angeles or in Miami. A lot like New York City, but none of the guys are living in the city that play for the Jets or Giants. They all live in the suburb. So it's like you're living in the heart of Miami. I wonder if you can win there. It's like one of those places, like some of these colleges where it's like, you can say the same thing for the University of Miami nowadays.

Like you're at a pretty big disadvantage with the NIL, paying these guys millions. Like, are you ever going to compete to win national championships? I don't know. And I, listen, Mike McDaniel, I think they're going to be terrible. I mean, I think they got a chance to be really, really bad. I mean, they are one-two injury away from losing every single game. Yeah, you could fire them. But like, what's the owner going to do?

go after like Kirby Smart because he's going to want some sexy name. I'm just, I'm shorting that French. It's a little bit of a sexier version of the Cleveland Browns. And unlike, like the Cleveland Browns, at least, Stefansky and Andrew Barry,

they would get both get hired. Like those guys are high end. I would hire as my head coach and definitely as my GM. The Miami thing feels like a couple guys a little over their head. And like, honestly, you could put John Lynch and Kyle there. I do think they would have an uphill battle.

Because like you said, the guys you need to, the guys you need to draft, the guys you need to sign. it's just difficult. Yeah, and I also think, and this is a little bit of the Sean McVe influence, so Sean McVeigh is young, and all of a sudden everybody wants to hire the next Sean McVeigh. And so, you know, like Cliff Kingsbury gets a job, and then Brandon Staley gets a job,

and then Mike McDaniels get a job, you know, these younger guys can get jobs, and they don't necessarily have impressive track records, but McVeigh didn't. and it's a copycat league, and then you find out how special McVeigh is. It's almost like Russell Wilson got a lot of smaller quarterbacks drafted. Well, Russell in his prime was about as elusive as any quarterback I've ever. I'm not saying fast, elusive. He also threw a beautiful deep ball and had a great run game in defense to support him, so he didn't get in a lot of shootouts.

It was like make two or three big throws late, and Russell Wilson did. So I think this is what happens in the NFL and always have people copy. and everybody knows it's moved to an offensive league. And you're just getting a lot of like Brandon Staley. I don't think I've ever seen anything like Brandon Staley. Like the media, which is pretty toothless in L.A., it's pretty supportive for a big market media. It's not a Boston or a Philly where it's gnarly and angry or New York

where it's just big and loud. So I think Mike McDaniels feels a little bit like he was sort of in that, hey, that McVeigh wave. I do think Zach Tater's decent, maybe not great. But I think it's a wave. And I think you see that. I mean, people think about this, John, there was a point in the NFL where people were hiking the ball to a running back, the wildcat. And even New England tried it for a while.

It's like, guys, you can't hike the ball to a running back. That's not a sustainable offense. So I think I feel like some of these young guys, Brandon Staley for sure, I think they've been undressed a little bit. Like the league's like they're not ready. I think Brandon Staley is a good example of someone that almost was like trying to play the Ted Lassow version, like a character of a head coach. I mean, he had been in the league for three or four years before he got the job. It was a unique situation in L.A. where it's 2020. You know, they have one of the greatest players in the history of the league in his prime.

They have Jalen Ramsey. They have a great defense. But it's not like he had a long track record of running his own show. And that's only half the team. And then like you said, I mean, I think when you become the head coach, he should never have been put in that situation. Because to me, he's a little fraudulent in the way he acts. Like, he's not comfortable in his own skin. So he tries to be a version of what a head coach was going to sound like.

It's where I give a lot of the Shanahan guys credit. You know, they spent a lot of years around Kyle and even around Mike. Like, it was a pretty intense environment. They're all, like Matt LaFleur is very comfortable in his own skin. Kevin O'Connell, who, you know, not necessarily a Shanahan guy, but McVeigh, around the Grudens, but with Belich. he's just a good looking former quarterback comfortable in his own skin. Obviously McVeigh and Kyle are very, and I think there's an element. You've got to be true.

I think Mike McDaniel is not putting on an act. He acted kind of quirky and weird when he was with the Niners. Like that's kind of who he is. I do think that version is hard with players when, you know, let's face it, he looks a lot different than basically every head coach. And he's not a tough guy. So you can't, to me, you can never fake toughness. It's not like Sean McVeigh.

is some old school tough guy, but in terms of his intensity, his attention to detail, like that really resonates with guys. You know, Dan Campbell, the Tomlins, the Harbaugh's, it's easy for them to be a tough guy because they are tough guys, right? So, you know, you either have to implement it in the way you practice and the intensity in which you practice, or you have to do it with your personality. And that's where I think Mike is kind of lost in no man's line. And listen, his GM, I mean, their roster's not great, not helping them. You have to have the right type players of the line of scrimmage. I mean, when your offensive line is not good. It's hard to be kind of a tough football team. And then, listen, they got a little unlucky,

you know, the Tua concussion thing. Because if Tua just played, I think they would be much more functional, but they're never going to be good. Like, how can you prepare to play in 10 degree weather when it's 90 degrees, you know, in December? It's absolutely, it's literally impossible. There's, unless you're going to fly whatever a week early and just go to Baltimore on Tuesday and spend the week there, which these teams clearly are a little uncomfortable doing because it throws the rhythm of everyone off. And it's a very disciplined, you know, profession where you like to keep people on the same rhythm of the week. Yet, John, we've never had a dome or a warm weather dynasty in NFL history. It didn't go back to it. Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers in the 70s,

the New England Patriots, Kansas City. San Francisco is not warm weather, as you well know. Candlestick was not at all. I mean, how many former Montana January games is it pouring rain or it looks like 58 degrees. It's not 90 degrees there. Yeah. And Dallas, by the way, it has real winters. So, you know, Dallas is maybe the closest to it because for most of the football season until maybe November, it's not chilly. But we don't really have the hogs, the Ravens. We just, if you, and I've said this before, I think it's such a disadvantage. Think about it. We've never had a dome or a really truly, truly, warm weather dynasty.

And so I think weather does play a factor. And I mean, even the way you draft quarterbacks when you play North, flacco, big arm, big Ben, Bradshaw, Brady, I think throws as good at bad weather football as I've ever seen. So anyway, I think even Peyton Manning's teams in the dome, like you say to yourself, well, well, Peyton Manning, Indy. No, they were always good, but they always felt like they were playing second fiddle. I do think playing in a dome and playing in warm weather, I don't think you can fake it.

I just don't think you can fake it. And now for our next segment, Whiskey Business, yes, whiskey business brought to you by Green River Whiskey, the official Whiskey of the Colin Coward podcast. You know, I was, as we go through all this stuff, something popped in my head the other day. PFF had Sean Payton as the second best coach in the league. And I actually, and I'm not saying this because I get along with Sean, and we really hit it off. But I'm also saying this. I don't think he's quite getting enough credit for what he's done in Denver. And some of that is Harbaugh soaks up so much of the glare because he's such a character. And then there's the reigning dynasty in the division.

And now you've got Pete Carolyn, Chip Kelly. So Denver sort of gets lost from a publicity standpoint. But John, think about this. So he goes into an organization and the culture's broken, the quarterback's a mess, and there's impending new ownership. So he goes in the first year. I think they win three more games. He makes Russ functional. He cleans up the offensive line from like 21st to like seventh.

It just got ranked second, by the way. PFF's grade starting the season. It's now second. Last year with Herbert Mahomes Harbaugh Reid, he has a rookie quarterback. They end up leading the league in sacks. It is now a bona fide top offensive line with really one, Cortland Sutton, one dependable weapon. And I just, I looked at them last year and I thought, I thought they'd be good with Bonix.

I don't think we understand. You start looking at that division in almost every other division with the number two O' line, Sean Payton, a very capable young quarterback, leader in Sacks. They get Greenlaw and Hufunga. I'm like, are we, I think what he's done there, last year they make the playoffs with $89 million, I think it wasn't dead cap money. Are we undervaluing? Because of the glare with everybody else what he's done in Denver.

I've watched a couple of his press conferences during OTAs. He thinks his team's pretty good. He thinks his team's pretty good because defensively, they got a chance to dominate. And if you have a dominant defense with an offensive coach who's proven like, how, you're florist. so high. I mean, your fours immediately, like 10 wins. And someone sent me this DM recently. They said, you know, everyone talks about Jaden. And I understand why. But look at, pull up the

stats for Bo Nix and J. I think we talk about Bo Nix like he threw 18 touchdowns. He threw 29 touchdowns. Now, some of these are scheme touchdowns. But his numbers, you know, the accuracy is something that I think he has to work on. Now, the weapons, they have the running back in the draft. But I do think that, you know, is he a guy under Sean Payton? If he just becomes like Sean Payton's version, even if he's not Drew Breeze or whatever, but just like a Jared Gough, a Brock Purdy, like a consistent starter for a while, they're going to be really good for a while. And I know last week you had the Chargers to, they could be to win the division. It's not inconceivable, right? Because he's a, he's a unique second year player. How old is he?

25 years old? Like, he's played a lot of football. And he, I think, in, unless you watch him, he didn't move a lot at Oregon. Sean lets him move. And he can, I mean, he's an athlete. That, that dude is ripped. When I went to the Oregon, Utah game, I saw him play the Huskies, but I was up. So I bought really good seats for Oregon, Utah. I wanted to be behind Oregon's bench.

And he's on the sideline, and he is cut. And you just watch him in these NFL games. And I always kind of look at it when a quarterback runs, how's the outside linebacker? How's the outside linebacker stack up? He runs past him. I mean, when he gets ahead of steam going, he can move past guys. And I remember when Johnny Mansell broke into the league, he went for a couple of runs and the defensive end chased him down.

And you're like, yeah, that's not going to work. That's just not going to work when that guy's chasing you down. But I, Sean is one of those no-nonsense guys. And he's a little gruff. I remember when he said something in Aaron Rogers, you know, when he said something about Nat Hackett. And again, I don't think the media always gives Sean quite a fair shake because he's pretty rough and pretty direct. But that Huffunga pickup,

you know, he's been banged up. He's an elite safety. Well, to me, I mean, two years ago, he was all pro. In Greenlaw, I mean, a lot of question marks with his, with his health. But if you, if one of those two guys is a full-time player, let alone both of them, the violence of their defense will be, it'll be one of the, if not the hardest hitting defense in the league. I mean, They already were right up there last year. And, you know, we talk a lot about this when it comes to quarterbacks, especially young quarterbacks, is the intangibles, the maturity, the focus, the drive. You know, Bo Nix, and Jaden gets a lot of credit for that, rightfully so.

But Bo Nicks should be right there, too, in terms of, you know, the way they spoke about him at Oregon, his maturity, also what he's been through. A lot like Jaden. Like, and I would say unlike Jaden, it's easier to fail at Arizona State. No one really cares. been good. You struggle at Auburn when you're in his situation. Like that was a, that was like an NFL the way they're covered, the amount of people that care, the spotlight that was on him. Remember, he was, I think his first start was against Justin Herbert. Remember that Oregon Auburn game a

long, long time ago? He won it. He played a big throw in the corner. He played a big throw as a freshman into the corner of the end zone to win it. And then his career just kind of unraveled as their program did. And then he went to Oregon. You've seen him in two stable environments, Oregon and Denver and he's thrived. So it's safe to say like, yeah, pretty impressive guy. I would bet on Bo Nix because Sean Payton clearly not going anywhere. I mean, they are a 12, 13 win season away from Sean Payton then getting a huge contract extension, right? He was given five years, 90 million. They have a good year and the trajectory of this franchise. And listen, I would have assumed when Sean got the job that General Patton, the GM would have been fired.

And it's kind of feels like it's worked pretty seamlessly. They've worked together. Maybe Sean's realized, like, got to pick my battles, like, let's just get along. And it feels like they got a pretty stable organism. That's the thing with Pete Carroll and the Raiders. Like Jim Harbaugh's kind of matured. Sean Payton's at a different stage in his life. Obviously, you know, Andy's the most human vich are on the same. It's a really, really difficult division with these guys, like,

that have really figured it out, that have cracked the code, of personality, what it takes, the energy that it takes, what they're looking, they know exactly what they're looking for. It's pretty scary. Yeah, no, I think actually, Patton's a pretty good GM. I thought, I didn't think the problem was, I thought the problem was hack it. And listen, it happens. I mean, Bob Kraft is a good owner.

He hired Gerard Mayo and he just wasn't ready for it. Like, it happens. It's hard to hire coaches. I mean, they took a huge swing on Sean McVeigh and Los Angeles. They wouldn't let him out of the building. That was a, but, you know, at one point, Lane Kiffin was in the NFL and was a pretty good coach. the dysfunction of the Raiders ended that. And they hired Hack it right because they thought Rogers was going to come, which I would have done to at the time.

I mean, that was... Yeah. Listen, Josh McDaniels was a guest on my show, and we've kept in touch. He's a really, really sharp guy. It just hasn't worked his head coach. He's a tremendous coordinator. So whatever the magic is, I don't know exactly what it is. Some guys work, some don't.

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unfiltered approach to sports. You're not going to find it anywhere else. Catch these action-packed live events. Other exclusive sports programs, only on Vice TV. Go to vice TV.com. Vicerb.com to find your cable channel. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it.

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

was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast where people could call in and say, Hey, Jonas.

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

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

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We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levin this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history.

You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them.

Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Okay, so I watched three hours, two and a half hours of live golf. today, it was in Dallas. Tip of the cap, to not only the golfers, but the fans who went, because it looked really hot.

Muggy. I was checking, yeah, it looked really, really muggy. Now that I spend a lot of time in Chicago, that's my reality as well. So I got to ask you, watching this,

where are you on Patrick Reed? So Patrick Reed is not, and listen, golf can be, I mean, you have a caddy, but golf is like one of those sports like it can be like skiing, it can be like swimming. You could be on Team USA, but it's very individual. And guys are creatures of habits. So it's always felt in my life, there's just a golfer

or two on the tour that's either irascible, he's a little difficult, he's not one of the guys. And I always think like, like, I get it. It's, you know, the Ryder Cup is one of the only times we see golf and it's like, it's a collective. But you're, you know, you have to pay for everything You're on your own. I mean, every course is different. Every other team sport, you know, the football fields are the same dimensions. I mean, golf, you go to Augusta, and you're literally the putting, you're putting on glass. Yeah.

I was just talking to somebody, golf with somebody, Robbie Hummel, the former Purdue basketball player, he does some broadcasting. A great guy. And he was, we was talking about he went down to Augusta. Great, and he's just great KD stories. Great. I mean, just funny, funny guy. He was talking about Augusta. He's golf down there. And he's like, you can't even imagine how fast they are. It's just because they don't have a lot of rough at Augusta. So they kind of overcompensate, you know, with the greens. Like, that's the danger. But I've always kind of felt like with golf, like, it's okay. It's okay if you're a little odd or a little gruff. Patrick Reed played very, very well this weekend. Where are you at with him? How do you view him? Well, I think, you know, all these other sports, let's use basketball, for example, over the years. They've had Dennis Rodman, Draymond Green.

You get these different personalities that add elements to the villain nature versus the good guys. Football's had it. Domic and Sue, just different players. Patrick Reed was always, you know, one of those people that, I didn't want to just say rubbed people the wrong way, but just pissed people off. He's had some incidents over the course of his career. But one of the greatest short games in the history of the sport. I mean, you put him right up there with like Sevi Ballesteros, you know, in terms of just a wedge in his hand. He's a guy that from Tiger Woods to since he's been on live, John Rom, and people will go pick his brain as good of a short game that's ever played golf.

And he's, I mean, guys won the Masters. You know, I mean, this guy is a major champion. He almost, I mean, he was in the mix this year. I think he finished third. Yeah, he just is someone that as the game of golf, like, you know, part of golf, get a lot of guys that, especially now, is pretty cookie cutter. you're not bringing much to the table, kind of boring. You do need some personalities. And the golf has always had some of that, you know,

going back to when I was a kid with John Daly to, you know, Patrick Reed brings that. There was an incident, I think, today out there with a fan where Patrick Reed, like, stared him down after the guy was giving it to him. And, you know, Patrick, you need more Patrick Reed's to make this thing interesting. You know, you need some people that are going to throw some curveballs every once a while because, let's face it, golf can be a little boring in nature. You know, this isn't exactly the National Football League.

So, yeah, listen, he's, when he's on, he can play with anybody. Well, he, he, Patrick won a four-way playoff, his first live golf win, had a chance to win on 18 with a putt that was short. But here's my question. Would you put him on the Ryder Cup team? Well, I don't know how close you've been following the Ryder Cup, but we got issues, Colin. America, we are.

They look really good. I mean, their team is just, it's pretty stacked, and our team has kind of fallen off the map. And part of it is, you know, Kegan Bradley, they tried to, you know, change it up a little bit, go with the younger guy. I think they would have liked to go with Tiger, but, you know, for whatever reason, I don't know, Tiger's hanging out with Charlie. He just wasn't that interested. So they went with Keegan, who's now basically played himself onto the team. And beside a couple guys, like, I think you could go with anybody. you know, Bryce and D. Shabo is going to be on the team.

You know, Kepka, I think, would have been a guy they would have liked to pick. He would Drew, I don't know if he's sick or had an injury this week, hasn't played that well. Patrick Reed now, top five in a major, just one today. To me, if he plays well at the Open Championship here coming up, I think he's a type guy. We just need more talent because right now our team, relative to their team, and this is in New York, so the atmosphere is going to be nuts. The vibe are already huge. you know, Kegan Bradley is a northeast guy.

You went to St. John's. A lot of buzz coming into this. Now, Bryson, who wasn't on the team a couple years ago, that's going to add a huge element to the just intensity of it. To me, Patrick Reed's a guy like, why not? He'd definitely be in the discussion. I'll promise you that. So, yeah, he plays well here down the stretch.

I would imagine they're going to have some conversations for sure. What do you think happened to Brooks Kepka, who I thought 18 months ago was going to post sort of the career that Deshambo, I mean, Deschambo really changed not only as marketing and likability and relatability. He feels like the better golfer. I would not have guessed that. I thought he was a bit of a – I thought he was too over the top, Deschambo. I thought it was all off the tea.

Well, he's become a more complete golfer. Brooks Kepka – I mean, again, you get that live money. I get it. You know, you win. And, you know, these good-looking young guys, like Rory McElroy right now is in a weird space, where he won in Augusta and acknowledged it's hard to get up in the morning. It's hard to work on the short game for five hours on a Tuesday. And it was to say that publicly was like, well, that is, that is something to say publicly.

But where is Brooks Kepka now? I do wonder if, you know, when he went to live, there were a lot of question marks with them physically. And then within six months, he won the PGA championship. And he proved everybody like, hey, guys, I'm still here. And I do wonder if there's an element like Rory where like sitting on the range and that Florida heat for three hours. You look at your clock. You've been there for 45 minutes.

You're like, I think I'm going to go into the clubhouse. You know, I think I'm going to go get Arnold Palmer and go hang out with my wife. These got, Brooks won five majors, right? He's one of the greatest American champions in the history of the sport. Unique career, right? Because not like he has 40 wins and five majors. I think he only has like 10 or 11 PJ Tour wins. I don't think he's ever won, maybe one time on Live, but he's just a great major player.

You know, physically, Brooks's was an older, it's like a Bo Knicks or whatever, when he kind of came onto the scene because he had been playing like international tours, the Asian tour, a little bit of a late bloomer. And right now, I mean, I don't know what was going on this week, but he has not played well. You know, that's where I think Bryson, I do think Rory's comments, you know, listen, I grew up on 90s athletes, they were rich, but there was an element where it felt like

they weren't. LeBron just opted in. He's almost made $600 million in his career. That's just the basketball court, right? That's a lot of money. Right. I mean, Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr's like, yeah, I've made a $210 million.

I'm out. He's 34 years old. Yeah. Look how much money. Joe Montana and Steve Young made in their careers combined. So the money now, Rory's probably made, I don't know, if I had to go $500 million on and off the golf course, maybe more. And he's just telling you, you know, I'm 35. I kind of get bored practicing.

And, you know, Kepka was already really well off before he went to live. It's got to. I always, listen, Colin, I admire your work ethic going to that meeting thinking, like, it inspires me. Like, you get up, you're in that meeting. Six o'clock, we're grinding. I'm like, damn, this guy is. bringing it. There's a passion to Brady. There's a passion to Tiger. Not everyone has that. And I do think it's difficult. If you just handed me a hundred million dollars right now at 40,

am I going to have the same work ethic in five years? I don't know. I mean, these guys have made so much money. So I do just wonder the impact. In golf, at least in football, because you go, God, eventually some of these football guys are going to stop? Well, they get yelled at every practice. You ever go to a training section? Like, it's hot. everyone's sweating, people are screaming. And golfers is kind of you out there in the range. And these guys are practicing it like Michael Jordan's course. I mean, it's pretty cool.

You're like, do I even want to sit out in this range right now? So it's hard. No, I've always felt that about golfers, is that, you know, it's almost like boxers. I always wondered why boxers, because of pay-per-view, I mean, boxers were the highest paid athletes for a lot of my life. Connor McGregor, you can make, you can make 40. million dollars. Didn't Floyd make like three flights, like 500 million dollars or something? Yeah, it's like, yeah, I'd be done fighting. Like, you know, there's brain damage. There's brain trauma. So boxing, not in UFC. But, you know, I do. I think the media sometimes has this

wonderment. Like, you know, I can't figure out Rory. And I'm like, great looking guy, made a lot of money. His dream was Augusta. I mean, he won on his 17th trip. And it's like, he's human. Like, man, he just, he's just exhaling. And I totally get it. It's, you know, it's the old Marvin Hagler, hard to, you know, it's hard to get up for that 5 a.m. run when you're sleeping on silk sheets. Like, it's just a reality of it. So I think people are trying to figure out Rory. And I think, you know, the other thing, John, is you just forget, A, golf's really hard. It's an incredible grind. And Rory looks young, right? Brooks Kepka, they're good looking. They're in shape. They look young.

I mean, just think, play Augusta, 17 years. So just to get there takes a while. So I think sometimes we forget with some of these golfers and some of these athletes. Like in football, we have stats. We keep those. And in golf, we talk about majors, but we don't really talk about necessarily about years. You know, with Brady, it's the Super Bowl year or the year he eliminated. Roy McElroy has been playing high-end golf.

And by the way, international golf. You know, he's, I just get it. I think, I think, I think he's taking a big exhale for a year and he doesn't quite know how to communicate that with us. And I also think like in basketball or football, even if you just get into somewhat of rut and get a little content, after a couple games, if you're, let's say, you know, your Dremont or Steph, all of a sudden you're kind of getting embarrassed out there on the court for a couple weeks. You're like, this, no more of this, right? And football, all of a sudden you get hit or tackled. You're like, this sucks, right? So in golf, you're like, whatever, I just missed the cut, go home.

It's not like, you know, especially once you've got to their level, the caddies already super rich as well. I mean, Maria's in this luxury real estate world out here. And they have their caddies go look at homes worth $4 or $5 million. They're caddies. This is, these aren't Tiger Woods caddies. These are caddies of just, you know, the 40th player in the world or the 50. The amount of money that's gone out there in that space,

like these other sports, but even in football, basketball, you still have your teammates that rely on you. You are a good example of like, you have this company people relying on you. Fox, you're in, who's really, it's just Rory, right? And that's, I think sometimes we compare everything to Tiger, like we compare everything to Michael. Those personalities are not normal. They are the extreme, Tom, they're the extreme outlier. Like Tom and Peyton, we got very spoiled. These two guys at the same time, and they were both pretty wired the same way of just do whatever it takes for as long as it takes till they're basically dragged off the field. You know, that's most quarterbacks like, yeah, whatever.

That's kind of the case. Yeah. John Middilkoff, former NFL Scout, Three and Out is the podcast. This has been, this is one of my favorite 50-minute podcast in a while. We touched on so many different angles and so many different teams. Thank God no Aaron Rogers discussion. I'm glad for that for a change. I watched the other night a Nick.

at least two episodes and then she's like, turn it off, I can't take it anymore. Only so much here. Good to see anybody. See you. The volume.

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