Will Cain Country - Will Arch Manning Actually Stay Two Years at Texas? Plus, NFL Worst to First Picks (ft. Armando Salguero)

Episode Date: August 8, 2025

On this Friday sports edition of 'Will Cain Country,' Will is joined by OutKick’s Senior NFL Writer, Armando Salguero to preview the NFL season, break down quarterback battles, and make bold predictions on the teams most likely to surprise or collapse. Is Shedeur Sanders being given a real shot in Cleveland or being set up to fail? If Arch Manning lights it up at Texas this year and is projected No. 1 overall, can the Mannings really say no to the draft? The two also play “Worst to First” and "First to Worst," predicting which bottom-feeders will rise and which contenders are headed for a crash. Are the Vikings overvaluing J.J. McCarthy? Can Jameis Winston lead the Giants to success? Will the Cowboys be great or fall apart? And are the Raiders sneaky good in the AFC West? Plus, Will and The Crew keep you up to date on the latest news surrounding the WNBA's sex toy problem. Subscribe to 'Will Cain Country' on YouTube here: Watch Will Cain Country! Follow Will on X: @WillCain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Your complete NFL preseason breakdown with outkick.com's Armando Salgoro. It is Will Kane Country, normally streaming live every Monday through Thursday at 12 o'clock Eastern time at Fox News, YouTube, and Fox News, Facebook. But always on demand by subscribing. at Apple or on Spotify, as is this edition of Canaan Sports. Who is your candidate to go from worst to first in the NFL? Who's going to win quarterback battles in Cleveland and New York? Will second and third chances work out for Daniel Jones and Sam Darnold?

We break it all down in just a bit with the senior writer at Outkick.com for the NFL, Armando Salgaro. But we've got tinfoil pat and two a days, Dan, because as has been the case for the last couple of days, night after night, day after day, there are updates in the WNBA. For that, we turn it over to our WNBA correspondent, Tinfoil Pat. What's happened now in the association? There have been more arrests. Another individual was arrested for, I believe, he was one of the ones who missed

the other day and he was arrested but last night he missed a game missed he missed throwing the dildo onto the court that's even worse he speaks plainly he speaks plainly on podcast

he speaks plainly when we're not streaming live on digital he rests to sure that the Fox News executives don't download the show on Spotify or Apple but he fears on YouTube and Facebook that vice presidents are tuned in and now of a sudden we hear him

utter the word dildo. I want to say I did it yesterday because it was called the green dildo group. I had to say it. It's part of a new story. It's part of a new story. There's nothing I can do about that. But last night we had another incident. A purple dildo was thrown

onto a court. This time not harming anyone. No one was struck like Sophie Cunningham. But we have a new color and now the betting markets are all a flutter. What's the next color? No one knows. It's crazy odds.

Lime green is still your favorite. Purple, I think you get plus 200. And then it goes on to various colors. What the most popular color is in general for these things? Like just in general, not to throw onto a court? Yeah, just for, you know, whatever people use them for. I wonder what the most popular color is. That's a good question.

Yeah. I bet you can chat GPT that. I'm not going to. computer. Nope. Interesting. I'd like to know. What is the most popular? You can Google it all you want there, bud. Color of choice for dildos. It's just a never-evolving story here in the WNBA. On the bright side, I've seen Sophie Cunningham giving a few interviews where she seems very

capable of laughing about the situation and having a good time. On the other hand, on the downside, I don't remember her name or what team she coaches, but I did see a WNBA coach really, really chastising the public for laughing at this entire thing. She went after quote-unquote radio shows and columnists and said this is very serious. There's been a long history of sexualizing women. What do you laugh in that tinfoil? Because of the meme afterwards, what somebody did to it. Did you see that?

Oh, yes, that too, that too. She's given this very serious elementary school lesson to everyone about it's not funny. Stop laughing. and somebody on the internet took one of the microphones and of course turned it into adult marital item

I love the internet so the entire time she's given the speech she's speaking into a love wand so yeah ever-evolving story in the WNBA

what's up do you think it's jumped the shark at this point do you think it's just it's not as funny anymore no not yet you know one of your one of your Brooklyn brunch crew guys, I thought,

actually said it best when you texted the day. He said, in isolation, it's not that funny. Now, you're, I'm afraid, Brooklyn brunch crew's school mar mentality said, one could even argue it's unfunny. No, it's not unfit. That was lamb, you're right. It's not unfuny, but you could say on its own, it's not that funny. Sure.

But even your guys in the Brooklyn brunch crew admitted, in the aggregate, it's really funny. And then the follow-up was that the funniest part is the extent they have to go through to make this happen. Like bringing it in, buying it, you know, throwing it, figuring out when to throw it, all that stuff is way more hilarious. I love, I want a documentary on how they're smuggling these things in. No, you don't. I want. Because if it goes the way you think it is.

I want documentaries like those guys that used to. to like fly cocaine over the Bahamas and drop them into the ocean and then speedboats would come out and pick them up. I want a whole documentary like that on the dildo smugglers of the WNBA. That's what I want. Like a narco style. In the aggregate, I got to tell you, the WNBA, if they let people like that coach continue to be the voice of this issue, it's only going to make it worse. And it also makes it more funny. The last thing I need is a 50-year-old woman telling me how it's not funny and it's a long history of sexualizing women to make it something that you want to go away. Sophie Cunningham laughing it off is exactly what needs to be done and they'll get tired of

doing this. But if you continue to make this a culture war issue, you're going to lose because there's more dildos than you have time. Pay them. So, here we go. All right, there's your latest on the update in the WMBA. We'll be right back on Will Kane Country. Toronto's main venues like Budweiser Stage and the new Roger Stadium with Go Transit. Thanks to Go Transit's special online e-ticket fairs, a $10 one-day weekend pass offers unlimited travel on any weekend day or holiday anywhere along the Go Network. And the weekday group passes offer the same weekday travel flexibility across the network, starting at $30 for two people and up to $60 for a group of five.

Buy your online go pass ahead of the show at go-transit.com slash tickets. Listen to the all-new Brett Bear podcast featuring Common Ground, in-depth talks with lawmakers from opposite sides of the aisle, along with all your Brett Bear favorites, like his All-Star panel, and much more. Available now at Fox Newspodcasts.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Trey Gowdy host of the Trade Gowdy podcast. I hope you will join me every Tuesday and Thursday as we navigate life together

and hopefully find ourselves a little bit better on the other side. Listen and follow now at Fox Newspodcast.com. Welcome back to Will Cain Country. Today, we're going to be joined by Outkick's senior NFL columnist Armando Sagoro to get us ready for the NFL season. It is your guidebook, your complete preparation for the NFL. Here's Armando Sagero. The NFL is at our doorstep, and to get us ready and break it all down is the senior NFL writer at Outkick, it's Armando Sauguro. What's up, Armando?

At our doorstep, knocking down our door. Will, I'm doing great. man it's that time of year yeah training camp training camp battles preseason it started so if that counts is breaking down our door it is here it's fair to say our attention is on the nfl and let's start armando with the thing that is getting the most attention right now and that is shudor sanders shodore sanders drafted in the fifth round by the cleveland browns is going to start a preseason game for the Cleveland Browns. And that has led many, like the guys on first take and Stephen A. Smith, to say that is unfair.

You're setting up Shadur for failure. Here is Stephen A. on first take. But I'm going to answer this question by saying Shadour Sanders. And I'm going to tell you why. I think he's being set up to fail. That's right. I'm going to say it. Here we are on national television, right?

There's been 11 practices, if I remember correctly. he's been he's been playing against the third unit he's fourth on the depth shot and then suddenly you throw him into the star liner and he hasn't had any reps with the first team at all think about that so you're just going to throw him to the wolves like that huh

I mean you know if you if he had first team snaps in practice I don't say that but he doesn't and then all of a sudden he's starting tomorrow night it's like you want him to fail

all right there's so much there including Stephen A looking into the motivations of the Cleveland Browns wanting Shador Sanders to fail I don't think his point Armando is without some validity it is interesting that if a guy is not practicing with the first team he suddenly

jumps to starting in a preseason game but the main takeaway I have is my goodness no matter what happens we're going to make a victim out of Shador Sanders he's supposed to be drafted in the first round. Now, he's starting a preseason game, both unfair. What do you think, Armando? Well, I'd like to know what Stephen A would propose as an answer, as a solution. Joe Flacco is the starter for the Cleveland Browns, all right? He's a veteran. He's 40 years old

or thereabouts. He's not going to play in the first preseason game because he's the starter in the regular season. Kenny Pickett is second team. He's injured. Dylan Gabriel is 13. He's injured. They've got four active quarterbacks on the roster, and Shadur Sanders is the next man up. So what does Stephen A propose that the Cleveland Browns do? Take Shadur Sanders the next man up and not play him, because then he complained that Shadur Sanders doesn't get a shot. It's ridiculous. It really is. The NFL is not built to have guys fail on purpose because when they do, that means the personnel department is failing on purpose. That means that the coaching staff is failing. And they don't want to be those guys. Shadur Sanders, by the way, isn't going to be playing with starters and he's not going to be playing against starters.

So, I mean, the bottom line is it's his time. He's going to get a shot. He's happy about it, by the way, and we're going to see what happens. You would have been a perfect guy to sit at the desk there on first take with that rebuttal. The only thing you were missing is you should have said, I'd say, one-third into your statement. That's right. I said it. It's a real good way to set up the idea that you're saying something outlandish and you're out on a limb,

but you're really standing on ten toes as to the truth. That was great. That was a great rebuttal, Armando. How do you think it will play out in Cleveland? No NFL team carries four quarterbacks. Joe Flacco seems to be the man. I mean, he's the starter, as you point out. He is 40 years old, but there seems to be no question right now that he is first string.

They traded for Kenny Pickett, right? They had to trade for Pickett from the Pittsburgh state. Steelers, and they showed some level investment. And from what I've read or heard, they like Pickett. Then you draft Dylan Gabriel in the third, which seems to suggest pretty clearly you think of him more highly than Shadur Sanders. Things can change in training camp, but still, he's going to get every opportunity to make the team over Sanders.

And then they draft Sanders in the fifth. So who's not going to be a Cleveland Brown? Yeah, so you ask how this is going to play out. If you want, it depends, the answer depends on how far. you want to go into the future. The way it's going to play out is that the Cleveland Brown's next April will be drafting a quarterback in the first round to be their forever quarterback because they've got two first round picks and they're going to be bad with this group of quarterbacks that

they've got, including Joe Flacko. Now, if you want to go to the end of August and how it's going to play out at that point, my guess is that they could very well keep all four guys will um that depending on how chador sanders plays uh they might not want to expose him to the waiver wire and to being picked up by some other teams um they really like gabriel i don't like gabriel too much i'm bigger than dylan gabriel i'm taller than dylan gabriel that shouldn't happen I shouldn't be taller than an NFL quarterback. Dylan Gabriel is 5'10.

So whatever. And then you've got the two veterans who are the guys that will see game day action if necessary. Joe Flacco is good in short spurts, but Joe Flacco and long spurts will throw you, you know, two touchdown passes and everybody will go, yeah, great. And then in the next half, you'll throw. three interceptions. So that's Joe Flacko at age 40. Kenny Pickett, great in the preseason has been his arc, not so great in the regular season. Is that good or is that a bad situation when you're good in the preseason and bad in the regular season? I'm not sure that that's the answer either, long term anyway. Well, it'll be fascinating. I'm a little more doubtful they're going to keep

four quarterbacks, meaning one of these guys will be on the market starting at the end of August for another team. But you bring it up that the Cleveland Browns will have a new quarterback next season. They have two first round picks. So that's an easy transition into talking about the man that everybody will be talking about for the next two years, unless he is a complete bust. And I have no reason to believe that he will be a complete bust. And that is Arch Manning, the starting quarterback for the University of Texas.

His grandfather Archie Manning has said, no, you will not see him. next year's draft. You will not see him in 2026. He will be the starting quarterback at Texas for two years. So here's the question, Armando. Is that manipulation by Archie, which has been done before in the career of Eli Manning to ensure he ends up someplace they want him to end up? Or is it true? And I will tell you, as a huge Texas Longhorn fan, I have always been led to believe that is true, that Arch and this family want to see two years of development. under Steve Sarkesian. Yeah, if you talk to any NFL personnel person,

they want to invest in a quarterback that has a lot of college experience. It gives them a wider sample size, and it makes them more comfortable. And there's no reason, really, for Archmanning to come out. He's getting paid, by the way, and quite handsomely at Texas, and it's not like he comes from a needy background anyway. So there is no real urgency financially for him to come out. Secondly, the urgency for him is to succeed long term in the NFL. And if that includes the Manning family doing something, as you mentioned,

that they've already done, which is to manipulate the draft somehow, to get him to a team that they want, I think they're going to do that because they, you know, there's a history of it. And history is the best predictor of the future. So there's that situation. Look, I'm not saying that the Manning family hate Cleveland. I know that Jimmy Haslam is very close to the Manning family. But I am saying that the Manning family understands that to maximum,

their interest in Arch Manning, give him experience on the college level, and then we'll see what happens. But what if you do in the face of complete success, Armando? Let's suggest for a minute that Arch has an incredible season at Texas, that they win the national championship, and he is projected to be the number one overall pick. Is that not a hard situation to pass on and say, I'm going to run it all back for one more year because really all you're doing at that point is is factoring in downside the potential for injury it could only get worse for arch for the NFL draft now maybe they don't care if he's

the number one overall pick or he's the 10th pick in the first round as long as he gets to the right team but we've never seen in my memory anyone go i'll pass on being the top pick in the NFL draft I've already done it all in college but I want to go back and be a longhorn well He'd already done it all except Defend the National Championship. There's something to be said for, if you win one, let's go win two. So there is that. Look, we don't know because obviously we don't know who's going to have the top pick or who's going to be the top three teams in the draft next year.

It's going to be fascinating to watch how it plays out and not just on the Texas level, but as the NFL teams jockey for the ability to be the stinkiest team in the entire league, that's going to be interesting to see if indeed the Manning family decides, you've done enough, kid, let's go. My guess is, I'm going to take them at their word. My guess is that he'll be back. All right, let's play a game of Worst to first with Armando Sagero here of Outkick. It happens every year.

there is at least one, often more NFL teams who go from last place in their division to winning the division. And conversely, there is almost always two to three teams that we suspect to be, based upon the most recent history, to be runaway division winners who somehow fall flat and miss the playoffs. So let's play a little game of who those teams might be this year. Let's start with who is going to be first down to worst. who is the team that everyone expects to be good because they have been for about two or three years

and it's always easiest to predict momentum and continuation of the past but they're not going to make the playoffs who's going to disappoint armando well uh so that's a great question and you added the uh really good and not going to make the playoffs and i got to throw up a team that has been sort of really good and everybody loves but i'm not sure that that they make the playoffs, and that's the Cincinnati Bengals. And the reason everybody loves them is because they have arguably the best quarterback in the NFL, the yardage and touchdown pass leader from a year ago, Joe Burrow. And their offense is it lights up scoreboards like the Dickens with Jamar Chase and

T. Higgins and a nice offensive line and all that. The problem with that and what the ball watchers don't always realize is you got to play a little defense, too, and their defense is putrid. It's really bad. Last year, they scored over 30 points, I believe it was seven games, seven or eight games. They lost five of them. So this is a team that's super entertaining. they're going to, you know, they're going to get into a lot of 38, 35 games. Unfortunately for them, they're going to be scoring the 35.

And they've got this issue with Trey Hendrickson, who happens to be their best defensive player. And he's not even practicing because he wants a new contract. And did I mention that's a really good division. The Ravens are good. The Steelers are going to be good. Well, let's stop there because the Cleveland Brown. thousands of the other team.

Okay, let's though explore who, that would be a story that continued from the previous years because that was the story last year, like you pointed out, of the Cincinnati Bengals. But I want to find that team. I want to, you know, play detective here or smart better and find that

team or teams. It's probably going to be two or three that everyone is expecting a lot of and is not going to deliver. And it's not by a margin of a little, it's usually of a pretty great level of disappointment. So I'll forward you one and see what you think.

What will be the situation this year for the Washington commanders? Perhaps once again, the Washington Redskins. I mean, NFC championship game, a really good team. But I do think it's fair to say as good as Jaden Daniels was, there has been some history of a guy having a sophomore slump. You know, we projected C.J. Stroud into the best quarterback in the NFL debate based upon one year. And I don't think the history book is written on C.J.

Stroud, but he certainly came back to Earth. And if that happens to Jaden Daniels, I wonder if Washington is not a candidate for, they weren't first because the Eagles won the division, but they were one of the best teams in the NFL, and could they be a candidate to miss the playoffs? A hundred percent, and I'm so happy that you mentioned the commanders because that's who I was going to go to. And this is the reason why. beyond Jadeny

Daniels. By the way, Jake and Daniels, if you ever see him in person, I've stood next to him, he's a stick. He is a stick.

And gangly and long and thin and he's got, don't hit me or else I might break in two written all over him. And my guess is from talking to people

around the league, they're going to go after him this year. They're going to, they're going to go after him this year. And I'm not saying they're going to try to injure him, but they're going to see how much violence, how much physicality he really is willing to absorb. And if it's, if the body doesn't hold up, they're going to go in the tank. It's as simple as that. Beyond that, you know, they've got this situation going on with Terry McLaurin, who has been the face of the franchise up until, you know, for five years up until Jaden Daniels showed up, and he's unhappy, he's asked to be traded, they're not

giving him the kind of contract offers he's wanted, and the locker room sees that. And although everyone says the right thing, when the locker room sees that, wow, this guy has, you know, sweated and cried and bled for this team and they don't want to reward him because he's on the wrong side of 30, that affects the locker room.

So that's an intangible that might affect them as a team. We'll be right back on Will Cain Country. From the Fox News Podcasts Network. Hey there, it's me. Kennedy, make sure to check out my podcast. Kennedy saves the world. It is five days a week, every week.

Download and listen at Fox Newspodcast.com. or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. This is Jimmy Phala, inviting you to join me for Fox Across America, where we'll discuss every single one of the Democrats' dumb ideas. Just kidding, it's only a three-hour show. Listen live at noon Eastern or get the podcast at Fox Across America.com. Welcome back to Will Kane Country. So the other teams in the NFC that we'd at least need to acknowledge

is probably the Buccaneers, the Vikings. I think that we can say, I think I would not bet against the Eagles and the Lions continuing to be two of the best teams in the NFL. But looking at teams that could come back down to earth or have a bad season, and there's always injury. As you point out, that could be the case with the commanders. If Jane Daniels goes down, that changes the outlook for their season.

But I'm just trying to find that team, or teams, again, that we're just giving too much credibility. not because they don't deserve it, not because they're not good, but because we're always finding something happens and some of these teams had something magical last year. They put it together, and you can't bet on that for another season.

Well, there was definite magic in Minnesota. I mean, they turned San Darnold, who was a five-year bust, into a borderline MVP player, and he got paid as a result. And now they've turned away, from Sam Darnold and have put all their eggs in the J. J.J. McCarthy basket. J.J. McCarthy has thrown exactly zero NFL passes in the regular season. He came out of the draft and

I get it. He won the national championship at Michigan and it was good and he looked good. But it wasn't like anyone said, oh my God, this is a generational guy. This guy is going to raise teams to championships. And yet the Minnesota Vikings, having seen him in a handful of practices last year before he got hurt and was done for the rest of the year,

they're saying he's going to lift us to amazing heights and at least will keep us at the height that we were last year, which is, by the way, I think they won 14 games. I don't have the standing in front of me. I'm going off memory,

but that was a really, great team until they melted down the final two games, the first in the regular season, and then in the first in the postseason. So, I mean, they turned away, they didn't want Aaron Rogers

because they wanted J.J. McCarthy you know, so I don't get that, but I guess we'll see if they know better. And I saw a report the other day, Armanda, that people were saying there

a bit of secrecy. They thought it was secrecy to hide a negative about the way it's going in training camp for J.J. McCarthy. I don't know if that's true. I don't know if they're protecting something they're concerned about with McCarthy. But I did watch quarterback on Netflix. And I did come away from that learning how much Kirk Cousins loved Minnesota. like that was definitely heartbreaking for kirk cousins to not be extended in Minnesota to be better dealed by Atlanta and all throughout that season including when they returned to Minnesota to play it was he and his entire family that had this really warm place in their heart for the Vikings and I do wonder you take a 14 and

two team if they struggle with this young quarterback it's hard to see kirk cousins remaining in atlanta falcon but here we are a few weeks away from the season he's still in Atlanta Falcon. I just wonder if there's not this Cinderella story where he ends up back in Minnesota. I wouldn't discount it. He's a plug and play Minnesota Viking. He knows the offense. He knows everything about the team, the culture, the city. So if anything happens, including McCarthy starts slow and he's kind of like, not what we thought. You know, of a trade deadline is not until midway through the season. So to discard that and dismiss it as a non-possibility would be unwise.

I know that Kirk Cousins, when he went to Atlanta, he thought, well, they're going to give me years, plural, to play. His opportunity was to play a year in Minnesota. When it turns out that the Falcons, you know, pulled the whole. rug out from under him and went to Michael Pennix. His reaction was, if I had known what was going to happen in Atlanta, I would have stayed in Minnesota. All right. And let's move over to the AFC really quickly. Do you see any candidates there to go from first to worst? Anybody that everyone has projected to be good was in the playoffs a year ago. I know you talked about the Bengals,

but anybody, the Pittsburgh Steelers, what are they going to do here? Is Aaron Rogers going to work as a Steeler. Do you see anybody else that you have doubts about that we're already banking on being in the playoffs? I think Aaron Rogers is going to work in Pittsburgh. I think it's going to be good. I think they're going to challenge the Baltimore Ravens for that division. I think Mike Tomlin hasn't won a playoff game in the last six times he's been to the playoffs. I think he gets that done this year. I'm all aboard the Aaron Rogers bandwagon. I'm all off of the Miami Dolphins bandwagon you know that team a couple of years ago opened a lot of eyes when they put up a 70 burger on the Denver Broncos right they just just

you know it was a woodshed whipping but since then they've kind of been unmasked as kind of like this soft finesse kind of team that's all about speed and all about, you know, the plays and the scheme, but then they play good teams or playoff caliber teams or late in the season, they have to go to inhospitable, you know, climates and they wilt. And I don't think that that's a good team and everybody thinks that it is. And so we'll see about that. I don't know, man, everybody, you know, a team that I do like, and we just mentioned, the Broncos, they, they can. came off of that, you know, giving up 70 points, and all of a sudden, my gosh, they have

arguably the best defense in the NFL. And if Bowdox takes a step, they're going to be very good. And I think their coach is capable of getting Bo Nix to take a step because Sean Peyton is, he's amazing. He is an outstanding NFL head coach. okay we're going to come back to this little game in the moment we'll play worse to first in which teams and it happens every year same way everybody says they're not in any good they were in last place and next thing you know they're making a run in the NFL but I want to stop for a minute and have this conversation over at outkick your colleague Bobby burrick has pointed this out everybody's talking about what it costs to watch every NFL game if you got all the subscriptions YouTube TV cable um red zone peacock and on and on, all the subscriptions it would take to get the NFL games and stream them all, it's going to run you close to $700, $687, about, I think the average is, because you could cancel and you could add if you played the game just right, you're going to end up paying about $100 a month to watch the NFL.

And Bobby and my producer here on Will King Country, tinfoil pad have talked about, this is maybe okay for the short term, but this is bad long term. for the NFL. Are you concerned about how much the fan has to pay to watch every NFL game? No, because the alternative is to be in stadium. Do you know how much it costs to go to an NFL game? We're talking about $700 for the year to watch NFL games. I'm talking about $300, $400 per Sunday to go to an NFL game. You have parking.

You have the tickets that are not exactly cheap anymore. Concessions. Brother, you're paying $18 for a hot dog, depending on where you're at. You're paying $15, $12 for, you know, a beverage. And if you've got, you know, unless you're going by yourself, if you've got, you know, like the family with you, you are out a lot of money.

and that's for one game. And oh, by the way, staying at home all season long and paying that money, you're not having to fight the guy sitting behind you, cursing or possibly saying something to your wife or spilling a beer at you or a road rage on the way to or from the game because the guys in the parking lot

are a little inebriated. It sounds like a lot, but, you know, people are investing in, I've got an 85-inch television sitting over there somewhere, and it looks really good. And I can tell you, I get into games free, but there is something to be said for sitting on a couch and not getting all that hassle and watching it in. 4K or whatever it is, the latest technology. It's the perfect, it's the perfect sport for television. I actually agree with you, Armando. I think that my producer, Patrick, and Bobby Burke are a little bit too concerned about this issue. And I'm going to give you two reasons.

Maybe they're too young to understand this, but, you know, guys, our age, the whole concept of watching every NFL game is relatively new to the market. We didn't grow up getting to watch every NFL game. You got a couple. Actually, I think you got three, and then you got one on Monday. You usually got either CBS or Fox had two games, a double header slate, and the other one had a single. You know, so that's really what your options were in the daytime. And by the way, one of those competed against the other.

So you really could only watch two games on Sunday afternoon. And then you didn't have Sunday night football. You had Monday night football. So you watched again on Monday. So that's three games tops. that you were watching a week in the NFL. And then, of course, that's why all the highlight shows on ESPN and everywhere else were so popular

because then you got to see everything that was happening everywhere else across the country. All right, granted, then it changed, but it really wasn't that long ago. It changed, and I know this because, you know, I was an out-of-market fan for 15 years. I lived in New York City and had to watch every Dallas Cowboy game.

Now, I'm blessed, I'm a fan of the Cowboys. I get a lot of national games. So I didn't have to. I could game it. You know, I didn't have to buy every package. It was going to be on cable. It was going to be on Fox to watch the Cowboys often. But I would go to a bar, if not, you know, I'd go down to the street on the Upper West Side,

find one of the many NFL bars. And it's a really fun experience to do that. But you're laying out a lot of money in beers and wings and everything else while you're watching the games. So my point is you're already dealing with a luxury. The idea that you are going to have every game at your fingertips is a modern-day luxury. Didn't add in Red Zone, which is a whole new thing that everybody loves, and by new, I mean

relatively new. You know, what is the Red Zone Channel? Probably a decade old at this point. But my point is, this is, this is a luxury that has not always existed for the football fan. And so what do you do with luxuries?

You pay for luxuries. That's how it works. And by the way, not that many fans want to stream every single game. Like, I don't need every game in the NFL. So I actually think the NFL has some slack. But it's the most popular entertainment franchise in the United States of America, period. Not Hollywood, not streaming services and series on Paramount.

It is the NFL. It's certainly not the NBA. It's the NFL. I actually think they might have more purchasing power with the fan. And the NFL is very smart. Business-wise, they're leaning into all of that. Look, there will be Sundays this fall where the first game is at 9.30 a.m. Eastern time, okay? Because they're playing in Europe. And then there will be a 1 o'clock game. And then there will be a 4 o'clock game. And then there will be an 8 o'clock game. And so you can wake up, roll out of bed at 9 in the morning and watch football, NFL football, all the way until 11 p.m. at night. There will be weeks. when they play on Sunday, on Monday, on Thursday, on Friday, and then again on Sunday.

And later in the season, they're going to throw in Saturday, too, because they don't care that college football is all a flutter about, you know, the NFL horning in on Saturdays. We'll be right back on Will Kane Country. Fandul Casino's exclusive live dealer studio has your chance at the number one feeling, winning, which beats even the 27th best feeling, saying I do. Who wants this last parachute? I do. Enjoy the number one feeling.

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The NFL has got a 10% stake in Disney by selling the NFL network and such to ESPN. ESPN's going to package as part of his digital streaming service. You know, they're going to get a certain slate of games. But it is very, very fair. It's not fair even. It's accurate to say this has to change ESPN's coverage of the NFL. It just has to. Critical coverage will be much harder to find if you want it.

I think there's a legitimate question about how much people even want, you know, the in-depth reporting on the problems of the NFL or people like to complain about Roger Goodell, but or the officiating, I think it's accurate to say it's going to change how ESPN covers the NFL. Are you concerned at all about these two getting into bed? Well, definitely there's a journalistic conflict of interest, okay, because now the journalists are covering their, quote, unquote, owner. The NFL is going to own a 10% stake in ESPN. And I know for a fact, because I've been told by the people who work there,

the NFL network, for example, avoided certain stories because they were not something the NFL wanted covered on its own platform. And so now the NFL is going to have a wider platform. forum and an obvious stake in ESPN. There will be some interesting editorial meetings where reporters will go, well, is this going to be okay with our owner? And that conversation has never been had. In the past, it was always, is this going to be okay with our partner? There's a big difference there. And oh, by the way, the big winner here is obviously the NFL. I Obviously, ESPN, and did I mention the President of the United States, Donald Trump?

He wins big time on this deal. And the reason for that, I don't know if you care, if you want me to tell you or not, the reason for that is this deal is going to require federal oversight and approval from the DOJ. So the NFL and ESPN need oversight and approval from the DOJ that is. run by Pam Bondi, who is serving on President Donald Trump's cabinet and serves at the pleasure of the president. And the president is not shy about using whatever powers and levers he has, as he showed when he threatened the Washington commanders on their stadium, if they don't change their name to Redskins. is he going to use that power and those levers if it ever comes to a point where he doesn't agree

with what ESPN or the NFL is doing? My guess is you're giving him power. He's going to wield it. Wow. So what you're saying is no more segments on first take about racist Donald Trump. That's what you're saying. While you're pending DOJ approval.

That's fascinating. I haven't thought about that. Armando, absolutely fascinating. Before we go back to worse to first, let's talk about a few quarterbacks who have an opportunity to resurrect themselves while others are seemingly falling flat. So Anthony Richardson just got hurt,

first round draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts. Sitting right behind him, Danny Dimes, Daniel Jones. I think you and I've had this conversation before, Romano, and you come at this from a different perspective than I do, I'm just so attracted to the concept of the diamond in the rough. I'm so attracted to second chances. I'm so attracted to the idea that success is situational. I know that to be a fact of life. That sometimes I wonder, hey, have we not seen there could be something better for Daniel Jones? And you and I had this conversation, I believe, about a bunch of quarterbacks. Well, I'll give you one that has proven

my proposition to be the case. And that is Baker Mayfield. Baker Mayfield has, has really turned the page on being called a bust after Cleveland. And I don't even remember where all Baker's cups of coffee were after Cleveland. I think wasn't he with the Rams for a little bit and a few other places? And now look at him. People, I don't believe this to be the case, but people rank him ahead of Dak Prescott in the NFC. So my question is, could we see a similar future for Daniel Jones? No.

And the reason for that is, yes, Situation matters, but makeup matters as well. And I'm not talking about cosmetics. I'm talking about in your chest and up here and desire and just courage and Baker Mayfield. Even when he was in a rough situation, even when it wasn't good on the field, you know that that guy had, how would I say yeah that's it puts five moxie now daniel jones look good guy very good guy hard worker uh great work ethic but does he have it does he is he going on the field going i am going to swallow up this defense follow me is he the guy that leads men, you know, out of the trench and down the field. No, he's not. He's not

that guy. It's not his makeup. And so I just, and until I see it, because I haven't seen it, and I don't think anyone's seen it, until I see it, I'm not, he's been coached hard. He's been coached amicably. It hasn't, it hasn't shown. And by the way, last night, again, against, you know, what was it, third stringers or whatever? Raven's third stringers, he was 10 of 21. Dude, you've started 67 games in the NFL as a starter in the regular season, and you're under 50% against guys that are going to be selling cars in four weeks. You know, that, I, no, I, I hope I'm wrong.

A couple more, a couple more situations. situations. Sam Darnold, similar story. Then Sam Darnold goes to Minnesota. And wow, look at Sam Darnold. But what are we going to find once we see Sam Donald in Seattle? Yeah, that's the thing. If we're going to put Sam Darnold in the succeeded in a different situation category, let's, can we pump the brakes on that a little bit? Because yeah, he absolutely look great, you know, through 16 games or whatever it was last year. And then we saw 2019, 2020, 2020, 2001 Sam Darnel in the regular season finale with the division title on the line. And then we saw that Sam Darnel, who was a bust in the playoffs. So I get it. The Seattle

Seahawks said, we're going to put that aside. We're going to believe the 15 games, the 16 games, I'm going to believe what happens this season because I've seen a whole lot more bad Sam than Great Sam. Okay, last one. If there's any quarterback situation that might be as interesting as the Cleveland Browns, it's probably the New York Giants. And I know everybody presumes it's going to be Russell Wilson, but you've got a heck of a room there. You've got James and, you know, I've got. the world's biggest James Winston fan as a producer. But I did send him this video last night of James,

of the coaching staff making a game out of whether or not any of the quarterbacks could hit the crossbar, if they did practice over. And it's James that hits the crossbar and saves the entire team from walkthroughs. And then you have their first round quarterback Jackson Dart. So I don't know how this works out. But I think the career arc of Russell Wilson doesn't suggest that you should just go, well, it's Russell's team for the whole season?

No, not for the whole season. I mean, I think that eventually we will see Jackson Dart. If James Winston is playing starting quarterback for the New York Giants at any point this year, they're in trouble, and people are going to get fired at the end of the season. It's as simple as that. I love James Winston. He is an amazing person. He is, you know, the team preacher.

He's a team leader. He, you know, he's the guy that runs the Bible studies. Great Christian, I love him. But I don't want him quarterbacking my team. Great attitude, great leadership, great locker room. Don't put him on the field, okay? As simple as that. I think that Russell Wilson will be okay.

They have talent, especially on the outside. They're going to be all right. and Jackson Darts still needs to play at the end of the season at least If it's December and he hasn't played Either something went great or he's hurt All right finally Let's end on what I've teased throughout this conversation

Let's pick our teams from worse to first now I don't know you probably know off the top of your head How many times this happens every season But I think it's probably in the two to three range Armando Like two to three teams between the two conferences go from complete doormats to, whoa, what are they got? They're in the playoffs. So let's start with the AFC.

Like, who's been awful? But this year, something is different. Something has changed. Watch for them in the playoffs. Well, and by the way, this is great because I think it's eight out of the last 10 years, a team has gone worse to first in the NFL. So some team has gone from the bottom of the division to winning the division. So let's go through the exercise.

The Jaguars. No. Sorry. I'm not feeling the Jaguars. The Titans. No. No. Cam Ward, I love him.

University of Miami. God bless him. But no. More talent needed. Please apply at the locker room door. The Jets. No. No.

Oh, I'm not a believer in Justin Fields, and Aaron Glenn is, he's a Bill Parcell's disciple, and he's gotten the Bill Parcell's approach. One problem with that, he's not Bill Parcells. And so the last time he coached the game, his team gave up 45 points. So I'm not feeling that one. Let's see, the Saints? No. Oh, the quarterback situation is terrible. And I know they're NFC.

I just decided what the heck. We're going down the row here. The Browns, we've already talked about this. This is not going to be. They're going to use those two first round picks next year after they pick high. Okay, so they're not going to do it. Who else are we missing?

The Raiders? Maybe the Raiders. There you go. Maybe the Raiders. You know, they've got... That requires them. If we're going worse to first, that requires you leaping three teams that everybody likes in the Broncos, the Chargers, and the Chiefs. Yes.

They are the best of the worst for this year. They are the best of last year's worst. And the reason for that is obviously Pete Carroll has forgotten more football than most coaches. have ever learned. He's 73 years old, oldest coach in the NFL, and he runs around practice and he runs that team like a 35-year-old. I love him. They've got a solid quarterback in Gino Smith. They've got a great guy and a great defensive presence in Max Crosby. They have potential. But, yeah, there's the reality that you mentioned. They play in the same division as Patrick Paul Holmes and Andy Reed and Justin Herbert and the best defense in the NFL and the Denver Broncos.

You didn't finish out the divisions in the NFC. So what about the Giants? We just talked about the Giants. Look, here's what we know about the NFC East. I think it has now been 20 years since somebody has won the division back-to-back years. 20, more than 20 years, I believe, that we have gone. So all that means is, I don't know, does it continue? that would mean the Eagles don't win the division again.

You already suggested the commanders could be a candidate to, you know, recede from where they were a year ago. That leaves the Cowboys, who, you know, even as a super fan over here, I can tell you, I have no idea. I'm not a pessimist, and actually I'm not an optimist this year on the Cowboys. I think they could go either way. I actually think Cowboys could be one of those teams. Everybody's like, whoa, you know, they're really good this year.

They could also be horrible because they can't run the ball. I mean, that's kind of going to be the answer to can they run the ball. If they can, the Cowboys will be good. If they can't, the Cowboys will be bad. And I have no idea if they're going to be able to run the ball. So that leaves the Giants. Armando, like in a division where everything we said in the conversation added up to it at this moment, maybe the Giants are your picked from worst to first.

No. They're not. I'm sorry. They're not. Offensive line issues. And again, we're banking on Russell Wilson, staying healthy because let me see. Did I mention I don't want to see James Winston on the field for the New York Giants or anybody else? Because it goes poorly oftentimes, great in the locker room, but don't put the man on the field.

We also did mention the New England Patriots. I love the New England Patriots situation. they are I'm not sure that they are going to in fact I'm pretty sure they're not going to be able to unseat the Buffalo bills right but they did a great job in hiring Mike Brable I think he is one of the top 10 coaches in the NFL you know we'll see if if Drake May is a guy or not his athletic ability suggests he will be and They've got, even if they don't go worse to first this year, they've got $59 million in cap room now that they can move into next year. So they already added a lot of talent and they're going to add a lot more next year. Okay. We've only left, I believe, two divisions out of this debate and that would be the NFC West, which, would that be the Cardinals or the Seahawks that came in last. last year in the NFC West, I think it was the Cardinals that got last, but I can't remember

correctly. And then you had the NFC North, and that would be the Chicago Bears. So you might give me a quick no on the Chicago Bears. No on the Chicago Bears. Sorry. I mean, the Chicago Bears are still trying to figure out if Caleb Williams is good or not. And, you know, Ben Wizard Johnson is the new head coach. Go Wizard, my friend. But your magic tricks don't get you better than the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions. I'm sorry. It doesn't. It doesn't happen.

By the way, the San Francisco 49ers are still a good team. And they struggled mightily last year. But, you know, half their roster was on injured reserve. And obviously, I exaggerate. It wasn't half their roster. But they had a lot of talent on injured reserve last year. They had a good draft by their own. account, we'll see when the game start. I like the San Francisco 49ers. I'm a big

Brock Purdy fan. I don't know that they're going to be better than the Rams. I don't know that they're going to be, you know, a worse, the first type of situation there, but I like the 49ers. I just do. And by the way, Arizona is solid too. If the little guy plays, well, another guy who I'm taller than, except he's good, unlike Bill and Gabriel. Kyler Murray is good. So they are building. They are building.

This conversation has gone full circle from Dylan Gabriel 510 to Kyler Murray. One Armando likes, one Armando does not like in the NFL. It's been a fun conversation, though. I appreciate you guys should check him out. He's a senior NFL writer at Outkick.com, Armando Salgera. Always fun. Thank you, Armando. All right, Will.

My pleasure. There you go. I hope you enjoyed that conversation with the senior NFL columnist at outkick.com, Armando Salgera. We hope you will download and subscribe at Spotify and on Apple, and we will see you again next time. Listen ad-free with a Fox News podcast plus subscription on Apple Podcast, and Amazon Prime members, you can listen to this show, ad-free on the Amazon Music app. I'm Janice Dean.

Join me every Sunday as I focus on stories of hope and people who are truly rays of sunshine in their community and across the world. Listen and follow now at foxnewspodcast.com.