Sunday Mornings with Matt and Myron

Episode Title: Hour 1: Shedeur Struggles
Hosts: Matt Jones & Myron Medcalf (ESPN Radio)
Date: August 24, 2025

Episode Overview

In this hour, Matt and Myron catch up after summer travels before diving into the sports world’s hot topics. The main focus is on Shedeur Sanders’ struggling preseason performance with the Cleveland Browns and the narrative swell around it—touching on NFL preseason competitive dynamics, media controversies, and quarterback development. The show also recaps the messy but entertaining college football opener between Iowa State and Kansas State in Dublin, examines the latest Dallas Cowboys drama with Micah Parsons and Jerry Jones, and discusses the SEC’s move to a nine-game conference schedule and long-term playoff expansion risks and rewards.

1. Catching Up & Travel Banter

00:30–03:37

• Hosts’ Recent Travels: Matt recounts upcoming trip to South Africa as part of a fellowship, joking about 15-hour flights, audiobooks, and safaris.
• Podcast Tone Set: Friendly, humorous banter about travel tips and prepping for long flights.
• Prominent Quote:
  • “Think the friendly lions though, they’re the ones you can just talk to and hang out with, right?” – Matt (01:52)

2. Shedeur Sanders’ Preseason Struggles

03:37–11:58

Key Discussion Points

• Game Recap: Shedeur Sanders gets benched late for the Browns after a poor performance, replaced by Tyler Huntley for the final drive—Cleveland still wins.
• Performance Breakdown:
  • Sanders lost 24 yards on a sack, reverted to bad habits from college days.
  • Debate if poor O-line play is really to blame or if Sanders holds responsibility.
  • Myron: “You can make the case in that first preseason game, he did enough for people to say he shouldn’t have been a fifth round pick, but he certainly didn’t do enough yesterday to make you feel like he could be a first round pick.” (05:16)
• Coaching Decisions:
  • Should preseason be about winning or player development?
  • Myron’s verdict: “Your quarterback has to prove that he deserves that chance to be developed. And Shedeur just didn’t do that.” (07:13)
• Media Narrative & Social Controversy:
  • Some media suggest Stefanski benched Sanders to avoid “controversy” if Sanders won the final drive.
  • Both hosts refute this as tinfoil hat thinking; Matt compares the discourse to the Tim Tebow phenomenon, where the debate becomes more about the narrative and fan loyalties than the player.
  • Myron: “It’s a joke that people have made Shedeur Sanders some victim somehow at this stage of his career.” (09:49)

Notable Quotes

• “There are people on Twitter saying his offensive line has to protect him. Like, what do people think that offensive linemen can do? Do they think they can create this 20 yard pocket? Like, that’s not how the NFL is.” – Myron (05:16)
• “Shedeur has become a little bit like Tim Tebow in the sense that the arguments now have very little to do with him.” – Matt (10:18)
• “He’s getting the same opportunity that everybody else in his position is getting as a fifth round quarterback prospect.” – Myron (11:26)

3. College Football Opener in Dublin: Iowa State vs. Kansas State

14:22–21:43

Key Discussion Points

• Sloppy but Entertaining: Rainy, messy conditions lead to fumbles and a chippy game, but set a memorable scene for the season opener.
• Cultural and Fan Commentary: Matt recounts Iowa and Kansas’s export to Ireland; both hosts have fun with the idea of Iowa State and Kansas State fans blending with Irish pub culture.
  • “Those were the right teams, I think, to send to Ireland because… those two fan bases could keep up.” – Myron (16:21)
• Memorable Moment – Family Feud: Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson’s father and brother fight in the Dublin streets post-game, adding wild drama.
  • “A father and a son fought on the streets of Dublin… they are in the puddles.” – Matt (17:38)
  • “Imagine getting that phone call… ‘your dad is outside fighting your brother’.” – Myron (17:20)
• College Football Pettiness: Matt and Myron laugh about the pettiness of college coaches—e.g., Iowa State’s coach Matt Campbell clapping back about black warmups.
  • “I love petty college football because those guys have a lot of job security… once they get into that place, they can be petty and go at one another.” – Myron (21:21)

4. Cowboys Drama: Micah Parsons, Jerry Jones, and Sideline Antics

24:47–32:33

Key Discussion Points

• Micah Parsons’ Standoff:
  • Parsons seeks new contract, seen lying on the sideline in street clothes during preseason—interpreted as sending a viral message.
  • Both hosts agree Cowboys coach Schottenheimer has little authority compared to owner Jerry Jones in these matters.
• Host Perspective:
  • Matt sides with Parsons, skeptical of Jerry Jones’s process.
  • Myron: “He [Parsons] knows he’s doing stuff to go viral. Like he’s doing the kinds of things…” (25:12)
• Predictions:
  • Both expect Parsons won’t be traded and will play after signing a deal, likely last minute, reflecting on how this mirrors past contracts with Dak Prescott and others.
  • “This isn’t your quarterback doing this… you’re not going to be as good, but you can play [without him].” – Myron (31:12)
  • “What’s happening… Jerry Jones… wants to be the biggest story with the Cowboys. Michael Parsons is going to be the biggest story no matter what. I think that bothers Jerry.” – Myron (28:41)

5. SEC Moves to Nine Conference Games: College Football Landscape Shifts

36:51–44:31

Key Discussion Points

• Format Change:
  • SEC expands to nine conference games + mandatory ‘quality’ non-conference game.
  • Schedules will rotate so every player visits every stadium within a four-year career; eliminates old scheduling anomalies.
• Arguments For/Against:
  • Matt likes the new format, arguing fans prefer more competitive SEC matchups over byes or lesser opponents.
  • Myron expresses skepticism, fears further playoff expansion will “squeeze everybody out” except SEC and Big Ten, and predicts traditional rivalries (Alabama-Florida State, etc.) may disappear.
  • “By going to nine games… you’re just going to squeeze everybody out.” – Myron (38:16)
• Implications:
  • Expanded SEC/B1G schedules influence playoff selection, pave the way for a likely 16-team playoff and beyond.
  • Matt sees benefit: more ‘middle-class’ teams like Kentucky may sneak into future playoffs (“those end of season games will matter now in a way that they maybe didn’t matter before”). (43:09)
  • Myron warns: even with more teams, the power is ever more consolidated at the top clubs.
  • “At the end of the day, where we’re headed is the SEC and the Big Ten… being the only two leagues that can actually win national championships.” – Myron (43:42)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (w/ Timestamps)

• “You can’t take a 22 yard sack. Ended up actually being 24. That didn’t sound too promising, saying he’s back to Colorado.” – Matt (04:58)
• “This idea that someone thinks an NFL coach… is somehow concerned about controversy is the biggest joke.” – Myron (09:12)
• “It’s not even about him anymore. It’s about some other thing.” – Matt (11:16)
• “Iowa, Kansas are farmers. Like, Irish people. They farm a lot of them as well. So that’s a good combination.” – Matt (16:42)
• “Imagine getting that phone call like you do post game press conference: ‘your dad is outside fighting your brother.’” – Myron (17:20)
• “He [Micah Parsons] knows he’s doing stuff to go viral. Like he’s doing the kinds of things…” – Myron (25:12)
• “At some point, I think what’s happening, especially with Jerry Jones and why he’s doing all these interviews, he wants to be the biggest story with the Cowboys… and I think that bothers Jerry.” – Myron (28:41)
• “You can do whatever you want. Where we’re headed is the SEC and Big Ten… being the only two leagues that can actually win national championships.” – Myron (43:42)

Quick Segment Guide

| Segment | Timestamps | |------------------------------------------|-----------------| | Travel Talk & Banter | 00:30–03:37 | | Shedeur Sanders’ NFL Preseason Debacle | 03:37–11:58 | | College Football: Dublin Game & Feuds | 14:22–21:43 | | NFL: Cowboys, Parsons’s Contract Drama | 24:47–32:33 | | SEC Schedule Expansion & Playoff Debate | 36:51–44:31 |

Tone & Style

• Matt and Myron alternate between lighthearted ribbing, serious sports critique, and cultural commentary.
• The discussion is energetic, with playful jabs (“I love petty college football…”), occasional deep dives into media narratives, and frequent personal asides and quick-witted analogies.

Listeners get a comprehensive and entertaining walk through the week’s core sports headlines—anchored by Shedeur Sanders’ struggles and the swirling dynamics of NFL and college football power plays—with the signature Sunday blend of humor, candor, and insight.