3 & Out - Ben Johnson gets his start, Justin Field CARTED OFF, Is UNC the NEXT Colorado

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Episode 3 & Out

Title: 3 & Out - Ben Johnson Gets His Start, Justin Fields CARTED OFF, Is UNC the NEXT Colorado
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
Release Date: July 25, 2025
Duration: Approximately 107 minutes

---

Introduction

In this episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, host John Middlekauff delves deep into the latest developments in the NFL, focusing on key figures and emerging stories that are shaping the league. Skipping over promotional segments, the discussion centers around Ben Johnson's coaching strategies, Justin Fields' recent injury scare, Kyle Shanahan's offensive philosophies, Nick Casario's groundbreaking contract negotiations, and an intriguing comparison between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the former Colorado Buffaloes.

---

Justin Fields’ Injury Scare [04:00 - 19:33]

The episode kicks off with a concerning update about Justin Fields, the promising quarterback. Middlekauff reports that Fields was carted off the field during training camp due to a toe injury. The initial panic suggested a season-ending scenario, but fortunately, it was revealed to be a dislocated toe. Middlekauff provides an in-depth analysis of the implications of such injuries during training camp, emphasizing how they can derail practices and affect team morale:

John Middlekauff [04:00]: “My first thought is like, obviously, is that a season-ending, ending injury? And typically when stuff like that happens in training camp, no one can focus. It’s really hard to function.”

He discusses the emotional and physical toll on players and the ripple effects an injury can have on the team's preparation for the upcoming season.

---

Ben Johnson’s Coaching Approach [19:33 - 35:44]

Shifting focus, Middlekauff praises Ben Johnson's intense coaching style, drawing parallels to Dan Campbell's approach with the Detroit Lions. Johnson's determination to fix quarterback Caleb Williams' performance stands out as a pivotal move for the team's offensive strategy:

John Middlekauff [19:33]: “Ben Johnson is not only like kicking the first team offense off the field and yelling at guys and on guys and the intensity he’s bringing to the practice field... I saw that he gave Caleb Williams going into the off-season a list of things that he had to work on over the summer.”

Johnson's regimen includes rigorous training schedules and precise targets for Williams, aiming to elevate the quarterback's game both physically and mentally. Middlekauff underscores the necessity of such tough coaching to foster genuine improvement:

John Middlekauff [24:00]: “When you become a head coach from being a coordinator, there is no guarantee you’re going to know what you’re doing... but Ben Johnson, people have been begging for him to take their job for a long time.”

---

Kyle Shanahan’s Offensive Philosophy [35:44 - 28:16]

Middlekauff transitions to discuss Kyle Shanahan, highlighting his exceptional ability to lead offenses without relying on elite quarterbacks. Shanahan’s strategic play-calling and trust in his quarterbacks are lauded as key factors in his success:

John Middlekauff [35:44]: “Kyle Shanahan... his defining attribute is being able to win without like a top five, six, seven quarterback.”

He includes an audio snippet of Shanahan discussing his approach to play-calling, emphasizing minimal cognitive load on quarterbacks to enhance their performance:

Kyle Shanahan [25:40]: “...you have to be really good to function at that level... If Brock can do anything. If I tell Brock not to do something because I think it’ll hurt us and he does it anyways and it works, I’m going to be the first person chest bumping him when he comes to the sidelines.”

Shanahan’s method involves equipping quarterbacks with contingency plans, reducing the need for ad-libbing during high-pressure moments, thereby streamlining offensive execution.

---

Nick Casario’s Contract Negotiations [28:16 - 35:44]

One of the most talked-about segments features Nick Casario, who recently made headlines by fully guaranteeing a second-round draft pick's contract. Middlekauff breaks down Casario’s rationale:

Nick Casario [33:45]: “When you look at like say, contracts in the second round specifically... there’s probably going to be some marginal increase.”

Casario explains that the move was a strategic decision aligned with industry trends, dismissing media uproar as overstated. Middlekauff echoes this sentiment, highlighting Casario's pragmatic approach to contract negotiations:

John Middlekauff [35:44]: “Whenever you’re negotiating... sometimes, and I’ve had a front row seat... it's like, what are we talking about here?”

This decision not only sets a precedent within the league but also serves as advice on handling negotiations effectively by focusing on the broader financial picture rather than getting bogged down by trivial percentages.

---

Is UNC the Next Colorado? [35:44 - 65:42]

Middlekauff concludes the main discussion by examining the potential rise of the North Carolina Tar Heels in college football, drawing a comparison to the Colorado Buffaloes' unexpected surge a few years prior. He questions whether UNC can replicate Colorado's media buzz and entertainment value, despite uncertainties about their on-field talent:

John Middlekauff [35:44]: “Could the North Carolina Tar Heels be the Colorado Buffaloes of a couple of years ago?... I don't know if the talent is there.”

He assesses the challenges UNC faces, including a recent transfer quarterback and the departure of key players, which could hinder their ability to attract the same level of national attention and fan engagement as Colorado did during its peak. Middlekauff remains cautiously optimistic but underscores the difficulty in matching Colorado’s unique blend of talent and charisma.

---

Mailbag Highlights [65:42 - End]

In the mailbag segment, Middlekauff addresses viewer questions about various NFL topics, including the latest on Christian Wilkins' contract dispute with the Raiders and broader discussions about quarterback rankings and team performances. He provides thoughtful insights, reinforcing his earlier points about coaching intensity and strategic contract decisions.

---

Conclusion

Episode 3 & Out of The Herd with Colin Cowherd offers a comprehensive analysis of current NFL dynamics, emphasizing the importance of robust coaching strategies, the impact of player injuries, and innovative contract negotiations. John Middlekauff adeptly navigates these topics, providing listeners with a nuanced understanding of the complexities within professional football. The episode concludes with engaging mailbag interactions, further cementing the show’s role as a valuable resource for sports enthusiasts seeking in-depth commentary and expert opinions.

---

Notable Quotes

• John Middlekauff [04:00]: “My first thought is like, obviously, is that a season-ending, ending injury? And typically when stuff like that happens in training camp, no one can focus. It’s really hard to function.”

• John Middlekauff [19:33]: “Ben Johnson is not only like kicking the first team offense off the field and yelling at guys and on guys and the intensity he’s bringing to the practice field... I saw that he gave Caleb Williams going into the off-season a list of things that he had to work on over the summer.”

• Kyle Shanahan [25:40]: “You have to be really good to function at that level... If Brock can do anything. If I tell Brock not to do something because I think it’ll hurt us and he does it anyways and it works, I’m going to be the first person chest bumping him when he comes to the sidelines.”

• Nick Casario [33:45]: “We’re always going to handle business however we see fit, try to do it logically, be pragmatic about it, try to do it in a responsible way.”

---

This detailed summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the episode, providing a clear and engaging overview for both regular listeners and newcomers alike.

Transcript

[John Middlekauff]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Annabe]

Life'S messy. We're talking spills, stains, pets and kids. But with Annabe, you never have to stress about messes again. @washablesofas.com Discover Annabe sofas the only fully machine washable sofas inside and out starting at just $699. Made with liquid and stain resistant fabrics, that means fewer stains and more peace of mind. Designed for real life, our sofas feature changeable fabric covers allowing you to refresh your style anytime. Need flexibility? Our modular design lets you rearrange your sofa effortlessly. Perfect for cozy apartments or spacious homes. Plus, they're earth friendly and built to last. That's why over 200,000 happy customers have made the switch. Upgrade your space today. Visit washablesofas.com now and bring home a sofa made for life. That's washablesofas.com offers are subject to change and certain restrictions May apply.

[Sarah Spain]

Join iHeartRadio and Sarah Spain in celebrating the one year anniversary of iHeart Women's Sports with powerful interviews and insider analysis. Our shows have connected fans with the heart of women's Sports. In just one year, the network has launched 15 shows and built a community united by passion podcasts that amplify the.

[John Middlekauff]

Voices of women in sports.

[Sarah Spain]

Thank you for supporting I Heart Women's Sports and our founding sponsors E L F Beauty Capital. Just Open the free iHeart app and search iHeart Women's Sports to listen now.

[Katie Couric]

On the latest episode of Next Question with Me, Katie Couric. I sat down with Jasmine Crockett, Democratic Representative of Texas. She's holding down the fort for her party in one of the most conservative states in the union.

[Jasmine Crockett]

I think that ultimately who will become the Democratic nominee for president will be someone that has been out there and has shown that they won't allow themselves to be punched and just say thank you like they will punch back.

[Katie Couric]

Listen to Next Question with me, Katie Couric on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ebony]

Welcome to Pretty Private with ebony, the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free. I'm Ebony and every Tuesday I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect Podcast Network. Tune in on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[John Middlekauff]

The volume what is going on my people? Happy Fugazi Friday. Hopefully everyone's doing well and getting ready for the weekend. Today we're going to talk a little thing we like to call football because training camps have officially started all over the league. All over the league. We had a scare today. Justin Fields carted off. Turns out he's okay, just a toe injury. Ben Johnson is pissed off. He's on Caleb in the offense. Kyle Shanahan actually had some very interesting comments in terms of the way he runs and calls plays for his offense and what he allows the quarterback to do and why he does it. So we'll talk about that and play some audio from Kyle. Nick Casario, who was the leader in the conversation because he fully guaranteed a second round picks contract, gave a press conference yesterday and discussed the reasoning behind that. So I do want to touch on that. And then Belichick had his press conference today at ACC media days. Turns out ESPN plans on treating the Tar Heels like they did Colorado two years ago with Dion. Can Belichick and Tar Heels bring the same ratings bonanza to the four letter network? The North Carolina Tar Heels. Are they going to be fun enough? We will discuss that mailbag at John Middlekopf Instagram. Fire in those DMs. I'll hit up with a couple Fugazi's and we'll have a long mailbag. Other than that, just getting ready for ball baby. Just getting ready for ball. But make sure you subscribe. If you listen on Collins feed, subscribe to the podcast three and out. Appreciate everyone that has as well as the YouTube channel got you covered on YouTube. Make sure you subscribe to that channel. All of our content is up there. Go check it out. But before we dive in to any football, you know I got to tell you about my friends, my partners in the official ticketing app of this podcast. You want to go to a football game, North Carolina Saw Sold out. Sold out. Do you want to go to a college football game? Saw James Franklin said we got 70,000, 70,000 season ticket holders. If you want to get access to any game, college, pro, baseball, basketball, any sporting event, you name it. Concerts, comedy shows. I saw Travis Kelsey just posted something on Instagram, a lot of pictures with him and Taylor. You want to go to a concert? Like a Taylor Swift concert? I don't even know if she's touring, but anyone that's touring comedy shows, I got you covered. Because here's the thing. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, use a code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase terms. Apply again, create an account Redeem the code Johan. Johan, that's my name. For $20 off download the game time after they last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed. I wanted to start with Ben Johnson because I think sometimes, you know, you hear a lot the different generations, Gen X, Gen Z millennials and how we're all wired different. And obviously we've all had different experiences as children depending on the years we were growing up. But I think there is a consistent theme with any young person who is a high achiever. And to make it into the NFL, especially as a guy like Caleb Williams, you have to be wired a certain way. There is a certain amount of God given talent that people possess, right? It's a reason that they're better than you at high school, it's a reason they get into a college. But once you get at the highest level, you have to take it to another level, not just physically, but mentally, in terms of work ethic, in terms of training. It takes a lot to last and to be a good player. You can't fake your way into that. It's why coaching in football has really separated than the other sports. Like in basketball, you're not even allowed to yell at the players anymore. They tell you what to do and when they want you fired, you're gone. In football, you could go into every position group in the NFL and in college and the position coach in that room is typically wearing guys out and a lot of times the star player. It's just the nature of the business. And watching Hard Knocks last year, I was like something was missing with Eberfluss. He's like, this is a Saban guy. This guy was team captain for Saban's team. What? And it was just like for a defensive guy, he just felt kind of soft. He just honestly just felt completely over his head. And listen, anytime you become a head coach from being a coordinator, there is no guarantee you're going to know what you're doing. And clearly Eberfluss is never going to be a head coach again. But Ben Johnson, people have been begging for him to take their job for a long time. I mean, Washington was flying to Detroit a couple of years ago, I think praying he'd take the job. Clearly worked out for them landing Dan Quinn. But listen, we're not all our wives. First choice. And when I saw Ben Johnson is not only like kicking the first team offense off the field and yelling at guys and on guys and the intensity he's bringing to the practice field, but how hard he's riding Caleb, I went, you know, this might have a chance, because let's face it, the number one through five reasons the guy was hired was to fix Caleb Williams and coach the offense, which can't run without him. And I saw that he gave Caleb Williams going into the off season a list of things that he had to work on over the summer, from studying the playbook to 30 to 40 minutes a day to working on his just footwork, which clearly needs to get better. Having goals of trying to complete 70% of his passes. But even something as simple as, like, when you are training in the summer, make sure you are working on the throws to your left because you were terrible at those during OTAs. And I will say this, whether you're Peyton Manning or Tom Brady to Caleb Williams, to any position player who's any good in the league, they want to be coached hard, they want to be pushed, because that's the only way to get better, the only way to improve is when someone is willing to tell you, you need to do this, that or the other thing because what you're currently doing is not working. And in the world of football, sometimes that's very aggressive. And there are several swear words attached with the message. Guys are used to it. And I think one thing Caleb, it's fair to say, has lacked over the last several years, even going back to college, is no one was telling him anything. Like Lincoln Riley isn't exactly, I would say, viewed as a guy hard on his players. Right? No one's getting him confused with Nick Saban or Kirby, smarter Brian Kelly, that's not really his mo. And then obviously Eberfluss was a dead man walking the moment Caleb Williams showed up. Ben Johnson, he's got some gravitas, he's got some juice, because he now, more than Caleb, is viewed as the most important guy in the organization. But if he's going to have success, he needs this player to be good and he needs to write him. I saw a headline today. Dan Campbell kicked everyone out of practice. Started practice over. Like it's furious, right? So where did Ben Johnson learned this from? And we're all products, you know, definitely in football, whether it's audio or radio or podcasting of people we've worked with, people we've worked for, people we've been around and taking things that we like, that they do into our own world. And clearly Ben Johnson, I think, is instituting some of the stuff that Dan Campbell is really good at, writing these guys and riding them hard. Now, you can't just scream at a guy to scream at him 24, 7. You got to love him up a little bit, but you got to coach them hard. Football will never change. I don't care what happens in society. They're the best coaches are always the guy that the guys that demand the most and are the most intense. You'd be like, well, Andy Reid gets along with everyone. Ask any player, any coach, anyone in that front office about their operation through training camp, through the season. One, they have the most physical training camp, and two, in season, there's not. I'm just taking this practice off to go in the training room. That doesn't fly. And I think if Ben Johnson wants to have success, he knows he's got to be the hardest on Caleb Williams to get the respect of all the other players on the team. One thing that I never could kind of get over when I was working in football was in camp, in practice, in any scenario, even the game, when a guy would just get injured and he would be laying there on the ground and then the cart would come pick him up. And the coaching staff had no choice. Just like the position groups and the position coaches and the coordinators, they had to relay this message, we're going to keep going. We're going to figure out a way to win. It's like, coach, we just lost our two best players in the first quarter. It's like, coach, we just. Our starting left tackle just tore his ACL on the seventh day of training camp. We are double F'd. Yet as a coach, you have to almost be numb to injuries. Like, you can't be phased and let it derail you. You have to have, like this false sense of confidence that you can figure it out. Even though there is no overcoming certain individuals. That's why Peyton Manning once famously said, or the coaches for the Colts, when Jon Gruden asked, like, why does Peyton Manning take all the reps? And I think Tom Moore answered simply, well, if Peyton Manning misses a game or gets injured, we're fucked. And we don't practice fucked. And I was like, I appreciate that realism, but you don't get that from many coaches and you don't get that from many GMs. They try to talk almost like, we'll figure it out. Next man up. Well, there's no next man up when you lose an All Pro player. I even argue when you lose your starting quarterback, it can really derail you. Now, how good Justin Fields is, I'm not sure he's that good. And I'm someone that loved him coming out of college. But when I woke up this morning and see that, saw that he got carted off the field. My first thought is like, obviously, is that a season ending, ending injury? And typically when stuff like that happens in training camp, no one can focus. It's really hard to function. And I've been, whether I worked in the NFL or been going to practices for a long time when I lived in the Bay Area, it just derails the practice now. Luckily, luckily, news has come out that he just dislocated his toe. And all signs point to him being okay. It's not like he shattered his foot. It's not like he tore his ACL or tore an Achilles, dislocated a toe, which I can't imagine felt extremely painful and probably sent chills up his body and pain that he'd never felt. So he's laying on the ground, who knows what he thought happened, right? Which sometimes happens when a guy is carted off the field. The initial pain, they freak out and they think it's devastating. It turns out it's just going to be okay. The sick part is of this business, when a guy's laying on the field, especially if there are people huddled around him, you just pray it's not one of your better players. And you just hope, especially during training camp, it's someone on the roster from 75 to 90, that while that sucks, you don't want to lose anybody. You would rather sacrifice that individual than a guy that's going to be a starter, a guy that's been a three Pro Bowls, a guy that you're going to depend on to help lead you to the playoffs, whether it's a quarterback, whether it's an offensive or defensive lineman, or whether it's one of the skill guys. And it's just a huge part of training camp, we're already seeing a bunch of guys go down. I actually had a conversation with a guy who played in the NFL for a long time. We had a phone call the other day because he, he wants to get into scouting and then ultimately get into coaching. And this guy's won a Super bowl, really high level guy. And I talked to him about, you know, the situation of going to these practices and you know, he's like, you know, I got my shot because someone got injured. And that's the huge part of the business. These guys get their opportunities and become consistent players because either in camp or during the season, someone shatters their leg, someone tears their tricep, someone breaks their collarbone, and all of a sudden a guy that was a practice squad guy that you thought at the end of July or early August that somehow with an injury, made the team as a backup, becomes a starter. And then you look back five years later and he's got a second contract and he's been to a Pro bowl, and that's how fast things happen. All because of injuries, which in this league happen at crazy rates. But we also talked about is like. And he started in an era when it was a little more physical. During training camp, there were double days. I am a firm believer, and he agreed with me, is football is a lot like boxing or UFC or, or any sport where practice really matters. And because it's a physical sport, training your body to take that level of physicality really obviously has a huge impact in playing in the games. So building the calluses during the off season make it easier to just start week one when you're just going full go. And I think nowadays you basically go six months since the season ends, right? Because OTAs are a joke. They don't. They barely exist. I mean, the practices on OTAs, you've never worn pads in the pros, but once upon a time, they were a lot more physical and they were a lot more intense. Now, most coaches, because one, the rules. Two, your players will turn you in. They don't even try. It's not even worth it. And you're paying guys so much money, you're kind of nervous that like tearing ACL or tearing Achilles. So OTAs and the spring ball have turned into a country club. It's why I've always been so critical of some of these players. Like, if you have a $200,000 bonus, $150,000 bonus, and you're training and you can't just dedicate a month to just go to your facility to get that money. I don't care if you're making 10, 15, $20 million a year, you're an idiot. You are just wasting money because you are literally doing the same thing. And. And then when you are on the field, it is not very difficult. But once you come to training camp and this first practice happens, the actual training camp part, even before Pats turns into what OTAS used to be 15, 20 years ago, it's pretty intense. So all of a sudden you get these guys that get injured because you're going like 0 to 100. And I just, I think we're a little off kilter. We're never going back. We're never going to get to a point where the double days are a part of this, where there's physicality in the offseason, but I do think that directly leads to some of these injuries. You know what Scotty Scheffler taught us? You drive for show, but you putt for dough. And the easiest way for you to make some dough Betting on this week's tournament on DraftKings from the opening round through Sunday, DraftKings sportsbook has you covered. Chris got her up, who just finished third at the Open and won the week before at the Scottish Open. Betting favorite this week. Do think he's going to run out of juice? Do you know one name I like a lot? Tony Finau showed some serious life across the pond. You can get him right now to win the tournament plus 3500 but plus 650 to top 5 plus 332 top 10 Tony Fino has won this tournament before, so like Tony Finaul a lot. Windham Clark, Mav McNeely, a couple other guys to keep an eye on trending trying to battle for a spot on the Ryder cup team. Here's something special for first timers. New DraftKings customers bet five to get 115 bonus bets instantly. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app now. Use the code JOHN. That's code JOHN Johan. I got an H in my name. Johan for new customers to get 150 in bonus bets instantly when you bet just five bucks only on DraftKings, the crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-GAMBLER in New York, call 877-8-HOPENY or text hopeny467-369 In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas, 21 and over. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void In Ontario, new customers only. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. For additional gaming resources, see DKNG Co Audio.

[Annabe]

Let's be real Life happens. Kids spill, pets shed and accidents are inevitable. Find a sofa that can keep [e-mail] Starting at just $699, our sofas are fully machine washable inside and out, so you can say goodbye to stains and hello to Worry Free living. Made with liquid and stain resistant fabrics, they're kid proof, pet friendly and built for everyday life. Plus, changeable fabric covers let you refresh your sofa whenever you want. Neat flexibility Our modular design lets you rearrange your sofa anytime to fit your space, whether it's a growing family room or a cozy apartment. Plus they're earth friendly and trusted by over 200,000 happy customers. It's time to upgrade to a storage stress free mess proof sofa. Visit washablesofas.com today and save that's washablesofas.com offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Jasmine Crockett]

I think Democrats have for a very long time allowed Republicans to play them. So essentially Republicans came up with a narrative and Democrats decided to play into that and that only hurt the Democrats.

[Katie Couric]

Katie I'm Katie Couric. Jasmine Crockett, Democratic representative of Texas, is not known for holding back and our recent chat on Next Question is no exception. But when you hear how she got to where she is, her intensity makes perfect sense.

[Jasmine Crockett]

It's just hard to imagine a world where you don't have enough people that care to do right by people. And so that same passion that carried me through as a public defender that led me to want to change laws and thinking about the harm that will happen not just to my constituents, but just generally like I carry that weight.

[Katie Couric]

With me because you've seen it up close.

[Jasmine Crockett]

Yeah.

[Katie Couric]

Listen to next question with me, Katie Couric on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bridget Todd]

Adventure should never come with a pause button.

[Sarah Spain]

Remember the MoviePass era where you could watch all the movies you wanted for just $9? It made zero sense and I could not stop thinking about it. I'm Bridget Todd, host of the tech podcast There Are no Girls on the Internet. On this new season, I'm talking to the innovators who are left out of the tech headlines, like the visionary behind MoviePass, Black founder Stacey Spikes, who was pushed out of MoviePass, the company that he founded. His story is wild and it's currently the subject of a juicy new HBO documentary. We dive into how culture connects us.

[Bridget Todd]

When you go to France or you go to England or you go to Hong Kong, those kids are wearing Jordans, they're wearing Kobe's shirt. They're watching Black Panther and the Challenges.

[Sarah Spain]

Of Being a Black Founder.

[Bridget Todd]

Close your eyes and tell me what a tech founder looks like. They're not going to describe someone who looks like me and they're not going to describe describe someone who looks like you.

[Sarah Spain]

I created There are no girls on the Internet because the future belongs to all of us. So listen to There are no girls on the Internet on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ebony]

Welcome to Pretty Private with Ebony, the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free. I'm ebony and every Tuesday I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you. On Pretty Private, we'll explore the untold experiences of women of color who faced it all childhood trauma, addiction, abuse, incarceration, grief, mental health struggles and more and found the strength to make it to.

[Unknown]

The other side My dad was shot and killed in his house. Yes, he was a drug dealer. Yes, he was a confidential informant. But he wasn't shot on a street corner. He wasn't shot in the middle of a drug deal. He was shot in his house, unarmed.

[Ebony]

Pretty Private isn't just a podcast, it's your personal guide for turning storylines into lifelines. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect Podcast network. Tune in on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[John Middlekauff]

Okay, let's Kyle Shanahan, which is had an awesome run as the Niners coach last year, sucked. But overall, multiple Super Bowls, ton of NFC Championship games, ton of big wins, ton of playoff wins, has proven to be one of the better offensive coordinators in the league. And to me, his defining attribute is being able to win without like a top five, six, seven quarterback. He can win with a good player. I mean, Jimmy Garoppolo was a top 12 quarterback early on when he got to the Niners. Purdy's like somewhere between 8 to 12 and he can win and he can win playoff games. He can beat really good teams in the regular season. He can compete to win a Super bowl with those type guys. And in the local market and people that, you know, cover individual teams, they get hard on on their coach for things that maybe nationally aren't as discussed. And one thing with Kyle has always been, why don't you allow your quarterbacks to do more at the line of scrimmage? And he was recently on with Tim Kawakami, good buddy of mine, who's one of the better, I would say local media guys in the country, probably second to none, especially with the versatility to be no one knows the Niners and the warriors better than Tim and he's really, really good at forging relationships with Steve Kerr, Jim Harbaugh, Kyle Shanahan, Mark Davis, Jed York. And he just gets really good interviews. And I thought Kyle talking and discussing about why he does so much as the coach instead of letting putting it on the quarterback's plate was really fascinating conversation. Let's take a listen.

[Unknown]

How Is your offense mine? I think that's too overwhelming for guys and I think they can be more successful if you can take a lot of that off the plate and don't make them think as much on that so they can play faster and play a position that to me only like 10 people in the world can play at the right level anyways. And so when you put that all on a guy, I think it makes it harder for them to play like Peyton Manning did that Peyton Manning was also in one formation his whole career and they better have the right guys. Peyton's one of the best of all time, but that's how he had done it his whole life. You add some more stuff in there and he won't be able to do it. But he was elite at what he could do, which was enough. Matt Ryan, my first year with him, he's like, hey, can I audible and get out of this? I'm like, dude, you can do whatever you want. I think you'll start to trust that. Hey, you normally audible on that play in the past. Well, us when we have that look, we have a contingency playing right there. So you can't just throw it to him and not think and have to change everything, just react. That's an option. If we don't put that there, I'm not going to put you in a bad situation. So now I'm going to have you call two plays. If you see that, I'm going to have you touch your ears and go to the second play. So we've already given you the option. You don't have to make it up in your head in the middle of the game and look for everything or I don't have a second option. I don't have a contingency plan. We're going to coach you up on all week because you are responsible here. This is a play with a lot of issues. If we get the right look, please run it. If not, get to something else you like. If I say that to a core, they'll be like, what are you doing? Are you going, are you going to work this week? Like I'm out here doing all this stuff and you can't give me a good answer. Don't you watch film all night? Oh you. Yeah we can. And then so it's all is weird to me. I have as much confidence in Brock and I get more and more each year. He was doing all this stuff his first year when he came in as a third string quarterback and only played seven games. So it's we're not going to add stuff just to add it. If we think it helps us win, hell yeah. If Brock can do anything. If I tell Brock not to do something because I think it'll hurt us and he does it anyways and it works, I'm going to be the first person chest bumping him when he comes to the sidelines. And then I can ask him Monday, like, what were you thinking there? And if he says something smart, I'm going to be like, dude, why you bring that us up earlier in the week? Like, that would have helped us and. But that's. That doesn't happen much because we have a plan and there's not many situations. His plan is to not have 100 thoughts is to be locked into your job and when this look happens, you can have one other thought touch your ears and run the other thing. And I try to make guys as decisive as possible and clutter the noise in their head.

[John Middlekauff]

Yeah, he's not pushing for this stuff that I can. Right? He's not saying, God damn it, Kyle, let me call a two minute here. Or is he?

[Unknown]

I've never had a quarterback really be like that. I remember Kirk Cousins took over for Robert and there's like three games left in the year and there was a third down play and Dallas was running a blitz that made us hot. And my answer was, hey, when you're hot, just throw that slant. But I was going to call it on third and eight and the guy was gonna have to run a good route to get eight yards. If I called on third and six, it was an easy answer. He goes, hey, Kyle, if you call that on third and eight just because he might not get the first down, are you okay if I change the protections and get it all and then go for the deeper play? Like, yeah, just can. You're. You're in your second year, you comfortable doing that? He goes, yeah, do it all the time. He studied it all week. It happened three times in the game. He got one of them right. The other two he messed up on. I wasn't mad. It was all right at the end of the game. The next day he came to my office Monday morning, goes, hey, Kyle, do you mind if I don't do that anymore? He goes. I go, why? He goes, that was so stressful for me all week. I had to study all this stuff. I was looking for it on every play, the whole game. He goes, I was always thinking about that and I didn't fucking play.

[John Middlekauff]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

I'm like, yeah, dude, we're Going to, I don't want you to think you have to do that stuff. Trust, like we're working so you don't have to do that.

[John Middlekauff]

When we talk over and over about the power and what good coaches bring to the table, especially in this modern day sport, you know, football, college or pro, when offense is at such a premium, I think Kyle just laid out to you why his value is so high. Because what he essentially said is, I want, I'm the guy playing chess against the defensive coordinator and their players because it actually makes it easier on my quarterback. And when you put too much on the quarterback, one, most guys aren't Peyton Manning and in a weird way gave like a backhanded compliment to Peyton. He's like, listen, Peyton was a genius, one of the great players of all time, but he was essentially in the shotgun all, every play of his career and it wasn't that varied. So he could control it pretty easily whether he wanted to check into a run or a pass or audible the line of scrimmage. But in this offense where we are shifting and motioning and doing a million things every single play, it's actually easier on the quarterback just to call the play because my skill is to be able on every one of our plays. Obviously I'm not going to be 100%, but to have an answer for anything we see and obviously it's going to be inevitable. Sometimes you're going to need the quarterback to ad lib, which actually Purdy can because he's a pretty good athlete. But this is me playing chess versus them and my quarterback just needs to execute it. So I was told a long time ago when one of Kyle Shanahan's assistants interviewed for an offensive coordinator job, his pitch was really, listen, one, we plan on running the ball a lot and two, we aren't going to ask the quarterback ideally to throw it 40 to 50 times. Ideally we'd like that number to be from 25 to 30 and out of that 25 to 30 passes, hopefully 15 plus. So over half of them are going to be layup throws and then potentially another 10 of those 30. So we're at 25. There are going to be schemed openings for him to hit as long as he executes and then a small percentage, let's say around 10% of the passes he's going to. He might need to ad lib and make some plays, but for the most part the scheme will help carry the player and you have to be really good to function at that level. And this is why the 49ers, like, for as shitty as last year was for the Niners, they were terrible because of their defense. Offensively, statistically, they actually weren't that bad. I think in a lot of offensive categories, they were in the top 10. The one thing that killed them was their red zone offense. But under Kyle Shanahan, their offense has been pretty unreal. And I think what he just said tells you why. Because it's Kyle playing the defense. He just needs Purdy or Jimmy or Matt Ryan. Like, no one's going to get Matt Ryan confused with Tom Brady, with Peyton Manning, with Aaron Rodgers, with, you know, Brett Favre or John Elway or Steve Young. But when Matt listened to Kyle, what happened? He won the MVP of the fucking league. Another topic that I found pretty interesting because it kind of became a big story. It was something no one was talking about. And then as like we got closer to training camp and all these second rounders weren't signed, everyone's like, wait, are all these second rounders holding out for fully guaranteed contracts? And it turns out most of them were not, because most of them were not getting that. But a lot of people thought that the reason and the catalyst for that conversation was Nick Casario and the Houston Texans signing the Iowa State wide receiver that they think they drafted pick 34 overall to a fully guaranteed contract. And I did a little digging and asked around on why, but I think Nick Casario laid out his reasoning on why he made the move that I think became a huge talking point for the last several weeks around the NFL.

[Nick Casario]

Yeah, I would say it's really much ado about nothing. I think it was a kind of fabricated story. Let's just take a step back. And again, when you're reading about like this in the Wall Street Journal, you know, like, everybody's got too much time on their hands. But just philosophically, when you look at like say, contracts in the second round specifically. So when you look at the top of the second round last year, I want to say like those contracts were like 92, 93% fully guaranteed. Right? So let's just kind of fast forward, adjust for inflation a little bit. There's probably going to be some marginal increase. So let's just say the number is, you know, 3 to 5%. Right. So that small margin that's left, it's a difference of. It's not that much. I mean, you guys are all smart. You could do the math. So again, we're trying to get ahead and stay ahead on trends. Eventually it was probably going to get There anyways, so we just felt like that was the right thing for us to do. And I think what happened after that, honestly it was a non story that was made into a story. But I mean everything kind of worked itself out. I think all of us in the league, myself included, have anticipated, you know, at some point, you know, probably the first four or five, you're gonna end up at that spot anyways. So why wait around? Why kind of bicker back and forth, go back and forth on the agents, like get to a resolution? I mean, I think people that kind of know me and that negotiate with me, I'm kind of a bottom line guy. So let's get to the bottom line. Let's not hem and haw, you know, if we think everybody's comfortable with it, then we're going to go ahead and move forward. Didn't really impact nursery, you know, which is a part of the second round. I think that was more of some other factors that led to kind of the, the stall there. So we're always going to handle business however we see fit, try to do it logically, be pragmatic about it, try to do it in a responsible way. So again, the off season, not a lot of people, there's not a lot of things to talk about. So when I start being around in the Wall Street Journal, like, I mean, you know that like this is kind of, it's a nothing deal to me.

[John Middlekauff]

The most important point that Casario just made and I, I would give this as advice to any human being. Whenever you're negotiating, whether it's car, whether it's a home, whether it's your salary, I think sometimes, and I've had a front row seat, I've been in negotiations since I left radio, doing them for myself, whether it's advertisers, whether stuff with the volume, whether it was stuff before that with Colin, Hell just did some stuff with Fox Sports, I enjoy it and I think I'm better at it because I spend less time arguing over little things. And I think seeing my wife who's in real estate, the amount of people that spend energy and effort and ego and just time arguing over $5,000 on a million dollar home, it's like, what are we talking about here? And I think what Nick Casario just said is I signed into a fully guaranteed contract. But when you actually factor in the numbers, last year was 93% of the guy in the same spot was fully guaranteed. If you factor in inflation over the course of a year, that number is well over 95% of the contract is going to be guaranteed. So if I fully guaranteed the contract, people acted like I went from, well, yeah, you went from 50% to 100. That's not the case at all. I actually just realized that, yeah, we're talking about 2 or 3% potentially here. So am I going to lose sleep or am I going to worry about a negotiation of 2 or 3% with a player that I just drafted at pick 34? That if you tell me right now when I use a pick like that, that is one of the most valuable assets in the league, that historically you can get first round talents but pay them second round money. And you would never draft a guy at 34. Now you won't know until it plays out. But you think that guy has a chance to be like a Pro bowl player. You definitely think that guy has a chance to be a second contract guy on your team. So to fully guarantee this contract is not that crazy. And then he discussed, well, yeah, we had another second rounder later in the, in the round who didn't get a fully guaranteed contract. Why? Because the money was way bigger. You know, I think once you start getting 50, 55, pick 60, well, 75, 80% of their contract was guaranteed. So when you talk about even factoring inflation, you're still going up 15, 18% to fully guarantee that contract. You're not going to do that. You typically don't get an 18% raise in a 12 month span. But giving a guy a 2 or 3% raise, which is essentially what he did, guaranteeing of his whole contract, I'd argue he's just smart business. And I think the way Nick talked about it shows you this league now, I think there was just a story that 455/million dollars got distributed just from the media deal. So the packers, they don't even have an owner made well over $700 million in revenue last year. These businesses now are so big, the day and age of just meathead people running these organizations, you have no shot. Now it doesn't mean every GM is some great financial wizard. Obviously guys lean on whoever is running the finances in the operation. Your contract negotiator, your team president, like you have people that, that master in that right. But you better be pretty well versed on economic structures as we move forward because the numbers are just too big. And if you spend time arguing over the little stuff, your job's going to be, your job's already difficult enough. So I give, I love the way Casario kind of defined it right there not only made a lot of sense, but just made life easier. And I think it's not shocking at all that the Texans are going to be projected to win their division again and be one of the better teams in the AFC for the third straight year. Okay, end on this. I saw a headline today that could the, could the North Carolina Tar Heels be the Colorado Buffaloes of a couple of years ago? Remember, Colorado wasn't even that good. I mean, they didn't even go above.500, didn't make a bowl game. But you put them on national television on Friday night games, on Saturday night games, they were doing like 5 or 6 million people. And it was like, this thing is a ratings bonanza. And they were obviously a huge conversation with Dion, with Shador, with Travis Hunter. It was fun. And it was a lot more fun last year, especially if you're betting on them because you get a pretty good value in some of their games. And they were much more entertaining to watch. But people said, hey, ESPN is going to take the same logic they had with Colorado and try to ride Belichick. And they're scheduled to be potentially 10 of their 12 games could be on, on, on the main channel being like different prime time situations and approach them like Dion and try to use them for, to rate and to get a lot of people to watch. Now Belichick in North Carolina opens on Monday Night Football. I think it's September 1st. That leads into week one of the NFL. The Eagles. The Eagles. Cowboys play on, on Thursday night. A lot of people are going to watch that game. But part of the reason we watch Colorado these last couple years, one, their quarterback was talented. So when you just watched them on offense, like they had an opportunity to be explosive on every drive. And then they had one of the more transcendent players we've ever seen. They had a guy going both ways. So it was like, yeah, Deion Sanders, huge personality. But I didn't watch Colorado games really for Deion. Right. I watched it for Shador and Travis Hunter. Like I saw Belichick the last three or four years of his New England career. We didn't watch Pat's game. Why? They were unwatchable. So if North Carolina is going to be ratings cash cow and a team's team that draws eyeballs and garners the interest of casual fans, they're going to need to be entertaining. And I don't know if they're talented enough. Right. I mean, they have a transfer quarterback from I think South Alabama. The best player on their team just left because he was draft eligible and got drafted by the Chargers in the first round. I don't know how good they're going to be. I hope they're good because I think it would be an interesting story. But I don't know if the talent is there. And you know, the one thing Bill could do in the NFL is over the course of time because he had Tom and some other core guys is he could take random guys and have them overachieve and develop them. But that is a lot harder in college. One simply you don't have the time. Like, you're not just majoring in football 24, 7, 365. Some of these guys just have to spend some time on academics and there are certain rules in terms of how often you can keep them on the practice field and things that are going against you. But if I was a betting man right now, like, does this become Colorado? I'd be a little surprised. Now, I think their first year, they could easily go above.500 if you tell me they went 7 and 5 or 8 and 4 or even 9 and 3. But are they going to be that entertaining? Like, part of what made Colorado fun is just the way they played, right? One, their defense got a little bit better last year. Their offensive line was terrible. Shador had to run around and make plays. But overall it was just kind of the wild, wild west. Watching that squad take the field, that is not the way Belichick wants to play. I think in a perfect world, Bill would try to win these games like 14 to 10, play defense, run the ball, slow down the game. It would not shock me at all if that is the style. Because you would say historically that is the way Bill views football, right? Is just slow down, out physical you out mentally tough you, especially if Tom's not around. This is like the poor man's Mac Jones version. So I'm fascinated to watch North Carolina. If I was a betting man, they're not going to be as interesting as Colorado was the last couple years. Okay, we'll end on this. It's Fugazi Friday and a couple things. One, I haven't got that deep in terms of buying things for my future child, but we did buy a, a stroller. And just looking at other stuff, from car seats to you name is pretty crazy how expensive it is to have a kid. And I'm not sitting here to complain. Comes with the territory. But I'm just going to use this as a piece of advice. If you're a young person and you're just be Very careful, like before you have it, like, I couldn't have done this 10 years ago. I'm 40 years old. I couldn't have done this. I couldn't afford it at 30. I don't know how I could have afforded the things that are basically like essentials. It's. This isn't talking like get them the coolest clothes or whatever. It is just insane how much stuff costs in 2025 for one child. I mean, I know some of these people, some of these people in our life, I would call them acquaintances that have a bunch of kids. It's like I just. That aren't, I don't think doing that well financially. I have no clue how they're doing it honestly. And props to everyone that just. There's a will, there's a way. I mean, you don't have a choice once they're coming, but it's. It's expensive. I'll say that I do want to just bring this CEO Coldplay situation and just put this to bed because I don't never heard of this guy. Honestly, even the company's name wasn't that familiar with. I think everyone's first reaction when these two people get caught in their embrace at the concert is, oh my God, what a scumbag. What about his wife? What about her husband? What about their family? My overall take would be this. If you are willing to act like that in public, be that brazen and just out in the open, especially I think they were with other co workers. You fucking hate your significant other. You don't respect them, you don't like them. There's a difference of. Obviously some people, I'm sure people listening might have side girlfriend, side piece, have cheated in your life. And it's not always just because you hate or you don't have any respect. Whatever the situation is. A lot of variables. Probably could hear a million different stories, right? But in this situation, there is no way you can convince me that these two people to do that at a concert don't hate their significant others. So I would say this for their significant others now, if they are just living in La La Land and didn't see that one coming, I would say that situation just to get out of there. Because why would you want to be with someone that hates you? Because I. The cockiness to do that in a public setting is one of the craziest things in 2025, 1987, no camera phones. Anyone that saw the Netflix show Missing Amy, when this girl disappears from a cruise, you know, back in like the late 90s, there weren't cameras. It was just like no one had any information because no one had camera phones. In 2025 with, with cameras everywhere, camera phones, social media, people just. You play like three degrees of separation anywhere you're at. With every human in America, I just, both their husband and wives and families are better off separating from these people because they did not like you. I mean, just that simple. They, they wanted to be with that other person and their actions said it all. Because that is as crazy of an of public interaction, especially for a guy that's, you know, running the company with his HR director. I also think this, you gotta be selfish in life. And so many of you that work at different corporations that have certain rules, there's so much. And as you get older, it's just impossible to not see rules for rules for the. Not, not me. So basically like, yeah, I'm not following the rules. Even though I'm telling you to do it. It just shows you. Obviously they had specific requirements about what you could and could not do with office relationships. And the CEO of the company is banging the HR director. Sometimes you got to be selfish, man. So like, when you get caught up in this thing, like, what is my company gonna think? Like, they don't give a fuck. They would fire you tomorrow. You're meaningless to them. And if you think the people that you know above you on the org chart are following the rules, they're probably not. Now maybe not to this extreme, but man, I've just, I've never seen a situation go more viral that I kept asking myself, like, what am I, am I supposed to know these people? But my one conclusion after a week was like, I just, I think it's hard to quantify how little respect and care that they actually had for their family. So I think in a weird way, and I'm not saying that their family should be over it a week later, but big picture, best thing that ever happened to them. Get out from under these two people.

[Annabe]

Tired of spills and stains on your sofa? WashablesOfAs.com has your back. Featuring the Annabe collection. The only designer sofa that's machine washable inside and out. Where designer quality meets budget friendly prices. That's right. Sofas start at just $699. Enjoy a no risk experience with pet friendly stain resistant and changeable slipcovers made with performance fabrics. Experience cloud like comfort with high resilience foam that's hypoallergenic and never needs fluffing. The sturdy steel frame ensures longevity and the modular pieces can be rearranged anytime. Check out washablesofas.com and get up to 60% off your Anna Bay sofa backed by a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not absolutely in love, send it back for a full refund. No return, shipping or restocking fees. Every penny back. Upgrade [e-mail] Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Jasmine Crockett]

I think Democrats have for a very long time allowed Republicans to play them. So essentially Republicans came up with a narrative and Democrats decided to play into that. And that only hurt the Democrats.

[Katie Couric]

I'm Kitty Couric. Jasmine Crockett, Democratic representative of Texas, is not known for holding back and our recent ch on Next Question is no exception. But when you hear how she got to where she is, her intensity makes perfect sense.

[Jasmine Crockett]

It's just hard to imagine a world where you don't have enough people that care to do right by people. And so that same passion that carried me through as a public defender that led me to want to change laws and thinking about the harm that will happen not just to my constituents, but just generally like I carry that weight.

[Katie Couric]

With me because you've seen it up close.

[Jasmine Crockett]

Yeah.

[Katie Couric]

Listen to next question with me, Katie Couric on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bridget Todd]

Adventure should never come with a pause button.

[Sarah Spain]

Remember the MoviePass era where you could watch all the movies you wanted for just $9? It made zero sense and I could not stop thinking about it. I'm Bridget Todd, host of the tech podcast There Are no Girls on the Internet. On this new season, I'm talking to the innovators who are left out of the tech headlines, like the visionary behind MoviePass, Black founder Stacey Spikes, who was pushed out of MoviePass, the company that he founded. His story is wild and it's currently the subject of a juicy new HBO documentary. We dive into how culture connects us.

[Bridget Todd]

When you go to France or you go to England or you go to Hong Kong, those kids are wearing Jordans. They're wearing Kobe's shirt. They're watching Black Panther and the challenges.

[Sarah Spain]

Of being a black Founder.

[Bridget Todd]

Close your eyes and tell me what a tech founder looks like. They're not going to describe someone who looks like me and they're not going to describe someone who looks like you.

[Sarah Spain]

I created There are no girls on the Internet because the future belongs to all of us. So listen to There are no girls on the Internet. On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Ebony]

Welcome to Pretty Private with ebony, the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free. I'm Ebony and every Tuesday I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you. On Pretty Private, we'll explore the untold experiences of women of color who faced it all. Childhood trauma, addiction, abuse, incarceration, grief, mental health struggles and more. And found the strength to make it to the other side.

[Unknown]

My dad was shot and killed in his house. Yes, he was a drug dealer. Yes, he was a confidential informant, but he wasn't shot on a street corner. He wasn't shot in the middle of a drug deal. He was shot in his house, unarmed.

[Ebony]

Pretty Private isn't just a podcast. It's your personal guide from turning storylines into lifelines. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect podcast network. Tune in on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[John Middlekauff]

Okay. Mailbag time at John Middelkoff. At John Middelkoff. Fire in those DMS on my Instagram and get your questions answered on the show. I actually just saw that the Raiders who gave Christian Wilkins, I think like $85 million guaranteed last year, gave him $110 million total. I mean, he was the biggest free agent I would have even imagined. He was bigger than any free agent this offseason. He got a ton of money, he's a really good player and had a bad injury. And I was told not by spy tech who came on the show probably three plus months ago that it was bad, did the injury was bad, the situation was bad. Now, I didn't really know much was going on. I just assumed, you know, Pete was asked about it a couple days ago and said basically like he's not even close to playing. And then they cut him and they filed a grievance or he filed a grievance and they're not going to pay him 35 plus million dollars that he's guaranteed. It's going to get pretty ugly. My overall take is this. This would have been a tough situation for John Spytek. And enter Young, first time head coach. I think a lot of people, and listen, I've been one of those people that have been critical of the Raiders for a while. Like they've just been involved in a lot of crazy shit since I got out of the league and was doing radio and even since I've been podcasting. But this is why you hire credibility. Like what are you going to do? Pete doesn't know what he's doing. Pete hasn't seen it all like this. This isn't just some random Joe Schmo, right? So this is where credibility and listen, I don't have the details to this. And the situation is going to be an ongoing litigation, league wide right guy fighting for his money. The Raiders not going to pay him. But it's like this is where credibility, experience, like pizza, I got it. I'll handle this situation. I've been here, I've had historic players flip me off as they've left the field. So it's like this is, this is why the Raiders needed some credibility and Pete brings it. Whether who, I don't know who's right or wrong in this situation. I just know that Christian Wilkins is now no longer a Raider and obviously had a bad injury. I saw, I saw someone just posted a video of him dancing in the, in the locker room or the weight room a couple of days ago. Clearly the Raiders can't stand this guy. Like there's nothing like the best part about life when it comes to public situations. You can say whatever, especially all these coaches, right. Can say, can give cliche answers when you judge people by their actions. Like you just cut a guy on July 24th after you've been together now with the vets for a couple days. Like, you clearly hate this guy. Which listen, we all hate certain people. And this is, you're not my guy, we didn't sign you, you're not my player. But this shit ain't flying here. And I would say no franchise needs more of like this shit's over. Like this is not. We're drawing a line in the sand. No organization needs that more than the Dolphins. But the Raiders for 20 plus years, the Giants are going to need that. Right? There are certain teams, the Jags and all these people, all these teams, you know, newer younger coaches, first time GMs like Pete Carroll, as Pete had a great line the other day. I, I don't know, I think a lot of people are going to pick the Raiders to be really good this year or to be like, be like kind of like a trendy hipster 10 win team. I just don't know if they have the talent to do that. They clearly going to be a lot better. And Pete's like, I've been winning 10 plus games for 20 years. Like what do I plan on doing? I plan on winning. And sometimes, you know, if a young coach, like if Liam Cohen or Ben Johnson just has a makes A statement that's a little out of pocket. You're like, what? No, Pete, you haven't just been winning 10 games. You won like 12, 13, 14 games a lot of the time. You know you're underselling yourself, Pete. I do think this is going to be a difficult, definitely first year for Pete relative to his typical standards. But I love it when someone just comes into a place and starts rattling fucking cages. Another question. I'm listening Wednesday to the pod right now. And you mentioned Trevor Lawrence not living up to his draft prospect hype. And it got me thinking. Since Elway, there have been four major draft quarterback prospects that are mentioned in the same group. Manning, Luck, Lawrence and Caleb Williams. I think that's four. Oh, and you're, you're including Elway as well? If you had to rank them all, I would say, listen, I was born in 84, the year Elway was drafted. So I. It's hard for me to put him in context, but I think it's fair to say John Elway is the best prospect at quarterback in the history of the NFL. Now maybe there have been better prospects at other positions, but if all things are equal, you would take the quarterback over any position. So I think you could argue that John Elway at 22 ish years old is the greatest prospect in the history of the league. I was in junior high when Peyton Manning was coming out. But like I've, I've watched enough Peyton Manning. I've seen him live in the pros, winning mvp. He's like, he's was an incredible player. It's impossible to comp Luck in Manning obviously, you know, Luck quit seven years in. I think coming out of college, I think you could make the argument that Luck was better. His athleticism was so much better in Peyton's. Now Peyton's athleticism in college actually wasn't terrible. I think we view him as like a bad athlete in the pros, which I think he kind of became that as he got older. But if you watch some Tennessee highlights, he could move. But I think that factor neither had a great like howitzer like Elway. So I would go one, clearly Elway, I would go like 2a and 2b luck, Manning, these are as prospects I would have a huge gap and go Trevor Lawrence than Caleb Williams coming out of college, longtime Fresno fan, move to the PAC 12. Do you see any impact? Also the biggest obstacle for the Raiders this season, is it extremely competitive division the defense or is it Geno Smith and do you think they will be able to win A division like the AFC or NFC South. I think their biggest obstacle now they have a real coach. They got Crosby still. They got Colton Miller, they got Geno Smith. They draft Ashton Genty. They're going to be. They just drafted a bunch of players. Also with Ashton Genti, I think they had what couple they had definitely had multiple threes and a two. The wide receiver see from Texas Tech, Beck, I think he was originally at lsu. The Nogeron got fired and he transferred to Tech. I think Tech could be A and M. Pretty sure it's Tech, but I think everyone just needs to pump the brakes a little bit on the expectations. Like, could they win the AFC South? The Texans are way better than the Raiders. I think if they. They both played the same schedule, I think the Texans are multiple games better as they should be. Casario has been building it up forever, right? It's like, no shit. So I'd give the Raiders. I'm giving them a little bit of a pass this year. I think there was a chance they go six or seven wins, but they look way better. I mean, last year was an embarrassment. I mean, it really was. They were. They were unwatchable. Them and the Pats were just not a watchable franchise. So I think this year you should just be excited. And then another draft class and then. And I think big picture, it's like, you know, Pete's 73 years old. 74 years old. So how many years has he got this going? Three or four. My thing is if by three or four, it's actually going kind of well, maybe they draft, you know, their version of. And again, I'm not saying they're going to find Russell Wilson, but like, what changed Pete's life with Seattle was getting Russell Wilson. He's going to be able to find other players, right? At other positions. They're going to him and Spy Tech. But finding the quarterback is hard, right? So if they do find that guy, is Pete just going to want to quit at like 77 years old? It's crazy. Pete Carroll's like two years older than Hulk Hogan, Rip, who just died. Absolute, I mean, legendary cultural figure in my youth, Ozzy. I saw someone tweet out today that Ozzy outlived Hulk Hogan by like five years. Going to the gym is overrated. I would imagine they approach things a little bit different. Obviously they both had substances coming into their body in for different, you know, reasons. But you know, Pete's youth. You see him talk, he still looks and sounds like he did 10 years ago. That. That to me is where it gets complicated. But that's a big picture thought. Why is Jalen hurts one of the most disrespected quarterbacks in the NFL? He's the only quarterback to win the super bowl and in that following offseason, get completely discredited for winning. Do you think it's because most people doubted him coming out of college and people refused to admit they're wrong? You know what's funny is two years ago when. When it looked like the 49ers were going to beat the Chiefs, I remember texting with the buddies, like, even if they win this game, the conversation on Brock Purdy isn't going to turn into, well, now he's one of the best quarterbacks in the league. It's going to be. Well, it's just his team. It was just his coach. It was just Trent Williams, it was just McCaffrey, it was just Debo, it was just Fred Warner. That's the same thing with Jalen. And this is. I. I went on this rant like a week ago. I just. Now it's not Jalen. But everyone gets so caught up, which maybe I'm not. I could be better at my job and just do more, like quarterback lists once a week. I just. It does nothing for me. I hate that stuff. And luckily, in the podcast world, you don't necessarily have to do that. But is Jalen a top five quarterback? He's not. Does he benefit from playing with a great team? Of course he does. So did Joe Montana. So did Tom Brady when he was young. So did Brett Favre with Bike Holmgren and Reggie White. I mean, it's like any good quarterback. John Elway won two Super Bowls when he had Mike Shanahan, Terrell Davis, Shannon Sharpe, and a sweet defense. Like, usually this is not the NBA, where it's like, well, I was like the best quarterback in the league. My team sucked. But we still won 14 games and went to the Super Bowl. That's not how it works. So it's just. He's a polarizing player. Because if you're winning a lot and you're clearly not one of the elite guys in the NFL, and he's not that. You're just going to be just a major, major individual in the conversation. Because you can have the conversation, right? What else are you going to say about Mahomes? Like, what's the point about my homes? And really, what. What's the conversation now with Lamar and Josh? Well, can they win a Super Bowl? That's really the only conversation there's not like are they good enough? Can they throw enough touchdowns? Can they make enough plays? Can you win enough games? Like they proved it all. So it's just not going to end. It's just not going to stop.

[Annabe]

Let's be real. Life happens, kids spill, pets shed and accidents are inevitable. Find a sofa that can keep [e-mail] Starting at just $699, our sofas are fully machine washable inside and out so you can say goodbye to stains and hello to worry free living. Made with liquid and stain resistant fabrics, they're kid proof, pet friendly and built for everyday life. Plus changeable fabric covers let you refresh your sofa whenever you want. Neat flexibility. Our modular design lets you rearrange your sofa anytime to fit your space, whether it's a growing family room or a cozy apartment. Plus, they're earth friendly and trusted by over 200,000 happy customers. It's time to upgrade to a stress free, mess proof sofa. Visit washablesofas.com today and save that's washablesofas.com offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Jasmine Crockett]

I think Democrats have for a very long time allowed Republicans to play them. So essentially Republicans came up with a narrative and Democrats decided to play into that and that only hurt the Democrats.

[Katie Couric]

I'm Katie Couric. Jasmine Crockett, Democratic representative of Texas, is not known for holding back and our recent chat on Next Question is no exception. But when you hear how she got to where she is, her intensity makes perfect sense.

[Jasmine Crockett]

It's just hard to imagine a world where you don't have enough people that care to do right by people. And so that same passion that carried me through as a public defender that led me to want to change laws and thinking about the harm that will happen not just to my constituents, but just generally. Like I carry that weight with me.

[Katie Couric]

Because you've seen it up close.

[Jasmine Crockett]

Yeah.

[Katie Couric]

Listen to next question with me, Katie Couric on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bridget Todd]

Adventure should never come with a pause button.

[Sarah Spain]

Remember the MoviePass era where you could watch all the movies you wanted for just $9? It made zero sense and I could not stop thinking about it. I'm Bridget Todd, host of the Tech podcast There are no Girls on the Internet. On this new season, I'm talking to the innovators who are left out of the tech headlines, like the visionary behind MoviePass, Black founder Stacy Spikes, who was pushed out of MoviePass, the company that he founded His Story is Wild and it's currently the subject of a juicy new HBO documentary. We dive into how culture connects us.

[Bridget Todd]

When you go to France or you go to England or you go to Hong Kong, those kids are wearing Jordans. They're wearing Kobe's shirt. They're watching Black Panther and the Challenges.

[Sarah Spain]

Of Being a Black Founder.

[Bridget Todd]

Close your eyes and tell me what a tech founder looks like. They're not gonna describe someone who looks like me. And they're not gonna describe someone who looks like you.

[Sarah Spain]

I created There are no girls on the Internet because the future belongs to all of us. So listen to There are no girls on the Internet, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ebony]

Welcome to Pretty Private with ebony, the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free. I'm Ebony and every Tuesday I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you. On Pretty Private, we'll explore the untold experiences of women of color who faced it all. Childhood trauma, addiction, abuse, incarceration, grief, mental health struggles and more. And found the strength to make it to the other side.

[Unknown]

Side My dad was shot and killed in his house. Yes, he was a drug dealer. Yes, he was a confidential informant. But he wasn't shot on a street corner. He wasn't shot in the middle of a drug deal. He was shot in his house, unarmed.

[Ebony]

Pretty Private isn't just a podcast. It's your personal guide for turning storylines into lifelines. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect podcast network. Tune in on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[John Middlekauff]

A couple my closest buddies are some fellow bald headed brothers. Love to see the community flourishing. I totally agree. We are, we are having a great run. I do think the Internet age has been good to us. My question relates to the Dolphins in the city of Miami itself. Do you ever see Miami becoming a powerhouse like the Chiefs or the Brady Bill Patriots? Or are there just too many distractions for all these early 20 year olds? I'm starting to wonder if a coach like Tomlin or Mike Vrabel would even make a difference. I don't think it's possible to overcome it nowadays. I really don't. And you know Pat Riley basketball is easier in the sense that you only have to corral. I mean your rotation, the playoffs, seven guys, right? Your team's 12 and I've seen some clips from like Udonis Haslam and Mike Miller's podcast where like UD would tell guys like hey guys, you're going late to these clubs. Like Pat will call you into his office the next morning, he'll know you're there. They know everything that's going on everywhere. I think it was Mario Chalmers was like Pat Riley called him into his office and he was like, why are you at the club last night like 4:30 in the morning? And Mario's like, how did this guy know this? And it's just easier to do with basketball. And also he's Pat Riley. You know, Jalen Ramsey wouldn't even listen to Mike McDaniel. Honestly, I don't. Not defending Jalen because I do think there's just a level of someone's paying you 20 plus million dollars. Show up on time and listen. I'm scarred from my youth. My dad is just big. I mean we didn't have that many rules as a kid, right? Stand up straight, look people in the eye, shake hands, be on time. I would say my house was closer to like Tom Coughlin rules like kind of five minutes early. Especially to any serious situation, like a team meeting, you should probably be there on time. So I just think that the respect matters. Like if Andy Reid was the coach of the Dolphins or Mike Tomlin was or the Harbaugh brother was a coach of the Dolphins, it would be way more buttoned up for sure. But I do think it's pretty difficult obstacle to overcome. Me and Colin were talking about this like la, like things. California don't stay open all night. New York City, yeah, it stays open all night, but no one lives in the city. San Francisco, everyone lives in San Jose. San Jose fucking blows like this. Arizona, they practice out in the middle of nowhere. So it's like some of these situations. I've always thought that with like Arizona State it was hard to overcome kind of the party aspect here. And the standard for the football program was not like some elite program, but it was always really hard. Then you kind of come and if you're a college football player, there's just a lot of talent in this area. Some of the most talented areas in the country is probably right here. Some would argue this is number one. And Miami has an aspect of that with this like international flavor of like no rules, kind of the wild, wild west. Obviously if you have money like these guys do. So I do buy into that. I really do. The Lions lost both their coordinators. They have a very hard looking schedule rag now retired now they lose. Levi will miss the season with an acl, he's a pass rusher. Is it, is it on the board that they miss the playoffs? I think that would be pretty stunning. I do think that would be pretty stunning. But for 35 plus years on at minimum, four teams have turned over and sometimes like five or six. So now we got seven teams of conference, so you got 14 teams. So of those 14 teams, we know that four will be new minimum this year. And if you just start, it's like, well, it's Ravens, Chiefs, Bills, Eagles, Commanders. Like someone's. There's going to be someone. I mean, last year was the Niners. No one saw that coming. And it happened. The Bengals too. So you just, you never know. I would never say never. Like any team in the league can miss the playoffs this year. If you tell me, obviously for one of the main teams, Ravens, Chiefs, Bills, you would need a major quarterback injury, right? Their teams are just too good. Their operations are just too good. The Bengals proved last year Joe Burrow can throw 45 touchdowns. They can miss the playoffs. Herbert would probably have to get hurt as well just because the way the Chargers are going to play. But yeah, something's going to happen. I mean, as a college football coach myself, you're one of the few people that actually know what they're talking about. So I appreciate, I like this guy. This is Riley. I know it will never happen, but fun to think about. If Saban wanted to just coach ball and not deal with the nil and all, that he should coach D3 football. No ID, no athletic director is going to give me any shit. Coach a lot of technique and turn a D3 into a powerhouse. Your thoughts like in theory, I get what you're saying. There's like a purity to just coaching football. I do think when you've been at the level in which him even use Bill as an example because a lot of people thought like let's use last year as an example. When Bill Belichick and Nick Saban, who are like tight at the hip for multiple decades, right? Three and a half decades. Because they, they've known each other for 40 years. They coach together, they're boys. It was like, you know, what if Bill couldn't get an NFL job, he could just coach high school. And it made sense. Like he just loves ball. Well, he's also been making 15, 20 million dollars for a decade. Been playing in games where 20, 30 million people watch coach the greatest, most famous player in the history of the Sport. Been in nine Super Bowls. Saban coached how many first rounders over the last 15 years played in the highest rated games in front of 70, 80, 90,000 plus people for 15 plus years and who is very wealthy. So neither of these guys need the money. But like ask Bill, do you think his juices are going to get flowing? Monday Night Football against tcu, Would it be the same if he was coaching Davis high school or D3? And I have no shade at any different division. I just think for those guys it's really, really difficult. Like it's, let's face it, it's hard for Tom Brady to date someone who's not famous and probably famous Slash has money because how can they, what are they talking about? Like how could he just date some 32 year old good looking chick that just sells insurance like beside like if she was a 10. Okay, great. We can, we can bang be fun. But like this ain't going to be serious. You kind of got to be on my level. So for Nick I think you kind of need the juice of if Nick were to come back, it's my thing. If he were going to come back to college, it, you could count on one hand the programs. One, he'd never go west and he, he'd never go like you know, Michigan and that conference isn't really fit. So it's only the South. So it's basically maybe a couple of those ACC schools. Maybe even though it'd be like Texas, Florida, he's not going back to Bama because they can't buy out DeBoer, Brian Kelly, LSU, would he go back? It's, it's like three or four schools. So I just think that, I think once you've seen the bright lights, like it has to be hard if you are a musician in a band and once you start like for example, Morgan Wallen just came and he sold out. Last year he played at the Diamondbacks, Chase Field. Just like he played a lot of, I don't want to say smaller venues but like baseball stadiums and NBA arenas. This year he's selling out football stadiums. Once you start selling out football stadiums, it's one thing to do like a one off in, in a venue for 4,000 people, but it, it would not feel the same just doing a tour for 4,000 people. One, just the reactions, the money, the whole thing. So to me these guys have been at this level. Like Pete Carroll's a good example too. Like why did Pete want back into the NFL? Because that's how they get their juices flowing. I'm a Charger fan. Is Rivers a Hall of Famer. He was behind maybe the worst offensive line in four years. Four years. He sort of reminds me of Burrows trajectory though his is still developing, but in a dysfunctional situation put up insane numbers and drug his team to wins. I think the best compliment you give Philip Rivers, like in the prime of his career as a. If you loved football and he was, you know, Chargers were your squad, you felt really good just going into war with Philip Rivers as your, as your quarterback. I saw the clip, it was really, I mean, the clip he did where he's interviewing, he's being interviewed at his house, you know, talking about retiring, which I think we all thought he retired like four or five years ago. And he gets emotional and it's just kind of a moving thing. And then his like four offensive linemen, Nick Hardwig, McNeil, a couple other guys came in. It was cool. I mean it was a really. But I saw the clip of his last game ever for the Chargers. He gave this post game press conference where he was in tears and basically just talked about like, I never did this for the stats. I never cared what my numbers were. I just wanted to win the game. It's like this guy, I always thought Philip Rivers was a badass hall of Famer. I think he's right on the line now for me as someone that likes Philip Rivers a lot, I think Philip Rivers is a better quarterback, had a better career in terms of like the aggregate year in, year out than Eli Manning. But like Eli Manning is going to get in one day because he has two playoff runs where he beat Bill Belichick and Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. Philip Rivers best run, he got to the AFC Championship game. Not all his fault, but like I'd argue both guys, you know, I, I just think the hall of Fame should be set for Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Walter Payton's Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White, Deion Sanders, like Jerry Rice, the best of the best. But that's not the case. So if Philip Rivers gets in, like, I'm not going to lose sleep over it. My first reaction is no, though I respect the shit out of him and I liked him a lot. And when I was doing Raider stuff, even with the Eagles, I saw him play a bunch live. I thought the guy was a war. A guy was a war daddy. Very old school guy. Question for the bag. Everyone knows the worst team in the NFL would destroy the best team in college. However, the only thing I'd push back on that one depending on the time of the year. If we're talking Like December and it's like a winless team and they're on some shitty quarterback with a bunch of injuries to their roster. Because even the worst team in the NFL, in theory, if healthy, probably has a couple Pro bowl level guys that could dominate against college. But if you have a bunch of injuries and a bunch of practice squad guys playing, we've seen some pretty bad NFL teams toward the end of the year. And if you're getting like a USC, a Georgia and Alabama, an LSU that has like 20, 20 of their 22 starters are NFL guys. Ten of them are like future pro Bowlers. I'd like to see it. However, could the best college team beat the worst Canadian football team? I definitely think a team like the 19 LSU team could beat a UFL. Canadian LSU teams like that would kill the UFL. I think the UFL would get smoked. I don't watch Canadian football. When I worked in the NFL, I scouted it a little bit. It's a completely different game right there. Rules like, you get running starts. So it's not like apples to apples the way they play. It's not like cricket versus baseball. But there is the down and distance, right? They only play. You only get two downs to get in third down, you got a punt or go for it. So I just think I haven't watched Canadian league in a long time, but it's not. They're not playing American football, so I don't. It'd be an advantage and a disadvantage if you were just both playing the same game. I'd have to text some people in the NFL that like kind of stay up on this more that could like break down. Like, oh yeah, they got like 10 NFL guys on their roster. Because my first reaction wants to be like, if they are playing the same sport, would I take like last year's Ohio State? Would Canadian be able to get to them? I mean, typically the best player on a Canadian league team or let's just say the best NFL prospect in the Canadian League, let's say he's a pass rusher every once in a while. The Dolphins used to have this pass rusher like 15 years ago that was really good. That came from CFL, but for the most part it's like a rotational guy maybe. And if you're playing a team like LSU 2019, like they have a DB that's going to coverage. Mar Chase and Justin Jefferson. So my first reaction is no, I would take the college team. Could be wrong. Don't feel great about that though. Question for the bag. Why do you Think the analysis of teams vary so much between the regular season and the offseason. For example, I'm a Packer fan, and last year I'm watching every game thinking they're starting slow and need to be better on second and medium. But in the off season, we talk about teams getting better by plugging holes in the roster. When the offense is out of rhythm, we're talking about how Matt LaFleur isn't using Jacobs enough and how we need more tight end or whatever depth. Yet in the off season, the media will be saying how we better upgrade our DN cornerback. I think the conversation changed dramatically. One a huge conversation during the season is the coaching, right? How are they using a player, how the offense is doing, how shitty they are in the red zone, how they got no pass rush. In the off season, you don't have the weekly game to go to. Judge and create. I hate the word narrative because if you have no sacks through a month, like, you're bad. Your D line sucks, right? But in the off season, sometimes you go, well, overall defense isn't bad. And you start talking about the roster in kind of like in a macro perspective. In season, it's very micro. You're dissecting individual position groups, you're dissecting individual players, you're dissecting individual coaching. In the off season, it's more just about the 60 guys in their contract, right? Who's a free agent, who we can add, how this guy can help. So it's kind of bigger picture stuff. The conversation dramatically changes from basically, let's say in two weeks, once we really start playing some preseason games, looking at the roster still kind of stays, I would say with an off season kind of tone. But once you start playing the games, then it shifts to coaching staff, ocdc and individual players slash units like, God, our linebackers suck. They can't make any. They can't make any tackles. Was that a coaching thing? Is that a scheme thing? Is that a personnel thing? So then it kind of. You can kind of talk about it from every angle. But as we sit here right now, where every team's just on the field in shorts and a T shirt, it's kind of like, well, how's the roster? Are we good enough? Like, if I'm a Packer fan, is our. Is our defensive line good enough? Is our receiver group going to be good enough? Are these guys healthy? What's the status of some of these guys? Can Jacob stay healthy? You're just kind of talking big picture stuff, but like a month in week four and Jordan Love's only thrown two touchdowns. You're like, what is going on with our passing offense? Why are we throwing so many deep go routes that aren't working? Hey Matt, can we, can we run some quick game? Can we throw the ball to the running back? Like you can't. You're not having that conversation right now. And the thing with like basketball, right, that I was listening to Bill Simmons podcast, he was talking about the Clippers and like they basically put together a 2016 All Star team. But like you, you got an idea like James Harden's gonna do this and if Kawhi Play is going to do this and Chris Paul can bring you this, it's like you kind of know their team now, the playoffs. Like, well are they going to be healthy? What can they run? How can they adapt right? In football even year to year it's like, well, what if I told you Jordan Love has the best default accuracy in the league this year? Or what if he's the worst right? Then that becomes we just don't know and it kind of changes year to year. Beside a small handful of players that you know exactly what you're going to get. Foreign.

[Annabe]

Let'S be real. Life happens. Kids spill, pets shed and accidents are inevitable. Find a sofa that can keep [e-mail] starting at just $699. Our sofas are fully machine washable inside and out so you can say goodbye to stains and hello to worry free living. Made with liquid and stain resistant fabrics, they're kid proof, pet friendly and built for everyday life. Plus changeable fabric covers let you refresh your sofa whenever you want. Need flexibility? Our modular design lets you rearrange your sofa anytime to fit your space, whether it's a growing family room or a cozy apartment. Plus, they're earth friendly and trusted by over 200,000 happy customers. It's time to upgrade to a stress free mess proof sofa. Visit washablesofas.com today and save that's washablesofas.com offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.

[Jasmine Crockett]

I think Democrats have for a very long time allowed Republicans to play them. So essentially Republicans came up with a narrative and Democrats decided to play into that and that only hurt the Democrats.

[Katie Couric]

I'm Katie Couric. Jasmine Crockett, Democratic representative of Texas, is not known for holding back and our recent chat on Next Question is no exception. But when you hear how she got to where she is, her intensity makes perfect sense.

[Jasmine Crockett]

It's just hard to imagine a world where you don't have enough people that care to do right by people. And so that same passion that carried me through as a public defender, that led me to want to change laws and thinking about the harm that will happen not just to my constituents, but just generally. Like, I carry that weight with me.

[Katie Couric]

Because you've seen it up close.

[Jasmine Crockett]

Yeah.

[Katie Couric]

Listen to next question. With me, Katie Couric on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Bridget Todd]

Adventure should never come with a pause button.

[Sarah Spain]

Remember the MoviePass era where you could watch all the movies you wanted for just $9? It made zero sense and I could not stop thinking about it. I'm Bridget Todd, host of the tech podcast There Are no Girls on the Internet. On this new season, I'm talking to the innovators who are left out of the tech headlines, like the visionary behind MoviePass, Black founder Stacey Spikes, who was pushed out of movie MoviePass, the company that he founded. His story is wild, and it's currently the subject of a juicy new HBO documentary. We dive into how culture connects us.

[Bridget Todd]

When you go to France or you go to England or you go to Hong Kong, those kids are wearing Jordans. They're wearing Kobe's shirt. They're watching Black Panther and the challenges.

[Sarah Spain]

Of being a black founder.

[Bridget Todd]

Close your eyes and tell me what a tech founder looks like. They're not going to describe someone who looks like me, and they're not going to describe someone who looks like you.

[Sarah Spain]

I created There are no girls on the Internet because the future belongs to all of us. So listen to There are no girls on the Internet, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ebony]

Welcome to Pretty Private with ebony, the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free. I'm ebony, and every Tuesday, I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you. On Pretty Private, we'll explore the untold experiences of women of color who faced it all. Childhood trauma, addiction, abuse, incarceration, grief, mental health struggles and more. And found the strength to make it to the other side.

[Unknown]

My dad was shot and killed in his house. Yes, he was a drug dealer. Yes, he was a confidential informant. But he wasn't shot on street corner. He wasn't shot in the middle of a drug deal. He was shot in his house, unarmed.

[Ebony]

Pretty Private isn't just a podcast. It's your personal guide for turning storylines into lifelines. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect podcast network. Tune in on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite show.

[John Middlekauff]

I've been listening for the last 18 months since I moved to the States from Australia for work. That's a big move, bro. My question is about the Glazers who own the Bucs. How are they viewed around the league? Do they spend money on facilities, free agents, coaches and are happy to give out big contracts? I ask because I'm a massive English premier and I love Manchester United, which the Glazers own. Their dad bought the club 20 years ago through a leverage takeover and since then they haven't spent a penny on their own of their own money on the club. They take dividends out of the club and have loaded it with billion pounds of debt and refused to clean any of it. They are despised by most of the United fan base, so just wanted to know how they are viewed around the NFL. I don't have enough knowledge on this. I would assume they don't live in Europe and they live in America, slash South Florida. So again, I could be wrong on this. I do wonder if it would be easy to own a bunch of teams. I think the Cronkies do too if you own them in America, right? If I own the San Francisco Giants or I own the LA Lakers or the Dallas Cowboys, even if I don't live in Dallas, I can't really hide if my if I'm doing AKA not spending money being cheap, I'm going to get fucking crushed, right? And I can't avoid it. Well, if I live in the States and this going on, like for example, I follow sports really closely, right? Social media, like I'm pretty dialed in even I don't watch that much baseball even. I definitely don't watch nearly as much basketball as I used to. But I got a pretty good idea what's going on and when big stuff happens, especially with the big brands, I'm not going to miss the story yet. Most of this stuff internationally I never know. I never hear any about anything about it unless someone forwards me the story. So if you're these guys, I think it's pretty easy to avoid the criticism. I would say they're viewed. I mean they've spent a lot of money the last couple years, it feels like on their team. Feels like they're pretty good NFL owners once they have the right people in place running the operation. They've had Jason Light and they've supported him and given him money and he's kind of excelled. First, you mentioned you don't do merch. I think you should. It's a, it's a big picture play. I would say 20, 20, 26. To my question, you mentioned you love drafts. And with the major league draft just recently happening, I had thought, how do you think the NFL draft would work under these rules? It's complicated. So I'll attach a summary of the rules. I'm not going to break down the rules. I actually got a buddy, we played golf probably three months ago. He was out here to like scout, I don't know, low a, a rookie ball. But he also scouts college and high school players. And he was telling me at this one high school in La Corona, I think the number one player that was drafted number one overall was from. I think they had three guys that were, I don't know if they all three got drafted in the top 10, but three guys on a high school team predicted to go potentially in the top 10 or top 15, two of them going to go in the top five. It's like Jesus in high school, I think though, and he was telling me he was having to play some calls to some guys like how much money they would need to sign. I think it's too complicated. I think one thing, baseball. One, in fairness to them, their draft, college baseball is not some national product. So we don't know the prospects. But let's use the NBA. The NBA got this new CBA that no one beside like Bobby Marks and Bob Myers can understand. That's not good for your fan base. Like, honestly, let's keep this stuff pretty simple. Even as these numbers get outrageous. Look at the NFL. It's still kind of complicated. It's like, well, how much guarantee, how much is a cap hit? It's not super black and white where it's like everyone can follow along, but for the most part, I know if you're drafting the third round, probably have 95% chance to make the team. And I know you don't cost that much money. I know if you're drafting the first round, you're going to get a four year guaranteed contract. And if you're good, you're going to get your 5th year option picked up and they'll give you a big extension. It's like just not that complicated. And I think the more you complicate this stuff, the more it drives people away. I think baseball really dealt with this over the course of the last couple, couple decades is. Obviously stats play a big role, but I remember being A kid and picking up the newspaper and just looking. This is, you know, we didn't have cable TV, so, like mid-90s, who led the league in home runs, in RBIs, in doubles, in strikeouts and wins. Like, that stuff used to matter. And I get it, like, the front offices don't care and some of the stats are overrated. But the more and more it became more complicated with numbers and statistics, I do think it drove people away. I think the NBA deals with that a little bit, though. Like points, rebounds, they still really matter. I think their salary cap and the way you can build the team is way too complicated now. Like, this is entertainment. So you just, you want to make this as easy as possible. The first show I check, one of my podcasts. Appreciate it. Question for the pod. I'm a Pats fan. Obviously. We have the highest level of hope we've had in years going into the season with Vrabel and McDaniels combo seemingly a young, developing quarterback hopefully taking the next step. My question is about Drake May. What do you think his ceiling is? Most seem to agree that he is capable of leading a team to a playoff. But do you think he can become a top quarterback? I do wonder a little bit like Herbert, who's a better player? Obviously with Harbaugh, I think they're going to be some similarities in the way this team's going to want to play. Like in the next couple of years, they get better talent. They're going to try to be a defense first, running the ball, slow down the game. Like, I have a hard time envisioning this team led by Mike Vrabel, trying to throw it 50 times a game, 40 times a game. They're going to want to be a top five team in the league in rushing and have a really good defense. And to me, if he can be, you know, what Ryan Tannehill was to Vrabel, what Alex Smith was to Jim Harbaugh with the 49ers, but he's more gifted than those guys. Then like, yeah, you can become a really, really good player. So do I think they're ever going to play like Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen? I don't. I don't. I don't think that's going to be the case. But, you know, obviously he's really physically gifted. I. I think his ceiling's pretty high. But I also think the ceiling in which they're going to construct the team and approach games like, Mike Vrabel is not going to play like Andy Reid. He's not going to operate like Lane Kiffin, I mean, or Lincoln Riley. It's not, that's, it's not how he envisions playing football now this year, depending on how talented they are, they'll do whatever it takes to win. But like as they build this thing up, I think there's a specific way they're going to want to play. They're going to want a guy that's or a unit competing to lead the league in rushing and they're going to want a top defense that's going to come first before turning Drake May into a star. And then it's ideally, when you play like that, your quarterback gets better and better. So I'd be high. I'm going to pick you guys to make the playoffs. Here's the last question. My proposal to fix college football. Scrap conference system entirely. Reorganized teams into four national divisions based solely on football spending. No geography, no legacy rivalries stay intact. The 12 team playoff format remains unchanged. Each division has a salary floor and cap that includes nil payoffs. Legacy Division 25 to 40 million. Blue Buzz Blue bloods with big budgets and title pedigree. Champion Division 15 to 25 million. High quality programs with serious investment and upside. Founders Division 5 to 15. Gritty regional powers and respected mid majors. I like the, I'd watch a lot of founders. Frontier Division 1 million to 5 million developmental, traditional or small market teams. Teams play 10 individual games. One projected rivalry game, Texas OU, Army, Navy and one flex game. Relegation happens every two years based strictly on spending, not wins or losses. This model keeps games competitive, protects tradition and gives school a clear path to grow into elite status. Well, here's the thing. Part of the spending on football is based on the television contracts. So the reason, obviously you know, Ohio State, Michigan, usc, Oregon, these programs have a lot of money. But like Iowa or Minnesota or some of these programs in the SEC can spend a lot because they're getting a lot from their television. So based on the spending, like if you put Alabama in the Big 12, I'm just using this example like they are getting a lot of money from tv. So part of the money, it's not just coming, I get what you're saying, but like all this money, I don't have the 40 million to spend. If I don't have $80 million television contract a year that gets, you know, every team gets 80. I'm just using that as an example. So I hear what you're saying and I agree. That's where I think it gets more the TV partners. I would even change it. The TV partners just pick the big brands and then, you know, the Oregon's, the Bamas, the Texas is, the Oklahoma's, the Florida states, the Florida's and they get all the money. I do think the relegation, I think relegation gets discussed a lot because it happens in European sports. It is never happening here. College or the pros. Zero chance. Now it happens sometimes in college, like when usc, Oregon, Washington and UCLA just leave in Washington State and Oregon State get fucked. But it's not because you win enough games. Because Oregon State and Washington State have been better football programs than UCLA for 15 years. But no one signs up for that in America because we're spending so much money on stuff. We. I hear this sometimes in pro sports. It's like, guys, David Temper spent $4 billion. Whoever spent $10 billion to buy the Lakers or whatever the numbers are, they are never agreeing. Hey, if it doesn't go well at four years, you can get kicked out of the league. It's like, then I'm not buying you. You would never. A huge part of the prices that people are spending and this is where it's going to come in with the venture capitalist money which are sniffing around college football is knowing you can't go anywhere. So like Alabama, clearly they don't have the boosters of Oregon, of usc, of Texas. But if I was a venture capitalist, I'd go, hey, can I become a booster there? Get a piece of the profits? Because I know you have the infrastructure, the fan base and the ability to generate revenue, but you don't have any boosters. You need my funds money. But if it's like, well, because I know they can't go anywhere and I know if I support you, even if you don't win national championships, like we're going to make a lot of money if there was a risk, they're like, hey, three straight years of less than, you know, eight, nine wins, you might get booted. You would never get investment there. Like Texas Tech got this billionaire to give him a bunch of money that like everyone's going to get fired if they win seven games this year. I was watching Josh Pate had on Danny Cannell. I was watching him on YouTube and I thought Danny had a. They both, they were talking about Texas Tech and you start giving huge amounts of money, like, you gotta win. Like part of the reason Phil Knight's been pretty happy with Oregon for 25 years at football, they've been pretty good. I mean, they've won a lot of games, won a lot of games. So I hear what you're saying. I just think a lot of the money in college comes from the tv. Or three or four programs have like one individual that pumps a lot of money, but for the most part it's all based on the TV money. So I just think it's a little more complicated than I think sometimes the way it's discussed. The volume.

[Sarah Spain]

Join iHeartradio and Sarah Spain in celebrating the one year anniversary of iHeart Women's Sports. With powerful interviews and insider analysis, our show have connected fans with the heart of women's Sports. In just one year, the network has launched 15 shows and built a community united by passion podcasts that amplify the voices of women in sports. Thank you for supporting iHeart women's sports and our founding sponsors E L F Beauty, Capital One and Novartis. Just open the free iHeart app and search iHeart Women's Sports to listen now.

[Unknown]

So in the last month the Midas Touch Network beat Rogan, Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Charlie Kirk and Ben Shapiro all co combined.

[Katie Couric]

What happens when three brothers take on right wing media and start winning? I find out on the latest episode of Next Question with me, Katie Couric.

[Unknown]

We just want people to live their lives and be happy and be able.

[John Middlekauff]

To enjoy it without some, you know, lunatic screaming in their face every three seconds.

[Katie Couric]

Listen to Next Question with me, Katie Couric on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ebony]

Welcome to Pretty Private with ebony, the podcast where silence is broken and s stories are set free. I'm Ebony and every Tuesday I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect Podcast Network. Tune in on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Katie Couric]

Your entire identity has been fabricated. Your beloved brother goes missing without a trace. You discover the depths of your mother's illness. I'm Dani Shapiro and these are just a few of the powerful stories I'll be mining on our upcoming 12th season of Family Secrets. We continue to be moved and inspired by our guests and their courageously told stories. Listen to Family Secrets Season 12 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[John Middlekauff]

This is an iHeart podcast.