3 & Out - Bill Belichick's UNC Debut ends in BLOWOUT by TCU, Did the NFL FORCE Dallas to trade Parsons, What's WRONG with Bama

Summary

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The Herd with Colin Cowherd – 3 & Out: Bill Belichick's UNC Debut Ends in BLOWOUT by TCU, Did the NFL FORCE Dallas to trade Parsons, What's WRONG with Bama

Host: John Middlekoff (iHeartPodcasts, The Volume)
Air Date: September 2, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of “3 & Out” dives into Bill Belichick’s disastrous coaching debut at UNC against TCU, examines the blockbuster Micah Parsons trade and whether league pressure played any role, and explores what’s gone wrong with Alabama football post-Saban. John Middlekoff provides unfiltered analysis, answers mailbag questions, and offers insider perspectives on some of the biggest stories in college and pro football.

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Key Discussions & Insights

1. Bill Belichick’s Catastrophic UNC Debut vs. TCU

Segment Starts: [02:27]

• Electric Start, Shameful Finish:
  The environment was “North Carolina royalty”—Jordan, LT, Roy Williams all in the building. UNC scored fast, but “it is a massacre… as embarrassing of a loss as I ever remember Bill Belichick having. I mean, destroyed.” ([02:30])

• Roster Challenges:
  Middlekoff highlights UNC’s bare cupboard:

  “They have 70 plus new players. They had 40 plus in the transfer portal... before Bill even gets the job, the cupboard is very bare.” ([04:30])

• Quarterback Disaster:
  The initial starter “didn’t complete a pass for over an hour of real time” and his performance was “atrocious.” Max Johnson replaced him in garbage time but even then it was barely functional.

• Coaching Analysis:

  • Belichick’s style hasn’t translated well. John reflects that Bill’s signature gruff persona doesn’t fit college football’s energy:

    “This isn’t the Patriots versus the Jets... college football, bro, gotta lighten up a little bit. And he couldn’t do it.” ([08:40])

  • Laments Freddy Kitchens as OC, critiquing the lack of imagination and energy on offense.
  • Blames Belichick’s inability to adapt, hire dynamic offensive minds, or recruit playmaking quarterbacks.

• Comparisons & College Landscape:

  • Stresses how Belichick is up against elite college lifers (Dabo, Norvell, Cristobal) in a competitive conference where recruiting and NIL money reign.
  • Contrasts Belichick’s stubbornness with Nick Saban’s ability to adapt and entertain while being respected:

    “Saban...when the lights were on...you just kind of gravitated toward him. Bill just gave off miserable vibes.” ([14:00])

• Recruiting Red Flags:

  “Guess who’s watching this? A lot of 17-year-old kids... and you’re gonna call them, they go, ‘God, I want to play for that miserable guy?’” ([14:50])

• Overall Outlook:

  • Middlekoff is skeptical Belichick will last at UNC, calling the debut “an epic train wreck” and noting, “you got a lot of L’s on the schedule.” ([18:10])
  • Suggests Belichick’s NFL approach—where you can cut and swap players quickly—doesn’t work in college.

Quote Highlight

“That was as embarrassing of a loss as I ever remember Bill Belichick having… It looked like JV versus varsity.” —John Middlekoff ([02:30])

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2. Mailbag: Micah Parsons Trade Conspiracies & NFL Dynamics

Segment Starts: [23:25]

• Did the NFL Force Dallas’ Hand?
  A listener asks if Jerry Jones was forced to trade Micah Parsons due to legal/agent pressure. Middlekoff explains:

  “I don’t think it would be constructive to sue the Cowboys...players have a lot more power in 2025 than they’ve ever had in the NFL.” ([25:10])

  • Trades now only happen if the player agrees to sign with the new team, limiting options.
  • “This was more about...We’re not going to deal with this anymore.” ([29:25])

Memorable Parsons Trade Quotes

• “The moment Micah started laying on the training table and showed up eating nachos, that was like the straw that broke the camel's back.” ([29:35])

• “People act like [Dallas] traded Lawrence Taylor…If the Chiefs would have traded Patrick Mahomes. Can you believe the Ravens traded Lamar? That’s how everyone’s acting, and I just don’t see it that way.” ([40:50])

• He theorizes Micah’s contract demands and leverage dictated the destination, not league pressure.

• Emphasizes that while Micah is an elite pass rusher, “there are flaws...You can run at him,” and that the Packers were willing to pony up the gigantic contract where other teams balked.

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3. What's Wrong with Alabama?

Starts: [44:30]

• Fan Mail Woes:
  A despondent Bama fan notes, “We look like a fucking Pac 12 team. That cuts deep.” ([44:35])

• Nick Saban vs. Kalen DeBoer:

  • Saban’s intimidating, no-nonsense style is compared with DeBoer’s more accommodating approach.
  • “Saban would kill 10 people if...more penalties in every single game since he’s been there.” ([49:37])
  • “Clearly things that are being tolerated in that program would never have been tolerated with Nick.”

• Program Culture & New Realities:

  • Middlekoff notes that boosters and the administration may not have the same willingness (or cash) to make quick, drastic coaching changes in the NIL era.
  • The reality—massive TV money is now partly redirected to players, not just facilities and coaching buyouts.
  • On Bama’s loss to Florida State:

    “You didn’t just lose to a little school, you lost to a school…that recruits SEC players that play ACC schedules.”

• Outlook on DeBoer:
  Skeptical he’ll get fired immediately due to financial and institutional realities, even with underperformance.

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4. Scouting and College Football Pulse

Starts: [52:00]

• Arch Manning Analysis:

  • “His arm talent is average…If his name was Arch Middlekoff, he probably would just be playing at Rutgers.” ([52:35])
  • “Peyton Manning did not throw a great ball... but his mind was a huge part of his game.”

• On Justin Herbert:

  • Acknowledges national skepticism and “disaster last year in the playoffs”—but believes the talent is there if surrounding factors improve.

• Why First Round Picks Flame Out:

  • Not always effort—injury, loss of confidence, or inability to mentally grasp complex NFL systems can all play a huge role.

• Utah as a Big 12 Playoff Bet:

  • Praises coach Kyle Whittingham and likes Utah’s odds, citing their consistent defensive prowess and openness of the conference.
  • “If I was a betting man right now to win the Big 12… I feel pretty good just betting on Utah and Kyle Whittingham.” ([58:10])

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Additional Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Belichick’s future at UNC:

  “Is he going to quit after one year? Is he really going to want to do this?...Just to get curb stomped by TCU’s and Clemson’s and Florida States?” ([11:00])

• On NIL’s impact and the new college football world:

  “Recruiting, obviously the nil has changed the game, but Bill’s personality...You would think he would lighten up a little bit and just show a different personality.”

• Alabama’s institutional investments:

  “The golf team at Alabama has a $47 million facility. What do you think that money came from? Of course not. It came from football.” ([48:00])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Belichick’s UNC Debut & Analysis: [02:27] – [21:15]
• Micah Parsons Trade & Mailbag: [23:25] – [44:30]
• What’s Wrong with Bama: [44:30] – [48:57]
• Scouting/CFB Observations & Utah Bet: [52:00] – [59:30]

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Tone & Style

Middlekoff speaks candidly, lacing his analysis with irreverence and a willingness to question football sacred cows. The episode’s language is direct, occasionally profane (“We look like a fucking Pac 12 team”), and combines sports nerd knowledge with an everyman sensibility.

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Conclusion

This episode is a must-listen for fans grappling with seismic shifts in both college and pro football. Whether dissecting Belichick’s first taste of humiliation at UNC, the surprising reality behind the Parsons trade, or Alabama’s post-Saban struggles, Middlekoff mixes deep context with strong opinions and audience interaction.

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Selected Quotes & Memorable Moments:

• “That was as embarrassing of a loss as I ever remember Bill Belichick having.” ([02:30])
• “Players have a lot more power in 2025 than they’ve ever had in the NFL.” ([25:10])
• “We look like a fucking Pac 12 team. That cuts deep.” ([44:35])
• “His arm talent is average... if his name was Arch Middlekoff, he probably would just be playing at Rutgers.” ([52:35])

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For more: Listen to the full episode on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or The Volume’s YouTube channel.
Mailbag questions: DM @JohnMiddlekoff on Instagram.

Transcript

[Jemele Hill]

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The volum.

[John Middlekoff]

What is going on, everybody? How are we doing? Hopefully everyone's having A good morning, a good day. Back to. Back to real life, right? We had a long weekend and no one probably had a longer night than William Belichick, who I just watched the game, as I'm sure many of you did, and he got destroyed. So we're going to react to what we just witnessed with Belichick and the Tar Heels, who the game starts. You got Jordan in the house, you got LT in the house. You got Roy Williams in the house. It's like North Carolina royalty. The place is rocking. He scores on the first drive and then it is a massacre. That was as embarrassing of a loss as I ever remember Bill Belichick having. I mean, destroyed. So we'll dive into some thoughts there. And yeah, other than that, we'll do a big mailbag today as well. So we're going to do belichick mailbag @johnmittlekopf. @ johnmittlekopf. Is the Instagram fire in those DMS. We haven't done one here in a while just because how it's broken with the schedule. But we will get back on the horse here. So a lot of mailbags coming up at John Middlekopf. At John Middlecoff firing those dms. And we obviously got a big week. We got football game on Thursday night. I don't know if you've heard, but it's Cowboys, Eagles football game Friday night, Chargers, Chiefs. So let's, let's get excited. Make sure you subscribe to three now podcast if you have not. If you listen on Collins feed, make sure you subscribe to our YouTube page. Sources say we might be going live after the game on Thursday night. Eagle Scowboys. So make sure you subscribe to that YouTube page. Obviously everything that we do on the podcast goes on the YouTube page. And yeah, other than that, let's dive in. But first, my friends, my partners in the official ticketing app of this podcast, Game time. You want to go to one of these games. You want to go. These college games, these home field environments, they do look incredible. So if you want to go to one of those. I saw Matt Patricia say that it just doesn't get this loud in NFL stadiums. The atmosphere is not the same. And that's why I'm a big believer in getting rid of these neutral site games. But any, any college game you want to go to the NFL is here. We got NFL game Thursday. You live in Philadelphia. You want to go to the link. Obviously you probably can't go to the game on Friday because it's in Brazil, but any Other games moving forward this season. You want to see your team on the road, we got you covered. So take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account and use the code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase Terms apply again, create an account and redeem the code JOHN for $20 off. Download the Gametime app today. Last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed. That's one of the biggest flops I ever remember. I mean the anticipation, the excitement. Obviously there was a lot of buzz on Arch, but like a lot of 19 year old five star quarterbacks. It's not that shocking what happened. Bill Belichick coming to college football, even though he struggled the last couple years, we didn't know exactly how it was going to look, but we didn't expect him to get sliced and diced. Sonny Dykes had TCU looking like the peak Alabama Crimson Tide under Nick Saban. That was an all time beat down. That looked like JV versus varsity. And it kind of made me think. Now listen, I started texting people in college football, GMs, personnel people. I said what do you think of their roster first? And I got a couple of people and these guys are on top 25 teams that they said. In fairness, when a coach is fired at a Power 4 program like Mack Brown at UNC that is going to have some players on the roster before the next coach is even hired, anyone worth their salt will not only be contacted but potentially be gone. One guy talked to was like, yeah, we immediately stole one of their defensive players. Another guy, we tried to land a couple of their offensive linemen. They ended up going other places. So before Bill even gets the job, the cupboard is very bare. It's why we've been talking about they have 70 plus new players. They had 40 plus in the transfer portal, but that was really ugly. And the quarterback situation, that little lefty after the first drive was atrocious. Didn't complete a pass for like over an hour of real time. You cannot function with that guy. And then they bring in Max Johnson, who is Brad's son, who I didn't even realize had the Alex Smith situation to his leg, almost lost his leg. Now it's garbage time. But the ball came out of his hand fast. He just threw it to the right guy and I went, you know, I've been following Bill's career for a long time. Most of us have. There's a reason he likes quarterbacks, why he loved Tom early on. Just get rid of the ball and get rid of it to a guy even if he's four yards away. I don't care if we, we gain three yards, do that instead of hold the ball and run around like this guy from South Alabama. Now he got hurt in the game, Geo, but if you told me next week, which is in like four or five, they don't play, they don't get a buy here. I mean, they're playing on Sunday on the road. So it's a quick turnaround. But a lot of people have been saying for a while that Bill lost his fastball, that Bill's over the hill, that Bill's a shot fighter essentially as a coach. And if you watch tonight, even if we're all on the same page, TCU has a better roster, TCU has a better team. It shouldn't look like that at home where guys have no clue what's going on. You got guys out of position, you got guys taking bad angles, you got an offense that can function. But the number one thing that kind of stood out to me because obviously roster construction is, is not easy in 2025, especially when you come in a couple weeks after a guy's fired. But the coaching aspect, and this is a knock on Bill, that Josh McDaniels, when he was by his side over the last 15 years, they were really, really good. They made the playoffs with Mac Jones. They won a game that I'll never forget on Monday Night Football where they had like less than five passing attempts because Josh, very questionable head coach, more than very questionable, literally been fired from two jobs before making it through year two, which is an NFL record. It's never happened before in the history of the league. When you make him your offensive coordinator though, he knows what he's doing. That's why we all expect Drake may the Patriots to be successful moving forward because he's very, very good in that role. Well, he left and Belichick put Patricia on offense and that was an all time embarrassment. Then he has Freddy Kitchens as his offensive coordinator. He's in a conference right now with Dabo Sweeney, that has Lincoln Riley's brother, that has Mike Norvell, who is an excellent play caller. We just saw him slice and dice Alabama. And Mario Cristobal who has Shannon Dawson as his offensive coordinator that just coached the number one overall pick, Cam Ward last year and had Carson Beck look like an NFL player again. So he's in a conference which pretty polarizing conference because on given years it's been down. Looks like after one week and definitely with the nil, they're going to be good because they have three coaches that are at three powerhouses that have big budgets and have excellent rosters. So he's in a conference with guys. I mean, Dabo's been coaching in college forever. Same thing with Mario and same thing with Mike Norvell. These guys aren't pro guys going back and forth. These are college lifers. Mario's an elite recruiter, Dabo's an elite recruiter. And clearly Mike Norvell, when he hits right, he's excellent in the transfer portal. Meanwhile, you got Belichick on the pre game. And listen, I respect being authentic and being yourself. I try to be very cognizant of that. Just be who you are. Like, you got nothing to hide. Just be who you are. And I respect anyone in any line of work, in any industry who is true to themselves. So there's a. There's a level of, like, admiration that Belichick just doesn't break character. He's still that grumpy old, just miserable sob. Any Holly Rose interviewing Before the game, it's college football. This isn't the Patriots versus The jets or the Patriots versus the Broncos. This college football, bro, got to lighten up a little bit. And he couldn't do it. He could not do it. And it's like, I just don't think this whole thing is gonna happen. Obviously, this year is gonna be tough. Safe to say their team's probably not going to be that good. And unlike in Sonny Dykes was asked about this because, if you remember, Colorado made their debut against TCU and beat him in this epic game on fox. And in Colorado, even though that first year they didn't even make a bowl game, they didn't have an above.500 record. And last year they played in a ton of marquee primetime games. They did big television ratings. Well, they had an NFL quarterback and they had the Heisman Trophy winner. Belichick's team is a snooze fest. You know, and there were stories before the season that, you know, UNC potentially was going to get a lot of primetime games. The primetime effect that they were going to do big ratings. I'll promise you this. I don't care. The NFL, college football. If your quarterback plays bad, if your team's boring, we're not going to watch. That's a tried and true formula. I'll use this as an example. The Giants, they're a massive brand, and when they're good, a ton of people watch them. But over the last decade, when they've had such Shitty quarterback play. They're not getting marquee games. Why? Because the consumer doesn't want to watch that. And I watched UNC today. I'm like, I would move them into slots with a bunch of other games because until they prove they have some sort of entertainment factor, that's unwatchable product. And it gets back to Freddy Kitchens. Like, you take this job, you get $10 million a year. Your GM was getting a one and a half million dollars, and I'm a big Mike Lombardi guy. But you would think one thing Bill would need, like, obviously the defense was atrocious tonight. The one thing we all know, Bill knows, his son knows, like the defense, they know what they're doing on that side of the ball. It might not work this year because they don't have the players. But like that, if he stays there three or four years, which is definitely up for debate. I mean, there was a point like 15 minutes into this game where you went, is he going to quit after one year? Is he really going to want to do this? I know he loves coaching, but this is to get. Just get his Curb stomped by TCU's and Clemson's and Florida states. He's really going to do this. That crossed my mind. And. And then the other thing. Was Freddie Kitchen, your offensive coordinator. Now, I'm not saying you would have the pick of the litter, but college football, like, unlike the NFL, if you have a good offensive coordinator, right, that's not your head coach, but guys working under you, I can't steal you from the program. So if Sean, Sean McVeigh is a bad example because he calls the place, but let's say Mike Tomlin, Arthur Smith, and let's say the Pittsburgh Steelers have a fantastic year this year. It's like Arthur Smith kind of got a swag back in. Pittsburgh wins 1112 games. Aaron Rodgers throws 40 touchdowns. People like Arthur Smith, no other team could steal him for their offensive coordinator in the pros, in college, it literally happens all the time. Ohio State won the national championship last year. Won the national championship. Penn State sold their defensive coordinator. So when I look at college, I go, bill, you could have hired all these people. And listen, Freddie seems like a nice guy. I'm not even advocating you should have fired him, but put him as your tight end coach, have him work with the offensive lineman. I don't care. He cannot be calling your place. That's the best you could do is Freddy Kitchens. I'm kind of baffled by that, but I shouldn't be because we've Just seen previous years, when Josh left, he was kind of scrambling. Maybe this is the thing that Collins been saying for a long time, like he doesn't really know offense and he got by for a long period of time with Tom and Josh operating it, especially the modern day offense. So one thing you say about Nick Saban, he did two things extremely well, and I'm not comparing Alabama to North Carolina, but he really valued the play caller on offense. The defensive play caller changed a little bit, but like that's his baby. Nick. Defense is what he knows, just like Bill. But the play caller and the quarterback, and in fairness, the quarterback, like they were in a weird spot still watching that guy play. That's who you valued. I just think this, this college experiment, which again I was, I don't want to say bullish on, but did not think it was going to look like that because I said, you know what, he's too good of an ex's nose coach. He's too good with strategy. But in college, unlike the pros, the discrepancy of talent can make a big difference. There's a, there's a reason we watched Texas, Ohio State or Clemson and LSU and they kind of look like equals because they got elite players. Well, if you play Texas and they play San Jose next week or like when Michigan plays New Mexico, there's a giant gap. And unless you have Bill Walsh and Vince Lombardi walking through that door, even if they are coaching you, you're still going to lose by 15 points. And so one thing, recruiting, obviously the nil has changed the game, but Bill's personality, and you can tell me all you want, that like, you know, kids and the interviews, like, it's not that big a deal. You would think he would lighten up a little bit and just show a little bit different personality. Listen, the best college coach of all time isn't exactly known as Mr. Smiley, right? He's not happy all the time. Nick Saban. But one thing Nick was really good at, when the lights were on and he had a microphone in front of his face, whether it was a pregame interview, whether it's an interview during the week, he was just pretty. Entertaining is the wrong word. But you just kind of gravitated toward him. It was like, God, there's something about, it's like he had, I don't even want to say, like there was just something to him, like a little it factor to him. Bill is just, just gave off miserable vibes. It's like, Bill, do you want to jump off a bridge Right now because that's the vibes you're given on the TV. And guess who's watching this? A lot of 17 year old kids. A lot of kids on other programs that played this weekend that will be in the transfer portal in three months. And you're going to call them, they go, God, I want to play for that miserable guy. I get you won all these Super Bowls, but it's been a little while since you were good. And Mario Cristobal is on the phone and Dabble Sweeney is on the phone and Brian Kelly's on the phone. And that's the one advantage. Like there is a big gap between college and pro in terms of that element of it, which Belichick never cared about. It's why they say that this is why we're interested, because it's kind of like pro football. It's not like pro football at all in the sense of if this was the NFL, Belichick would cut like seven guys tomorrow. They would be cut, waved, demoted, send to practice squad. You can't, you can't do that. Like his roster is his roster. There's no waiver wire. He can't claim guys on other team to bring to the team this upcoming week or this upcoming month. So listen, I'm not going to act like his career didn't happen and he's some village idiot. He's one of the best coaches, I'd argue the best coach that I ever saw, saw him in enormous games. But whatever has happened in past, like once Tom left moving forward, I think it is fair to go, yeah, it just might never be the same. And this could be. And there were people saying this, not me, that this could be an epic train wreck. And I'm not going to let what in game define that. But if you said, hey, you got to bet money train wreck or gets it turned around, I don't know how you bet. Not on the train wreck. Right. You talk about a guy in his mid-70s that's never coached in this environment, that's in the conference, which are with a bunch of recruiters at big time programs, even if their schedule is a little bit easier. I mean, I watch Cal with Justin Wilcox and this quarterback they got from Hawaii. Sling it all over the yard. It's like Bill's going to go out to California and beat those guys with that offensive defense. So it's like, I don't think you can be Cal, let alone like Clemson. So you just got a lot of L's on the schedule. Now that was Arch, was Disappointing. Like, it was like, God, this is. What is. What is happening right now? Did the hype, did the noise kind of cloud us all? Is this guy should. Was it unfair? Like, what's, what's happening? That's what I kept thinking watching Arch Manning tonight just went, this is sad. This is, this is pretty sad. But haven't we been saying that about, like, Jerry Jones at the end with the Cowboys? Doesn't that usually happen with, with older guys in competitive professions? Because it still is hard, but it's hard. Or to be as locked in when you know you're in your 70s, you've never worked in this environment in the sense of the college landscape. And Sonny Dykes just beats the living shit out of you in front of probably 10 million people. And Michael Jordan doesn't even make it till halftime. So pretty, pretty sad. Bill Belichick Experience opening night. Okay, Real talk. Ever have one of those need it right now moments like the dog just chewed through a leash again? A kid's school project needs glitter glue tonight and somehow the toilet paper is gone. Yeah, that moment has happened to everyone. That's where Walmart express delivery comes in. Clutch. Get all that pet stuff, school stuff, household stuff, all the stuff in as fast as one hour. One hour. That means chargers, diapers, candles, light bulbs, laundry detergent, real life rescue items. And it's all from Walmart. 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[West Prop]

All right, west west prop here from hood politics with prop podcast. You already know our get down. If you grew up in our urban areas, a of couple come for the struggle. You understand politics much more than you giving credit for. Feds taking over American cities. Government. Hop out, boys. Hopping out the van, snatching up your Theo and them two wars that was supposed to be solved in 24 hours. Jerry just out here mandering all over the place, the turfs and of course the Epstein of it all. Well, this week we decided to shoot our shot and boy did we pull up from the logo to see if we can get somebody to come tap in with. And the one and only Jamil Hill pulled up from the Spolitics podcast to keep it a whole century in America.

[Jemele Hill]

What sells in politics are narratives and storylines. It's like we treat politics like we treat sports, which is part of the reason why we're in the situation we're in right now.

[West Prop]

Listen to the Hood politics with Prop podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Greg Rosenthal]

Football is back. That's right, the new NFL season is here and you should be listening to NFL Daily as we march along to Super Bowl 60. This is a show for sickos like me. NFL Daily is your kind of show. It's in the name NFL Daily. You'll have fresh content in your feed all season long. Myself, Greg Rosenthal and an all star cast of co hosts will preview and recap every game all season long. Josh Allen coming off an MVP season.

[John Middlekoff]

And now lateral to Allen and reaching for the pylon. Are you kidding? Kidding me? It's a touchdown. Have you ever seen that one before?

[Greg Rosenthal]

Rookies making a name for themselves.

[John Middlekoff]

Run again. Rejected. That's a bulldozer. He is bouncing off defenders and dragged down.

[Greg Rosenthal]

And of course the Eagles trying to win another Lombardi.

[John Middlekoff]

What a game, what a season, what a team. Eagles fans savor it and rejoice.

[Greg Rosenthal]

Listen to NFL daily on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or. Or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan]

I'm Dan, he's Ty.

[John Middlekoff]

Hello.

[Dan]

And we're the Solid verbal college football podcast.

[Ty]

College football season is here. And you know what that means.

[Dan]

Your team is going to break your heart three times probably before Halloween.

[John Middlekoff]

Uh huh.

[Ty]

But fear not, the solid Verbal will be right there with you through every soul crushing loss and impossible comeback.

[Dan]

Join us all season long, all year long, as we ride the rollercoaster of this ridiculous sport.

[Ty]

Whether you're a diehard fan or a casual observer, we'll help you make sense of all the chaos and of course, celebrate the madness. Tune in for previews, recaps, bits you won't hear anywhere else, and all the emotional support you need as a college football fan.

[Dan]

We don't just love college football, Tyler, we live it.

[Ty]

Listen to the solid verbal college football podcasts on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[John Middlekoff]

Okay, let's do a little mailbag. Onmiddlekoff Is the Instagram fire in those DMs? Get your questions answered here on the show. If you're watching on YouTube, you're probably wondering, John, why are you wearing a cowboy hat? And the answer is simple. A little behind the curtains. The way I do these mailbags is I go on Instagram and I take screenshots because it's much easier to go through the questions in my photos than it is to try to scroll on Instagram. Things change. It's just, it's not an easy process. If early on I used Instagram and would just scroll through, it was a debacle. It's much easier the way I do it now when I take pictures, I can see the questions. So I have a pretty good idea that I'm getting a lot of Cowboys questions. You know, Micah Parsons, Jerry Jones, a lot of different opinions all over the map. And, you know, we'll get into this Micah Parsons trade. I mean, it's going to be a theme the entire season. Obviously the Cowboys play on Thursday night, so that's going to be a major talking point as more than likely they're losing to the Eagles at home in the opening game for the season. Obviously the documentary comes out, which is fantastic. The documentary is really, really good. It paints Jerry like, obviously pretty sharp, pretty impressive guy, but egos, him and Jimmy, just the whole everything about that documentary had it all. From a shitty team to a team winning Super Bowls, to crack cocaine and hookers, to concussions, to retirements. It's just really, really well done. I thoroughly enjoyed the documentary and sometimes like movies that are done about, you know, previous teams, they can be very hit or miss for every last dance in the Cowboys doc, there are a lot of crappy ones out there. But I got so many questions around about Micah. I looked in my closet, I said, hey, bust out the cowboy hats collecting dust. So I have a slightly conspiracy driven mailbag question. Do you think that it's at all possible that Dallas was forced to trade Micah? My thinking is this. Jerry was so blatant and open about not dealing with Micah's agent that Mulgeta possibly threatened to sue or file some legal action against the Cowboys that scared them and in doing so, possibly gain the ability to quietly secretly demand where Micah was traded to. It makes sense to me from the stance that the packers were the only team openly linked to trade talks for Micah and also Micah seemingly great friends with Jordan Love. Listen, if you're David Mogeta and you are a powerful agent that is doing huge business, I don't think it would be constructive to sue the Cowboys. Right. You know, Jerry's in his 80s, not going to be there forever. Obviously Steven is going to run the Cowboys when Jerry is gone. I do think we're Losing sight of this a little bit, because I've seen a lot of people say this, that why would the Cowboy. Why didn't they shop this thing around and take the best offer possible? And in theory, that sounds great. And they're, you know, like, everyone can agree, like, take the most you could possibly get for this guy. Is someone willing to give you two ones and two twos. Two ones, a two and two players. Right. Who knows? Here's the problem with that. And this is where the NFL, while it's not basketball, there are some elements. And I had a guy in the business tell me a couple years ago, like, players have a lot more power in 20, 25 than they've ever had in the NFL. Because before 20 years ago, you just would have traded him to the highest bidder, and that team would have been like, we'll get him here. What is he going to do? We'll sign him to a contract, whatever. No one is trading multiple ones until he puts pen to paper. So if you were a team that went, hey, we'll trade you two ones, a two and a player. So a better offer than the Packers. Let's just pick a random team. The commander, I guess they wouldn't trade him in the division, but the Lions, the Raiders, whoever. Well, if Micah goes, wait, they're offering $20 million less. I'm not signing that contract. Last year with the 49ers, they tried to trade Brandon Iuk. They're like, we are trading you to the Browns. We're going to trade you to the Patriots. He's like, I'm not going to sign their contract. So you can't trade them because that team won't okay the trade until he signs on the dotted line. Because it's not worth risking a guy like coming to your building, holding out, having the same issues. Micah had more power. Like, no one's talking about that. Micah had a lot of power because if they were going to trade him to have this open bidding process, it was going to be a play now. You weren't going to give them away. Obviously, the packers had to be willing to play ball. And we can argue, was it enough? Was it not enough? But, like, he. They offered him a lot of money and he was going to sign their contract. So, like, it took two to tango. This wasn't just 20 years ago. You would have traded him wherever and that team would have taken them and they would have figured it out. That's not the way it works anymore. Not when you're talking this amount of money. So I think it's less that. Was David Mulgetta going to sue the Cowboys? No, it's. He's in the business to do these deals. Like, listen, business, as Phil Knight once famously said in Shoe Dog is a war without bullets. Everyone's trying to fuck everybody all the time. And Mogeta is used to that, I'm sure, being in the business he's in, like, welcome to the private sector. I think this was more about, like, I'm recording a podcast here, an hour with Colin, so I will probably reiterate this thought. I. I think the moment Micah started laying on the training table and showed up eating nachos, that was like the straw that broke the camel's back. And it was like a double fu to Jerry. And Jerry's in his 80s, stubborn. Maybe the documentary, I would say influence to be like, hey, Jerry. Because everyone was saying, remember when Jerry was a badass? Remember when Jerry would take these crazy risks? And now Jerry's like, kind of on Easy Street. Like, Jerry's not going against the grain anymore. It's like, oh, he's just going to sign CD Lamb. He's just going to sign Dak Prescott. What did we all say? He's just going to sign Micah Parsons until he traded him. So I think it's less about like the Melgetta situation and more about like, yeah, they're like, we're not going to deal with this anymore. We're not good with them or without him at this point in time, and we're going to trade him. But we got to trade him to a place where he will sign because no one would trade for him until he signed on the contract. Zero chance. I mean, when Cleo Mack was traded, he immediately signed a contract with the Bears. Big fan of the show with the packers. Trading for Micah in the Eagles edge room. A little concerning my question is this. When building a defense for a deep playoff run, what's more crucial? Dominant defensive tackle play or star edge? Well, think who the best defensive player on the Eagles was last year. Down the stretch, it was Jalen Carter, a defensive tackle. Think about the current dynasty going in the NFL. Who's their best defensive player? Chris Jones, a defensive tackle. I think a lot of people have thrown out the highest paid defensive ends, have not even been winning playoff games, let alone super bowls. Miles Garrett, T.J. watt, Max Crosby. You know, when the 49ers, like, they had some good teams, like Nick Bosa had a lot of help. They had his first. The first run they had. They had Deforest Buckner and Eric Armstead. And a couple of years ago they had Eric Armstead and Javon Hargrave. So yeah, I think they both matter. I don't think, you know, in theory you could take Lawrence Taylor or Reggie White. You know, the game was a little bit different back then. You weren't passing as much. But I don't think if you gave the average team the option, like, would I rather have the greatest defensive tackle of all time or the greatest defensive end? I think there would be. It'd probably be split. It wouldn't be unanimous either way. I think you just feel very, very comfortable having a dominant defensive lineman. So whether that's Aaron Donald, whether that's Myles Garrett, I think most people just for an individual season would take Miles Garrett. Like if you put Max Crosby on a really. If you just put him on the Chiefs or the Bills, like, I think he would immediately win the defensive player of the year, assuming he stayed healthy. But like when you're on shoot of your teams, you know, it's. This is a team sport. You know, you kind of, you know that Number four, the edge rusher for Miami, making all the plays down the stretch. It helped that his DBs were making plays behind him. Like, you need help. You cannot do it yourself. Telling you, we got a lot of Cowboys questions. Big fan. Question for the bag. The Packers, I feel, won the mica trade by leaps and bounds. Two first round picks in the late 20s in an aging defensive tackle. Seems good, but not amazing offer. What do you think the logic is for Dallas? Is it strictly just a money thing? Were other teams just lowballing them? I'm telling you, the packers got them because they paid him a lot of money. I mean, more money than I would imagine other teams were interested that there's probably a price point. Like, yeah, we'll go up to 120 or they gave them $140 million guaranteed, right? $188 million. So the cap numbers are pretty low the first couple years. But the only way to get that to go away is like ideally you give him another extension, right? So you get like seven, eight years of Micah Parsons. I also think we can debate how great of a player is. He's clearly a excellent pro bowl, all pro level talent. He has an elite skill coming off the edge and rushing the passer. And that is a very important skill. But he does have some flaws. Like you can, I don't know, run at him. There are two options. When you have Miles Garrett, Aaron Donald, TJ Watt, whoever Max Crosby. I'm just picking the guys in the league now. But you go through the history of the league, you either run away from them, like with Deion Sanders or Reavis. You just simply don't pass at them. With a defensive end, you got two options. Can I run at him and wear him down? And also, it's like, that's not his strength. He's more of a pass rusher. Or do I need to run away? You're not running at Lawrence Taylor or Reggie White. You're not running at Aaron Donald. You're not running at Max Crosby. You run away. You don't want to run away from Micah Parsons because his greatest skill is, like, chasing you down the line. He's one of the best athletes on the field, but what do you do? You run out because he's not that big relative to some of these guys. He's not Reggie White. So where have teams taken advantage of him in some of the big games? They've gone right at his ass. And I do think that is a question mark of, like, can he become a better run defender? Are those limitations always going to be part of it? Because if I'm giving you the most money humanly possible at your position, which is what they just did, set a record. Do you have any flaws? Because ideally, I wouldn't want you to have any flaws. I was texting with someone in the league, like, if all things are being equal, there are countless other players I would rather have. Like, I would rather have max Crosby in 2025 again. Obviously, Mike is going to have better numbers and the team's going to be better than the Packers. But, like, no one would say that Micah Parsons is nearly as good as Miles Garrett. Yet everywhere I see the media, again, no one's acting like he's not a really good player. Right? He's a good player. He's an. He's a very skilled player. But he's now the face of the Packers. The face of the Packers. And they're expecting him to be the best player in the league when he's not even the best player in his position. Now, I also understand, and I watch Gudiken's press conferences, and the floor is like, when do you ever get the opportunity to get a player like this? And the answer is rarely. It doesn't happen. This trades happen twice in, like, the Internet age. Khalil Mack and Micah Parsons. But I've said this, and I believe this. Khalil Mack. At the same time, when they were both traded, Khalil was A better player because he was a more. You couldn't run it. Cleo Mack, you ran at Khalil Mack. He threw your offensive lineman and tight end the other way. He dominated in the run game. Now Micah's slightly better as a pass rusher maybe, but not that big a gap. So, like, when I go all in. Now, the Bears, turns out they had Mitch Trubisky and he wasn't that good. Comparing this to Reggie White, I mean, Reggie White is one of the greatest players in the history of the league. There was nothing he couldn't do. You didn't run at Reggie White. If I go, I can run at you. I'm just saying, like. And I understand why they did that, because they go, rashawn Gary, you're not running at him. So, like, our defensive line and our coaches are good. Again, like, most players have some flaws, right? Unless you're. It's a very, very small percentage of guys that can do everything well. But this isn't a perfect player, and it's definitely not a perfect personality. You know, I mean, he's Albert Brero, you know, some people, like the Dak Prescott, the CD Lamb, Zach Martin, some of their holdouts, no one had any issues with that in the locker room. That clearly was not the case with Micah. So it's not like he's Mr. T.J. watt. Max Crosby. See Miles Garrett, there was an article, right, when they gave him the extension this offseason, you know, they wanted to be a little bit better leader, which I'm sure there are some flaws. Maybe about just like, is he the first guy in the meeting room? But he's so fucking good. Such a dominant player. Everyone's like, yeah, it's like Jordan, my lotta, when they're practicing against the Browns this year in a joint practice, he like, gave a press conference. I don't even know. There's nothing. I don't even know what that is. And Jordan, my lotta, is one of the biggest freaks in the league. He's like, we were just laughing in the film room, like, what? That's perfect. What was I supposed to do? You know, Mike is not that. So I again, I. I think everyone. Jerry, his logic and the way he got here is a little crazy. But the actual, like, trading Micah Parsons, I don't think is that nuts? And again, like, his leverage now, if you want the timing of it, 100%, he would have had more options and more teams would have been willing to spend before the draft, all for that. Totally agree. So it's like it shouldn't have got to this point if you were going to trade him. You trade him before the draft and that's on Jerry. But I think people just act like it is traded Lawrence Taylor and I just, I just disagree. You know, I think if you just turned on most talking heads, they acted like if the Chiefs would have traded Patrick Mahomes or something. Can you believe the Ravens traded Lamar? That's how everyone's acting. It's like, yeah, I don't know if I see it that way. I wouldn't. Ideally the whole point of a draft is to find Micah Parsons, but this notion that he is just if there's a video game like 100 out of 100 player, I just, I would disagree with that. I mean some people believe these a little overrated. Have you watched John Mateer play yet? The sooner schedule is brutal. Brutal, but he looked good. One philosophy I have when, when evaluating these college games, like I don't put that much stock. When you like even Bryce Underwood, who Oklahoma, Michigan are going to play, it's going to be awesome. Can't wait. But like you play New Mexico, like I, I just can't take the game that seriously. Not that the point is to win whether you win by 20 or whether you win by 40, but after watching Clemson, LSU and Ohio State, Texas, like I just put little to no stock in games against nobodies. I really do. So it's. He's obviously a good player. I texted some scouting buddies that I don't want to say that are on the fence but they think the hype's pretty strong for what they just at least saw in practice. But listen, this game, you throw three or four touchdowns on Michigan and you beat them and you're two and oh shit. Same thing with Bryce. Bryce goes into Oklahoma, throws a couple of touchdowns, they win. It's a big ass game. You look at the schedule this week, it is by three, far the best game on the slate. Disappointed Bama fan honestly fits to wear this cowboy hat. We're talking a lot of south, a lot of cowboys. I just watched a team completely out physical. Us look bigger, faster and stronger and play way harder than us. And they weren't even an SEC team. We look like a fucking Pac 12 team. That cuts deep. Hard for me to dispute it that though. My question is this, do you think the Boar retains his job this year? And if not, do you think Bama makes a play at Gruden? This has to be really hard. You know, it's. I've been Broke. I've had a little money. It's easy to go from the, you know, start at the bottom and then go up. I can't imagine being one of these guys that was like lost it all, was living high on the hog and then lost it all. That has to be a very humbling feeling. You know, whether you go bankrupt, whether your business goes, you know, under, whether you risk it all in some business move and it just goes belly up. That, that, that has to. That sucks, right? I can't imagine kicking everyone's ass for a decade and a half, beating the living piss out of everyone you look at and knowing it. It's like this, this game's going to be a joke. Honestly, being tested a couple times a year and just knowing in every big game you got the advantage doesn't mean you're always going to win. They obviously save and lost some games. It's got to be a little bit like Belichick at the end when in the with the Patriots. But it was a little different because Bill was still there when they sucked. Like Nick was in the playoffs against Jim Harbaugh, then just left, then all of a sudden you suck. It's tough. The one thing I will say, when Florida State's right, when Clemson's right, when Miami's right, I was always told this and it's and I believe this. Those are three programs that recruit SEC players that play ACC schedules. So Florida State a couple years ago had an SEC roster. Like Jared Verse is an SEC player, Braden Fisk is an SEC player, Keon Coleman is an SEC player. I mean the two teams that were trying to get him were LSU and Florida State when he went in the transfer portal for Michigan State. So I listen, you didn't lose to Cal Poly, you didn't just lose to Kansas State. And in fairness, Kansas State has nothing in common with Cal Poly football. But my point is you didn't just lose to a little school, you lost to a school. I think part of it is the 14 and a half point spread because everyone just assumed that 2 and 10 that they Florida State sucks. Maybe they don't suck. Maybe they're a 10 win team. Now you guys got some issues. I see a lot of people. You got what's his name bringing the anxiety dollar there is just a softness. You go back and Google some of the pregame speeches, not from Nick, but from the players in their heyday it might as it sounded like Seal Team 6. They were there to execute their opponents literally and physically. And now it feels like you know, if Ryan Williams is the face of your program, you got some problems. In fairness, he was there when Deborah got there. But yeah, I don't know. I don't know what to say. I do think the overall premise, and I talked about this on Monday night, is you don't have Phil Knight or T. Boone Pickens or Notre Dame's billionaires. You're not going to pay DeBoer $70 million to go away, pay your roster 25, $30 million to play, and then pay a new coach 80, $90 million. Because the one thing about Gruden, listen, Gruden's a horror when it comes to his money, right? They asked Jerry Jones one time, like, why'd you name your team at and T Stadium? He's like, they paid the most. Like, that's always kind of been Gruden's thing. Remember? It's like, oh, he loves the Raiders. And Mark Davis, Mark Davis gave him a 10 year, $100 million contract. Like, he didn't love him that much. It's not like he said, yeah, five years, 50 million school. He's like, 10, 100. I'm in like, Jesus. So I, I have a hard time seeing, you know, I listen to other people in the college football world say that. I think we need to pump the brakes a little bit about, you know, the Jimbo Fisher days when you could pay a guy 40, 50 million dollars to go away. Those days are done because you are allocating at these big programs 20, $30 million to your players. So where's this extra that. That is even if you would have had the $50 million you now need 70. And that's not even counting the new coach. I think it's way more complicated now financially than it used to be. Even at a program like the other thing with Bama and this is a lot of these schools, you know, before they had to start paying the players, they got all this money. They used to just invest it into their facilities. I saw on YouTube the other day that the golf team at Alabama has a $47 million facility. It's incredible. They have like their own Little Special 9 Hole Course. They have this incredible practice. What do you think that money came from the golf team? Of course not. It came from football. Football generates 80, 90% of all the revenue at these schools. And obviously Nick Saban is, was the all time cash cow. So they've invested that money. It's not like they just have put away all this money and they've put it in the stock market. It's going to pay for everything. If they had done that, then yeah, they would have a lot more flexibility. But that is not what happened. Okay, Real talk. Ever have one of those need it right now moments? Like the dog just chewed through a leash again. A kid's school project needs glitter glue tonight and somehow the toilet paper is gone. Yeah, that moment has happened to everyone. That's where Walmart Express Delivery comes in. Clutch. Get all that pet stuff, school stuff, household stuff, all the stuff in as fast as one hour. One hour. That means chargers, diapers, candles, light bulbs, laundry detergent, real life rescue items. And it's all from Walmart. Just hop on the app, order what's needed, and boom, it's at the door before a toddler melts down or before halftime is even over. Yes, game day food can be delivered in an hour, too. Try it now. And get free delivery on a first order with promo code Express. That's free delivery on a first order with promo code Express. Walmart Express delivery in as fast as 1 hour. Promotion valid for the first express delivery order for the first $50. Men subject to availability restrictions apply.

[West Prop]

All right, West West Prop here from Hood Politics with Prop Podcast. You already know our get down. If you grew up in our urban areas of comfort, of struggle, you understand politics much more than you giving credit for feds taking over American cities. Government hop out boys hopping out the van, snatching up your Theo and them two wars that were supposed to be solved in 24 hours. Jerry just out here, Mandarin all over the place, the turfs and of course, the Epstein of it all. Well, this week we decided to shoot our shot and boy, did we pull up from the logo to see if we can get somebody to come tap in with us. And the one and only Jamil Hill pulled up from the Spolitics podcast to keep it a whole century.

[Jemele Hill]

The American public is used to being entertained. We're a consumption society. So what Trump figured out is entertain them them and they'll never question you.

[West Prop]

Listen to the Hood Politics with Prop podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Greg Rosenthal]

Football is back. That's right. The new NFL season is here and you should be listening to NFL Daily as we march along to Super Bowl 60. This is a show for sickos like me. NFL Daily is your kind of show. It's in the name NFL Daily. You'll have fresh content in your feed all season long. Myself, Greg Rosenthal and an all star cast of co hosts will preview and recap every game all season long. Josh Allen coming off an MVP season.

[John Middlekoff]

And now lateral to Allen and reaching for the pylon. Are you kidding me? It's a touchdown. Have you ever seen that one before?

[Greg Rosenthal]

Rookies making a name for themselves.

[John Middlekoff]

Run again. Rejected. That's a bulldozer. He is bouncing off defenders and dragged down.

[Greg Rosenthal]

And of course the Eagles trying to win another Lombardi.

[John Middlekoff]

What a game, what a season, what a team. Eagles fans savor it and rejoice.

[Greg Rosenthal]

Listen to NFL Daily on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Dan]

I'm Dan, he's Ty.

[John Middlekoff]

Hello.

[Dan]

And we're the solid verbal college football podcast.

[Ty]

College football season is here and you know what that means.

[Dan]

Your team is going to break your heart three times probably before Halloween.

[John Middlekoff]

Uh huh.

[Ty]

But fear not, the Solid Verbal will be right there with you through every soul crushing loss and impossible comeback.

[Dan]

Join us all season long, all year long, as we ride the rollercoaster of this ridiculous sport.

[Ty]

Whether you're a die hard fan or a casual observer, we'll help you make sense of all the chaos and of course, celebrate the madness. Tune in for previews, recaps, bits you won't hear anywhere else, and all the emotional support you need as a college football fan.

[Dan]

We don't just love college football, Ty, we live it.

[Ty]

Listen to the solid verbal college football podcasts on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[John Middlekoff]

I believe you have a lot of respect for FSU in their program and with Nil you can reset pretty quick. FSU does not get a home game. I think. Didn't they play that game at home? But has your stance on Kalin changed? Aren't these players, aren't these his players now? Can Bama compete? I talked about this on Monday night. I do think there's a disposition to him that is just the polar opposite of, of Nick Saban. Nick Saban was a hard charging, aggressive, in your face, intense guy. And obviously to get to the level that Kalin has, he's not like not ambitious or not focused and detailed. But personalities change. Bill Belichick is a lot different than Andy Reid. That's a lot different than Pete Carroll. That's a lot different than Sean McVeigh. That's a lot different than Dan Campbell and the Harbaugh brothers. Like everyone's personality is unique to themselves. And Saban's kind of a dying breed of human. That type human doesn't exist as much anymore. The guy that had made hundreds of millions of dollars, who had Won several national championships. By 2023, he was still trying to win another one. It's like, where do you get this drive in your 70s that's he's. He's kind of a rare bird. They don't really exist. And he's even different from most other successful coaches. So my thought on him would be, I think his personality. I'm not saying he's a substitute teacher because he's accomplished a lot, but his personality is one that clearly guys are not listening to and not taking seriously. As someone forwarded me, they've had more penalties in every single game since he's been there. Saban would kill 10 people if that happened after like two games, let alone how many they play last year, nine and four, 13, 14 games. People would literally be executed and the boosters would burn the bodies in front of everybody on television. No one would care. It just wouldn't fly. There are certain things that are tolerated. There are certain things that are not tolerated. And clearly things that are being tolerated in that program would never have been tolerated with Nick. Would like to hear some analysis on Arch from your scouting perspective since most people are just talking about performance relative to the hype. I'm no scout, but I think his arm talent is really unimpressive. He can't make off platform throws and any different arm angles looked mostly disastrous. I don't see any issues. I don't see these issues as solvable this year. And I think if his name was Arch Middlekop, he probably would just be playing at Rutgers. Would love to get your take. P.S. can't wait for the NFL. There is no arguing that his arm talent is not great relative to all time hype guys, right? Like when you watch Cam Newton in college spin it, you went holy shit. When you watched Caleb Williams spin it, you went, holy shit. So when I've seen a lot of people call him a generational talent, to me part of a generational talent is either encompassing size and arm. Like that's why luck, he had it all. He was six, five, he was £240. He could run, he could spin it, he was accurate, he had it all, right? Caleb to me is not a generational talent because he's kind of short. Now if he was 6, 5 when you had those physical characteristics, the talent now, the player, who knows, right? But Caleb can really spin it. And you watch Caleb right away at Oklahoma you went, holy shit. What's the ball come out of his hands? He wants the ball come out of arches. You're like, now listen Peyton Manning is a top five quarterback of all time. I would argue that till I'm blue in the face. He threw us something that he claimed was a wobbly spiral. Peyton Manning did not throw a great ball. It was actually pretty ugly in the air. Some would call it like a wounded duck. But you know what? It was perfectly accurate. He would hit you directly in the hands. Now, his mind was a huge part of his game, but Peyton Manning did not sling it around like he was Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes. So when I watched Arch, I went, well, he doesn't throw a great ball. His mechanics, now granted he's a young player, are just atrocious. His arm's not that strong and clearly he's not that accurate. So there's a lot to work on. And this notion, I've seen a lot of people go, everyone needs to pump the brakes. No one was going to judge Arch on like Matt Patricia Fuldham. I expected that. Of course. It's his first start against an NFL defensive coordinator that studied under Belichick for two decades. He's going to get fooled. An interception. No shit. Welcome to football. But like, when you just watched him physically, you went, am I missing something here? I'm not trying to kick the kid when he's down, but he doesn't have a great arm. I remember watching high school tape of him thinking, like, am I missing something here? Now, he's a good athlete. He's clearly a likable guy. His teammates like him. But his arm talent is average. And then. So if you got average arm talent, you're not accurate and your mechanics suck. Like, Peyton Manning's got the greatest mechanics of all time. His footwork's perfect. And he was like that in college. So yeah, I'd be a little nervous. Basically a question, why does everyone sleep on Justin Herbert? We get this a lot. I think it's just an easy one. He's been a disaster last year in the playoffs. I think a lot of people get offended when he's comped to the top group of Mahomes, Allen, Lamar, Burrow, which I listen, there's some fairness there, but like there's no disputing his talent. And I think if you buy into his coach with that talent, he's going to be okay. Now, is he going to be an all time great player? I wouldn't bet the farm on it. But I think when the dust settles, we will look back at Herbert fondly. Enjoy the first. I've got a question. Do you think that most first round Draft picks that don't work out just don't put in the time to be great. For example, Chase Young was the second overall pick and had a great rookie year, but then kind of fizzled out into an average player, not the generational player he was projected to be. I think I'd have to look it up. But when did Chase Young get injured? Because I think a guy like him, in his style, like he was not a bendy player. He was much more of a power rusher, kind of like a clowny, a little like Khalil Mack, I guess. But in his second year he tore his ACL and Patel attended. So I think it's fair to assume that if he had been healthy, maybe he doesn't become hall of Famer, but I think he would have been a really good player. When you rip your knee in half, it's a problem. Now sometimes you rip up your knee and you go on to have a great. Brandon Graham, I think, I think my first year in Philly was his rookie year. I'm pretty sure he ripped up his knee, went on to have a great career. So I don't know. I think some injuries are clearly worse than others. Obviously this. Every individual responds to injuries differently. And yeah, I think, I think injuries factored in, but I definitely believe that some guys that flop don't work hard. I think sometimes if you're not smart enough to handle football, you know, in college you could dumb stuff down in your talent. If you're a top, you know, couple round guy, you're just so much better than everyone else in the NFL. Everyone's really good. So if you struggle to learn football, if you're not an instinctive football player, there are a lot of variables. You could find an individual that would check every box. Guys that didn't work hard, that flamed out, right? Jamarcus Russell, Johnny Manziel, guys at all positions. You can find guys that had major injuries earlier in their career and it derailed them. I think you could find human beings and I think this is like in any walk of life that for whatever reason lose their confidence, never get it back, and it derails their career. They stop believing in themselves. Because one thing, when you're a good player in college, the coach is going to believe in you, the fans are going to believe in you. Then I get to the team and I'm the 20th pick in the draft. I have some bad games, I lose my confidence. What if the coaches turn on me? What if at the end of the year those guys get Fired. And all of a sudden I get new coaches and they don't like me. So I think that's an underrated part, is a confidence. But yeah, I mean, I think you could check a lot of different boxes on why guys have failed historically. Okay, we'll end on this. What are your thoughts on Utah to make the playoffs for the Big 12 at plus 310, plus 450 respectively. So it's plus 310 to win the Big 12 and plus, or I guess to make the playoffs is plus 310. And to make. To win the Big 12 is plus 450, which is pretty good odds. I love this bet. What am I missing? Utah was so good for back to back, essentially three straight years when Kyle Whittingham really hit a stride in the Pac 12. You know, beating SC, beating Oregon, winning every big game that mattered. And last year was obviously really embarrassing. They were the betting favorite to win the conference. And then Cam Rising got hurt for the 10th time and they went to Karate Kid. Well, that's what my wife calls Zach Wilson, his brother. And clearly their quarterback situation was a joke. I mean, it was really, really bad. And now they put their transfer portal guys from New Mexico and they also brought his offensive coordinator. If their quarterback plays solid, their team's going to be good because they're always going to have NFL defensive players. They're well coached, they're tough. I watched the Big 12. Like to me, I want to root for the guy Dave Aranda, because he's a bald guy. I'm out. Okay. I just don't take them seriously. Texas Tech, they have a lot of money invested into that operation. I'm pretty sure their quarterback just got injured. Colorado is just not going to be good enough with their quarterback. You know, asu, it was week one, it was hot, but they were kind of in a tough game with NAU for a minute. I think the Big 12 is pretty wide open, and based on this resume, I don't even think it's close. He has the best resume of any team in that now. You could argue Iowa State. They look pretty good. They play Iowa this week, which doesn't impact whether they win the conference or not. But if I was a betting man right now to win the Big 12, I would say the two lead, lead dogs would be Iowa State or Utah. And I feel pretty good just betting on Utah and Kyle Whittingham. I think, I think he's someone you feel comfortable placing money on. So I, I like that pick. Good question. Appreciate the questions. Keep firing in those DMS at John Middlecoff. I'll put away this cowboy hat until Jerry does something else crazy.

[West Prop]

The volume. All right, West West Prop here from Hood Politics with Prop Podcast. You know, I get down. You come from the urban areas. You understand politics more than you giving credit for. Between Jerry out here mandering off all over the place. Hop out, boys. Snatching up family members and two wars that were supposed to be done in 24 hours. Not to mention Epstein. We had to reach out to the homie Jamel Hill because she gonna keep.

[Jemele Hill]

It a century in America. What sells in politics are narratives and storylines. It's like we treat politics like we treat sports, which is part of the reason why we're in the situation we're in right now.

[West Prop]

Listen to the Hood Politics with Prop podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Podcast.

[Dan]

I'm Dan. He's Ty.

[John Middlekoff]

Hello.

[Dan]

And we're the solid verbal college football podcast.

[Ty]

Tune in for previews, recaps, bits you won't hear anywhere else, and all the emotional support you need as a college football fan.

[Dan]

Join us all season long as we ride the roller coaster of this ridiculous sport.

[Ty]

Listen to the solid verbal college football podcasts on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or. Or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan]

We don't just love college football, Ty. We live it.

[Manny and Noah]

Why are TSA rules so confusing?

[John Middlekoff]

You got a hoodie on. Take it all.

[Manny and Noah]

I'm Manny. I'm Noah.

[John Middlekoff]

This is Devin.

[Manny and Noah]

And we're best friends and journalists with a new podcast called no Such Thing, where we get to the bottom of questions like that.

[John Middlekoff]

Why are you screaming at me?

[Manny and Noah]

I can't expect. What to do now if the rule was the same, Go off on me. I deserve it.

[John Middlekoff]

You know, Lock him up.

[Manny and Noah]

Listen to no Such thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[John Middlekoff]

No Such Thing.

[Jemele Hill]

I'm Jemele Hill, host of the sports and politics podcast Spolitics. And on the latest episode of Politics, House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries joins me for a candid conversation about the state of the Democratic Party. What do Republicans say to you privately that they won't say publicly?

[West Prop]

Many of them are in fear of their political lives.

[John Middlekoff]

We continue to say to them, you were elected to defend your constituents, and there's life after Congress.

[Jemele Hill]

Make sure to listen. Listen to this episode of Spolitics on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an iHeart podcast.