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Good Life Sleep Dish has been connecting communities like yours for the last 45 years, providing the TV you love at a price you can trust. Watch live sports news and the latest movies, plus your favorite streaming apps all in one place. Switch to Dish today and lock in the lowest price in satellite TV starting at $89.99 a month with our two year price guarantee. Call 888-D dish or visit dish.com today the volume. What is going on my people? How are we doing? John Middlecoff three and Out Podcast hopefully everyone is enjoying themselves. We got a lot going on. Rasheed Rice is going to jail for a month. Victor Wembanyama is a great example that not all number one overall picks in sports are created equal. International games are growing. Source be suing the ncaa. We'll do some mailbag questions. We got a lot going on at John Middlecoff at John Middlekopf is the Instagram fire in those DMS questions answered here on the show. You guys know the drill. If you listen on Collins feed, make sure you subscribe the three and out podcast. Appreciate everyone that has. We're also on Netflix, so make sure you hit the alerts and you'll never miss an episode. We've got some extra content up on the YouTube page. You can go check that out as well. Why I saw a headline today that Rasheed Rice, Chiefs wide receiver, failed a marijuana test, which is under the parameters, I guess, of his probation. Been in trouble a lot and is now going to jail for the next 30 days. And I was thinking about, you know, one thing that has defined the Chiefs in their run, really, even post Tyreek, but before is they've just had a lot of reliable players. You know, when I think about Patrick Mahomes, whether he plays good or not, I think what was so jarring at the end of the season was seeing him lying on the ground in pain. You realize like, this is a devastating injury because every single week, for good or bad, and there's been a lot more good than bad. Like there was last year. You knew Patrick Mahomes was going to show up. Same thing with Travis Kelsey, his worst season as a pro. But you know what? Travis Kelsey is week in, week out, he's reliable. You know he's going to show up. Same thing with Chris Jones. Same thing with the majority of their core guys. Trent McDuffie, you know, who, who, who was a core guy on their team that went to multiple Super Bowls. And I think anytime and I, I know this, I think I speak for a lot of people. There is nothing worse than having someone in your life that is unreliable. Right? Listen, let's face it. We're all friends with people that like, yeah, you know, I've known this guy for a long time. Probably not the best guy, but something about him. I just love him. And again, I've known him since I was young. And you just like, can't quit the person. You wouldn't do business with them. You know, you wouldn't trust him with your wife. But you're just like, hey man, I just don't about him. I like, we all have those People in our life, right? Yeah. Some people can say this guy's a bad guy, but, you know, for whatever reason, I get along with him. Kind of entertains me. To me, unreliability and a human being that is unpredictable in terms of when they say they're going to do something or when you need them to be there for you is you can't account for it and you can't be sure that they're going to come through. I'm out on like, that is nothing. That is not someone, especially in business, I'd want to be associated with. I would say the number one thing since I've worked post college, and the most successful people I've been around, the most successful people or the people that I rely on now are just consistently reliable. Most human beings aren't the most talented people at their field. Rasheed Rice is at the best wide receiver in the league. Right. I'm not the best podcaster in America, but you know what you get every time you look down at your phone? Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday morning, three and out podcast. Because this is my job, and people I'm in business with depend on me being reliable on a weekly basis. The partners we are now in business with, we've made promises and I have promises to upkeep on my end now. I take a lot of pride in that, just like a lot of players take a lot of pride in availability. And that's not always just playing through injuries. That's being on time. That's showing up on Wednesday like you would show up on Sunday. That's showing up in the off season, that's being ready come training camp. That's being available when you told the team you would speak at a charity function, that's when you told your agent you would do X, Y and Z. And I would say most successful people follow up on that. I saw a clip the other day of Miles Turner, the former Pacer center that spent last year on the Milwaukee Bucks, and he was crushing Giannis. He's like, he's never on time. Like, you know what kind of a reflection, buddy, I get the organization's been weird and you produce, but, like, you're not on time. Like, you can't just. The plane waits for you. You don't show up on time when you have a rehab stint scheduled with the team. Kind of embarrassing, honestly, kind of low level. Every human being's been late a time or two. But Rasheed Rice, at this point in time is just not a reliable person. And when you're not A reliable person, and you're coming off a bad season like the Chiefs. Like, I wouldn't want to be relying on this individual to be successful. Now, the NFL will always and always has given the benefit of the doubt to more talented players. This is not Justin Jefferson or Jamar Chase, but he's pretty damn good. And he's been very important for the Chiefs in the sense that they don't have many weapons at wide receiver. They've allocated those resources other places. Some just thought they might take a wide receiver high in the draft. They did not. They took defensive players, which I don't blame them at all. But at this point in time, when you are in a position where you don't have margin for error, like smoking weed. I don't care who smokes weed. I never have. That's well before it got legalized, I guess, in the majority of states. I still see people getting arrested for it in certain states. But, like, weed's not. I'm not a big weed guy. It's me and weed don't really mesh. If you want to smoke weed and get high every day, be my fucking guest. So I don't judge Rasheed Rice for smoking weed. I judge him for smoking weed when he knows he has to take a drug test, and if he fails, he goes to jail. At this point in time, I view you kind of like a moron. Like, so you're not smart enough when you have something really serious in front of you. If you told me if you don't do X, Y or Z, that if you don't follow these rules, you are going to spend 30 days behind bars, you. You know what I would probably do? Do you know what you would probably do? Follow the rules. Why? Because we all value being outside of a jail. It's kind of nice to have this thing called freedom. So at this point in time, to me, if I was the Chiefs, I'd be out on the guy. I really would. And I understand it's easy to hold on. He's like, well, he's one of our best wide receivers. Oh, we want to make a run back to the playoffs. I think unreliability will always bite you in the ass. I would rather go down with some more or less talented people that I know are going to show up, that I know will be there when I need them. Because at this point in time, you have no clue what this guy's going to do. I was thinking about drafts, and we talk a lot, right? Tanking in the NBA this year is a good Example just the majority of the league it felt like was taking. It's this great draft. It's like well AJ DeBonsa looks like an incredible player. Peterson who was like I guess it looked like Kobe Bryant in high school. I've never youtubed him, but by all accounts his high school film was better than what he looked like at Kansas. Honestly, he wasn't terrible at Kansas. Looked pretty damn good to me too when he wasn't getting cramps from the creatine. And Carlos Boozers, his son looks incredible. Like the class is really good. But I don't think anyone's saying like there is a prospect in this draft like Anthony Davis. Definitely like LeBron James or back when I was a kid like Shaquille o'. Neal. There is not a no brainer. This guy is going to be a 10 time All Star if he stays healthy. There's. This could be incredible but there's still risk involved. It was just like that in the NFL draft. I like Fernando Mendoza a lot. I think he's going to be a really good player in the NFL, but there's no guarantee. I've seen a lot of players like Fernando Mendoza. Some have turned out to be really good. Jared Goff's a good example, Matt Ryan's a good example. But we've seen other guys not come close to reaching their potential having quote unquote failed NFL careers. We see it all the time. And for every Bryce Harper that's on the front page of Sports Illustrated that goes on to have a Hall of Fame baseball career. There are guys drafted constantly in baseball because you got to go through the minors the normal fans will never get to hear of. Why? Because they never make it. There is currently a shortstop at ucla. I have, I have a good buddy who I just had a wedding with him like a month ago. He played college baseball, got drafted and had a really good minor league career. Had some injuries, didn't quite make it. But then the organization, which has one of the top GMs you know, in the in baseball, hires him to be one of his scouts and he's been scouting for a long time now. He's basically my age, maybe a year younger. And he told me that this shortstop at UCLA is the best prospect he's ever seen. And he's been in the business now for almost a decade. But that doesn't happen very often. And when I think about a draft, it typically is defined by the top guy. Like this NBA draft I've been hearing about it I feel like for a year but, like, I watched a lot of those guys, I watched some college basketball throughout the fall. They're there. I wouldn't stake my life on any of them, right? Not saying that some of them won't become All Stars, all NBA guys, but I wouldn't feel comfortable betting on it yet. A couple of years ago, when the spurs got the number one pick and they got Victor Wembanyama, it was like, this is one of the greatest prospects of all time. And it's pretty clear once you see him, that I was like, well, I've never seen anything quite like this. I'm old enough. Some of you guys that are younger listening to this cannot fathom how unique Shaquille O' Neal was in the early and mid-90s. He was 7ft. He could move in terms of, like, his footwork and athleticism, like a guard. And he was as strong as, like, an NFL defensive lineman. He is one of the greatest college prospects to ever come into the NBA, and I'd argue in the history of sports. And obviously, once he hit his stride, he was an unstoppable force. But if you have a draft with, go back to when I was a senior in high school, it was LeBron's draft, and it's still known as one of the greatest drafts in the history of the NBA because Carmelo went number. Went number three, Chris Bosh went number four, and Dwayne Wade went number five. That's a pretty incredible top five. But if LeBron had just been a random player that just played in the NBA for a little bit and never lived up to the number one overall hype, and those guys went after him, we call it a really good draft, but the reason it's historic is LeBron James. Think about 1983 in the NFL. Eric Dickerson was the number two overall pick. He's a Hall of Famer. Jim Kelly was the 14th overall pick. Hall of Famer, went to countless Super Bowls with the Buffalo Bills, and Dan Marino somehow fell to 27. I think there were some coke rumors, which. Who knows, they were true or not, which is pretty crazy. It's almost like lamar Jackson going 32. Not quite sure how that happens looking back, but it's just a fact. He went 27, and that's known as one of the greatest drafts of all time, mainly because John Elway went number one. And if you're going to tank or you're going to get the number one pick, there is an element of like, is there just one of the greatest players in the history of the Sport in this draft or we just flipping a coin like Josh Allen is an incredible pick at seven. Steph Curry was the seventh overall pick and maybe Brandon Bean has talked about this, but if I had given him the number one overall pick that year and he didn't need, would he have taken him at one or would he have taken someone else? The Golden State warriors get a lot of credit for drafting Steph Curry. I'll promise you this. If you gave that organization that year the number one overall pick, they would not have taken Steph Curry. But sometimes in the draft, John Elway, LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama, you know what everyone's telling me? Arch Manning. The year Andrew Luck was coming out, there was no fucking debate. Even Caleb Williams, who clearly is a freak talent. I mean his strength, his athleticism and his overall arm strength is pretty elite. I mean his arm strength is definitely elite and his strength and scramble ability is just high, high end. There was debate. I mean, there were credible people saying, I think Jaden, I think Jaden Daniel is a better prospect. There were the occasional guys like, I think I might go Drake may. There's never been a soul that argued in a draft they would take anyone but Andrew luck, anyone but LeBron James. If Victor Wembanyama's in the draft, there would never be an argument. It would take Shaquille O' Neal or LeBron James being in that same draft for there to be an argument. So I'm watching the spurs who look freaking incredible. They got Ron Harper's kid, they got the Yukon guy, Castle, and they got Victor Wembanyama. They look like some crazy version of like the Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kevin Durant Thunder from, you know, 15 years ago. It's like, Jesus, what the hell is this? But the reason they are that is because of the one big guy who is an all time unicorn. I mean, he barely has to jump to dunk. And historically guys like that, they don't have to jump to dunk, are kind of, I don't want to say circus clowns, but they're not. There's been a few in my life, like minute bowl types. They're not that clearly the most talented, physically gifted guy in the league, can shoot threes, I mean, has all the touch around. The defense is incredible. Heard a stat today. When he is on the court, the spurs defense, the other team's offense is like the version of the worst offense in the league. Now the reason that number isn't crazy because his throughout the season he doesn't play that many minutes last night he played like 50 because it went to double overtime. But I'm just watching him and thinking about drafts like ultimately this year for the Cardinals and the Jets. If it had been a little flip flopped and somehow the Raiders hadn't got the number one overall pick, but the jets or Cardinals had, they would have taken Fernando Mendoza. Fernando Mendoza would have been the first pick in this draft no matter what. Whether a team that would needed a quarterback was going to draft them or one of the teams behind them traded up to a team like the Titans or something that already had quote unquote their quarterback. But if you put Fernando Mendoza in every draft, like he's not going one and there's nothing wrong with that. You can only buy what's available. It's simple supply and demand. But it does show you how transformative when you suck. And this is why these teams tank for the opportunity to just get a guy that's not even viewed as good as Victor Wembanyama. Think about that. This entire NBA 10/plus team started tanking like November for the opportunity to draft a guy that maybe one day will be an all star. Like maybe probably. But you never know. There's definitely no guarantee. And then there are just the players. Like when Miles Garrett was the number one overall pick. It's like this guy's going to be a dominant player. You know, Vaughn Miller would have been the number one overall pick in a non quarterback draft. Anyone with the brain that watch football went this guy's going to be a Pro bowl level player. Now will he ever reach the ceiling of being like an all time great and be a first ballot hall of Famer? That somewhat is up to the team, up to the individual, but the talent is just immense, you know. And you watch Victor Wembanyama. I've been watching sports now for 30 plus years. I've never seen anything quite like that. I never have. And I hate watching the Thunder. I think they are, how can I put this in a complimentary way? They clearly are like an all. They're on an all time great run of a season and basically the second season. I think they're the least consumer friendly of any great team I've ever seen in any sport. I just hate watching them, but I respect them. They're an excellent defensive team. They're tough as shit, they're clearly well coached. I just don't like consuming them. And if they were playing another random team instead of the Spurs, I don't even know if I watched that game. But I was like I was blown away. And it just shows you the power. And this is going to be talked about about this 2027 draft as we sit here right now. None of these quarterbacks come remotely close to like this guy's a can't, can't miss all time great player. Now that could potentially change in the fall. It's pretty rare that we don't know about that leading into a season. Think about Caleb Williams, think about Andrew Locke. But every once in a while it happens. Cam Newton, I would say somewhat came out of nowhere at Auburn and changed the Carolina Panthers franchise. Right. Joe Burrow came out of nowhere at lsu, changed the Cincinnati Bengals franchise. None of these guys potentially would be coming out of nowhere because we're already talking about these names, but it just shows you the power. Like in 1989, there was a draft that had Barry Sanders go three, Derrick Thomas go four and Deion Sanders go five. I would say all three of those players are better than Troy Aikman. But if the Dallas Cowboys could do that draft again, they would still take Troy Aikman. Think about that. You have what I'd say you could argue the greatest football player of all time in Barry Sanders, Derek Thomas, one of the truly great edge rushers of all time, and Dion, for my money, the greatest defensive back corner that has ever. I guess we could argue defensive back because of safety, you know, Ronnie Lots at Reeds. But you could make the argument that Deion Sanders, the greatest defensive back of all time, in one of the great all time talents of all time, yet the Cowboys wouldn't change their pick almost 40 plus years later. So it shows you about the power with the number one overall pick when you get it right and it becomes a transformative player, right? Elway, LeBron, Bryce Harper, Victor Wembanyama, Shaquille O', Neal, whoever. There's just no better feeling, you know, and a lot of it's just out of your control. What? What's the class going to be? And you see the spurs, man, they've had two number one overall picks in the last however many years and it was Tim Duncan and Victor Wemaniama. So the basketball gods are clearly smiling on them. Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock BET Florida's sportsbook. We obviously talk a lot of pig skin on this show, but the second round of the NBA playoffs is here now and you better believe we're gambling because any single night wimy can go for a triple double. How about a little same game parlay? You like ant to score over 30 points. You want to hammer the Knicks to win it all. Just need to win eight more games. And if you're ever late to tip off, don't worry. Hard Rock Bet lets you live bet all game long. PGA Championships also this weekend. Love Cam Young to win it. So here's the thing. Try your first bet on Hard Rock Bet today. You can score 150 in bonus bets. If you win, just place a $5 bet. 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Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, Nick? Huge news. We created our own podcast called hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We. We just contributed to First People to Do Podcasts. Pretty. Yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts, but this one's extra special. So how did we, how do we actually come up with the name hey Jonas? Guys, I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it and, well, we were thinking. I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers was. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes, I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing a bit for the podcast. People could call in and say, hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, hey Jonas and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that. Guys, listen to hey Jonas on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.
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There's going to be a record amount of international games this year in nine and next year biocounts there's going to be 11. Maybe you can bet on this. And Kalshee are one of these predictive prediction markets. I don't really mess with those. Not that I'm opposed to them. I just haven't even downloaded the app or I just don't have enough time in my life with the baby and work and to even really pay attention. But if I can, we bet on that number continuing to grow. There is not a bigger lock in America than that number being whatever it has to be that Thursday Night Football is. Thursday Night Football gets a little skewed because Thanksgiving has a bunch of games but just a package every week that is coming in the next three, four. Whenever they, you know, determine this next television deal, we are going to have an international game every single week. And the other thing that was kind of being rumored about that, get ready for Japan, get ready for Italy. We saw Australia this year. We've seen Germany last year. In this upcoming year, I think they're going to France for the first time this year. Obviously they love, you know, London and Wembley Stadium, the NFL. And to me, this is going to be Kind of the defining outro for Raj. If we look back in 20, 30 years and go the international expansion took the NFL to another level, I think Roger Goodell will unequivocally be known as the greatest commissioner of all time. If somehow the international footprint, this thing ultimately fails and like I don't know if it would deteriorate the product but just doesn't work. It'll just, it'll be, I would say black mark on his resume. I would say it's somewhat indifferent. Feels like I'm coping out on this one, but it's almost like tbd, you know, I don't, I don't love it. But they've also put a lot of bad games over there. It kind of reminds me of the early Thursday night football movement. Early Thursday night football was awful. And over the last couple of years the games have dramatically changed. We now get Rams, Seattle on Thursday Night Football that turned out to be for the division, one of the best games of the year. We get 49ers going into LA and playing in just one of the most thrilling games you'll see during the season. I mean you could argue those two games, I'd have to really look back like what the top five games of the regular season in 25. But I would say the Mac Jones game and the Sam Darnold and Matt Stafford game in Seattle is about. And Puka Nakua going nuts. Probably two of the top five games of the year. And you knew going into the season like that's a heck of a mashup and that they were even better than expected. So I, I would. And this is the big question mark with Sunday football as they put a bunch of emphasis on Thursday night. We know they put emphasis on Sunday and Monday night. And if they try to improve the Sunday morning game and I'm not talking morning for us at 10 o', clock, I'm talking this package which the majority of these games are probably going to kick off, you know, at 6:30 Pacific Standard Time. For those of you guys on the East coast, the 9:30 kickoff time, what's going to happen to like the 10am window. And I had a buddy tell me over the last six months, he's like, you know what's no one really talks about but it's just a fact is most of the year like the 10am Games kind of suck now because it's the NFL and games turn out to be close. They're kind of entertaining. But none of those games are ones that Thursday night, Sunday night and Monday night Often would want. So once you get into a position where you're diluting the morning and afternoon windows, I'm not talking about the early morning. I'm just talking about the morning again for you guys, early afternoon and then the afternoon. That product's going to get shittier and shittier because they're emphasizing these other time slots. Just something to keep an eye on. You only have so many games. And the other thing is, and this is why I think the NFL pushes back on the double buys, is there just wouldn't be enough inventory to justify the costs. Right. And I don't know. I don't know how this is going to play out, but it's definitely getting, it's definitely getting more. Just polarizing in terms of what they're doing, and they're definitely not slowing down anytime soon. The Brennan Sorsby topic, it doesn't do that much for me. Like, he comes out with the comments that he was trying to show loyalty to his team and bet on Indiana team that mainly sucked. And it's like, bro, you're 18 years old. You got some money in your pocket. You're an idiot. Like, so was I. So were most people I knew. I might have done the same thing if I were you. Like, I don't, I don't even. I don't even care. Suing the ncaa, obviously he's trying to expedite this, that they either have to make a decision or grant him his eligibility back or make him ineligible. And then he goes to the, he goes to supplemental draft, which I would imagine if you have TCU or Cincinnati, the scouts for all the teams are doing a bunch of work, or as much as they can at this point. Probably a major pain in their ass. Especially if he ends up winning this injunction and just stays at Texas Tech, which would be very profitable for him given that he's owed $6 million. So I, I think that's why he's getting very aggressive with this. But I, I just think this situation kind of puts into light all the different moving parts of college football. The explosion of the business. Now these guys are getting paid. I, I would imagine Brendan Soares be. Is not a lone actor. If you think he's the only guy. I can't even imagine. 500 grand, 800 grand, a million dollars in your pocket at 18, 19 years old. What are you doing with that money? The gambling is really easy. It's on your phone. A lot of these guys are going to gamble. That's just in their personality, their competitors. Like, it's surely happening more and more. These conferences are just talking more and more about breaking away from the ncaa. I just think we're headed toward more and more chaos. I saw Ryan Day discussing the Big Ten championship and how canceling that game would even put more emphasis on the Michigan game. I've said forever. Just turn the conference championship games into elimination games so they're no longer who wins the conference. You win the conference in the regular season. Kind of like the NFL. Like there's no division championship game. You either just win the division or you don't win the division. The conference championship game then dwarfs into. Well, Iowa is playing Nebraska because they were the fourth and fifth team in the conference and the winner is. Is into the playoffs. Like that. That would just be just as entertaining as these conference championship games that more and more there's going to be less on the line for the good teams. Because Ryan Day alluded to this, like, what are we playing for seating? You know, it's like we're in. Why should. Like I have nothing to gain here, really. I mean last year is a good example. Indiana, they both got home field buys, right? I mean they really weren't playing for that much beside pride, right? And it was a fantastic game. And I've always said I appreciate. I admire how hard both programs played. It was fucking badass. Especially Ohio State. Like Indiana was kind of playing for something bigger than itself given how embarrassing the program had been, given the team they were playing. Like, what did Ohio State like? What did they have to gain? Right? And they try. It was awesome. It was. Sony Styles was incredible in that game. But I just think we're going to see a lot more changes. And this the Soresby your guess as good as mine. What happens. This is one of those stories that just does little to me. It really does. It's just like I just tell me when there's a resolution. This is kind of funny. Jackson Smith in Jigbo won the offensive player of the year and they sent him his trophy and it said defensive player of the year and he was kind of up in arms. I don't know if he was being sarcastic or not. I think he's probably a little pissed. But I would imagine whoever was in charge and running point in the trophy operation might have given that to the intern. Maybe that was AI would be a big win for humans, but pretty embarrassing. There's. There's no way around it. I think I would keep it as like a. Maybe I'd give it to somebody, maybe an auction off. I don't know, but I, I definitely wouldn't give that back and I'd make them send me a new one. Nashville is going to get the Super bowl in 20, 30. They're Gavin, the new stadium built when I got married there a couple years ago, I guess a year ago, A little over a year ago, you could see the beginning of the construction. And the only problem with this is it can be really cold in February. And part of the super bowl, right, is when you go to Miami, when you come to Scottsdale, when you go to Los Angeles, even last year in San Francisco, the weather, New Orleans, the weather is awesome. So part of the reason they've gone to the same places so many times over and over and over is simply the weather. Like, if the weather was great, they would love to do one in Chicago. They would love to go all the time to some of these places like New York City. But you can't because it's fucking frigid. And I think the NFL knows what they're getting into with this because Nashville, especially where everything would be downtown Broadway is not a place where you can really hide. You know, you're kind of outside walking around. So I think you just got to keep your fingers crossed that it's not frigid temperatures at the time. Because if it isn't and you get a nice week long of 50s and 60 degrees, it'll feel like one of the great Super Bowls of all time. And it'll get a lot of positive feedback. If it's frigid temperatures, that will be a problem. But that's what happens when you, you know, Minnesota was unique the year when they built their new stadium and they host the super bowl because the Eagles were in it. So I knew a bunch of people that attended that one, the Mall of America, they were inside the whole time. Even Indianapolis, you can stay inside. It's like when the combine goes there every year, it doesn't matter if it's 60 degrees of the combine or 10 degrees, you don't really have to go outside that. That's the key to a conference event. It's like, is it easy to get around if I'm there in the winter or the summer where it's a place that's really hot and I can stay inside controlled temperature environments because I, if I have to go outside and this, this speaks Arizona in the summer, you know, somewhere that's freezing cold in the winter, then that can be a pain in the ass. So I love Nashville. Wouldn't mind. I'm sure I'll be there that week. Just hope it's good weather. Okay, let's use a mailbag. Questions at John Middlekoff at John Middlekopf is the Instagram fire in those DMs questions answered here on the show Question for the back why aren't MVPs weighed more heavily than super bowl wins in the goat debate? To me, Manning's five MVPs with three different head coaches in just 17 seasons is a stronger indicator of individual greatness than Tom Brady winning three MVPs over 22 years. There's no question Brady is the most successful quarterback ever and he deserves a ton of credit for his longevity and performance. And the record books can't be debated, but super bowl wins depend on a lot of variables coaching, roster, defense, organizational stability, etc. My point is if you swap situations, I could see Manning winning multiple Super Bowls, maybe even seven with Bill Belichick, Randy Moss, Rob Gronkowski and the Pats organization, but have a harder time seeing Brady win five MVPs in Indy. There's a lot here with this question. I actually wouldn't have loved Peyton Manning the majority of his career outdoors. I think he benefited a lot from playing in the dome and by the time he had kind of mastered the sport when he went to Denver. But Boston is way colder than Denver. It is consistently colder in November and December. It's just a different animal weather wise. Obviously Denver can get cold, right? The AFC Championship game, you can get bad weather games, but I do not view the two as the same. When I think back in Brady's career, he is the greatest cold weather quarterback that I've ever seen and probably will ever see. Mahomes has been a badass and in weather games too. I do not view Peyton Manning. And listen, maybe this is just a gut feel and if we truly did the research, I would be wrong. As a guy with all the chips on the line in a weather game, he would be the guy I would trust. So over the course of 20 years with the Patriots, I think that could be a little different. Now I would agree if you would have put him on Indy with like Jim Morris senior and then Tony Dungy. Maybe Tom Brady's career does not go the way it does. Tom Brady's even said, you know, the Patriots being a six round pick and starting fourth in the depth chart. His whole life was changed. Bill Belichick and the quarterback coach who ended up passing away. I think in like his second year. Maybe it was his first offseason. I forget the exact timing of it but obviously Josh McDaniels was there a lot of different variables, but I think you can say the same thing for Joe Montana, right? If you put Joe Montana on other teams, would he as been as good? Probably not. He was in a perfect spot with a coach and Bill Walsh that valued movement, timing and accuracy. They had an elite defense on a lot of those teams. They had elite coaching. But that's, you know, Phil Jackson won how many rings, right? Six with the bulls. 11, 12. 11 with. He won three. He won two more, so 11. You don't think he benefited from being around MJ, Kobe and Shaq? I mean, ask Steve Kerr what it's like to play with Michael, Tim Duncan and coach Steph Curry. Like we all. I'm. Do you think I am more successful because I got to be in business with Colin Coward than other podcasters that do? Not sure. I mean, that's kind of the way life works. So I think the hard part with football, like in basketball, you're all playing in the same environment. Every basketball arena, while the size of it could change. Some could be 18,000, some could be 24,000. The courts and the temperature, it never changes, right? It never. Or in baseball, some pitchers pitch in hitter friendly parks. Some pitchers pitch in parks that are more pitcher friendly, right? Like forever. The Coliseum where the A's played had a huge, huge foul ball, foul area. So like a lot of random pop ups at other places which would go into the stands. The first and third baseman could catch. The San Francisco Giants played in a place where they play at night. It's fucking cold. It's like 50 degrees every single night. Where if you're playing at Yankee Stadium, the ball flies. So there are always different variables. I. We just argue about this, right? Who's the best, who's not the best? Bottom line, like, they're two of the greatest players of all time. There's not actually a list. They're both super bowl champions, they're both most valuable players, they're both hall of Famers. The thing with Michael and LeBron, they all got rings, they're all fucking. Got a bunch of records. They're all going to the hall of Fame. They're all super rich. Like, there is no actual list. Well, have you ever seen the official top 10 list doesn't exist. So it's just, it's fun to argue about, but based on what I saw, I would have Tom above Peyton, but I would also have Peyton really freaking high, right? I would have Peyton right there with Elway in Montana. Was wondering why you and everyone else give Stafford a max two years left? Considering his style of play, I just don't see him falling off a cliff that quickly. Maybe not as obsessed with Brady, but if Brady was able to perform 45, why can't Stafford play another five years? It's a good question. I mean, if he, he can keep playing as long as he wants to play. I mean, if he's gonna play like he just played, yeah, he could just keep going. I, I, I just assume because he has acted like this, he is the one that's kind of had these weird off seasons where it's like he's kind of on the fence, he's kind of thinking around. Like, it feels like he's taking it year to year. Tom didn't take it year to year until he was 44 and then quit and then got a divorce when she went with Jiu jitsu. And he came back and he kind of regretted it. But, like, Tom never claimed he was leaving. Stafford's like, kind of always on the fence now. If he keeps playing like that, I'm with you. Why would you go away? I mean, he was, he, he's, this has got to be the shitty part about playing quarterback. I bet Rogers feels like this. His understanding of the quarterback position right now for Aaron Rodgers has never been better. His knowledge of the defense, of game plans, like, he's mastered the position. I thought he mastered it like 21, 22. I'm like, God damn, this guy's, this guy, truly. The year they lost to Tampa, I thought for sure they were winning the super bowl because I thought Rogers was the best version of himself, wasn't the youngest version, probably wasn't the most explosive, but it mastered the position. Kind of like Peyton Manning in Denver or like Tom Brady, the latter Half of the 2010s, and then in the first year in Tampa, like, they just, their knowledge is undeniable and that's a huge part of playing quarterback. But at this point in time, physically, you know, Rogers isn't quite the same, or Stafford definitely isn't as athletic as he used to be, but he can get rid of the ball like Peyton Manning could. So Philip Rivers, look at Rivers. He had played for years, showed back up, totally understood it. But physically, he can't, his skills have never been that elite. Like, can't move and his arms kind of average, but his brain is like Einstein level. So to me, it's just a balance of like, can your body take it? Last year he had the back injury, he's had Injuries before. So just was have to, I don't know, monitor. Who knows? My question is about draft coverage. I don't follow college ball. So when it comes to the draft, I learn about it from podcasts. I probably heard over 30 mocks and none of them had Delane going to the Chiefs. I hardly heard his name. No one had him in the top 10. Then after the draft multiple shows are saying he was the best DB in the draft. My question how are narratives formed about players leading into the draft? Why do you think the best DB in the draft wasn't talked about more? I know the Chiefs initiated Ghost protocol in the way they didn't bring him into everything but if he's the number one DB in the draft, it's not far reach to say the Chiefs a DB needy team should take him. Make it make sense. It's a great question. Obviously when it comes to a quarterback or a wide receiver, there's like no disputing, right? We were talking about Fernando Mendoza. Ty Simpson was a polarizing guy. Would he go in the first round? We not go in the first round. We talked a ton about the wide receivers. I think there's always going to be a player or two who go a little under the radar. LSU had a disastrous season, but their defense has been good now for two years. And Delane was a transfer I think From Virginia Tech, NC State could be screwing that up, but one of those two teams. So it's not like he had been a multiple year all American on the premium program where the guy everyone was talking about was McCoy. Even going into the draft they were like McCoy, first round pick, turns out his knee is awful and the Raiders took him in the fourth round. Yet all we heard about this guy, this guy, this guy, you know who doesn't care about that? The teams. The teams often let you run with narratives because they don't care. They only care about what they can control is get the guy they want and let all this craziness on the outside. None of the talk actually impacts any team worth their salt. Think about most people in the league and outside the league think what the Rams did is pretty crazy. Do you know who doesn't really look phased by that? The Rams. There was no talk. It does not behoove you as a team to discuss who you like. McCarthy and his crew were clearly telling the Dallas Cowboys that we really like Makai Lemon. That is awful business. The whole point of your job during the draft process is to keep who you love. It doesn't matter as much in later rounds. It's so random, right. You can't control once you get into like the third, fourth round. But even then, like if you love a guy and you know he might be there in the third or fourth round, like, you shouldn't be telling other people that. Why? Because they, whether it's a scouting buddy, they'll tell their gm. Why? Because they want to look good. Or two, if the gm, you're talking to the gm, he'll use that as information because he might like the guy. So I think part of it is when people just see McCoy, McCoy, McCoy, what do you think the teams were thinking? Like, guys, we wouldn't draft this guy for till the third day of the draft. And Mel Kuiper's up there pounding the table. It's like, and I like Mel, but sometimes the information, transparency does not make it out. And for, for a specific purpose because they don't want the public to know. And then they will be okay talking about it after that. I think Delane little bit coming into the season. I'd have to ask specifically, but I don't think he was projected as a top 10 pick or top, you know, first rounder. You know, Notre Dame has a corner that's going to be in this draft. He is widely considered a top 5, 6 pick in next year's draft. Like you're going to hear about his name constantly during the season. You know, Texas has a pass rusher. Texas, LSU has the Colorado left tackle transfer. They're going to be non quarterback. They're going to be a ton of position players not named Jeremiah Smith that you're going to hear about. There are going to be other players that you don't hear about as much. They go, they get drafted pretty high. So I think it's just the nature of the business is good teams don't talk. Because why would I talk and tell you what I want you to do? Right. If me, you and three other people are in construction and we're all bidding on a job. Well, I don't want you to know when I'm bidding. You don't want me to know what you're. We're all trying to bid for the job. So the Chiefs have to know that other people like the db, but no one wants to let it be known because they almost feel like he's an under the radar prospect. He went to the combine, he ran really fast. Yeah, I think we were so caught up talking about Ty Simpson that no one even mentioned the guy. Because I'm with you, I Didn't hear his name that much either. Aaron Rodgers. If Aaron Rodgers wanted the Texans, I think they could win the Super Bowl. The Texans right now seem a lot like the Broncos, right when they got Peyton Manning. Best defense in the league. Got a lot of pieces. It just seems to me like CJ Stroud is our Tim Tebow. He is always trying to be a hero, turning the ball over a lot. And in the process, instead of being a game manager, from what I've heard, Aaron Rodgers is playing for cheap. If I was the Texans gm, I would be aggressively trying to acquire Aaron and win the Super Bowl. Well, he signed this. This is a make or break year for the guy. He's bet he CJ's a much better player than, than the NFL version of Tim Tebow. But I hear you. I mean I, I would say there's not many quarterbacks that have more pressure coming into the season than C.J. stroud. He has a team built to win the Super Bowl. I think a lot of people would argue they have the best roster in the NFL. If he just plays like his version of Alex Smith. Ryan Tannehill, they could be the number one overall seed. Think about that. They could be. Ryan Tannehill was a quarterback for the number one overall seed. Alex Smith went the playoffs like five of six years. Now in the playoffs you got to kind of step it up and CJ does have the talent, but on that individual team you just do not turn it over. And yeah, I mean I, I just, I don't know what else to say besides there's a lot of pressure on him. You've talked a lot about the reason that there's not as much tanking in the NFL as other sports and attributed this to the football being the ultimate team sport. You've also mentioned the draft process can be volatile and teams may have no clue if the players they draft will be end up getting a second or third contract. Do you think there is also a correlation between these two ideas? Tanking a team season in the NFL for a better pick can still be considered too risky because there is no guarantee that the player they draft will make a substantial impact on the team. The same way a single player could impact a baseball or basketball team. Curious to hear your thoughts. What are the odds you get a big dumb interview? Trust me, I've asked, I've get, I get denied. Not by Dom, but Howie and, and Bob Lang, their PR guy. It's just, it's a, it's, it's a no go. But I've Inquired many times. I always have the combine as well. We'd have a good one. You'd probably get in trouble. But I. I just think it's very hard for coaches and players to mail in a game now. You can have a bad week of practice. Guys could be less focused. But over the course, like, if you do, then the nature of coaches is to get on your ass, and the practice is usually better the next week. Or, hell, if you have a bad practice on a Monday or a Wednesday. Typically, anyone that played high school football knows the next day it's pretty intense, right? Or if you're having a shitty practice, how many times again, high school football I've seen in college football, I've seen in pro football, we're starting this motherfucker over worst. I remember one time at Fresno State, I'm pretty sure we. The team was like, in shorts and basically, like, these soft pads on their shoulders so there's no hitting, just helmets. It's not a walkthrough, but it's not a padded practice. It was so shitty that Coach Hill lost his shit. Sent everyone in to the locker room. Full pads we went, then we scrimmaged. There were scouts at that practice that said it's one of the most wild thing, the craziest thing they've ever seen. People were getting injured in the scrimmage. It was just like, it's on like donkey. I was like, holy shit. I remember thinking, this is crazy. I remember Lanier Miller, running back. He played for the Cowboys. Pretty sure he got hurt in the scrimmage. But, like, it. That happens, right? I'm sure Belichick has done it. I'm sure high school coaches have done it. Saban's done it. That's where it's hard to just mail it in. That's just. It's just a loser mentality that's not really tolerated in the culture of football. We're in basketball. I heard the GM of the Wizards on with Rosillo talking about, like, the culture they had built. It's like, bro, what the fuck? Now? It might change now that you got the number one overall pick, but you gave 85 points. Bam. Adebayo, or 81 points or however many points he scored. The guy average is like 19 points in his career. You guys were one of the biggest disgraces in the history of professional sports. And you tried to be like, just embrace it. Let's not pretend we're being anything other than what we are. And in football, like, one of the embarrassing parts about having the Number one overall pick or number two overall pick is like Jetson Raider fans will tell you, like, that sucked because we tried. You know, we tried, and we still sucked. And I think that's the thing with football. It's like Clemson went 7 and 6. Like, they desperately tried to go 11 and 1. I mean, they did everything humanly, and they still sucked. We're in basketball or baseball. I was like, yeah, they were trying to lose. Like, no one makes fun of the Jazz's record in the sense that, like, yeah, they just crazy how much they sucked. Like, yeah, we know they suck because they actively tried. Have you seen the latest Ravens wired episode on YouTube? Seems to really emphasize the Scouts. Was that similar to your time with the Eagles? Seemed like the Ravens would be a badass team to work for. I would say the Ravens, Seattle, Green Bay, like, the scouts in that building feel a huge part of their operation. Like the. The group, the collective. And this goes back to Ozzy and, you know, DaCosta can be. Be a little cold, but they do a really, really good job. And if you work for the Ravens as a scout, right, Change the course of your career. If you've worked for the Chiefs over the course of Andy Reid or the Eagles back with Andy Reid, look at that, right? Think about before I got to the Eagles. John Spytek was there. Jason Light was there. Tom Heckert was there. Howie Roseman was there, stayed there. Ryan Grigson was there. You know, Lewis Riddick, who's on tv, was there. You know, Veach was there. Bradway, who is now Veach's number two, was there. Like, it's an incredible. The Patriots forever. It was like Adam Peters, Thomas Dimitrov, John Robinson. It was just a place where guys took off. You know, Ziegler, the Quinn guy. Were guys took off to get GM jobs. And the Ravens have been like, the packers have been like that and Seattle's been like that because they know you know what you're doing. You think A.J. brown is a lock to go to the Patriots? I fuck your guess as good as mine. I stopped paying attention to that story. Wake me up when a trade happens, and I understand why it's taking this long. There's like, cap implications. June 1st, I saw something on Instagram, could have been a fan account that said the Niners are involved. Listen, it's a competitive league. I would never feel confident that it's a lock, but I guess it feels that way. Do you think there will ever be a Canadian football team? NFL team? My gut says no. I don't think the NFL is ever going to expand because part of if their revenue keeps growing dramatically, why would any of these owners want to split revenue? You know, Bill Simmons has talked about with the NBA, it's like Adam Silver's like, we're going to expand. And all the owners are like, no, we're not. We don't want to split our revenue with other owners. We're getting 1 30th. We don't want to get 1 32nd. It's like, well, you get the initial windfall from the team purchase. Well, great. I want my consistent media money at the course of this deal at the number in which I'm allotted now. And I think the NFL is the same way. So I. I just could be wrong again. I'm not. I don't know, Rog. It does not feel like there is much push for NFL expansion with where college football and men's basketball is headed. Do you see a future where these two entities would break off from the ncaa? Could be a simple answer of legality says no, but hard to see them continue under the umbrella. I would agree. Feels like. Feels like we're headed toward a breakup with more and more the academic side kind of feels separated from the sport. The money they're generating to deal with the NCAA and deal with the academic requirements. Do we just see the Alabama football team but none of the guys actually go to the program? I would say that feels like a possibility, yes. I wouldn't bet my life on it, but feels like we've been navigating that direction for a while. How about a Monday Night Football game Last week of the season with the two teams out of the playoffs. Could be big for draft position or just extra football. You know, I'm. I've been adamant there's no tanking once you're in the position where the season's kind of over. Trying to do a marquee game. I don't think that works. I don't. And a lot of times the bad teams or coaches get fired. They're already kind of dead men walking. I hear what you're saying, but I don't think it really. I don't think it works. Why do players take less money from different teams in free agency? Juwan Jennings wanted a payday from SF but took a contract with the Vikings for up to 13 million. Why wouldn't he sign the same contract in San Francisco? Because the 49ers would no longer offer him that contract. The 49ers were out of the Juwan Jennings business. When the season ended, and Juwan then thought, which I don't totally blame him, that his value was a lot higher than it turned out to be. And I think, and I've mentioned this before, that there are certain players like, Juwan Jennings is a good player, he's a winning player. And when he's having success on a team that's having success, how could you not, if you were in his shoes, think you were worth more than you're getting? But the rest of the league, once you're put to the market, doesn't value a lot of the things that a guy like him brings the table. He's not very fast. He does not separate very well. He, like, one of the things he hangs his hat on is blocking. A lot of coaches do not give a shit about that. They truly don't, even though it matters, but they don't pay for it. I'm not going to pay a guy to be a blocking wide receiver. It's a huge, huge, like, addition he brought to the table with the 49ers, and it's why they drafted scribbling, because he can block. He's tall, but he's faster than Juwan. So they hope they're getting a better version of that. Like, that value in the open market just isn't that high. So the 49ers just were out of the Juwan Jennings business, and we'll find out if they're right. Who knows? Maybe the Vikings got a hell of a deal for. I haven't seen the details on the contract. My guess would be like 6,7 million guaranteed and double it in incentives, something like that. Maybe 8,9 million guaranteed. Not very much for a guy. I mean, technically, just. He made more money last year, where a lot of the season he was the number one wide receiver on a team that went 12, five, you know. So again, he's not a number one wide receiver. He's a number three wide receiver. But still, like, he's proven like, he can be a winning player, but his skill set is just not that valuable. Some of you might live in a home and you're like, this home's fucking perfect for me and my family. Yet if you tried to sell your home, maybe it wouldn't have that much value relative to the way you value it or a car or whatever. And that's kind of sometimes happens with players. There are certain players, like, if. If Max Crosby had been a free agent, someone would have given him $100 million. If, you know, top players are free agents, they're going to get a ton of money, but most players are more like Juwan Jennings. Like, how good is this guy? What's he worth? Would every team take Juwan Jennings if he was free? 100%. But would every team take Juwan Jennings if he wants $10 million? The answer is clearly no. Adios. Have a great day. Talk to you soon. The volume. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
John Middlekauff hosts this wide-ranging episode, hitting key NFL storylines and answering offseason mailbag questions. The main topics include the Chiefs’ Rashee Rice violating probation, a deep dive on what makes Victor Wembanyama a historically unique basketball talent, expanding NFL international games, and the evolving landscape of college sports. Middlekauff also delivers candid, insightful commentary on culture, player reliability, and value — with his trademark frank, conversational tone.
[03:00 – 14:00]
Overview:
Rashee Rice (Chiefs WR) is sentenced to 30 days in jail after failing a marijuana test, violating the terms of his probation.
Reliability as Cornerstone:
Middlekauff connects the Chiefs’ organizational success to their core of highly reliable players like Mahomes, Kelce, and Chris Jones.
On Unreliable Teammates:
“There’s nothing worse than having someone in your life that is unreliable… you can’t be sure they’ll come through. I’m out on that. That is not someone, especially in business, I’d want to be associated with.”
— John Middlekauff [05:52]
Easy Talent Exception:
Middlekauff acknowledges that the NFL is more likely to give talented players chances, but doubts Rice is valuable enough to justify the ongoing issues.
The Smoking Weed Angle:
He says the problem isn’t marijuana usage itself, but the choice to do so knowing it risks jail time:
“I don’t judge Rashee Rice for smoking weed. I judge him for smoking weed when he knows he has to take a drug test, and if he fails, he goes to jail. At this point in time, I view you kind of like a moron.”
— Middlekauff [11:18]
Team Impact:
Argues the Chiefs are “out of margin for error” — reliability is more important than ever in their roster construction.
[14:00 – 24:40]
Draft Class Context:
Discusses how not every top pick is created equal; contrasts solid prospects with rare, franchise-changing talents.
Wembanyama’s Uniqueness:
Wemby is compared to Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, and John Elway as once-in-a-generation foundational players.
“A couple years ago…the Spurs got the number one pick and they got Victor Wembanyama. It was like, this is one of the greatest prospects of all time. And it’s pretty clear… I’ve never seen anything quite like this.”
— Middlekauff [18:41]
Historic Perspective:
Great drafts are remembered for truly transcendent top picks (e.g., LeBron’s class with Carmelo, Bosh, Wade).
“But the reason it’s historic is LeBron James.”
— Middlekauff [19:55]
Unicorn Status:
Details how Wemby’s skillset, defense, and physical gifts defy the usual “circus clown” tall-man stereotype.
“He barely has to jump to dunk… he’s not just some circus act. He’s the most physically gifted guy in the league.”
— Middlekauff [22:04]
Spurs’ Fortune:
Notes Spurs’ repeat lottery luck (Tim Duncan, now Wembanyama) and the transformative power of landing a generational #1.
[27:16 – 32:10]
Growth Trajectory:
NFL increasing to 9 international games in 2026, projected 11 the year after — with new markets like Japan and Italy mentioned.
Goodell’s Legacy:
Frames international expansion as “defining” for Roger Goodell’s commissioner tenure.
“If we look back in 20, 30 years and go… the international expansion took the NFL to another level, I think Roger Goodell will unequivocally be known as the greatest commissioner of all time.”
— Middlekauff [28:46]
Scheduling & Dilution Risks:
Warns of weaker morning/afternoon game inventory as games shift to international slots (“the product’s going to get shittier and shittier because they’re emphasizing these other time slots” — [29:45]).
Cautions about Double-Bye and Overreach:
Questions if there will be enough quality inventory if scheduling expands further.
[32:10 – 37:10]
Brendan Sorsby Suing NCAA:
Middlekauff downplays the individual case but uses it to discuss how NIL money and gambling are game-changers for player behavior and program management.
Potential for Breakaway:
Sees a near future where major college football and men’s basketball break from NCAA oversight:
“Feels like we’re headed toward a breakup with more and more the academic side kind of feels separated from the sport.”
— Middlekauff [1:11:55]
Championship Restructuring:
Suggests conference championships become playoff-elimination games rather than just for conference titles.
[37:11 – 1:16:24]
Listener Q: Why wasn’t Chiefs’ top DB pick hyped pre-draft?
Middlekauff:
Good teams intentionally keep targets quiet. Media narratives often miss under-the-radar picks because teams don’t leak information.
“It does not behoove you as a team to discuss who you like… The whole point of your job during the draft process is to keep who you love [quiet].”
— Middlekauff [1:00:15]
Listener Q: Why don’t NFL teams tank like NBA teams?
Middlekauff:
Team dynamics, non-toleration of “loser mentality,” and the difficulty of mailing in effort in football culture prevent tanking.
“That’s just… not really tolerated in the culture of football. Where in basketball...you gave 85 points…You guys were one of the biggest disgraces in the history of professional sports.”
— Middlekauff [1:05:45]
Super Bowl in Nashville [42:45]:
High praise, but weather could be an issue.
Canadian NFL Team [1:12:51]:
Middlekauff doubts expansion; owners won’t want to dilute revenue.
Player Value in Free Agency [1:15:10]:
Explains why Jauan Jennings took less money elsewhere — some values don’t translate across teams.
On Rashee Rice’s situation:
“If you have something serious in front of you, and you can’t follow the rules to stay out of jail… at this point, I view you kind of like a moron.”
— [11:18]
On Wembanyama’s place in history:
“I’ve been watching sports now for 30-plus years. I’ve never seen anything quite like that.”
— [23:30]
On the NFL’s international push:
“There is not a bigger lock in America than that number [of international games] continuing to grow.”
— [27:35]
On tanking and sporting cultures:
“That’s just...a loser mentality that’s not really tolerated in the culture of football.”
— [1:05:45]
Middlekauff is conversational, occasionally irreverent, blending personal anecdotes and clear analytical takes. The episode is heavy on directness and practical insight, often employing humor or blunt language (“be my fucking guest” re: weed, [10:45]) to make points memorable. The show moves rapidly across topics, but always maintains a focus on behind-the-scenes realities of sports business and team management.
This episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd’s "3 & Out" offers an unvarnished look at how reliability affects NFL teams, why Wembanyama is genuinely a once-in-a-lifetime prospect, and what NFL expansion and college sports chaos mean for fans and the future. The extensive mailbag provides a treasure trove of football insights — from why teams draft the way they do, to the culture wars around tanking, to nuanced player valuation in free agency.
Whether you’re into X’s and O’s, front office drama, or sports as big business, this episode delivers candid, high-level perspective that goes beyond headlines.