← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
3 & Out - Garrett Wilson signs MASSIVE rookie extension, 49eres WR Jauan Jennings DOESN'T show, 10 QB rankings
01:20:55
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- [00:00]
John Middlekauff
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:04]
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John Middlekauff
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- [02:20]
John Middlekauff
Volume what is going on everybody? How are we doing? John Middlekop 3Now podcast hopefully everyone is doing well. Had a lot going on today. We recorded a Blanc podcast, which I'm doing right now, as well as a mailbag at John middlekoff Firing those DMs. I went out with Colin as well. We talked for over an hour. So a lot of content out there in the world. We had breaking news right before I started recording this, which was Garrett Wilson signed a massive contract. Juwan Jennings I woke up to wants a trade or a contract extension from the 49ers. So it's like, hey, thank you to the content gods. The Browns had a high draft pick in some trouble this weekend. Not ideal back to back years. They've had some domestic violence before the season even kicked off. So we got a lot of stuff going on. Going to have a long mailbag and excited to do a football podcast here in the middle of July. We're a couple weeks away from the pads coming on and everyone practicing. But I want to thank the content gods for throwing me a couple curveballs that I didn't see coming today, which I always appreciate. But you guys know the drill. If you subscribe to Collins feed, and that's where you found us, make sure you subscribe to three and Out. We got you covered with football content every day. If you like golf, I react to a lot of the big golf tournaments as well during the summer, so we got a lot of content. Make sure you subscribe to the POD feed. You can find an Apple, Spotify, you name it. We also have a YouTube page where all of our content goes. So everything we do goes. And I think potentially as we get to the fall, we're gonna have even more content up there as well. Separate. It'll be YouTube only, so make sure you subscribe to that as well. I appreciate everyone who already has, but before we dive into some football, you know, I gotta tell you, my friends, you know, I gotta tell you about my partners. The official ticketing app of this podcast. Game time. Best in the business. I have been saying forever I want to go to the sphere. Big reason I can't is because my pregnant wife does not want to go. Don't blame her. I mean, a lot. A lot of moving parts. Probably get sick. She can't booze. Backstreet Boys. It's crazy whether it's the Eagles, whether it was Kenny Chesney, whether it's the Backstreet Boys. I feel I know so many people that whenever a new act comes that are there, like opening night, I felt like I knew three people that were at Backstreet Boys opening night that whether I went to high school with that I've met since I don't know. And they just looks kind of fun regardless who the act is. So listen, do you want to go to a concert? I've had some of you guys DM me that have already bought football tickets for this upcoming fall. We got you covered. So Game Time, best in the business. Save you a little money. While you're at it, take the guesswork out of buying tickets with Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, use the code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase Terms apply again, create an account and redeem the code John for $20 off down the Gametime app today. Last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed. Okay, let's dive in and react to what just happened within the last. I mean, I don't. It could have happened yesterday, but the news was just reported by Shefty that Garrett Wilson has signed a massive contract with the New York Jets. I would say the defining move immediately when it came to the new administration, new coach, new GM coming with the jets was telling Aaron Rodgers, we don't want you. And I remember my reaction was like, Aaron, this happens to every player. I saw Lavar Arrington kind of going off on Jared Goff, talking about the way the Rams treated him on his trade. He's like, quarterbacks get so sensitive when they are told they're cut. Even though it happens to literally every other position every single day in the NFL or traded. Like, I mean it's, it's a transaction league, yet quarterback, it's like if you are even thinking about moving me, I need a six month head up. And Aaron Rodgers was relieved of his duties and they signed Justin Fields, which I think is kind of crazy. Not that they got rid of Aaron Rodgers, have no issue with that, but given Justin Fields $20 million a year, that was a bold move. But here's the thing. Garrett Wilson, who Joe Douglas drafted 10th overall, has been really, really good. And I had a question asked to me the other day in the mailbag, like where does he rank? Is he a top 20 guy? Is he a top five guy? And you look at his numbers and for the most part he has not played with Aaron Rodgers and he has been really, really productive. So I think when you have a guy who catches 100 balls last year, 95 balls the year before, 83 as a rookie, playing most of those years with quarterback situations that were not pretty, I mean that's a lot of Zach Wilson and Mike White producing on an offense that isn't exactly loaded and they know that it's coming to you. He is an extremely talented player and I think this shows that new administration, especially the new coaching staff, believe in the person. Because part of giving a huge extension to a player, especially when you didn't draft them, is you believe in that guy in a short period of time. The way he's wired, the way he works, the way he communicates, obviously his skill speaks for itself. But like you're all in on this guy. And the going rate for wide receivers as we've seen the last couple years is 30 plus million dollars a year. And the one thing he's shown is he can produce whether a 40 year old Rodgers is throwing the ball or Mike White's throwing in the ball. And this year Justin Fields is throwing in the ball which you know, probably is not going to go that great. So this is a way to kind of take care of him. Knowing a season coming up that you might not have a great passing offense, but we want you to be on this team for whoever the quarterback is over the next five years. Because ultimately and I was a believer in Justin Fields coming out of college, I was wrong. And if I was a betting man, Justin Fields ain't going to be the starter probably in a year, let alone in the next four or five years. So we want you to be around as we figure this thing out. You're our type guy, you're obviously the league type talent, you know, and we believe that you, when you're giving this type money can be a top 5ish wide receiver. This was my issue with giving Brandon I. You call that money last year like you're Giving a guy $75 million now Garrett Wilson got a little bit more, but $30 million a year for someone that is going to catch 75 balls. Like it's just like I would not do business like this. Where Garrett Wilson, like in a perfect world he's a guy catching 110, 120 balls. And a lot of people thought when he was coming out of Ohio State that he could be a top five wide receiver. Now part of being a top five wide receiver, you know, Justin Jefferson has had good quarterback play, obviously. Jamar Chase has had fantastic quarterback play. CD Lamb has played with the top 12 quarterback. Like you need that guy. Like Larry Fitzgerald had some years where it's like I'm throwing in the ball, it's hard. So you're all in on this guy. Totally understand it. Now I think the question moves to because they have him as A building block. Quinion, Quinn and Williams is obviously already been paid. He's a. He's a piece of the puzzle. You know, they drafted the left tackle a year ago from Penn State. He's obviously a building block. I think the question now turns to Sauce Gardner, who through the first couple of years looked like he was on like a Hall of Fame trajectory. And as a wise man told me last year in the NFL, you know what happened, John? They started calling pass interference on him. He couldn't just mug them all the way down the field. And he is not Deion Sanders or Darrell Revis when it comes to being a foot athlete. He's not that type of movement guy. So when they started calling pass interference on him and didn't let him be as physical, it got a lot more difficult for him. Now here's the thing. Aaron Glenn, DB at heart, Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator at heart, Steve Wilk, same thing. DB guy, can they build a pass defense that can, you know, put him in a position to excel? Because I could not give him top of the market money right now. Now maybe they would. I'd be a little surprised if they do now, if he bounces back, has a Pro bowl year build around him as well. And then you have this team that's built around. You can go try to find yourself a quarterback in the draft. And I think obviously they tried to do that years ago with Zach Wilson. It blew up in their face. But Garrett Wilson has seen a lot of crazy shit and gets financially rewarded today by the Jets. Speaking of a guy that wants to be financially rewarded, you know, if you're Garrett Wilson, it's pretty simple. Like, I produce at a high level. I'm clearly one of the more talented players at my position. Like, this is the going rate. And when you're a player so different, like being a kid, if your brother gets a bowl ice cream, you want a bowl ice cream. I'm sure a lot of people listening to this work, and especially now, you know, go into the office a lot. And there are probably people at your office like, well, Billy doesn't need to show up on Mondays or Fridays. You're like, well, can I fall under that category as well? I only want to come to the office two or three days a week as well. They're like, well, you know, we need you here five days a week. And it. We're all human beings. We all. I know comparison is the thief of joy or whatever, but it's a natural thing that we do. We cannot help it, no matter how much we try. And in some businesses, like obviously comps and real estate are really important. Comps and business purchases are really important. Comps and NFL contracts are really important. So you see Juwan Jennings, who last year signed, I would say, a very player friendly $15 million contract. He had never been that productive. He was a third or fourth string, you know, wide receiver. They were led by Ayuk, Kittle, McCaffrey, Debo, and he was truly a role player. So you're like, hey, we're going to take care of you. We're going to get it in on this early. He's like, cool. I mean, it was a no brainer for him to sign that contract. Then things changed. A year later he's like, I'm making seven and a half million dollars right now. Which again seemed cool last year until I caught 77 balls and had six touchdowns. Because I've had a front row seat now for years of watching guys hold out. Now I understand when Trent Williams holds out first ballot. Hall of Famer Nick Bosa, one of the best players on the team. Debo Samuel, even though it was kind of controversial at the time, had literally just carried our team to the NFC championship game. But I saw Brandon Ayuk last year. He was coming off the season where he got 75 balls and had one more touchdown than me. So yeah, he had some more yards, but in terms of catch volume, I had a couple more catches and in terms of touchdowns, he only had one more. So do I think I'm a $30 million wide receiver? Probably not. But I'm definitely way more valuable than a $7.5 million wide receiver. And here's the other thing. Coming into the season, iuk's knees torn, Ricky Pearsall is already injured. Like, I am clearly, the number one wide receiver on this team heading into week one, not even debatable. So the going rate, when I see that he wants a trade or a contract, you know, some additional money added to his contract, don't totally blame him. Now if I was the 49ers and trying to talk him off the ledge because I cannot handle another holdout in training camp, I'd go, listen, if you have another big season, which I promise you, you plan on having, I'd be stunned if he got 77 balls last year. If he didn't catch 80 plus balls this season. He has a good rapport with Brock Purdy. Typically, free agency in the NFL is not good. We have seen in years past where guys, you're like, wait, how much Did Christian Kirk just make. It happens all the time. Where a wide receiver hits free agency and gets overpaid by 20, 30, 40% because of the supply does not equal the demand. Right? Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald and Chris Carter and Justin Jefferson, Jamar Chase don't hit free agency in their prime right now. That's not how it works. Good players stay on their team. So if you're just a solid player, an above average player, a good starter, you get overpaid. So listen, Juwan, you come in and dominate and produce, you'll get easily like three years, $60 million. Hell, someone might give you three years, $75 million and $50 million guaranteed. Like, you will get some money. And I'm sure that's what the 49ers are trying to convince and talk him into right now. But I totally understand where Juwan Jennings is going. Like, listen, I see Garrett Wilson, who, again, better player than me. I'm not asking for $90 million, but he catches these balls on losing teams. Like, I'm productive on a team who has these expectations to, like, compete for the Super Bowl. Like, you need me. I've been making big plays for you now for a while. And here's the other thing, Kyle, you cannot play in this offense if you don't block. Like, that's a huge thing with Kyle Shanahan and the wide receivers, you have to block. Why we have a run first offense. Well, who's arguably the best, if not one of the best blocking wide receivers in the NFL?
- [15:02]
Colin Cowherd
Me.
- [15:03]
John Middlekauff
So it's like, yeah, it's like, even if my production is never going to equal the elite of the elites, and if you say in my prime, relative to why you. Before he got injured, I'm not as good as him. Okay, we can have an honest conversation here, but I'm the best fucking blocker on the team when it comes to wide receivers. And probably it's not even that close. Iuk's good, but it's like, physically, he can't match me. And we see Juwan Jennings throwing guys, you know, into the coolers. So this is a situation that, like, I could see getting complicated. And listen, in life and a lot of you young people listening to this, I had no leverage in my 20s. Hell, I didn't have that much leverage in most of my 30s. Life's hard. And for most of your life, especially when you're young, you can get animated and agitated when it comes to, you know, your professional working life, Whether that's working for someone, whether it's creating your own thing, however it goes, it's. It's a grind and it can wear on you. But I remember Colin said this a long time ago, you don't get leverage that often in life. And when you do use it, you know, LeBron is an outlier. He had leverage for 20 plus years, first time ever. Now it's like you don't really have it anymore, you know? And Juwan Jennings, not saying that he has leverage like he's Jerry Rice in his prime, but the 49ers are pretty dependent on him. Like, they need Juwan Jennings and the going weight for these wide receivers now. I mean, an average guy makes like 23, $24 million, and again, he's seen it firsthand. Wide receivers, them take advantage of the 49ers. This is why teams are so adamant. We do not set. We don't want to set the precedent. We don't want to set the precedent of doing this. Because the moment you do, once you give the brother ice cream, the other brother wants ice cream as well. And the 49ers capitulated to Iuke's demands. Juan Jennings is like, why won't they capitulate to mine? 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- [20:17]
Colin Cowherd
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- [21:37]
John Middlekauff
There are moments in life when you get to make a real difference, and this is one of them. I want to tell you about Folds of Honor. They provide educational scholarships to spouses and children of fallen or disabled military members and first responders. Think about that for a second. Families who've lost everything or rebuilding their lives, and this organization steps in to make sure their kids can still go to college or a spouse can get the training they need to keep moving forward. Since 2007, they've awarded nearly 62,000 scholarships. Last year, about 7,000 qualified students didn't receive funding, and this year that number is expected to grow to nearly 10,000. So if you've been looking for a way to give back to do something meaningful, this is it. Go to foldsofhonor.org give what you can. It all matters. Let's honor their sacrifice, educate their legacy and unite with around all those who serve the Cleveland Browns. You know, it's funny, I do think their GM and their head coach are good, but I do think, you know, it's kind of like Mike McDaniel and Brandon Staley was like this. And listen, I'm not comparing Mike McDaniel to Brandon Staley. Like, Mike McDaniel has accomplished way more in this league than Brandon Staley. I do think Mike McDaniel could, like, go to any team and function as an offensive coordinator. And like, I don't think he has a shtick. I just think he's kind of a goofier, weirder guy. I think Brandon Staley is like, creating what he thinks a coach looks and sounds like and tries to act like that. But I think both those guys are good examples of like, you know, they're intellectuals, coward talks about this with McDaniel, like the media sees themselves and in them, Ivy League guy, like smart guy, it's like, oh, it could be me. And I, I think when you look at Andrew Barry and Kevin Stefanski, couple Ivy League guys, like the media wants to root for them. They're intellectually, I would say superior than most people that work in the league. They're smart guys. It's like the media sees a lot of themselves in those guys because that's how they view themselves. Intellectual, intellectually superior. Yet both these guys now, the last couple drafts they have back to back years where they've drafted a guy who has a domestic violence situation before week one last year was Mike Hall Jr. Who talking to people in the league was a giant red flag. Who in training camp allegedly well, pleaded no contest but had to go on probation and fines putting a gun to his fiance's head over the weekend. Quinshon Junkins, the I'd say star running back once upon a time looked like he was going to be a lock. As the scout told me this weekend, I would have bet anything after seeing him as a freshman, he would be a top 20 pick. He was all he was SEC freshman of the year. I think he ran for like 1500 yards and 16 touchdowns. Dominated at Ole Miss as an 18, 19 year old kid. And then a couple years later he transfers Ohio State and still gets drafted in the top 40 picks. He spent basically, I think close to 24 hours in jail for allegedly throat punching his girlfriend in the chin and throat repeatedly. And this is a disaster situation for the Browns also. We'll get into this in a second. The NFL has a problem right now because all these second rounders refuse to sign their contract because they want every penny guaranteed. And I think all but two second rounders have not signed their contracts. And Junkins is one of those guys. He is an unsigned player. Now listen, if Junkins was a seventh round pick and some random running back out of some random school that was like whatever, he would have been cut today. They would cut him immediately. So I, you know where I stand. I'm not some moral high horse guy. I don't give a shit. I don't look to the NFL to, I would say guide me to the way society and the way I and my family and my potential children should operate in life. This is entertainment business for me. I don't give a shit, truly. And if that makes you uncomfortable, I don't know what to tell you. I'm numb to all this stuff. Been doing it Long ago. But the simple reality is if he was a, if he was a third day pick, if he was a fifth, fourth rounder, potentially I think he would be cut today. But he's a high second round pick and he's a big time talent and let's face it, they drafted him to replace Nick Chubb. And I think this is what's tough about the NFL. Sometimes you replace a guy. Nick Chubb wasn't just a great player before he got injured, was like everything you would want in a person. He checks all the boxes. And this guy who I started texting around, like, was this guy a character concern? It's like, no, we didn't have any issues. The only thing, the only negativity we ever heard was Ole Miss was a little bitter, little butt hurt when he transferred. But like, welcome to 20, 25 college football. Ohio State offered him back and he bounced. In a weird way, he kind of had like an underachieving season. I think a lot of people thought that he would go to Ohio State and dominate. And actually the other guy I would say had more splash plays and he's on New England. I mean, they had two guys get drafted in the top of the second round. But this is what makes drafting so difficult. It's like when you draft Mike Hall, a guy with a ton of red flags, you cannot be shocked when you have an issue that comes with the territory. And teams know that, especially during this time of year where guys are off 40 or 50 days. They, they used to say it's like first time they have money in their pocket. No, all these guys were rich in college. So, like, they've had money in their pocket for a while. I mean, this guy, this incident allegedly happened in a rented Lamborghini suv. Like, I got news for you, he was probably renting that Lamborghini SUV when he was at Ohio State as well. This guy's had some coin. But these situations, like, you draft my call, you can't be shocked when something happens. You draft a red flag guy who other teams, like, he's not on our board. You're not shocked when it happens. But it can also happen when you draft a guy that like, yeah, we didn't have any character red flags on. And then we get this alert, we get this phone call. We're like, what is going on now? I don't expect them to cut them. I don't know exactly how this situation is going to play out with all these second rounders. I do understand where they're coming from. I've had some people DM me. It's like I thought all these contracts were slotted. Well, they are slotted. The second rounders are not arguing over the total amount of the money that's in the contract. That can't be changed. What they're arguing over, let's just pick a number. Say that the total value of my contract is $5 million. Unlike the first round where all first, your first four years are fully guaranteed. So when I draft you at pick 12 doesn't guarantee I'm going to pick up your fifth year option. But when I draft you at pick 12 like the Cowboys just did, the guard or the 49ers did, the pass rusher from Georgia, those two guys, whether they become all pros or bus, are guaranteed to see every penny of their first four years of their contract. Obviously the fifth year option usually, I mean always, I would say 90% of the time is based on how you play. Sometimes it's like, well, you've underachieved a little bit, but we're the team that drafted you. I think second rounders are fighting for we want every penny guaranteed because they're not. And depending on how far you go down, like we can get out of that contract pretty early. You see guys in the second round cut after a couple years all the time. And the reason they are cut after that period of time typically is because I can get out of the money. It's why you see guys that are drafted in the first, in the, in the first round that it's clear they're not very good, usually play out all four years. Every once in a while they're traded and that means the other team will pick up that portion of the contract. But I would say you have to do a study on this. Over the last 10 years, it feels like 80, 90% of the time player that I'm not going to pick up the fifth year option on. And if I don't trade him, he plays out those four years because I'm paying him no matter what. So I might as well, you know, in most positions, not quarterback, I can rotate you in a defensive end, I can, you know, rotate you in at safety. You can play on special teams. It's what makes quarterback kind of unique. So why guys like Kenny Pickett and Mac Jones that they get kind of dealt? Because if you're going to be a backup and I'm paying you six, seven million dollars, I might as well just trade you to some team that is willing to pay that. And that's happened recently. But the situation is really ugly, and the Browns have just found themselves in these situations over and over and over again. I had someone text me, like, how does Andrew Berry get extended? And I don't know. I mean, the place is just weird. And sometimes you get. It's like you get a guy that's never had any issue and then immediately has this issue. It's just like, is it the Browns? I mean, if you're a Browns fan, you're like, how does this keep happening to us? Like, I was excited for this pick. I personally, I was. I was excited to watch this guy play. And now you just have to wonder, like, what's going to happen? One thing that I do think is going to happen is he's going to be on the team and they'll just kind of deal with, you know, I guess, the pr, which I don't even know what that means. Like, what's negative PR? There was a lot of negative PR. And Desean Watts, they gave him 230 million. They didn't give a shit. So, yeah, ugly situation. Couple other things. ESPN.com came out with the rankings of their quarterbacks, of the top 10 quarterbacks in the league. And they use, like, scouts and coaches. Personally, like, we have established we know the top four. Like, I'm sorry, Patrick Mahomes is one. Like, I don't even know how you argue. Like, you could say, well, he's. He hasn't been as good as Lamar and Josh the last couple regular seasons. Yeah, I don't care. I watch him make the big plays in the playoffs, get the job done over and over. Like, he has just cemented at one till someone takes him down. However you want to rank the next three guys, Like, I'm not going to argue with you. If you would take Burrow over Josh Allen and Lamar, like, I wouldn't. I would take Josh. But if you want to take Joe Burrow over Lamar, like, you could make that argument. If you put Burrow on the Ravens this year, do they win the Super Bowl? I think you can make that argument if you put Joe Burrow last year on the Ravens healthy. They definitely beat the Chiefs in Baltimore. So if you want to put Lamar Jackson fourth, of those three guys, you know, Patrick, one, Josh, Joe Burrow in some order, two, three, and Lamar fourth. Like, I understand where you're coming from, but those guys are cemented at 4, basically from 5 to 10. Like, you can put a group of any guy. Here's the thing. The polarizing player that everyone freaks out about is Jalen Hurts. There are points in time. Last year when everyone was arguing, like, what's up with the Eagles passing game? It was a reported story based on a player on the team that A.J. brown did not like Jalen Hurts. And it was pretty clear. It's like, yeah, you can't really get him the ball. Here's what I don't understand. The season ended, Jalen Hurts won the Super Bowl. Pretty sure it was a Super Bowl MVP. I googled his career earnings. He's made $70 million up to this point. Over the course of the next three years, that number will be $200 million. I saw Sirianni today told Reuben Frank, who's a local guy, like, he's so tired of it, he thinks it's bs. All this guy does is win. Who gives a fuck? Jalen won. So whether you want to put him at 5, whether you want to put him at 10, like, this isn't a Dak. This isn't a Kirk Cousins. This isn't even a Jared Goff situation. Jalen Hurts won the super bowl and played his best game in the Super Bowl. Two of three years he's been in the super bowl and balled out. He's printing money. He is the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future for the Eagles. So some made up lists that we do every time during this period of time. Everyone freaks out about. I don't understand. I. I really don't. Because it doesn't matter. Like, Jalen hurts the Eagles, Howie. They won. So whether we put them at 6, whether we put them at 10, who cares? It's like, well, you can't have him below golf. It's like, well, I watch this guy on a week in, week out basis if it's based on the regular season, like I think you can. Because I could make the argument in an individual game if our teams are the exact same. If I have Matt Stafford at quarterback, I can beat anybody. I can beat anybody. I can't say that about Dak. I can't say that about Jared Goff. Jared Goff doesn't have a great offensive line. He can't move. And I like Jared Goff. I'd say that about the Eagles. You told me the Eagles had random, you know, average weapons. It's not like Jalen Hurts is sitting there in the pocket picking you apart. He has AJ Brown and Devontae Smith and fucking Saquon Barkley. Pretty good little group I've seen last couple of years. Matt Stafford come down the stretch with a team that's okay. I actually think the Rams in a weird way are a little overrated from a talent's perspective, especially on offense, like throwing to Puka Nakua and. But he's 37 years old and if you're basing this on like, listen, we saw last year I would had C.J. stroud in the top group and then C.J. stroud kind of fell off a cliff relative to the standard everyone's saying Jaden Daniels lock top five quarterback. Like we'll see. Part of being a great player in sports is doing it every single year. Like part of Patrick Mahomes is like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson's like every single year I know what I'm getting. Every single year I know what I'm getting. We saw CJ Stroud like what is going on? Because once you get to the top of the mountain, everyone's gunning for you. That's when the wind blows the hardest. It's what makes it so impressive about all these great players. Like do you know how hard it is to do, like Tiger woods and Tom Brady did for like a decade plus, where every single time you play, people are coming for your throats. They circle you as the guy they want to beat. Every time Aaron Judge plays a game, it's like it's a big deal as I'm the pitcher, if I can strike, get this guy out, you're the guy that I have circled in the lineup. Yet every single year, boom, another home run, you know, another all star game, another, another silver slugger, another first team all league. It's very, very difficult to do that. It's what makes Peyton Mannings and Tom Brady's and Drew Breezes and Aaron Rodgers career so impressive. Any position like for a decade straight, every single team that played Aaron Donald was like, how do we stop this guy? What do we do to double team this guy? What do we do to chip this guy? And I just always, I get a little hesitant because I know what I saw. It was awesome. I mean it was undisputable. It was, it's undisputed how great he was coming down the stretch, especially in those playoff games in Detroit. Now the Detroit defense was pretty bad injury wise, but it's like you just watched him as poison the pocket. He was fucking awesome. But everyone just anointing him like he's going to be, I don't know, Steve Young or something. Like let's. It's. It's difficult to do. So. Yeah, I just, I, but I just don't understand why people freak out. Even the Teams, it's like, guys, you. You won the super bowl like you want. Jalen, you. And I'm not saying Jalen saying any of this, but it's like, you guys get the W on your side. Last but not least, the SEC media days kicking off today, obviously the two best conferences, and the Big Ten now has won the championship the last two years. I just think the SEC and part of it is, you know, in the Big Ten, if you think about it, a lot of the states their teams play, their college team is not the biggest team in the region. Right. Michigan, Ann Arbor. But, like, now, the Lions are good. The NFL is just bigger than college football. Now, you could argue that Ohio State football is bigger than the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, but the NFL has a huge, huge footprint in these areas, like Wisconsin. What do you think the biggest team is there? Wisconsin Badgers. The Green Bay Packers. Right. Minnesota. You think it's the. You think it's the Minnesota college football team or the Vikings. Right. That's one huge advantage the SEC has is Alabama and Auburn ain't competing against anyone in that state. Right. To me, LSU football is just bigger than the Saints. Now, you could argue when Drew Brees and Sean Payton were in their heyday, but, like, going into this season, it's not even close. The comparison of what is a bigger deal, LSU football or the New Orleans Saints in Florida, like, is the University of Florida, University of Miami, Florida State outdone by the Miami Hurricanes in 2025? I don't. I don't believe that. So one thing the SEC has is a huge advantage of not competing against the NFL the same way as some of these other states. And I mean, I had a front row seat when, when Harbaugh turned Stanford around. And then David Shaw had like four straight years where they finished the season in the top five. They struggled to get, like 10,000 people there. It was crazy. But it was like, we care about the NFL here. And I'm not saying that those teams in the Big Ten don't care about football. Don't get me wrong. I'm just saying that's a huge advantage the SEC has in terms of the competition against the NFL, and the interest is just not the same. And I think sometimes in the Big Ten, you split that a little bit where the SEC doesn't. And I think when you turn on the SEC media day, some of the highlights, it honestly feels like the NFL, and I think it's become the NFL light. I think the buzz of the coaches, I didn't know how they would do once Saban retired. I saw some. I had a buddy text me today that. I guess Greg McElroy said that he had heard that Saban might come back. He didn't say the team. I was like, Alabama. But Kaylin Dubois buyout is $75 million. That's not happening. He would never go to Auburn. Have a hard time seeing him go to Florida. Kirby's not going anywhere. Sark's not going anywhere. So I have a hard time seeing Saban come back. But I don't know if Greg McElroy would just make that up. I think college football this year, you know, the buzz behind this, the transfer portal, you know, there's. Part of the NFL is there are just these strict rules. Salary cap, salary cap. You know, it's just, I can acquire this player. I can't. Football or college football. There's a huge wild, wild west element to this. And I would say no. No conference has more of that than the sec where it's like, I don't care what the new rules are. I don't feel like any of them are following. Like, even on the Internet now, like, we do business with a lot of credit card companies or, you know, gambling companies. Like, it's pretty strict. You got to be very careful about what you say. Fifteen, 20 years ago, you could say whatever you wanted. There was never a better place to do business, you know, in the last 50 years than literally the Internet, probably in the early mid-2000s, because there weren't any rules. It was the wild, wild West. And everyone that got involved, if you knew what you were doing, profited greatly. And now there are still less rules than some industries, but relative to what it used to be, it's dramatically different now. There's still a wild, wild west element to the Internet. You can push the envelope in different things and try different things and just. It's not like if you work in a quote, unquote, corporate structure sometimes. But I think the sec, what makes it so fascinating, it just feels like anything goes. And there's not a story that can come out about players, coaches, universities that would surprise you. And that's one thing. The Big Ten, even if they are pushing the envelope as well, they feel a little more buttoned up that way. And that. That might just be perception. Like, if you're telling me Ohio State is doing everything that Georgia and LSU are doing in terms of, like, pushing the envelope and some shady shit, I. I wouldn't blame them. I would do that as well. But I'm very, very Excited for this college football season. I mean, we got takes flying everywhere about Arch Manning. I saw Jordan Rogers, Aaron's brother, that they haven't spoken in a decade called says like the hype train is just out of control. It's like I kind of agree with him now. Unless he answers the hype train and is like Andrew Luck immediately, I just don't know how he lives up to it. If he is just like a solid NFL prospect this year, it's going to feel very disappointing. And that's not his fault because the hype train behind him is like he's LeBron James or Tiger woods or, you know, which happens very, very rarely. But a lot of times like LeBron James hype train. It was pretty clear. I remember in 2002 watching that high school game that was on ESPN with Dickey v. Calling it like, this guy's fucking amazing. I remember Tiger woods winning the US Amateur while he's at Stanford. Everyone's like, this guy's amazing. This guy hasn't played. And we know how difficult the SEC is. So I'm excited to watch him. I'm pro Arch Manning, but I do agree that it's going to be hard for him to live up to the hype. I really believe that now maybe their defense is so good they can run the ball. It doesn't matter. But it's going to be the biggest story by far in college football. Are you interested in investing in Bitcoin and not sure how to get started? 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- [45:01]
Unknown
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- [45:32]
John Middlekauff
There are moments in life when you get to make a real difference, and this is one of them I want to tell you about. Folds of Honor they provide educational scholarships to spouses and children of fallen or disabled military members and first responders. Think about that for a second. Families who've lost everything or rebuilding their lives. And this organization steps in to make sure their kids can still go to college or a spouse can get the training they need to keep moving forward. Since 2007, they've awarded nearly 62,000 scholarships. Last year, about 7,000 qualified students didn't receive funding, and this year that number is expected to grow to nearly 10,000. So if you've been looking for a way to give back to do something meaningful, this is it. Go ToFolds of Honor.org Give what you can. It all matters. Let's honor their sacrifice, educate their legacy and unite around all those who serve. Okay, time for a little mailbag. Little mailbag time at John Middle Coffee is the Instagram. Fire in those DMs. Get your questions answered here on the show. Fire in those DMs. Very, very easy. Instagram DMs wide open. Two Fs. Just my name at John Middlekopf. We will start with Jamie. Been listening for a while. Big fan. Appreciate you. Here's his question. Am I the only one who's skeptical of Dan Campbell this upcoming season in the Lions? Campbell is a first time head coach who led an awful squad before promoting Ben Johnson. I get it, he gets guys to run through a brick wall. But as a Raider fan I saw a similar type of coach with Antonio Pierce completely fail. They have the talent on the roster but feel like Campbell hasn't quite proven himself yet and it's mostly Ben Johnson's offense that carried them to success. You can even say Campbell was a big part of them blowing the NFC championship game a couple years back and some questionable decisions in the second half. What are your thoughts? It's a good question. I think the talent on their roster is so immense relative to the rest of the league. I think when healthy they are the only team in the NFC that's better than them. Guy for Guy especially. Their starting unit would be the Eagles. So to me they have question marks with two new coordinators but the Eagles have a new offensive coordinator. I would say I know Sirianni has won the super bowl but I would take Dan Campbell over Nick Sirianni and that's not a shot at Nick Siri. I think Dan Campbell, I said this to Colin, I think he's the third Harbaugh brother. I think he's excellent at what he does. And there was a clip that went viral of when they played the packers in the in the quarterback show and they had so many injuries. They had me and you playing on defense and he approached the team meeting like we're going to play this game strictly on offense. And Dan Campbell at his core is an old school football guy. Came up with Bill Parcels and he has changed his tune. Like be a modern day football coach. He's like we're going to win this thing on offense. We're going to go for it every single time and we don't think we can stop anybody. They couldn't. And we're going to try to score relentlessly and it Worked. Now the NFC Championship game, he shouldn't have been that aggressive. I totally agree, but that's a, that's an organizational philosophy of going forward on fourth down. John Harbaugh does that. I don't always agree with it, but a lot of teams do that nowadays because analytically it says to do it. I think Dan Campbell's pretty good. And to me, if they win 12, 13 games with new coordinators, I think he will have proven himself as one of the best CEO head coaches in the league. Now you got to do it. New defensive coordinator, new offensive coordinator. Like you said, Ben Johnson's a huge part of their success. So we will see how it goes. I forget I don't have it in front of me, but whoever he elevated or hired, you know, I think used to be a Sean Payton guy. I mean, that's, you know, Dan Campbell's a Sean Payton guy. I think they're going to be good. I do. I'd be stunned. Now a disappointing year for them would be like 10 wins, right? I don't think unless they had another rash of injuries, it's even possible for them to win like six or seven games. I wanted to know from a West coast perspective about Auburn football. I have grown up an Auburn fan. Being from Birmingham, Alabama, we have went downhill since firing Gus Malzahn. It's like we have been cursed. Freeze has recruited well, but the winds have not shown. We currently sit 84th in recruiting right now. What are your thoughts on Freeze and what record does he need to stick around? I don't follow the daily SEC stuff, clearly as close as you, but it became a big enough story where Hugh Freeze over the last couple months is getting shit on for playing too much golf. And what I love about college football, specifically the sec, and I would say Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan are like this as well. Oregon, USC is the following of the football fan. The information they have, the way they realize Hugh Freeze was playing a lot of golf and is because they looked at his gin handicap and how many times he's posting scores now. Ultimately, recruiting is not about sitting in with mom and dad at the kitchen table anymore. Like, is Auburn paying the amount of money necessary to recruit? I do think buyouts are more difficult, you know, if your buyout now is 20, 30, $40 million. Well, I'm paying the kids so, you know, to pay the players to pay a buyout and then buy a new coach. And Auburn would want, you know, a big time coach, you know, a Deion Sanders type who's going to be really expensive. It might not make sense. So he might be saved by the economics of the sport. I would say you're in a tough predicament, you know, especially the last 15 years with Nick. Now, you could argue with DeBoer coming in the nil landscape, you guys should have a better opportunity. But when I think Auburn football, I mean, Cam Newton's kind of an outlier, right? You remove that spot. Obviously, you guys play Alabama typically pretty well and have a really good chance two years ago to beat him if it wasn't for the Jalen Milro pass. I do think it's hard being in their shadow. And I think sometimes in any industry, when you are in someone else's shadow, that is just more important and bigger than you. Even if you are relatively important to like, you're. You've had really good teams, you've won a national championship recently, you've been to another one. But yeah, I just think it's really, really hard being in the shadow of Alabama now. If they fall off a cliff, maybe you guys can move forward. But the other thing with the SEC is like Texas is now there. They're going to take up a lot of oxygen. A and M is going to spend so much money. Georgia, with Kirby's going nowhere. LSU underachieves at eight, nine wins. So even if Bama has a shitty season, they're still winning eight, nine games. Just. You're just in a weird spot. I'll never forget when someone told me this years ago, who lives and also in Alabama, who was around Saban's program forever and just an SEC guy. He says the thing about this league and this guy's longtime NFL personnel man too, he's like, there's nothing like the negative momentum in College in the SEC. And we had a mutual friend, Jim McElwain, who was the coach of Florida, and he was actually not terrible at Florida, right. They were in the SEC championship game a couple times. Now, granted, the SEC east at the time was shittier, but it's not like Jim McElwain was winning four games. He just wasn't Urban Meyer. So the negative momentum was already strong. Then that fake shark picture came out and they. It was just, he was dead. There's no way he could fight off the negative buzz coming at him. And that's a little bit what it feels like with you freeze. If he goes 7 and 5. It's just people are going to hate him and they're going to start, I would say, picking apart everything he does, which they're doing. Now, like, how many golf rounds are you playing? Lane Kiffin said it today at the SEC media days, because they're like, you were messing with him with an Instagram post. He's like, it's a dead period. I was on a fishing boat. I was joking. He's like, it's, it's not that serious. But in the sec it is that serious. On Jeff Teague's podcast, I think it was Pat Beverly, I'm not sure. Not a big NBA guy, to be honest. There was a discussion about a player who has made 170 million in his career, and the question was, would you give up 50 million for a ring? This actually was Gilbert Arenas, his podcast. I don't think the player has any ring, so he's not going to go from 1 to 2 or 2 to 3, etc. But my question is, would you. How different would an athlete worth $120 million live from an athlete worth 170 million? 50 million is a lot. But for me, the worst thing in sports is players who put money in front of success. I love seeing players get their bag, but once you've made your money, surely you take less. I think I talked about this on a recent podcast. It was Gilbert Arenas, and I agreed with Gilbert Arenas. Like, is a ring changing the guy's life? I don't know. Now you could argue, would he give up $120 million to have led the warriors or the Wizards to an NBA title? Would he have been more legendary? Would his podcast business do more than he's doing now? And he laughed. He's like, I wouldn't give up $50 million for that. And my first reaction was, I wouldn't either. Now, would I give up $50 million to have, like, Julian Edelman's career over, like Calvin Johnson's career? Yeah, I would. And I think Edelman is going to profit for that for the next 40 years. Like, would I give up $50 million to have Draymond Green's career over a guy that makes them all star teams, who doesn't win a ring and makes more money? 100%, you'd rather be the champion. You can have lucrative endeavors off of that. So I think it depends on the specific example. But in Gilbert Arenas's example, I would not give up the $50 million. And to me, are you a one off champion. It's one thing if you're the quarterback, but even if you're the, like Tracy McGrady. Would Tracy McGrady give up $50 million to have won an NBA Championship. I bet his answer would be the same as Gilbert Arenas's, and it'd be no. So I think when you're talking multiple championships, like, yeah, you'd rather be Ronnie Lott or Jerry Rice or, you know, Devin McCourty or Teddy Brewski, like, yeah, it's worth a lot, but just one win, I don't know. I don't think I'd give up that. I mean, you're talking a lot of money. $50 million, a lot of money. We're talking, like, $5 million if we're talking that we've made that much money. Yeah, I mean, I think you can convince me when you're talking that much money. I remember Kevin Durant when he first signed a contract extension with the warriors, like, he gave them a discount, and the number was like, I forget it off my top of my head. But instead of signing for, like, 29 million, he signed for, like, 27.8. It's like, I mean, maybe he gave them a little flexibility, but come on, he didn't have to do it. So if you want to give him credit for that, it's not changing his life at all. Question for the pod. I'm curious with you being a successful podcaster. I like this guy. And your wife successful in real estate. She likes you, too, I'm sure. How do you and your wife handle finances? Do y' all combine finances or keep them separate? Do you have to check with her before buying anything golf related or going on a golf trip, or is what you do with your money all up to you? It's a pretty good question. I would say. I don't have to shoot her text before I buy a golf club or golf balls. I don't know how everyone does it. You know, I know some people that they have kids and their wife doesn't work. I know people where their wife is the breadwinner. And actually, they're my friends, the guys. So you never ask them, like, does she give you an allowance? Everything is different for every person. We don't by any means, have an Excel spreadsheet. We don't technically, like, share financing, I guess. I mean, the house we're living in right now, I bought and then we remodeled. I paid for. I pay the mortgage, but, like, she has a separate property that I have nothing to do with. She has money that I don't. You know, she can just buy whatever she wants. Same thing for me. You know, she buys groceries and does certain things that I don't even think about. And then there are things you know, with the house that she doesn't think about. And obviously it's going to change when we have a kid. Like the other day there was a stroller on sale. I don't even want to say out loud how much the stroller was, but I guess it's the going rate for strollers that's also a car seat. I mean, it's insane. Was on sale for like 30% off, and I just handed her my credit card. You know, I think we're gonna get her a new car coming up. I'm sure we will. I don't know. I don't know. We just haven't. There aren't really any financial. We haven't really had any issues in terms of like, who pays for that, who pays for what? Pretty seamless transition. There's no. We don't have any shared credit cards or shared bank accounts as of right now. Again, maybe that changes as we have children, as our. As our lives change, but I just try to pay for as much as I can and she contributes and we just live our life. It's actually been. I mean, I've heard some horror stories with friends, but it's been a really, I don't know, seamless transition. And, you know, sometimes when you're young and a lot of you guys that have been married or serious relationships in your 20s, when you start dating and you, like, have nothing, right? And that's what would happen most people, if you start dating in college or dating fresh, your first job, it's not like you have that much especially tangible assets. When we started dating, I was 35. She was. I was 35. I guess I was seven years older. I was 37, she was 30. She had a career that was crushing, making way more money when I was 30. And obviously my career was going pretty well at the time too, from a financial issue or aspect we haven't. We don't even really talk about. It just kind of happens. One major difference I've noticed though is like, if I'm gonna go pick up food or ordering doordash, you know, I would doordash. When I live by myself, I would eat Chipotle or meals like that, I don't know, five nights a week. And that's now when you do eat out, you pay for two the plane tickets, you know, because we both have family in Northern California. Instead of just buying one, you buy two round trips. That's. That's a little bit of a game changer, but you just kind of become numb to it after a While and then you got a kid coming, you eventually pay for them. Part of growing up. Part of growing up, yeah, but pretty easily transition for us so far, no issues, which is nice. What are your thoughts on Florida since Billy has taken over? We went 6, 7, 5. 7 and 8 5. Given the schedule we faced with, DJ Lagway won every single game. He started with a bad hamstring and we would have beaten Georgia if he wasn't hurt. Do you think we can win 10 games? If you look at the personnel, we have our most talented roster on paper since Billy took over. And at make or break year for Billy, nine or 10 wins or it's a fireball offense. It sure looked like he was done early in the season. I thought by the end of the year, you guys were playing like a top 10 team. I remember watching the last couple games of the season thinking like, this team looks fantastic from a physicality standpoint to just like a chemistry standpoint. And I remember watching a couple of your guys big wins, watching Billy Napier after the game, and he's like, it's really cool to watch these guys come together. Like, you guys were a team. If you would have gotten to the playoffs, like, I would have liked you more than Tennessee going into the playoff game. Obviously, there's a ton of hype. This coach is coaching for his job. People really, really like in the scouting community and my friends, I know a couple agents. Like, I just know a lot of people in the football world in the SEC that like Billy Napier. People are rooting for Billy Napier, and he's a guy if he's able to win nine or 10 games, usually that negative momentum in the south kills you and it just gets you like a tidal wave. And if he's able to win 10 games, make a playoff spot, that would be an incredible accomplishment that he was able to fend off like the matrix, the. The SEC grim reaper. This is my second time attempting to get my question read. I would love a chance to open this can of worms discussion about the disrespect of Dak Prescott. Your takes are amazing overall and you're extremely informative. But when it comes to Dak, you and Colin and everyone at FS1 constantly puts him in a lower tier than his play and sheer numbers demand he should have won the MVP over Lamar two years ago. His stats were just that much better, I'll give you. He's coming off a weird season with an injury, and of course, he hasn't given us a Super bowl yet. But neither has Lamar or Josh or plenty of others guys, he hasn't even got you to the championship game. You guys had hosted two home playoff games before last year. In three years, you lost them both to the packers and the 49ers. Two home playoff games, you lost them both. And he played like shit turnovers. I'm not a Josh hate or Dak hater, but like the criticism in the playoffs, I mean, Lamar gets highly criticized and Dak is way worse, way worse. In that run when Dan quinn was the DC and McCarthy was the head coach, I thought the one year they lost the Niners in San Francisco, so it would have been the second round who they beat. They beat Tampa in the first round and Dak had the best game of his career. You guys had a Super bowl level defense and Dak didn't play well in that game either. So it's like he's been a really good regular season game player. And I agree with you, Lamar, two years ago when he won the mvp, it's one of the worst MVP seasons of all time. And I'm not even just blaming him. I'm saying whoever would have won it, if Dak would have won it, fine. But then Dak didn't play well in the playoffs. So it's like you got to play well in the playoffs. Yeah, he's fine. I got no problem. I think He's a top 12 quarterback who is really, really underachieved in January, which by far is the most important time of year. Right. We all agree there foreign. You know, we all have a bunch of credit cards, connections to hotels or airlines or a number of things. And I don't think we realize that those points and miles, they lose value when they collect dust. So think about this. A credit card with rewards that actually grows. Introducing the Gemini credit card. And with this credit card, you can earn Bitcoin or one of over 50 other cryptos instantly with no annual fee. So every time you go to the grocery store, you go to the gas station, you go out for a night on the town, you earn instant rewards deposited straight into your account. Plus sign up now for a 200 bitcoin bonus to kickstart your rewards. Go to gemini.comjohn to learn more and start earning today. Terms apply again. Visit gemini.comjohan now. Terms apply. The Gemini credit card is issued by Web bank. In order to Qualify for the Intro 200 crypto bonus, your application must be approved by June 30, 2025 and spend 3,000 your first 90 days. Terms apply. Some exclusions apply. To instant rewards, in which rewards are deposited when the transaction posts this content is not investment advice and Trading Crypto involves risk for more details on rates, fees and other Gemini credit card terms, see Rates and fees. Go to gemini.comjohn to learn more and start earning today. Picture this. You're halfway through a DIY car fix, tools scattered everywhere, and boom. You realize you're missing a part. It's okay because you know whatever it is, it's on ebay. They've got everything. Brakes, headlights, cold air intakes. Whatever you need. And it's guaranteed to fit. Which means no more crossing your fingers and hoping you ordered the right thing. All the parts you need at prices you'll love. Guaranteed to fit every time.
- [66:41]
Unknown
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- [67:14]
John Middlekauff
There are moments in life when you get to make a real difference, and this is one of them I want to tell you about. Folds of Honor. They provide educational scholarships to spouses and children of fallen or disabled military members and first responders. Think about that for a second. Families who've lost everything or rebuilding their lives, and this organization steps in to make sure their kids can still go to college or a spouse can get the training they need to keep moving forward. Since 2007, they've awarded nearly 62,000 scholarships. Last year, about 7,000 qualified students didn't receive funding, and this year that number is expected to grow to nearly 10,000. So if you've been looking for a way to give back to do something meaningful, this is it. Go to foldsofhonor.org, give what you can. It all matters. Let's honor their sacrifice, educate their legacy, and unite around all those who serve. I'm curious, are you a boxing fan? Who do you have in Canelo Crawford fight? I'm not really, but I'm a FOMO guy, so if you tell me Mike Tyson's fighting Jake Paul if Pacquiao's fighting Mayweather, if Mike Tyson's fighting Holyfield, I'm in. If the event gets big enough and can cross through just the niche of you know the fight world I'm in If it doesn't like I typically not it's not because I don't I mean I enjoy watching boxing I'll never forget in college watching that Pacquiao Mayweather fight thinking like this the biggest this sucks part of it is Floyd just kind of dancing around because he's so good you can't hit him. But I miss heavyweights. I mean you grow up in the 90s Tyson, Lennox Lewis Holyfield, some of just the shit show that were those fights just feels like not the same but I have no take on Canelo Crawford. I mean I know it's going on I think is Max Kellerman calling the fight but I don't have like an opinion or take because I mean I don't watch Cowboy fan Do you think the new coach it'll be another repeat of McCarthy and Garrett with Dak a 3, 4 season run will they'll win anywhere between 9 to 11 games, maybe make the playoffs a couple times and lose in round one. I'm a big Dak guy love the Cowboys and I'm not sure the entire shift in philosophy is exactly they need to do but it feels like they are just trying to continue getting over the hump by doing it the Cowboy way and that just smells of similar results. Defense got crushed by the run last year and we go out and draft more offense. Feels like it's going to be another year of getting gashed in the run game. I recorded a podcast with Colin on Monday and we kind of the Lakers kind of came up and I think the Lakers, I think the Steelers the Lakers sold but I mean what they were under the Buss family once Dr. Buss died. What the Steelers have become under this version of the Rooneys, what the Cowboys have become with Jerry I think it's really, really hard when you have this like brand name of a family and they've been doing it forever in their high highs or so far in the past and they're kind of writing off what used to be and sometimes you just need some new blood in there. And in fairness the Lakers I mean they hired outside people in Rob Pelinka but the reason he got hired was he was Kobe Bryant's agent, right. I mean Jerry's the guy making all the decisions right? At the end of the day Omar Khan like the Rooneys are telling him what to do. Tomlin has some juice, but Tomlin's been there for almost two decades now. And I think sometimes when, you know, look at how many different people Howie has employed over 15 years. They churn their front office and coaching staff like a NFL roster. That is not the way the Cowboys, the Steelers and the Lakers like. It's like the same people doing it over and over and over again. And sometimes that works, but sometimes you do need some fresh blood, some new perspective, some just different experiences coming in. And listen, I. You could convince me The Cowboys win 10 games this year. You can convince me they win six. I think it's all on the table. I liked him last year, obviously got burned, but I don't even know. Probably pick them to finish third in that division. If you tell me they went 9 and 8 and we're the seventh seed. Believable. If you tell me they win 7 and 10 and pretty average, very believable as well. I think it's, it's all on the table. My question is, do you think the Steelers have a chance to actually make a run? I've been a steeler fan for 13 years and all I've seen is let down after letdown. I want them to win, but I'm worried we won't be explosive enough on offense. Second part question. Do you think the Steelers are in trouble this upcoming season? I would say when you look at the history in sports in general of guys over 40, it usually ends pretty ugly. For the most part. Sports, and specifically football, does not end with the owner handing the trophy to John Elway. This one's for John. Or even Peyton Manning's last season on the dais with Jim Nance winning the super bowl, it usually ends with like, my arm doesn't really work. I'm injured, I'm Tom Brady, our team's not that good. Just kind of an ugly, weird ending. Worst case scenario, it's like Tony Romo, you're laying there on the ground with a bad back. And if you told me the best case scenario for the Steelers, what's best case scenario? Did Rogers play 17 games that the defense stays healthy and they win like 11 games and they're just, they're pretty damn good. They're not the upper echelon, but they're pretty damn good. Like they're a legit team that feels on the pie chart of possibilities like less than 25%. And the more and more I think about it, just based on my, my life of 30 plus years now watching sports, this falls for baseball and basketball as well. Like, if LeBron James just keeps on playing, eventually he's going to have a major injury, because that's just kind of the way it works. Wear and tear. I don't care how hard you train. Happened to Kobe, happens to every. Happened to Steph Curry. It would happen to anybody. And I think, what's the likelihood of Aaron Rodgers not getting injured? He doesn't move like he used to, but he does like to move. And he already had a serious injury a couple of years ago. And again, it could be as simple as, like, someone falls into his knee, weird. And he just sprains his, you know, a knee or an ankle. And all of a sudden, where he used to might miss seven days, he misses 21. And if he misses several games and let's say he's not even playing that well, you can lose a bunch of games. The other thing is the way they built this thing, there's just tangible pressure. You trade for dk. The TJ thing is kind of now or never. The Tomlin thing, it's like, are we going to shit or get off the pots? Kind of weird. The Ravens and the Bills, let alone the Chiefs, just kind of rolling. Just feels like they're. I don't want to say quite a ticking time bomb, but I do think there's a scenario where a couple injuries happen and they win. They're just not good. They would never be terrible. But, like, what if I told you right now, Rogers missed a month? They could lose every game. Mason Rudolph started every single game. And we saw Rogers last year. Like, it's not like the jets don't have bad. Like, they got some good players, lost a lot of tight games. Now, you could make the argument he's going to be a year off the injury. Maybe he's much more vibrant and much quicker. Maybe. But He's. He's not 30. He's 41. I go back and forth, I'm like, say you just going to pick them to win 10 or 11 games? Or like, is this the year they win seven and it's like a weird, ugly seven? I do think that's on the table. Any thoughts on wvu, West Virginia? Take me home. Bringing back Rich Rodriguez. I saw some clip the other day. I think they beat because it was like a throwback to Pat White. And who was the running back? Was Steve Slayton? Was that the running back? I think they played Georgia. It was either the first game of the year or a bowl game, and they won. And it was like they Were really humming there. And remember he. He was turning down jobs. I think he turned down the Alabama job. The year Saban got it, he ended up going to Michigan. My. My year scouting the West Coast. He was the Arizona head coach. I liked him. I remember BSing with him. Pat McAfee obviously loves them. I think they're going to be at a disadvantage, the landscape of college football. Like, do they have the money to keep players? If they get a star player, a Pac Man Jones, a Pat White, could they keep him away from lsu, Bama, Ohio State, Michigan? It's hard, but I don't think they could have done much better than what they have. They get a guy that's really passionate about that place, that loves that place, and at this point in time, he's got a big chip on his shoulder. So I'm excited to watch him. He had been at, was it Jackson State or whatever, doing really well. I mean, the guy's a ball coach and to me he's a great example. Rich Rodriguez belongs in the Southern region, right? Like the. The. From West Virginia down over to Texas. Like, he belongs in that area, like West Virginia or going to Michigan. Terrible fit. I actually think he would have been a decent fit at Alabama. They wouldn't have loved the offensive style, but they would have liked his personality, his toughness. Like he. Nick Saban's born and raised in West Virginia. I think Southern people usually excel. Like, obviously they got to be a good coach, but Jim McElwain, West coast guy, Florida hated him. Urban Meyer's an outlier. Urban Meyer could coach in Alaska. He'd win. You know, Chip Kelly was a little bit of an outlier. Northeastern Oregon worked, but UCLA started getting weird. It's like, what's. What's this? What's your deal here? Like, huh? Like, I always supported when I almost said James Gandolfini, but with what the hell's his name? Who's the coach of Rutgers right now? Shianu and the Tennessee fans remember, like, Clay Travis. And a bunch of people are like, we know Greg Shiano would have been a disaster at the University of Tennessee. It would have been a terrible personality fit. It would not have worked. Now people are like, this was crazy. No, I was on board with the fan backlash. Would not have worked. Like, when A and M was going to hire Stoops, that could work. Like, I could see that happening. There are somewhere like, this is never going to happen. Lincoln Riley, usc. It's a weird fit. Another life question. Currently in my mid-20s and have been with my partner for four years. We have seen a lot of our friends and family tie the knot in the past 12 to 18 months. And I keep receiving skittish remarks from a lot of our relatives asking what's taking me so long to propose mine. Her parents want grandbabies, but I don't see what the rush is at all, given that we are both recent graduates. And I am looking to upgrade on my current basic job in banking to something a lot more similar. As someone who put their work first for a long time. What do you say? I would say two things. Unless they're paying for your wedding or going to provide childcare for you, their opinions. You should not give a shit about what they say. I've said this forever and this is where I try to judge other people on their relationships. Whoever you're sleeping with and you're in a relationship with, only you really know the ambitions, what you guys aspire to, do, where you're at, what you guys are comfortable doing. Everyone else has a lot of opinions, but unless they're funding your life, paying for your rent, gonna help pay for your wedding, honestly, I'd argue their opinions. Like, I'm not saying, not be cordial and nice and laugh it off, but I would not worry what they think at all. The only person you should be worried about are you and your future wife. And if you're not comfortable or ready to do that and she's not on board, then don't do it. Like, it's one thing. It's like, hey, her mom's all over us. They're gonna give us some money for the wedding, she's gonna babysit for us. Like, okay, it's like, I'd be open minded to like, hey, you got help here. But if like, this is their opinions and you're cutting all them checks and you got to figure out like, okay, we get married, who's gonna pay for this wedding? Then I got, we're gonna have a baby. Like, we're both working, what are we gonna do? It's complicated. They don't factor any of that in. So I, I'm very, very protective over, like, don't worry about other people's opinions. And I know it's difficult, especially if you live around these people, but like, you gotta worry about you and your future wife's happiness more than these other people because they have agendas. Like, you know, part of being a grandparent if I, if I don't really have the babysit is like, I just get to see the kid when I Want. Like, I've been an uncle to my brother's kids. It's great. He's got to deal with their craziness on a daily basis. It's hard. He's got a couple young boys who are going 99 miles an hour, 24 7, 365. I just get to fly in. We go swimming a little. We might hang out, screw around. Then when he gets in trouble, I don't have to deal with it. So that's how a lot of these people giving their opinions to you are. It's like you're in your mid-20s. Like, do not do something you're not comfortable with because someone else has that opinion. That's the easiest and quickest way to be miserable. Like, get married and have children because. Or try to because you want to do it, not because your aunt is giving you a hard time. Or you're, you know, you're jealous of what things look like on Instagram with other people. That will not lead to happiness. I promise you that. And don't wait forever if you want to marry her. But you're in your mid-20s, man. It's shit's. Life's expensive. It's easy for older people to have a lot of different opinions. My mom bought her house. We're talking about this when we were home for vacation. I was like. Because my brother had the documents for, like, $75,000. She lives in a very nice area on a golf course. $75,000. She could get like 25x that now. Grant is a long time ago. But, like, they're. The way they view. Things are a lot different sometimes. And I'm not. I'm not. She was never hard on me, but she even had a comment. She's like, you know, I'm. I'm glad everything worked out that you, you know, you waited this long. Like, I didn't wait this long. I just didn't meet anyone I wanted to marry. So it's like, you don't meet someone you want to marry. What are you going to do, just get married? Just say, I'm married. It's like half the people I know get a divorce. I'm 40 years old. I could count. I wouldn't even be able to count on both hands. I'd go, I'd run through. I didn't need my toes. The amount of people I know either for close friends, family members, acquaintances that did not make it, like, five years, they got married in their 30s. Because, like, some people get married for the wrong reasons. Looks cool on Instagram. It's like well do you like the person? And then having kids, many of you guys know this. They listen to me. It's like that's a whole different dynamic. Are you interested in investing in Bitcoin and not sure how to get started? Well, with the Gemini credit card, a card that I've been using now for a couple months, you can dip your toes in the bitcoin world without even trying. You just spend like you normally do. I go to the gas station, I use it. I go to the grocery store, I use it. I take my wife out, I use it and I instantly earn up to 4% back in Bitcoin or one of the over 50 other cryptos straight to your account. You can choose. There's no annual fee and the Gemini credit card is a no brainer. I love it. I use it all the time. And right now you can grab a 200 bitcoin intro bonus. So just go to gemini.comjohn to learn more and start earning today. Terms apply again. You go to Gemini. Com John and start building your Bitcoin stash now. Terms apply. The Gemini credit card is issued by Web bank and in order to Qualify for the Intro 200 crypto bonus, your application must be approved by June 30, 2025 and spend 3,000 in your first 90 days. Terms apply. 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- [85:00]
Colin Cowherd
Picture this. You're in a garage, hands covered in grease, just finished tuning up your engine with a part you found on ebay. And you realize, you know what? I could also use new brakes. So where do you go next? Back to ebay. You can find anything there. It's unreal. Wipers, headlights, even cold air intakes. It's all there. And you've got ebay Guaranteed fit. You order a part and if it doesn't fit, send it back. Simple as that. Look, DIY fixes can be major. Doesn't matter if it's just maintenance or a major mod, you got it. Especially when things are guaranteed to fit. So when you dive into your next car project, start with ebay. All the parts you need at prices you'll love. Guaranteed to fit every time. Ebay Things people love.
- [85:49]
Unknown
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- [86:19]
John Middlekauff
There are moments in life when you get to make a real difference, and this is one of them I want to tell you about Folds of Honor. They provide educational scholarships to spouses and children of fallen or disabled military members and first responders. Think about that for a second. Families who've lost everything or rebuilding their lives and this organization steps in to make sure their kids can still go to college or a spouse can get the training they need to keep moving forward. Since 2007, they've awarded nearly 62,000 scholarships. Last year, about 7,000 qualified students didn't receive funding, and this year that number is expected to grow to nearly 10,000. So if you've been looking for a way to give back to do something meaningful, this is it. Go to foldsofhonor.org give what you can. It all matters. Let's honor their sacrifice, educate their legacy and unite around all those who serve. Why do you think people are hesitant to give Bo Nix credit for the season he just had? He walked into a tough situation. National media labeled him a major draft reach and some said the pick could ruin Peyton's legacy. The team has been dealing with the largest dead cap hit in NFL history, had a bottom three roster according to PFF and was projected to win four or five games. Like people like to give the majority of the credit to Sean, which is fair, but they also had to heat praise on the offensive line. The same offensive line that was heavily criticized when Russell Wilson was playing. Feels like people are bending over backward to avoid giving Knicks his due and hold on to pre draft narratives. People don't like being wrong. It's just that simple. And the easy thing was where everyone was piling on. Bo Nick sucks. He wasn't good. He was not going to be a good player. The Broncos were going to suck and it's hard to just say I was wrong. Bo Nicks is actually pretty good. I just think it's very difficult for a lot of people in this quote unquote business to just be like, yeah, Bodick's a pretty good player. Was he perfect as a rookie? Of course not. Could he improve a lot? 100%. Does he need to improve? Yes. Would I bet on him improving? Giving his coach and given the team infrastructure, 1000%. I would be stunned if he's not good this year. Now, is he going to be Peyton Manning or Tom Brady? I don't know. But is he going to be a top 12 starter? 15 starter, half of the league for sure this year? Yes. Does he have a chance to be a top 10 quarterback in the league the next couple years? I would say yeah. Based on who's coaching him, Based on how well run the organization is now. He plays with a great defense, which is important. Remember, Tom Brady got to ease into his career. The defense was awesome. That helps. So, yeah, I think they're going to be good. Congrats on your recent success. I have two boys myself and was able to name them after my two favorite athletes, Nolan Ryan and Grant Hill. Nolan and Grant. Those are good names. Will the strategy come into play as you name your kiddo? I would say not athletically driven, but yeah, we've already named it. I don't know if I'm allowed to give it out yet, but name was pretty simple, wasn't it? Was more for me in terms of like family, friends and other people in my life than it was, you know, Michael Jordan middle cuff, which would be sick. I threw that out the other day. Like, can we just name Michael Jordan middle cuff? Here's my son, Tiger Middlekop. This Tiger? Tiger Woods? No, Tiger Middlekoff. Does he play golf? I mean, he got a set of clubs. I don't know if he knows what he's doing. Those would be my two options. Michael Jordan Middlekoff and Tiger woods middle cuff. Tiger. I mean, Tiger has a sweet name. It's like taking my son to first grade. This Tiger is Tiger here. You know, when they read the. Do they even do roll call anymore in school? Okay, a couple more questions. I've lived in Colorado half my life and Chicago half my life. This year, my two playoff team. This year, my two teams look like playoff boundaries. I think the Bears are good at the offseason, still have bad ownership and have a brand new head coach. Although I believe the hype. The Broncos feel like they're improved dramatically on the personnel side and already have the coach and ownership down. Also building off what was a successful season. Last year I saw Knicks tears and he had the Bears above The Broncos, I would guess you're talking Nick Wright. There's no way you can have the Bears above the Broncos. It's impossible. They have a first time head coach. The franchise has not been winning. They've had a great offseason. The two guards in the center, great moves. We do not know if they're going to be any good. We have thought they were going to be good time and time again. The Broncos are going to be good. They have a coach who resurrected the fucking Saints. Say what you want about Sean Payton, I know he pisses people off. If you told me Sean Payton was the head coach of the Bears, I'd say they are a lock playoff team this year. Ben Johnson might be good. It's way harder to be a head coach. I don't know, but I'm with you. I think the Broncos are going to be good. The Bears could be good. The Bears should win 10 games. But it's like we'll see a lot of pressure on the quarterback. A lot of pressure on a coach who a couple of years ago was like scared to be a head coach. Maybe now he's good. I don't know. I could not have the Bears above the run. That's insane to me. My question is, this last question. Is it realistic to think there will be teams based in Europe full time playing in the NFL or a separate league associated with the NFL? If not, do you think there will ever be enough talent worldwide to have a legitimate USA vs World game? What the NBA has considered the All Star game? I would say no chance with the world versus the NFL. I mean football's our sport, you know, in some of these other sports, tennis, golf, baseball, basketball. So many different countries play like is Germany playing tackle football? Is. Can you find tackle football in London? Are they playing tackle football in Mexico or Brazil? I doubt it. But I know for a fact they're all playing basketball, they're all playing golf. They're all. A large percentage of them are playing baseball, soccer. So I think. No, I would say the world. No, I think they're much more likely to just to put the TV package over there than actually have teams over there. Could be wrong. I mean you'd have to ask Rog in the new PGA commissioner role app. I'm sure they had conversations. But I think the television package to have a game 16 days a year. So basically starting week two through week 16 or 17, whatever equals. So every team does it. And I guess you could rotate some teams might play multiple games. But I have a package where I sell, like, Thursday Night Football for a huge stretch of the season. That Netflix has the 6:30am Pacific Standard Time kickoff, which I'm not looking forward to, but that's inevitable. Now, is there a team in Europe or multiple teams as of sitting here right now? I would lean, no, but I wouldn't put a lot of money on that. I do think it's a lock for the morning TV package. I do think the logistics make playing over their teams very, very difficult. And I do wonder, now, you could sell these franchises for, let's say, each 8 billion. But you're at the point, like, how many people have this much money? Like, how many humans are there that can afford? So even if, like, okay, we're gonna have two teams over in London, 8 billion a pop, how many human beings want in on that? Maybe I'm underestimating even the small percentage of people that could afford that now with private equity, maybe it's a little more feasible to have groups. I. It's not really how the NFL is operated, but I guess things change, especially with the money. Yeah, I don't know. Big fan of you and Nick Wright with both you guys being friends and business partners with Coward. Do you have a personal working relationship with each other? I said I have his number. I know he's playing the World Series of Poker. I'm going to text him probably after this week to get him on the podcast sometimes. I've never met Nick. I don't think I've ever talked to him. I've been in a Super bowl party. He was on the other side. A million people were there. I didn't say anything to him, but, no, I don't have a relationship with him. I've never met him. Yeah, I mean, I followed his career for a long time, but I don't know him personally. I've always. One thing I respect, even if I disagree with your takes, even if I would say politically, we're way different just in general with any human being that's in this kind of world. If I think that you really like sports, because I think there's been a large percentage of people that have come into this business knowing I can just make money and bullshit my way. I think it happens all the time. Like, there are a handful of people that I know, like, this guy loves it. Like, ultimately, I got into this because I loved it. And like anything you do it long enough, there are things about it you don't like as much as you once did. But, like, I still love watching a football game. I Still love watching, like, Alabama, Georgia or, you know, the Bills, Chiefs. Like, it still really gets my juices flowing. I love watching the Masters or the British Open. I even still really, like, even though I don't watch basketball or baseball nearly, like I did 10, 15, 20 years ago. Like, I love watching a big NBA playoff game or big March Madness game or the World Series when it's Yankees, Dodgers. Like, that's just fucking. This is what I love to do, watch. I'm a consumer first. And the one thing I've always respected about Nick feel like he really, really enjoys watching the games. And I think it's pretty clear there are a lot of people in this business that I don't think really do. I know Colin still, like, text me all the time during football season. Like, can you believe this guy? What do you think of this guy? Like, I just know he loves watching football, you know, like, he. I know when a USC is playing Michigan, like, he's geeked up for that game. And I just think a lot of guys lose that. And sometimes if you're a beat writer, whatever, it's. It's a different experience. But I really. I get along, and I did when I worked in the Bay Area media. And trust me, the way I live my life is a lot different. The way these guys live their life. And I call these guys very close friends because, like, I know that they really like it. I love Tim Kawakami, who started the Athletic. Like, the guy just loves sports. He's good at his job. He's a great columnist. He's just. He's just. He's just good. I mean, he's someone I've. I looked up to when I first got kind of in the business. Greg Papa, Same thing. I mean, these guys love a big game. Like, they get up for it, like, when they were young. And I. Anyone who can kind of keep that fire, I'm. Regardless of whether I agree with your takes or, you know, whether if it wasn't for sports, we'd be friends and get along and hang out in real life. We're gonna get along. And I. I've met a lot of people in this business that I just. I can just get along with because of our love of the actual games, which I think sometimes in this world can get lost the volume.
- [98:00]
DJ Wells
Yo, this is DJ Wells from Club 520 podcast. Draft night ain't just about who goes number one.
- [98:05]
John Middlekauff
It's about.
- [98:05]
DJ Wells
It's about how you show up. And JD Sports is where the future of the league gets laced up. Whether it's Dylan Harper's tenacious two way play or Tre Johnson's sharpshooter from deep down south, JD's got the gear to match every draft story. From exclusive kicks to player collabs, JD Sports is the plug for the next level style. So while the league's getting younger, your feet's getting fresher. JD sports where the game meets the streets. Visit jdsports.com to check out their new collection or download the JD app today.
- [98:29]
Danielle Fishel
Every business has an ambition. PayPal open is the platform designed to help you grow into yours with business loans so you can expand and access to hundreds of millions of PayPal customers worldwide. And your customers can pay all the ways they want with PayPal, Venmo pay later and all major cards so you can focus on scaling up when it's time to get growing. There's one platform for all business PayPal open grow today at paypalopen.com loans subject to approval in available locations.
- [99:00]
John Middlekauff
Here at the Almond Joy Factory, where tropical vibes abound, we use soft, fresh tasting coconut, the crunchiest almonds and delicious chocolate candy. Ah, but do you know what our most important ingredient is? Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. Almond Joy's got nuts and something even way better than that. Yes, Almond Joy is made with almonds and Jo.
- [99:29]
Danielle Fishel
Does Friendly have a taste? If it does, it's probably like hello's Peppermint Flavored Anti Plaque and Whitening Toothpaste. Brush away plaque, show tartar who's boss and remove surface stains to naturally whiten. Hello's thoughtful and flavor forward products make brushing your teeth feel like a confetti filled bathroom dance party. So say hello to hello with the always cruelty free never tested on animals toothpaste that's made to spread smiles. Visit helloproducts.com and let hello add some some everyday Yay into your life. This is an I Heart podcast.