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- [00:00]
John Middlekauff
AI is redefining what's possible for your business. With more unique challenges to solve and higher stakes than ever, Microsoft helps you stay ahead. Our trustworthy AI tools and guidance can empower leaders like you to drive greater impact. And with Azure's simplified platform management, we're helping businesses go further, faster, unlocking up to 150% improved output. Whatever challenge comes next, let Microsoft help you keep pushing forward. For more details, visit Microsoft.com challengers we.
- [00:32]
Jeremy Hobson
Live in a divided country, and our media couldn't be more polarizing. That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation. Each week we hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country. And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news. Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:02]
Greg Rosenthal
What's up everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs mock drafts to my top 101 free agents will have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
- [01:31]
Julie Swearingen
What's up everyone? Julie swearbinks here along with former NHL player Nate Thompson.
- [01:36]
John Middlekauff
We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go.
- [01:39]
Julie Swearingen
The name Energy Line with Nate and jsb.
- [01:42]
John Middlekauff
Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey life. All topics are fair game, right?
- [01:47]
Julie Swearingen
Exactly. And you'll never know who will drop by to join us.
- [01:51]
Nate Thompson
Julie is pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe.
- [01:56]
Julie Swearingen
Listen to Energy Line with Nate and jsb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. The Volume.
- [02:18]
John Middlekauff
What is happening everybody? How are we doing? John middlekop three and Out Podcast hopefully everyone is having a good Friday and the game plan today will be a little thing we call the middlekop Mailbag. We're going to empty the clip here, do a big, big mailbag. So at johnmittlekopf@johnmittlecoff is the Instagram fire in those DMs. We're doing a big mailbag. It's Fugazi Friday, but we're gonna be happy today. No fugazi today because it's Masters weekend and I'm just gonna bang out a bunch of mailbag questions. So fire in those DMs. We'll get you next week. It's obviously a little slower time in the lead up to the draft, so fire in those dms and get your question answered here on the show. But before we dive in, you know I got to tell you about my friends, my partners in the official ticketing app of this podcast, Game Time. Best ticketing app I've ever used by a mile. We got baseball in full swing, NBA playoffs, NHL playoffs. You want to go to any event, concert, comedy show, download that app. You can search by venue, you can search by team, you can search by price point at the arena or the stadium or the venue that you're looking at. It kind of maps it out. It gives you sight lines. It doesn't get any easier to use. So take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account and use the code JOHN for $20 off. Your first purchase terms apply. Again, create an account, redeem the code JOHN for $20 off. Download the Game Time app today, last minute. Take his lowest price guaranteed. Okay, guys, let's start with with this question some nice words. Huge Bills fan, very proud of our team despite not coming through when it mattered. My question is about coaching. During the game, obviously we were having trouble with the tush push versus the Chiefs on the pivotal 4th and 1. Who's making the call in that scenario? Is it Brady or is it McDermott or is it Joe and McDermott approving it in real time? I think the thing that makes football so fascinating that that is a question that the only people that know that answer, like Josh Allen, probably doesn't even know that answer, right. They have to buzz in to get to the headset. That could be just the offensive coaching staff, I would imagine during the week. I think it's fair to assume that they thought, and rightfully so, that Josh Allen, who's a thoroughbred, could convert short yarded situations. And it was not working in that game. Now, late in the game, I think there were multiple spots in the second half. Does Brady go, hey coach, you still like this quarterback sneaks or do you want to try something else? Very possible. Could it be just like McDermott lets him call the game and if he's got an opinion, hey, Joe, let's, let's mix in a screen pass. Hey, Joe, let's, let's mix in a play action bootleg. Sure, he's the boss. I don't know. It's a great question. I think because they kept running it. I think it's fair to assume that Brady, he just let Brady call the game because if they would have tried something else, you would think that he would have chimed in on the headset like, hey, let's throw a curveball here. But not only they not throw a curveball, they were like throwing BP fastballs. Mike, Carolina Panther fan here. I know we're still owned by Tepper and had the worst defense statistically in NFL history. I did not know that. But have we graduated from the little Porta Potty Panthers? It was a roller coaster for Canales and even Bryce did look like a real player in the last nine weeks. And it seems like him and Dan Morgan and the GM are aligned. What are your thoughts for those of you new to the show early on in the year when they look like one of the worst teams in the history of the sport? I nickname them the Porta Potty Panthers because they were so smelly. You know, like when you get into a Porta Potty in the summer and that humidity and that heat and even if you just need to take a leak and you look down and the toilet seats up and there's like Mount Everest down there of just disgustingness and that smell when you're trapped in there, even if it's just for 30 seconds or 45 seconds. I remember a couple years ago I went to Morgan Wallen at Chase Field in the heat of summer in Arizona, the Porta Potties. I mean it was, it was rough, man. It was rough. I saw one of the amateurs today at the Masters. He's actually from Arizona State. He's a Spanish kid. He, he went, he took a piss into the creek on like the 13th hole, which I can't imagine Augusta was cool with. But he said he really had to pee and he did it. So I would say yes, you graduated from the Port A Pond Panthers. And to me, the coolest part, if I'm a Panther fan, your team roster wise, pretty shitty last year should be vastly improved. Now. Does that mean nine, 10 wins? I don't know. But it did look early in the season like Bryce Young was headed to the ufl. I mean, it looked like he was an all time bust. Now I don't know if he's ever going to live up to being the Number one player in the. In the NFL draft, but he was really good. I watched a decent amount of you guys down the stretch like, he was a good player. So listen, you don't start from Nick Saban for multiple seasons without being really mentally tough. Like, I'm not the biggest to a guy as a player. I respect his mental toughness. If you play for Nick and start at any position, let alone quarterback, like, you got some serious shit to you. And I think Bryce kind of proved that last year of, like, not getting rid of me this easy, you think I'm going to fucking tap out. So congrats to him. What are your thoughts on a head coach and coordinator switching roles on a different team? Like Staley and Kellen Moore, who was the OC and head coach of the Chargers. Now more and Staler, the head Coach and the D.C. for the Saints. I just think it's like a little, I scratch your back, you scratch my back. You know, it's. It's a unique business where there aren't that many jobs. There are only 32 head coach, D.C. and OC jobs. So when a guy takes care of you, when you get fired, it does feel like guys take care of them on the. On the reverse. I think highly of Kellen Moore. I'm a big fan. I. Brandon Staley is one of my biggest red flags in my life, any walk of life, any industry, politics included. But he took care of care of Kellen. So I think Kellen kind of paid him back. I would not have done that. I'd hire someone. I didn't know who's good, but Kellen hired him. I don't even think Brandon State is that good of a defensive coordinator. He had one good year as a defensive coordinator with the Rams when they had Aaron Donald in the prime of his career, who's basically like Reggie White or Lawrence Taylor and Jalen Ramsey in the COVID season. But. And you got to be careful, like, if the defensive coordinator sucks, you're an offensive head coach as the play caller and gets you in trouble. Wonder if you watch McAfee and the Big Night Show. I'm a fan and love the show. Great guests, huge giveaways. Are you a McAfee fan? And if you think and if you watch the event, what do you think? I. I have a lot of admiration for what he's built. I mean, he started this thing from scratch, and he's built something that Disney has no control over. What a legend. And he's brought his buddies with him. Now, am I like a Daily Watcher. I'm not. There are certain interviews I definitely watch of them. I. I did watch some last night. I clicked on it when Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg came out. I'm like, this is awesome. I mean, Pat and Snoop, they were high. They were higher than a kite. I mean, Snoop hand in Pat and pass like dancing. I'm like, this is. Dude, sold out. An arena had Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg getting high on stage. I was like, this guy, man. And I watched when Parker McCollum came out and then Sidney Crosby and Roethlisberger. So, yeah, I got a lot of respect. And when the traditional media hates you, I'm just naturally gonna like you because I usually disagree and hate everything they like. And it does feel like that all those type hate Pat. Like, Pat's built something. Like, people love going on a show, love going on a show. It's really impressive what they built from scratch. I have had trouble trying to formulate this question, but I'm going to try to ask you. How do you separate team and city history regarding football? For example, I'm a Colts fan from Indy, and obviously the Colts used to be in Baltimore. So I do. I view the history of The Colts before 84 as Baltimore claim or Indianapolis claim to part of history. You can ask similar questions with the Browns, the Raiders and the Rams. What city claims, team history? It's a complicated question. I do think if the move happened before you were born and the team claims it, it's like if you're a Laker fan and they say they have whatever, 20 titles or whatever that number is 18. Some of those are from when, you know, when they were in Minnesota. I don't even know when they moved. 60s. Yeah. I mean, if you want to claim that, some people will make fun of you. I don't care. Now, if you're the Raider, like, if you're a Vegas Raider fan, it depends. Like, if you were an Oakland Raider fan and you're like 60 years old, you can claim everything, right? If you're like 15 years old and you live in Vegas and you're a Raider fan now because they moved, are you claiming, like, Rich Gannon? That's where it gets weird. If you're a rams fan in LA and you're like 30 years old, like, you don't get to pound your chest about Kurt Warner and Marshall Falk. So I think it depends. That's a good question. I also think those type things are kind of. I mean, that's like really nerdy argument when you're either really drunk or you just got way too much time on your hands. Like to me, when I, when I close my eyes and think the Colts, I think Harbaugh in the 90s, they actually drafted Marshall folk, Peyton Manning Luck. It also, you're right. I mean it depends how old you are. Johnny Unitis, big fan of the show. How does a team draft board look? Does a team have a list of 400 players ranked or is it more like a board with a few players at each team's projected pick with who they are happy to draft? Curious to hear your teams organize the board well, you wouldn't have it like organized by each pick because you could trade a lot. So you usually do it. You know, some teams do it by whether you're like a starter, a backup or you know, fringe guy. Most teams probably do it by rounds. The board that they kind of go off during the draft. When I was with the Eagles, we probably had more players than most teams. I always heard stories that the Patriots didn't have many players. I don't think it's 400. I would guess I'd have to text some people. Most a good team like the Chiefs or the Ravens would probably have a couple hundred players up there. Now there are going to be players that you go, hey, this guy is going to get drafted in the second round. This guy's going to be a fourth round pick, give or take, right? You know, going in the draft, like this guy's a draftable player and could get drafted in the top hunter picks, but he's not a scheme fit. He doesn't character, no issues. It's like this guy does not fit our team. So you could not put him on the board if you wanted. Again, there are dynamics with the owner. You know, if you don't have a magnet, it's like, did we evaluate this guy and the owner looks at everybody. So there are a lot of different variables. But 400 would be a lot because you don't have 400 guys in the draft that you would want. You would only have the guys up on the board that you would want to draft. So I think that number probably somewhere between 175 and 250 maybe, maybe closer to in the high twos because of undrafted free agents as well. Like you do get a lot of names like the fifth, sixth, seventh round and maybe you have less in the first couple rounds. So it can be weighted like it's. It should be really hard to be a top 100 player where it's like, most guys that are draft eligible that are kind of like in the mix to get drafted, they're going to be a ton of guys in the sixth, seventh, and undrafted free agent range. There's always a shitload of players there. So I also think the, like, I know the Eagles, I think they have a big digital board. So many things are going digitally now that when I was there, we had the magnet and you'd print it out and you kind of paste it on the magnet. Those things, I mean, we're probably in the next, I don't know, five years max. Those not even existing. So once you get to there, it's like it wouldn't even matter. You could just have a board. You could have as many players in the. In the system as you want. Now, you would have to know who you'd want to draft. So you'd have to create a board. But like, when you're putting it on the wall, like, he's either up there or he's not. Right. If it was digitally, I can kind of mess with that a little bit. With your background, could you do your own mock draft with the top five picks? Not what will happen, but what you think you would do as a gm? Let's do it right now. We'll just do a quick one. Titans. I would take quarterback. They don't have a quarterback. Their quarterback positions a joke. Their division sucks. If Cam Ward just turns out to be like, pretty good, doesn't even need to be like some star. If he's just a top 15 quarterback, you'd be in pretty good shape. So I think, I mean, who's the best quarterback they've had, like the last 20 years? It's like Ryan Tannehill. So I would take him at 2. Listen, I have a lot of respect for Travis Hunter, but we talk about this over and over. And assuming he's healthy, which I saw he got medically rechecked and they said it's healing well. I mean, let's face it, he's got. He's got a foot issue. So if the foot issue is a question mark, then clearly you take Travis Hunter. But assuming health, which you know, Drew Rosenhaus, of course he's going to say he's good if he's healthy. I would take Abdul Carter over Hunter, and at three, I'd take Travis Hunter if I was the Giants. So if I was the Browns, I'd take Carter and just be like, well, we already have Miles Garrett. Well, now I got two of them. Good luck passing against us. Travis Hunter three would be the easiest pick of all time. I don't know what the Patriots would do because there was a clear drop off. I wouldn't overthink it that much. Like, you know, I think there are a lot of question marks. Kelvin Banks, the offensive lineman from Texas. Will Campbell, the arm length because if he does become a guard over the next couple years, you would really regret taking him at 4 overall. Even if he's a good player. I'd probably just take like, I don't know, Mason Graham, maybe defensive tackle from Michigan. Jags. I don't know. Top four the fight for the jacket is on in Augusta. Get in on all the action at DraftKings Sportsbook from the opening round through championship Sunday, DraftKings Sportsbook has you covered with live betting, player props and so much more. Have you never bet on golf before? Don't worry, I got you covered. I love it and I do it all the time. You just have to pick a simple golfer to win the tourney and make your pick. It's that simple. They also got top tens, top twenties, head to head, a lot of different options. Here's something special for first timers. New DraftKings customers bet five bucks to get 150 in bonus bets instantly download the DraftKings sportsbook app and use the code JOHN. That's code JOHN for new customers to get 150 in bonus bets. When you bet just five bucks only on DraftKings, the crown is yours.
- [19:52]
Unknown
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- [20:22]
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- [21:23]
Jeremy Hobson
We live in a divided country. I am a lifelong Republican with all kinds of different people.
- [21:28]
John Middlekauff
You know, I'm a mother, I'm a grandmother.
- [21:31]
Jeremy Hobson
That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation.
- [21:39]
John Middlekauff
Anna, I'm calling from Las Veg.
- [21:41]
Jeremy Hobson
Each week we bring together an all star panel. Mark Cuban, so great to have you on the Middle.
- [21:46]
John Middlekauff
Thanks for having me.
- [21:47]
Nate Thompson
Jeremy.
- [21:47]
Jeremy Hobson
Neil Degrasse Tyson, welcome to the Middle.
- [21:49]
Nate Thompson
Thanks for having me.
- [21:50]
Jeremy Hobson
And hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country on the most important issues.
- [21:55]
John Middlekauff
Hi, my name is Venkat. I'm calling you from Atlanta, Georgia.
- [21:58]
Jeremy Hobson
And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news.
- [22:07]
Nate Thompson
We should be examining what our government spends its money on and are these jobs necessary and what are we doing here? But that doesn't seem to be what we're doing in this situation.
- [22:15]
Jeremy Hobson
Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [22:21]
Greg Rosenthal
What's up everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents the only podcast you'll need this NFL Drafts season. From DJ's Mock Drafts to my top 101, free agents will have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
- [22:51]
Nate Thompson
In 1978, Roger Karan's first book was published and he was unlike any first time author Canada had ever seen.
- [22:59]
John Middlekauff
Roger Caron was 16 when first convicted, has spent 24 of those years in jail, 12 years in solitary.
- [23:06]
Nate Thompson
He went from an ex con to a literary darling almost overnight.
- [23:11]
Jeremy Hobson
He was instantly a celebrity, he was.
- [23:14]
John Middlekauff
An adrenaline junkie and he was the.
- [23:17]
Greg Rosenthal
Star of the show.
- [23:18]
Nate Thompson
Go Boy is the gritty true story of how one man fought his way out of some of the darkest places imaginable.
- [23:25]
John Middlekauff
I had a knife go in my stomach, puncture my spleen, break my rib. I had my guts all in my.
- [23:30]
Nate Thompson
Hands, only to find himself back where he started.
- [23:33]
John Middlekauff
Roger's saying is, I've never hurt anybody but myself. And I said, oh, you're so wrong. You're so wrong on that one.
- [23:40]
Nate Thompson
Rod from Campside Media and iHeart Podcasts. Listen to GoBoy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
- [24:00]
John Middlekauff
Travis Hunter Being a two way player, it made me wonder, why don't more teams in the NFL have offensive packages for DBs? After all, they are typically the fastest and most, most athletic players on the field. You're assuming they can catch. Usually they play defensive back for a reason. They're not exactly Jamar Chase or CD Lamb when it comes to their hands. So I think most of these guys don't have great hands. And well, yeah, there are. A lot of them are fast. Most of the wide receivers are fast too. So unless you're like, Deion was clearly the fastest guy on the field, what Deion ran go routes. Like, what routes are these guys running? They're used to backpedaling. You know, as a wide receiver, you have to. You're running forward and then cutting right, left, or back. So are they training to run? Do they have good hands? Most of them, I would say average at best. And they're not training to run routes. So unless you're an absolute blazer, you know, Travis Hunter runs plays like he's played white. He's been playing wide receiver throughout college. Most of those guys haven't played wide receiver since high school when clearly they were the best player on the field. So I get what you're saying, but I think it's a little more complicated in in practice than it is in theory. Love the pod. All signs point to the 49ers paying Purdy, but my question is this. If Sanders is there at 11, why would they not take him? I think Brock is solid, but there are clearly limitations and we do not envision the Niners beating the top teams in the nfc Unless their team is stacked like it was the past few years. It is highly unlikely the roster will be as good again unless Purdy is willing to make 20 or 30 million. But even then it's still unlikely. Why not reset with a rookie contract and go with Sanders and see if he fits the Shanahan system or no? I think he fits the Shanahan system extremely well. If you think Sanders is Ready. Trade Purdy now for draft capital. And if you don't think he's ready, let him sit for a year while Purdy plays out the last year of his contract. If the Titans knew right now that Shedeur Sanders would be as good as Brock Purdy, they would draft Shador Sanders over Cam Ward. The notion that Shador Sanders will be as good as Brock Purdy to me is you're right about the business element to reset the franchise from a contract standpoint. Now Purdy, you know, he's been really cheap. Shador at pick 11, I don't know what probably make $25 million signing bonus, maybe a little less, but like four or five million dollars a year. I mean Purdy was making like a million a year. It just the unknown at that position, you just can't do it. You can't. And I do think they're going to get Purdy. I bet he ends up playing for less than people think would be my guess. But like teams in the NFC, I mean Dak Prescott was making $40 million for three years and they won 12 games. Jalen Hurts makes a shitload of money. They just won the Super Bowl. Jared Goff's on a massive contract like this is on Kyle and John. But build up the team. Purdy's proven if the team's good enough, you can win. Lions, Eagles, Rams, Cowboys, not last year, but they've all had high priced quarterbacks and they've won. Question about the Broncos. My question is around teams who really like a player, say around pick 10 to 12 like the Broncos did last year. But the players rated as a second round quarterback or a grade. If you really think that player is great, why not take him with the first pick knowing he's going to be an immediate starter. Sure it'll cost you a bit more and you'll probably not get a great draft grade, but look at the Lions. A few years ago they drafted Gibbs well before people thought because he was a perfect fit. I just don't understand why they take the chance on someone else drafting the player. Why don't think the Broncos viewed Bo Nix as a second round player? I think they viewed Bo Nix as one of the best players in the draft. I think the Lions came out and admitted like if we couldn't have got a trade partner, we were ready to take him at pick six. So. But there's a value, right? Why the lions trade from 6 to 12? Because they were pretty confident that Gibbs was still going to be there. If you are negotiating right now, I'M sure young people are listening that eventually you're either looking for a home or one day hopefully be able to buy a home. Well, you know, if just the homes listed for a 500k or 800k or $1,000,000, you don't have to pay that. And maybe depending on the supply and demand you can get it for cheaper or maybe you got to pay more. Well, that's the draft. So it's like this guy's my favorite player in the draft, but I'm pretty confident he's going to be there at pick 45. I wouldn't take the guy at pick 14. That's fucking terrible business. But if I love Jackson dart and I think he's worth the I like him somewhere 20 to 30, but I'm drafting at pick 14. But I don't draft again till the middle of the second round, I better highly contemplate taking him at 14 because he's not going to be there when I pick at 50. This is an economic exercise when you pick players. So what you said is 100% correct. If you love a player and you're like, well there's a little rich, like I don't think anyone's going to take him the next five picks, but he's probably going to go in the next 15 picks and we don't draft again for 30 picks and we don't have any ammo to trade back up. You got to think about taking that guy then. Now, depending on the position, it's like, well, is he a wide receiver? You can find other wide receivers. We're talking quarterback. You better be willing to pull the trigger. So like, yeah, a lot of people had second round grades on Bonix. Clearly, I mean that's not a lie. But the Broncos didn't. And Sean Payton and I also think it's easier, you know, when you're Sean Payton, when you're Andy Reid, when you're Sean McVeigh, like, I don't give a shit what John Middle Cop is going to say about me, what field Yates or Matt Miller or Dane Brugler or Lewis Riddick or anyone that likes talking about the draft is going to say a couple days after me. It does not Mel Kuiper. I don't give a flying you know what. But if you're some new don't have many pelts on the wall like the jets can. The jets just get crazy. You better be careful. Look at Raheem Morris last year. Like that was a little clunky, weird situation. And let's Face it, it already feels a little weird going into year two now if, if a guy, if Mike Tomlin had done that. So yeah, he's been doing this for 15, 17, 18, 20 years. So it kind of depends on your status of where you stand. Like whatever Kevin O'Connell wanted to do, whether it was keep Sam Darnold, whether it was sign Aaron Rodgers, whether it's go with jj. Like he's kind of earned the benefit of the doubt two of the last three years been really good. Like we think he knows what he's doing. Trying to think of a. Could Mike McDaniel pull that off? Probably not. Even though they both have the same amount of playoff wins. 0. What about the Chargers trading for Michael Mayer, the tight end the Raiders drafted at 35 two years ago. I bet Pete is wanting to grab more picks, maybe a fourth rounder of ours. I think Pete went to the Seahawks. He traded Marshawn for a fourth. He traded for Marshawn. He did. I just don't think the Raiders are trading with the Chargers. It's one thing on the clock or during the draft to make trades with picks. I don't think you're trading a player. Pete Carroll's doing a deal with Jim Harbaugh. I just. And I don't think you can like if you're the Raiders and you are willing to trade Mayor to another team, you're not trading Sean Payton or Jim Harbaugh or Andy Reid. He's just not getting traded there. Could have traded him the jets or something for sure. You keep him in the afc, but you're not trading them to one of those teams unless they're willing to give you super high pick and they're just not going to love the pod. Listening all the way from the uk. I appreciate you. My question is how did you meet Coward and build a good relationship with him? I think I met him on. I don't think I met him through Twitter. I think we DM'd probably like 2014 ish, 15 ish maybe. And he had me on it. It would have been 14 because I went on his ESPN radio show for several years. He would just have me on as a guest and. And then yeah, that's. I think we met online. Slid into my dm. So I slid into his because when I was doing radio stuff Phil Savage and Louis Riddick were working at ESPN and they would go on Coward show. So he started following me and you know, there was a lot of connections there and Colin just liked football so started having me on you know what's crazy is like, you go on a show now, it's a television show. Back then you would just call in. This isn't that long ago. This is like 14 and 15 in ESPN radio. And he was their biggest radio star. Shows you how much shit has changed. You listen to ESPN Radio now, fucking things gonna fold. Okay, Joshua. I'm a Lions fan and it feels like Brad Holmes is betting on continually or betting on continuity this year. Basically running it back. A lot of fans wanted a slash move, especially at Edge. But with upcoming extensions for Hutchinson, Branch and Kirby, I get why they're playing it safe. Curious to hear your take. Do you prefer the long term window approach, keeping the roster deep and sustainable for multiple shots, or would you lean toward going all in? Listen, I always, I will always support any GM that wants to take a very, very bold move trading a bunch of picks for an established player. The Rams did it multiple times. You know, teams that have traded for Tyree Kill and Devonte Adams. Like, I always understand why these moves happen, but it takes two to tango. Like, the reason that Devonte Adams ended up on the Raiders is because, like, the packers were willing to trade him. The reason the niners landed, Christian McCaffrey is like, he was available. So I hate. And listen, I talked about this too. It's like, go get Miles Garrett or Max crosby. Well, those two guys got to combine like $250 million. They clearly were not available. If Matt, if Miles Garrett was available and they didn't make, if not the best offer, like one of the best offers, then yeah, I think you could be critical of them. Both those guys resigned and those were the two guys we kept talking about. Who else? Like, who else are you trading for? So I have a hard time criticizing them at all. I just don't. I don't think there was any available options. Another Lions fan question. I feel like we're totally underrated and overlooked. Why are they easy to disrespect? Was it the history? Golf, kneecaps? I think your guys are pretty highly thought of. I think when people say best teams in the nfc, Eagles are unanimous, first pick. Right now I feel like the Lions are really, really high up there. It's like you get a little pass issue, a million injuries. Now I do think it's fair. Two new coordinators, but they got to have one of the best rosters in the NFL. I mean, all the guys are coming back. I think your history for sure. I mean, you guys were pretty bad for a long time. Can't Help. But I don't think it's. I think I'd be pretty excited if I was a Lions fan. Why is nobody talking about the Commanders as a candidate for a sophomore slump? They remind me of the Texans last year coming off a great season. Rookie head coach and quarterback Dan Quinn's not a rookie head coach, but I hear what you're saying. I know the Commanders made it to the title game, but the Texans also won a playoff game in their first year. The nfc, the NFC east will have three good teams and the Commanders are on a second place schedule. So it feels like they are poised for some regression. Not to mention everyone having more film on Jaden. Progression is not linear. I do think it's hard to guess regression teams. Like, I look at the Texans this year, I thought they were going to be good. They had Daniel Hunter. You just thought like they were poised. You know, CJ would take a next step. Turns out their offensive line sucked. What's his name? Tank Dell shatters his leg again. They clearly just weren't. They couldn't run the ball. I didn't see that coming. I mean, I had a bet on them to have the number one overall seed. So I guess sometimes it's like stocks. You gotta. When everyone is betting, you gotta fade. I almost, I had been. I have a little bet on Rory, but I was going to place one of the biggest wagers I ever have made on a golf tournament on at least on an individual to win the last 24 hours. But everything I listened to was like, Rory's going to win the Masters. Rory's going to win the Masters. Rory's going to win the Masters. And listen, I've, I've lived long enough when everyone thinks one thing is going to happen when it comes to sports, when it comes to stocks, when it comes to just betting on something, that's usually when you get cautious, like when everyone's freaking out. Stock market, that's when you buy. Now everyone's freaking out, like, the Dolphins are probably gonna suck. Like, I agree. But it was like, I don't. So I got cold feet and I didn't do it. And I'm glad because we double bogeyed two of the last, like four holes and shot even par. But the Commanders are going to be one of those teams that everyone's going to pick next year to be really, really good. It's like, I'm not going to. I kind of agree. Like, we have two years now of Jaden playing at high level. LSU two years ago dominated SEC best player in the country by far last year. I mean, it was pretty remarkable to watch. And to me, it's not just like freelance plays like desean. When he was at Houston and had, like, his breakout years, he was really good, but a lot of it was like outside the pocket. He was a great playmaker. He was just a great, instinctive playmaker outside the tackles. A little like Russell Wilson. He was. He was like a young version of prime Russell Wilson. Immediately desean was. But that's not that sustainable all the time. And then he lost his mojo, and those plays don't happen anymore. You watch him now. He sucks. Jaden is not like some Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, freelance player. Sit him in the pocket, throw darts like he's Mahomes or Josh Allen or Matt Stafford. So it's like the way he plays now. You would say the same thing for cj CJ Was a pocket quarterback, and it just. It was just off. But Kingsbury has been calling plays for a lot longer now. His scheme makes me a little nervous, but Yad Debo, Yad Tunzel, Terry's a really good player. You think their defense is going to be better? I mean, Dan Quinn's been doing this for a long time. I could see this happening, them not being in the NFC title game, but having another playoff year.
- [40:11]
Jeremy Hobson
We live in a divided country. I am a lifelong Republican with all kinds of different people.
- [40:17]
John Middlekauff
You know, I'm a mother, I'm a grandmother.
- [40:19]
Jeremy Hobson
That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation.
- [40:27]
John Middlekauff
Anna, I'm calling from Las Vegas.
- [40:30]
Jeremy Hobson
Each week we bring together an all star panel. Mark Cuban, so great to have you on the Middle.
- [40:35]
Nate Thompson
Thanks for having me, Jeremy.
- [40:36]
Jeremy Hobson
Neil Degrasse Tyson. Welcome to the Middle.
- [40:38]
Nate Thompson
Thanks for having me.
- [40:39]
Jeremy Hobson
And hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country on the most important issues.
- [40:43]
John Middlekauff
Hi, my name is Venkat. I'm calling you from Atlanta, Georgia.
- [40:47]
Jeremy Hobson
And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news.
- [40:55]
Nate Thompson
We should be examining what our government spends its money on and are these jobs necessary? And what are we doing here? But that doesn't seem to be what we're doing in this situation.
- [41:03]
Jeremy Hobson
Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [41:10]
Greg Rosenthal
What's up, everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal and I'm teaming up with the king of spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs mock drafts to my top 101, free agents will have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. We ready to fight? I'm ready to fight.
- [41:42]
John Middlekauff
Is that what I thought it was? Oh, this is Fighting Words.
- [41:44]
Greg Rosenthal
Okay, I'll put the hammer back.
- [41:49]
John Middlekauff
Hi, I'm George M. Johnson, a best selling author with the second most banned book in America. Now more than ever, we need to use our voices to fight back. And that's what we are doing on Fighting Words. We're not going to let anyone silence us. That's the reason why they're banning books like yours, George.
- [42:08]
Nate Thompson
That's the reason why they're trying to.
- [42:10]
John Middlekauff
Stop the teaching of black history or queer history, any history that challenges the whitewashed norm or put us in a box.
- [42:17]
Jemele Hill
Black people have never, ever depended on the so called mainstream to support us. That's why we are great. We are the greatest culture makers in world history.
- [42:29]
John Middlekauff
Listen to Fighting Words on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
- [42:40]
Unknown
You have to be very careful with tradition because sometimes tradition is just dead people's baggage.
- [42:45]
Jemele Hill
I'm Jemele Hill, host of the sports and politics podcast Spolitics. On this week's episode, I talk with comedian and CNN host Roy Wood Jr. About the lack of African American star power in Major League Baseball.
- [42:57]
Unknown
Baseball needs an Anthony Edwards and I don't know who that could be. Mookie Betts is Steph Curry. He's exceptional and likable. Million dollar smile, that's important. But you also need chaos Negro. You need.
- [43:17]
Jemele Hill
So you think Anthony Edwards is a chaos agent?
- [43:19]
Unknown
He told. He talked. You saw the clip of him talking to Obama. He was talking to Obama like that was his little brother. Oh yeah, you. Oh what you did? You killed Bin Laden. That's what's up.
- [43:27]
Jemele Hill
Listen to Spolitics on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
- [43:41]
John Middlekauff
Here's my theory as to why every. As to why people are so worked up over the nil. It has everything to do with fans investment in a singular team. I would argue that 90% of college football fans are captivated with one team and they know about the other teams through the media that they consume and watching games. As someone who doesn't have a strong allegiance to a huge school, I think it makes perfect sense if you are way less worried about Nil. I totally agree and I think you're right. Right. I mean most people I know that are die hard fans of a given team, a decent amount of them went to that school or they grew up either in that area or their dad or parents or someone went to that school. Right. You're right. They have a connection. So who's not freaking out about Nil? Texas fans, Ohio State fans, Oregon fans. Like there is Michigan fans, Penn State fans. Like all the teams buying all the sweet players, Miami fans, Georgia fans, not really losing anybody beside the top like six, seven teams. Notre Dame feels like pretty cocky right now. Bama, lsu, some of these other teams kind of just feel a little on itch. It's like this, this used to be a little easier. Usc, right. And obviously if you're a fan of like that second tier like Wisconsin, Iowa, trying to think, you know, Boston College, I don't even know, I wouldn't put them on equal, but you know what I mean? It's like God, is this a Mississippi State? Is this a fair fight? And the answer is no. So I'm totally with you. Like if it was the NFL, if Steeler fans like hey, this off season TJ and Minka just left. Minka signed with the Kansas City Chiefs and TJ went to the Rams, like what are you talking about? I'm like oh yeah, the the NFL for a year out of the transfer portal and your contract doesn't count. He'd be like, what? People would be furious. So I think, I think you hit the nail on the head. And as someone that like you said, I don't have allegiance to any of these schools, I'm a Cal Poly Fresno State guy. I feel for Fresno State, but I also don't really feel bad like they, you know, the Fresno States just aren't on the tier with these other programs. I honestly like I would have had no problem. Now Boise deserved to make it last year, but like the non power 4 should not get a guaranteed seat at the table. I'd even argue like the Big 12, you shouldn't be guaranteed a team and Arizona State showed out well and I respect them what they did last year but I think on a yearly basis if you go like 10 and three, just because you win the Big 12 doesn't mean that you get a seat at the table. You say the same thing for the acc. It was pretty bad last year. Now if you're a, if you are a Miami fan or a fan of one of these other programs, you'd be like, shut up John. We're getting automatic bids. We should get multiple teams. It's like, yeah, okay, I hear you. Well then I watch SMU play Penn State and look like JV versus Varsity. Like I don't want to watch that. I care about being entertained. So I hear you. Good email. Have a great day, adios and enjoy the weekend.
- [47:19]
Julie Swearingen
The Volume.
- [47:23]
John Middlekauff
Whether you're teeing off, headed into the office, or kicking back to watch the big game, Travis Matthew has you covered. They create versatile apparel designed to make you look and feel your best wherever life takes you. From performance driven styles to everyday essentials for men and women, Travis Matthew bridges the gap between style and comfort I was just in Nashville, got married and we had some parties to attend. I rocked the Travis Matthew jeans the entire time. Extremely versatile, can wear with tennis shoes, with dress shoes, with boots. The style makes me look better. Ready to elevate your everyday? Visit travismathieu.com and get 20% off your first order when you sign up for email.
- [48:03]
Julie Swearingen
With the American Express Gold Card, I can earn four times Membership Rewards points at US Supermarkets. So I'll grab some chili oil points. Tent fish packed with points. Bucatini. That's a lot of points. Heirloom tomatoes, perfectly ripe and packed with points. Get more than just your groceries with the American Express Gold Card. Learn more@americanexpress.com US Explore Gold Terms and Points Cap Apply we live in a.
- [48:33]
Jeremy Hobson
Divided country, and our media couldn't be more polarizing. That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation. Each week, we hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country. And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news. Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [49:03]
Greg Rosenthal
What's up everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal, and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents. The only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs, mock drafts to my top 101 free agents will have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday, keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.