The Herd with Colin Cowherd: “3 & Out – Massive Mailbag, Can KC Win Out, is Drake Maye the Next Josh Allen?”

Date: November 1, 2025
Host: John Middlekauff (The Volume)

Overview

This episode of “3 & Out” features John Middlekauff diving into a massive listener mailbag, tackling topics ranging from the Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff prospects and Drake Maye’s NFL potential to questions about rookie financial guidance, coaching pressure, announcer preferences, and broader trends across the NFL. With his personal style—blunt, rapid-fire, and insightful—Middlekauff offers takes on quarterback development, franchise turbulence, the state of sports media, and why being a hater is sometimes necessary for sports culture.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Can the Chiefs Win Out?

• Timestamp: 03:06 – 04:30
• Middlekauff’s Take:
  • Winning out (going 14-3) is likely unrealistic given the tough nature of NFL division games.
  • Expects the Chiefs to drop a game to the Broncos, but see them as a 12-5 team with high playoff potential:

    “In the NFL… division games are really hard. I could see them splitting with the Broncos. Chiefs feel like 12-5 now… they have a higher ceiling than I think they’ve had in years.” (04:10)

2. Drake Maye: The Next Josh Allen?

• Timestamp: 04:40 – 06:37
• Key Points:
  • Maye’s comparison to Allen seems premature—Allen is a dominant, proven talent.
  • High draft picks get hyped for single great plays; late-rounders like Purdy or Cousins must earn respect over years.
  • Maye is excelling but lacks top-tier weapons; still, the hype is real (“Nick Saban offered him $5 million to be their quarterback”).
  • Maye could be very good, but the Allen comp is a reach for now.

3. Do NFL Teams Help Rookies with Financial Advice?

• Timestamp: 06:38 – 08:16
• Summary:
  • NFL teams provide some support (often a former player leads “development”), but at the end of the day, this is not their job.
  • The primary responsibility lies with agents:

    “The agent who you’re literally paying should be all over that to help you out.” (08:00)

  • Players, especially young men flush with cash, are naturally prone to bad decisions—part of life.

4. Kevin O’Connell & The Vikings: Locker Room Issues

• Timestamp: 08:20 – 12:12
• Main Thoughts:
  • If O’Connell babies a struggling high-draft QB (J.J. McCarthy), he risks locker room resentment.
  • In the NFL, coaches must pivot quickly from their draft misses to preserve credibility (“You cannot let a missed draft pick on a quarterback sink the ship.”).
  • Cites examples: Shanahan pivoted quickly from failed QBs; Belichick is cold-blooded about personnel.
  • O’Connell is financially secure but will be under pressure if results don’t improve.

5. Favorite Commentators & Broadcast Trends

• Timestamp: 12:25 – 18:40
• Highlights:
  • Aikman is preferred for his edge and honesty.
  • “Collinsworth enjoys football,” maybe over-the-top, but genuine.
  • Romo and Nantz are easy “hangs,” though Romo is sometimes “over the top.”
  • Lower-tier NFL broadcasts? “Pretty bad.”
  • College game broadcasters get high praise—Herbstreit, Billis, Klatt, Palmer:

    “I feel pretty confident… college has better broadcast than the NFL. Not the graphics, just the actual people in the chair.” (17:10)

6. Sports Gambling and Scandals

• Timestamp: 18:48 – 21:38
• Viewpoint:
  • Human officiating is a huge part of sport—NFL is nearly impossible to “rig”; mistakes are visible and, if egregious, should bring firings.
  • NBA easier to manipulate, and Chauncey Billups’s scandal proves it.
  • Part of the fun in gambling is NFL’s unpredictability:

    “It’s impossible to rig NFL games now… maybe I’m naïve.” (20:32)

7. Browns Roster Strategy Post-Watson

• Timestamp: 21:40 – 24:38
• Key Points:
  • “You can never start Deshaun Watson again. That ship hasn’t just sailed… it’s 100% done.” (22:20)
  • Stefanski seems unable to adapt to backup QBs; the franchise is described as “effed up.”
  • Suggests Browns should focus on rebuilding with O-line and WRs in the draft rather than chasing QBs in a broken situation.

8. Why Hate Ohio State? (And The Value of Haters)

• Timestamp: 24:39 – 28:21
• Middlekauff’s Rationale:
  • Every sport needs hated elite teams to drive engagement and emotion, even irrational.
  • “I have no reason to hate them. I just kind of do…I just don’t like Ohio State football. I’m just rooting for you guys to lose. I need someone to root against.” (27:55)
  • Cites Howard Stern’s logic: haters double the audience.

9. Caleb Williams (Bears) and The Death of Patience

• Timestamp: 28:15 – 30:25
• Insight:
  • Benching Caleb Williams, the #1 pick, before his rookie year ends would be a disaster—no team would recover that relationship.
  • Society is less patient because there’s so much more at stake now (“If you want the softball girls to have cleats, we got to win football”).
  • “Time isn’t on anybody’s side—welcome to 2025.” (29:42)

10. Are The Bills Overrated?

• Timestamp: 30:25 – 31:43
• Thoughts:
  • Bills’ wins are mostly against terrible teams; this upcoming slate is their test.
  • Regular season wins over contenders don’t matter if not backed up in the playoffs:

    “Hasn’t amounted to shit when it mattered in January.” (31:38)

11. The Future of Number-One WRs and the NFL Trade Market

• Timestamp: 31:44 – 36:20
• WR Value:
  • “The money’s out of whack”—WRs make far more than RBs or TEs, despite those often being more impactful.
• NFL Trades:
  • GMs overvalue draft picks, often balking at giving up 2nd/3rd rounders for proven stars, hence limited in-season trades.
  • Cap considerations matter, but it’s mostly the “value” of money and future upside keeping trades rare.

12. Howie Roseman: Old vs. New

• Timestamp: 36:20 – 39:08
• Comparison:
  • Early career: less power, more interference (Joe Banner, Chip Kelly).
  • Post-2017: Roseman gained huge control, outlasted coaches, and made better personnel moves.
  • Success correlates with GM authority and learning from early chaos.

13. Why Don’t Running Backs Win MVP?

• Timestamp: 39:08 – 40:05
• Take:
  • Running backs like Jonathan Taylor have no real shot—award might as well be called “Quarterback MVP.”
  • “Just feels like the standard practice moving forward.” (39:52)

14. Why California Gets So Many Super Bowls

• Timestamp: 40:06 – 42:58
• Answer:
  • Warm weather, big cities, and stadium quality keep California in the rotation.
  • Miami, New Orleans, Arizona are always likely—“If the Super Bowl just stayed three places… I don’t think anyone would complain.”
  • Weather and city pull matter more than fairness or history.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You cannot let a missed draft pick on a quarterback sink the ship… if you do, everyone will be fired.” (Middlekauff, 10:03)
• “I just don’t like Ohio State football. I’m just rooting for you guys to lose. I need someone to root against.” (27:55)
• “You can never start Deshaun Watson again. That ship hasn’t just sailed… it’s 100% done.” (22:20)
• “If you want the softball girls to have cleats on their shoes, we got to win football.” (29:25)
• “The agent who you’re literally paying should be all over that to help you out.” (08:00)
• “It’s impossible to rig NFL games now… maybe I’m naïve.” (20:32)
• “I feel pretty confident… college has better broadcast than the NFL.” (17:10)
• “The money’s out of whack.” (32:30)

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------|---------------| | Chiefs Win Out? | 03:06–04:30 | | Drake Maye/Allen Comparison | 04:40–06:37 | | Rookie Financial Advising | 06:38–08:16 | | Vikings/O’Connell Locker Room | 08:20–12:12 | | Favorite Announcers/Broadcast Trends | 12:25–18:40 | | Gambling & NBA Scandal | 18:48–21:38 | | Browns Strategy Post-Watson | 21:40–24:38 | | Ohio State, Haters & Sports Fandom | 24:39–28:21 | | Caleb Williams/Patience | 28:15–30:25 | | Are the Bills Overrated? | 30:25–31:43 | | WR Value/Trade Market | 31:44–36:20 | | Howie Roseman | 36:20–39:08 | | RBs and MVP | 39:08–40:05 | | Super Bowl Site Selection | 40:06–42:58 |

Tone and Style

Middlekauff’s tone throughout is direct, conversational, and unfiltered. He draws on both experience (“when I was a scout”) and anecdotal observation, mixing in humor and frank, sometimes cold, reality checks (“That ship hasn’t just sailed…”).

Useful for Non-Listeners

This episode is a wide-angle snapshot of hot-button NFL and college football debates heading into November, full of practical team-building insights, fandom philosophies, and blunt front-office wisdom. Middlekauff keeps it real and rapid-fire—engaging anyone seeking both expertise and strong opinions on football’s present and future.