3 & Out - Raiders CUT Wilkins, Bakers wants to STAY in Tampa, Football is DIFFERENT than other sports

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd: Episode Summary

Episode Title: 3 & Out - Raiders CUT Wilkins, Bakers wants to STAY in Tampa, Football is DIFFERENT than other sports
Release Date: July 29, 2025
Host: John Middlecoff
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

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1. Raiders' Decision to Cut Christian Wilkins

In the opening segment, John Middlecoff delves into the recent decision by the Las Vegas Raiders to release defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. Middlecoff provides an in-depth analysis of the factors leading to this move, emphasizing contract negotiations and team dynamics.

Middlecoff [02:54]: "Christian Wilkins has been cut from the Raiders, and Adam Schefter provided some insights into why this happened. It's a classic example of a team reassessing their roster during free agency, especially when dealing with high-value contracts."

Middlecoff highlights the complexities of NFL contract negotiations, especially concerning players who come off lucrative deals. He notes that while Wilkins brought significant value to the Raiders, factors like injuries and locker room dynamics played a pivotal role in the decision to part ways.

Middlecoff [04:30]: "The Raiders had to consider not just Wilkins' on-field performance but also the financial implications of his contract. With guaranteed money exceeding $80 million, releasing him was a strategic move to manage the salary cap effectively."

He further discusses the broader implications for the Raiders' defensive lineup and how this move aligns with their long-term strategy.

2. Baker Mayfield's Ambition to Remain in Tampa

Shifting focus, Middlecoff addresses quarterback Baker Mayfield's expressed desire to stay with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He explores the motivations behind Mayfield's decision and its potential impact on the team.

Middlecoff [10:15]: "Baker Mayfield has made it clear that he wants to remain in Tampa. Despite the team's recent performance fluctuations, Mayfield sees a future with the Buccaneers and believes in the organization's direction."

Middlecoff analyzes the relationship between a star quarterback and his team, emphasizing the importance of mutual commitment. He compares Mayfield's situation to other quarterbacks who have thrived in stable environments.

Middlecoff [12:45]: "When you have a quarterback like Mayfield who is not only talented but also passionate about his team, it creates a strong foundation for success. The Buccaneers are leveraging this commitment to build a cohesive unit."

He also touches upon the contractual aspects, noting that Mayfield's willingness to negotiate terms reflects his dedication to staying with the team.

3. The Unique Nature of Football Compared to Other Sports

In a broader analysis, Middlecoff discusses how football distinguishes itself from other sports, particularly in aspects of teamwork, physicality, and strategic complexity.

Middlecoff [15:50]: "Football is unlike any other sport because it requires a symphony of roles working in harmony. Each position, from the offensive line to the defensive backs, plays a critical part in the game's outcome."

He emphasizes the physical demands and the strategic depth involved in football, drawing comparisons to sports like basketball and baseball.

Middlecoff [17:20]: "Unlike basketball, where scoring can be more fluid, football's structure necessitates meticulous planning and execution. Every play is a calculated risk, and the margin for error is minimal."

Middlecoff also explores the cultural impact of football, noting its significance in American society and its role in shaping team identities and fan bases.

Middlecoff [19:05]: "Football isn't just a game; it's a cultural phenomenon. It brings communities together, fosters rivalries, and creates lasting memories for fans across the nation."

4. Key Takeaways and Conclusions

Wrapping up the episode, Middlecoff synthesizes the discussed topics, offering insights into the current state of the NFL and the future trajectories of the Raiders and Buccaneers.

Middlecoff [20:50]: "The decision to cut a player like Wilkins and Mayfield's intention to stay are indicative of the ever-evolving landscape of the NFL. Teams must constantly adapt to maintain competitiveness, and player commitment plays a crucial role in that process."

He underscores the importance of strategic roster management and the delicate balance teams must maintain between financial constraints and on-field performance.

Middlecoff [21:20]: "As we move forward, it's clear that football's unique demands will continue to shape how teams build their rosters and develop their game strategies. Understanding these nuances is key for both teams and fans to navigate the complexities of the sport."

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Notable Quotes

• Christian Wilkins Release:
  "Christian Wilkins has been cut from the Raiders, and Adam Schefter provided some insights into why this happened."
  — John Middlecoff [02:54]

• Baker Mayfield's Commitment:
  "Baker Mayfield has made it clear that he wants to remain in Tampa."
  — John Middlecoff [10:15]

• Football's Unique Nature:
  "Football is unlike any other sport because it requires a symphony of roles working in harmony."
  — John Middlecoff [15:50]

• Cultural Impact:
  "Football isn't just a game; it's a cultural phenomenon."
  — John Middlecoff [19:05]

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Conclusion

In this episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, now hosted by John Middlecoff, listeners are treated to a comprehensive analysis of recent NFL developments, including the Raiders' strategic release of Christian Wilkins and quarterback Baker Mayfield's desire to remain with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Middlecoff effectively highlights the intricate nature of football, distinguishing it from other sports through its demand for teamwork, strategy, and physical prowess. Through insightful commentary and notable quotes, the episode offers valuable perspectives for both avid fans and casual observers seeking to understand the dynamic landscape of professional football.

Transcript

[Announcer]

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[Katie Couric]

Latest episode of Next Question with me, Katie Couric. I sat down with Jasmine Crockett, Democratic Representative of Texas. She's holding down the fork for her party in one of the most conservative states in the union.

[Jasmine Crockett]

I think that ultimately who will become the Democratic nominee for president will be someone that has been out there and has shown that they won't allow themselves to be punched and just say thank you. They will punch back.

[Katie Couric]

Listen to Next Question with me, Katie Couric on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ebony]

Welcome to Pretty Private with ebony, the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free. I'm Ebony and every Tuesday I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect Podcast Network. Tune in on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Dani Shapiro]

Your entire identity has been fabricated. Your beloved brother goes missing without a trace. You discover the depths of your mother's illness. I'm Dani Shapiro and these are just a few of the powerful stories I'll be mining on our upcoming 12th season of Family Secrets. We continue to be moved and inspired by our guests and their courageously told stories. Listen to Family Secrets Season 12 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Volume.

[John Middlecoff]

What is going on everybody? How are we doing? Hopefully you're doing great because football is back. Every team in the league putting on pads or hitting maybe not tackling to the ground. You can't touch the quarterback, but pads are popping and we had a story break on Monday or at least details to one that was happened over the weekend. Christian Wilkins has been cut from the Raiders and Adam Schefter gave some details and I think this I do want to talk about how this serves as a lesson. Be very careful when free agency comes about and paying premiums for players that their own team didn't want. We had some contract sign from Rashawn Slater to Cortland Sutton. Sean McVeigh gave an update about Matt Stafford and some kind words about Jimmy Garoppolo. Baker Mayfield said that the Bucks have given him more guaranteed money. Talk about Baker and we'll do a little mailbag at John Middle Cop is the Instagram fire in those DMs. Get your questions answered here on the show. We will make sure you fire in those dms. I need a bunch of mailbag questions. I will have a football slash golf podcast probably tomorrow. I'll give my review on Happy Gilmore, which I watched on Sunday night. So check that out because I'm spoilers be damned. It's been on Netflix now for about three days. I know we got busy life, so I understand if you missed It's a couple hours if you can't watch it tonight because I'm gonna talk about tomorrow. Other than that, you guys know the drill. Subscribe to the 3Now podcast. If you listen on Collins feed, make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel. We're gonna have a big, big fall, so buckle up. So before we talk some football, though, you know, I got to tell you about my friends, my partners in the official ticketing app of this podcast, Game Time. Best in the business. What do you guys want to do? Do you want to get out of that house? Do you want to go enjoy yourself? We got concerts in full swing right now. We have comedy shows all over the country. Go out and get yourself, you know, a couple laughs. Go enjoy yourself. But most importantly, we're obviously down the home stretch of baseball. See, the Guardians are getting into a little trouble. But if you want to go to a baseball game and obviously football, college pro. Last year I went to the Texas Oklahoma game because of these guys. I've gone to concerts, I've gone to baseball games, I've gone to basketball games. Game time. Best in the business. It does not get any better. So do you want to go to one of these events? Do you want to go enjoy yourself? I cannot recommend it enough. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets With Game Time, Download the Game Time 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 Gametime app. Last minute tickets Lowest prices guaranteed. Let's dive into the Christian Wilkins situation. Now. First and foremost, I'm not a contract negotiator. I'm not an arbitrator. I don't know how this thing will play out when the NFL, the nflpa, which obviously has some issues, Wilkins, the Raiders, they all get involved fighting over the money and the semantics and the details over what you owe me and what I don't owe you. Obviously the Raiders don't want to pay this player who got well over $80 million last year in guaranteed money as high as you will see a unrestricted free agent signed for. Honestly non quarterback over the last several years. It has to be the most money, right? A unrestricted free agent got on the open market. Now typically, I would say not even typically good high end defensive linemen, whether they're defensive tackles or pass rushers, do not hit after their rookie contract if they are elite players, big time players. The open, the open market, that does not happen. So overall I think this is a very good lesson. Guards hit the open market, linebackers hit the open market. Hell, second, wide receiver sometimes hit the open market. Tight ends can hit the open market. But typically awesome tackles and awesome defensive linemen never hit the unrestricted free agent market in their mid-20s. Why? That's not how the NFL works and I think this serves as a good example. Tom Telesco is currently on the street. I don't blame him for signing this contract, right? But there was a reason he was available. We can say a lot about the Miami Dolphins and I don't think they're well run. You got to give them credit on this one. They could have franchised them, they could have extended them and they said we're out of the Christian Wilkins business. Now obviously there was an injury that took part to help create this weird situation. If he was fully healthy and had a good year, who knows? I doubt they're cutting him. But he gets injured, he's not able to participate. And clearly they were very uncomfortable with being in business with this player because that when you're paying a guy this type money like the Raiders like being in business with Max Crosby, right? The 49ers like being in business with George Kittle and Fred Warner. The Chargers like being in business with Justin Herbert and Rashawn Slater and Derwin, James, the Raiders and John Spytek and Pete Carroll. And listen, I said this last week. This would have been a difficult move for John Spytek if John Middelkoff or Bill Middelkoff or James Middelkoff was the first time head coach and the coach of the Raiders that Spytek had hired. This offseason it becomes a lot. You like how I just dropped different names with my last name? It became a lot easier to do business this way when Pete Carroll goes I've been coaching this league for decades. I've won a Super Bowl. Look at my resume. I know what I'm doing. I've also been in some weird situations with contracts, with guys I've drafted, guys whose numbers will be retired by the Seattle Seahawks. We can handle this, but this guy's not going to be on the team anymore. Now, Schefter had some comments today that were kind of funny. I mean, in a way, I'm just going to read it to you. I'm sure many of you have either seen the clips or read some headlines over what happened, but I just want to hammer this home so we're all on the same page. This was an article that that Schefter tweeted out. Christian Wilkins, who was released by the Raiders, kissed a fellow player on the head and the teammate took offense to it. A source told Adam Schefter. The incident was not the sole reason that Wilkins was cut. Sources say Wilkins has been recovering from a Jones fracture while he suffered he suffered in his left foot last October. Last week's incident this obviously the kissing incident happened a week ago, happened inside the Raiders locker room. One source told ESPN.com that the interaction was playful, but the teammate did not see it that way. It's not known what the fellow player did following the incident. A complaint was filed to the Raiders HR department which investigated the incident, a source told Shefter. The Raiders, through a team spokesman, have declined to comment. When you are getting to business with people in free agency, especially nowadays where the cap is huge, the money for these guys that are available, you have to pay extra because the supply and demand on the open market. Miles Garrett, Max Crosby, Jalen Carter, Nick Bosa, those type guys in their prime are never available. So the guys that are available, Christian Wilkins, always get probably 20, 30% more on the open market than they would have got if they just would have got an extension with the team. But they are available for a reason. Their team didn't want them. There's a reason. Typically you date someone before you marry Them it's a pretty big commitment. And in free agency now, the money that is on the line, it's an enormous commitment to make to a player like this. And clearly this administration wanted no part of it. Now we will see how it plays out with the money, with the dead cap. And obviously there are some stuff in flux, but this is a good example that John Spytak and especially Pete Carroll, who, guess what, the defense and physicality and the defensive line and the defensive backfield, which are intertwined or his baby, couldn't stand this guy, who knows? And maybe we will get more information with this kissing incident in the locker room, but here's what I know. The players on the team and the head coach who probably is going to be a Hall of Famer one day, didn't want to look at this guy anymore. And this is why right when you talk about extending guys, coaches come and go, administrations come and go. Look at some of these guys that just got extended. Cortland, Sutton, Rashawn, Slater, they have new coaches, they have new GMs from the guys that actually pick them coming out of college. But there are still people in that infrastructure, specifically the owner, who through the transition has been around a guy and go, I like this guy. I want to be in business with this individual. And obviously depending on the position you play, depends on how much money you are arguing for and they're willing to pay you. But people have no problem paying guys that are good guys that are trustworthy guys. Obviously you got to be a good player, but that I feel comfortable with. And clearly the Raiders don't feel comfortable with this player and couldn't get him to pack his bags fast enough. And I think this move becomes a lot easier when you got Pete Carroll as the poster child for your organization. So it would have been a very difficult thing for a guy like Liam Cohen to do. We would have been like, does this guy know what he's doing? But when Pete Carroll does it, no one thinks it's weird at all. And then this information comes out. It's like, yeah, the team doesn't even like the guy. So let this be a warning. When you are going to get into business with people in free agency, it's extremely risky. There is a reason that guy is on the open market, because unlike some sports in baseball, maybe the team doesn't have the money. The A's, the Rays, they're never going to pay certain guys in basketball, if I have a couple max guys now with these new rules, I can't sign you I have to let you go. In football, we can always manipulate the cap. If I want you, I can keep you. And typically teams want defensive linemen, especially ones they draft. And the Dolphins said, I'm out. And then Pete Carroll, how many, how many months have they even been together now? Three or four, Said, I'm out, pack your shit and get out of my locker room. Speaking of guys that I want you to make sure you buy a house in this area. Rashawn Slater, the star tackle for the Chargers, gets an enormous extension. These tackles, these pass rushers aren't quite quarterbacks, but you're getting guys that are encroaching on 100 plus. I mean some of these pass rushers have flown by 100/plus million dollars. I think we will see pretty quickly a offensive tackle get a hundred plus million dollars in guarantees. And you know, this is a good example. Jim Harbaugh did not draft this player. Jim Harbaugh did not pick this player. But Jim Harbaugh values offensive line as much, if not more than any coach in the NFL. He gave his reasoning last year when they drafted Joe Alt and they said, why didn't you tack, why didn't you pick a wide receiver? He said, because I believe offensive linemen are weapons and they are the tip of the spear and the spear in this offense. And a Jim Harbaugh's offense that has always been predicated on the run starts with the line of scrimmage. So they pay their guy. They got all they probably going to have one of, if not the best tackle combination in the league. And listen, I think a lot of people are high on the Chargers, rightfully so. Cortland Sutton, speaking about guys again, when you're a new coach, Aaron Glenn, Liam Cohen, Schottenheimer doesn't really count because Jerry does whatever he wants. But you can go around the league, get these new guys. A good coach, gives everyone a fresh start, but is open minded to anything. I'll keep this guy if it's worth it or I'll get rid of this guy if it's not. Regardless how good you are, how many Pro Bowls you made, how many Pro Bowls you've never sniffed. And I think Sean Payton went into this like, hey, we're open minded here. Russell Wilson, I'm going to give you opportunity. Couldn't get rid of that guy fast enough. Coraline Sutton, you thought, you know, is this guy long for the Denver Broncos? And then they get a quarterback, he gets 81 catches, he has eight touchdowns, he has over a thousand yards receiving. Boom. Gets a big extension. And when you're an offensive weapon, tight end, running back, wide receiver, and your head coach is the play caller, and you have a young quarterback that clearly likes you and relies on you, you're going to have some job security just like Slater. What does he do? He blocks the blind side of a $200 million quarterback. What does Sutton do is a safety valve for what I think Sean Payton hopes becomes the franchise. So we see guys like Christian Wilkins, I don't care how much we gave you, get out of here. And then we see other guys, we want you to be a part of this as we move forward. So a lot of action so far in terms of money changing hands, or maybe not changing hands in the AFC West. I saw a comment probably within the last week, and it was like a clip that came up on, I think, my Instagram feed of Sean McVay calling Jimmy Garoppolo the best backup quarterback in the NFL. And I'll be honest, I didn't think anything of it. I was like, shit, it's. It's coaches like gassing up their own guy. He likes Jimmy. Jimmy's been with the team now a couple of years. Jimmy's been a guy who's had a lot of success against him, likable guy. Players, teammates. People have always really liked Jimmy. Now, is he the best backup quarterback in the league? I think if we went around the league, it's a pretty low bar. But, yeah, in terms of resume, probably one of the better ones. I think, looking back, why he said that is because he knows there's a decent chance he's going to have to play some games this year with Jimmy Garoppolo. And I didn't realize that when he said that because a couple days ago, Sean McVeigh has to come back to the podium and say, listen, guys, I said that Matt Stafford was going to be back sooner than later, probably this week. I was wrong. We're taking them now week to week. Like, obviously, day to day. Day to day could be two weeks. Day to day could be a month. But day to day sounds a lot better than week to week because you're three weeks away from being out the entire month. So when I see Matt Stafford, who played in the league forever, one of the toughest dudes in the entire league in terms of, like, is it make or break? July 28, Matt Stafford practicing? Of course not. I think the scary thing with this is when they are injuries, like soreness. When I see that, regardless of where. What area is sore, I go. That can be something that just doesn't go away and then I see back soreness. I like the Rams and I think they're going to be pretty damn good this year. But I'll promise you this, if Matt Stafford at any point has to miss significant time, I'm out on them. That team that went toe to toe with the Eagles, a big reason why Matt freaking Stafford, I promise you, at this point in time in his career at 33 years old, it will not be Jimmy Garoppolo. I think there are some similarities with Jimmy Garoppolo as there was with Derek Carr. You have a couple major injuries which Jimmy has had and you're never quite the same because that comfortability in the pocket and I would say Jimmy was never the most comfortable individual in the pocket completely goes away and you can get a little what they would say in, you know, NFL front offices or NFL coaching staffs, a little gun shy. And again, I understand why why Sean McVeigh is hyping this guy up because there's a decent chance he might need him at some point this year. But I know this. If any of this back stuff creeps into the season at any point and Matt Stafford had to miss significant time even with an easier schedule, I do not like the Rams. Foreign you know what Scotty Scheffler taught us? You drive for show, but you putt for dough. And the easiest way for you to make some dough Betting on this week's tournament on DraftKings from the opening round through Sunday, DraftKings sportsbook has you covered. Chris got her up, who just finished third at the Open and won the week before at the Scottish Open. Betting favorite this week. Do you think he's going to run out of juice? So like Tony Finau a lot. Windham Clark, Mav McNeely, a couple other guys to keep an eye on trending trying to battle for a spot on the Ryder cup team. Here's something special for first timers. New DraftKings customers bet five to get 150 in bonus bets instantly, download the DraftKings sportsbook app. Now use the code JOHN. That's code JOHN. J O H N I got an agent. 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[Jasmine Crockett]

I think Democrats have for a very long time allowed Republicans to play them. So essentially Republicans came up with a narrative and Democrats decided to play into that and that only hurt the Democrats.

[Katie Couric]

I'm Katie Couric. Jasmine Crockett, Democratic representative of Texas, is not known for holding back and our recent chat on Next Question is no exception. But when you hear how she got to where she is, her intensity makes perfect sense.

[Jasmine Crockett]

It's just hard to imagine a world where you don't have enough people that care to do right by people. And so that same passion that carried me through as a public defender that led me to want to change laws and thinking about the harm that will happen not just to my constituents but just generally like I carry that weight with me because you've seen it up close. Yeah.

[Katie Couric]

Listen to next question with me, Katie Couric on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[San Diego FC Host]

Check out behind the Flow, a podcast documentary series following the launch of San Diego Football Club. We go behind the scenes and explore the stories of those involved.

[San Diego FC Player]

San Diego Coming to MLS is going to be a game changer because this region has been hungry for a men's professional soccer team.

[San Diego FC Coach]

We need veteran players and we need young players. Like you're building a team from scratch. And so the succession plan of long term success, success needs to be defined. We need to embrace this community.

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[San Diego FC Host]

Listen to San Diego FC behind the Flow now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Announcer]

Sometimes it's hard to remember, but going.

[John Middlecoff]

Through something like that is a traumatic experience, but it's also not the end of your life.

[Announcer]

That was my dad reminding me and so many others who need to hear it that our trauma is not our shame to carry and that we have big, bold and beautiful lives to live after what happened to us. And I'm your host and co president of this organization, Dr. Lea Trittate. On my new podcast, the Unwanted Sorority, we wade through transformation to peel back healing and reveal what it actually looks like and sounds like in real time. Each week I sit down with people who've lived through harm, carried silence, and are now reshaping the systems that failed us. We're going to talk about the adultification of black girls mothering as resistance and the tools we use for healing. The Unwanted Sorority is a safe space, not a quiet space. So let's lock in. We're moving towards liberation together. Listen to the Unwanted Sorority. New episodes every Thursday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[John Middlecoff]

Baker Mayfield when you're a quarterback. Hell, when you're a star player in the NFL, at a position player and obviously the quarterback, you're in business with the team. You should view it as a partnership, not like LeBron did forever. Patrick Mahomes does not approach his relationship with Brett Veach, the Hunt family and Andy Reid, like some of these NBA star players, becomes very adversarial. Right? I'm in charge. You're not. You listen to me. Which would be easy for them to do because the Chiefs could not operate with them without him and they know that. But when you show, we will do whatever it takes. We got your back. We are pro. The we want to be in the Patrick Mahomes business. And being in the business with a star quarterback like Lamar, like Josh Allen, like Joe Burrow, means helping you out in every way possible. And Baker Mayfield had some comments to Pete Prisco of CBS about his situation. He's obviously relative to a guy throwing 40 plus touchdowns, not making that much money. Signed a three year, $100 million contract and he mentioned that his contract was changed to where he got a bunch of guaranteed money in 2026. And even though that guaranteed money still means he's an underpaid quarterback relative to guys at his position who he's much better than, he wants to be in business with Tampa. He wants to play there. And I think it's easy for a guy just like any human being when you've seen some shit through experience, through adversity and through struggles, helps you realize I got a pretty good now. I don't want to ever risk going back to what happened. Look at Kirk Cousins. Kirk Cousins. Like I got to get the most money humanly possible. Every fucking time. Okay, Kirk. Welcome to the Atlanta Falcons. Godspeed, homie. How'd that go? And I think Baker, and obviously Kirk, I'm not saying he's not responsible for poor play, but as he said the other day, if I would have known, I would have stayed with the Minnesota Vikings even if it would have been for less money. It's easy to say now, but you've never thought that way and you've never operated that way. And when you have a bunch of money and Baker does at this point in time, and if he keeps playing well, he's going to have a bunch more. You can't always make your decisions based on who's going to pay me the most because sometimes that decision leads to problems in the NFL, leads to not playing well, leads to losing. And I think Baker Mayfield at this point in time in his career has a pretty good understanding of like Jason Light building this team, the infrastructure we have, the type guys we have on this team, kind of know what we're doing around here. They obviously like me. I like being here. And even if in a year they may not offer me $200 million and that number is $175 million, this is where I want to be. Because unlike most positions, even the guaranteed money for a quarterback to a Tonga by low is a good example, right? He got this huge contract, well over $200 million. But his guaranteed number I think was like 150 or 160. If Tua just plays, two is going to see every penny of his contract. I saw it with Jimmy Garoppolo when he signed up for $125 million. Like 70 of it was guaranteed. Guess what? He Saw every penny because all these other positions, they try to get rid of you quickly as possible. At quarterback, if you are just pretty solid, you typically stay. And last but not least, before we get out of here, I think I'm going to do do a go low Happy Gilmore review. I watched it on Sunday night, so we'll talk about that. No spoiler alerts today, but I recommend seeing that because I'm just gonna. I'm gonna give my full thoughts on tomorrow's podcast. One thing that differentiates football from any other sport, slash activity, is that you can't actually play it unless they're literally, literally coaches, referees and pads. Every other sport, I could get into the box against whoever is a starting pitcher and simulated at bat. We can just, I could have an umpire behind us and I don't even need people in the infield or outfield. We can just simulate abs, right? In basketball, I get nine other people if I'm an NBA player or college player. And we can legitimately play a game in golf and tennis, like you can just play other people, the actual rules and have a real match like you would at Wimbledon, like you would at the US Open. You can play, hell, you can play the same course, you can play the same court football. The you have all these practices in the spring and then even at the starting training camp that are nothing like the actual sport because the pads aren't on. And any coach or GM will tell you, you know, it's really, really hard to evaluate our offensive linemen, our running backs, even our linebackers. Because it's one thing to run fit when everyone's in shorts and T shirts. What about when people are running full speed and we're tackling to the ground? Can you actually bring that guy to the ground? I don't know. We're going to find out. And in football, most guys that have years upon years of tape, you feel pretty confident, right? If the guy's still moving at the same speed in shorts and T shirt, you go, he can still play at a high level. We have a body of work. But there are a lot of guys returning young players that might, might have been on the practice squad. And then all the guys that you just drafted, you don't truly know. You can be bullish on a guy being like, God, I think this guy's gonna be pretty freaking good. He's flying around. Then the pads come on and it's like a little overwhelmed. And listen, as time goes on, maybe he gets more comfortable. No one's judging you purely on the first day of pads in training camp. But it does separate players and it does go from a place where a team can be really high on a player based on the off season activities and the way he came into shape in training camp. And then the pads come on and a week goes by and you go, this guy's not going to be able to help us out this year. And it can work. On the, on the flip side of, hey, this guy was on our practice squad last year. We didn't have high hopes, but he's kicking ass and taking names right now. He knows the offense, he knows the defense. He's playing fast like this guy could he start and you start repping in really quick. And it's the best part of training camp by far. Now, ideally, no one gets injured. We know that's kind of impossible. We've seen a bunch of guys get injured so far. But I think it is a time for NFL front offices when the practice tape really, really matters. In the evaluations with your scouting department, with your coaching staff, anyone that's watched Hard Knocks over the years, they don't show it as much anymore. But back in the day, those big conference rooms where the coaching staff and maybe a GM and assistant GM are all sitting at and people on the outside, you know, the younger coaches and some of the younger scouts and they're just evaluating people because the huge part of football right now, and this is going to happen in college, college a little different because you don't have any preseason games. So you start, if you're Texas or Ohio State or some of these programs, you're a weekend, you know, you start kind of implementing some of the game plan. But for the first couple of weeks of an NFL training camp, when the pads come on, it's really all about evaluation. How you handle the scheme, how you handle the information and what you look like versus, you know, your own team. It's not a lot of like getting ready for week one. It's purely evaluating the roster. And you know, that goes for veteran players too. Like, God, this guy's slipping. This guy isn't quite what he once was. And once you start having those thoughts, you go, listen, his money this year is not guaranteed. So will we pay this guy $12 million if he makes your opening day roster? His salary, if he's a vested veteran, his salary becomes guaranteed. So you have to think twice, like, do we cut him and just go with the six rounder who might be 85% as good as this guy, but he only cost us a Million dollars. And in two years he might be even with the guy. And these are decisions that start really kind of materializing, you know, in these meeting rooms and in people's heads. And these conversations start happening right now. Now, it doesn't mean that it's going to come to fruition. And maybe that veteran guy, it's like, hey, we still feel good about this guy. Maybe the position coach is arguing for him, maybe the coordinator's ordering for him, maybe the head coach is arguing against them. So you get all these different factions, which is good, which is healthy. You don't want everyone on the same page right now. You want everyone bringing their opinions. But once you start getting close to that cut down date, there's going to be a decision made and everyone's got to be on the same page. But for the next couple weeks. And you know, the Chargers and Lions, because they got to camp earlier, they've been in pads for a while. So this, these conversations have been happening with those teams for a little, little longer now. Both those two teams, especially the Lions, are a little more established of a roster. But some of these teams, you know, have. I was read the 49ers have like eight spots open. For the last like four or five years, the 49ers have had like one starting spot maybe open. And it's like anything in the NFL, rosters churn. You get to a point where a lot of guys leave and boom. Eagles are a good example. Not as many openings, a couple on defense, really none on offense. Maybe one, one position. Some of these teams held, you know, the Chiefs, the Bills, like you might get three or four. But it's not even just the starters because if the starting spots open and the backup wins the job, well, now who's the backup? So you kind of get this domino effect which, you know, basically you get up early in the morning, you eat breakfast, you go to practice, you evaluate that practice film, you go to meetings, you keep evaluating that practice film and you're just kind of doing that because there's no other film to evaluate. There are no preseason games yet. There's obviously just nothing else going on. So you're kind of keeping tabs with the league if you're a GM or an assistant gm. But your number one job right now, the number one thing you have to do with your head coach and your coaching staff is nail the evaluation of your own team. And listen, some of it's hard. Some of these decisions might be a coin flip. And you just pray to God that you don't select keep the guy and the guy that you let go goes on somewhere else and then a couple years later he's like a high end player and the guy that you kept is not even on your team. But that's, that's the risk you take and it's why the more information you have, hopefully the better decision you can make. But these, these are fun times, these are tense times. These are just, there's a lot of, just a lot of stress. I mean, when you have a job that's like, hey, this job is available and you realize like, if someone loses this job, especially if it's the veteran, he's not going to be on this team anymore. So these guys aren't idiots. You know, if you've been in the league long enough, you realize like, if I don't win this starting job, I'm going to get cut because they're not going to pay me $7 million to be the backup guard. It's just not going to happen. Buckle up if you're a fan. You know, you're reading all these articles about these, these competitions. It's, it's as real as can be.

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[Jasmine Crockett]

I think Democrats have for a very long time allowed Republicans to play them. So essentially Republicans came up with a narrative and Democrats decided to play into that. And that only hurt the Democrats.

[Katie Couric]

I'm Kitty Couric. Jasmine Crockett, Democratic representative of Texas, is not known for holding back and our recent chat on Next Question is no exception. But when you hear how she got to where she is, her intensity makes perfect sense.

[Jasmine Crockett]

It's just hard to imagine a world where you don't have enough people that care to do right by people. And so that same passion that carried me through as a public defender, that led me to want to change laws and thinking about the harm that will happen not just to my constituents, but just generally. Like, I carry that weight with me.

[Katie Couric]

Because you've seen it up close.

[Jasmine Crockett]

Yeah.

[Katie Couric]

Listen to next question with me, Katie Couric on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[San Diego FC Host]

Check out behind the Flow, a podcast documentary series following the launch of San Diego Football Club. We go behind the scenes and explore the stories of those involved.

[San Diego FC Player]

San Diego coming to MLS is going to be a game changer because this region has been hungry for a men's professional soccer team.

[San Diego FC Coach]

We need veteran players and we need young players. Like you're building a team from scratch. And so the succession plan of long term success needs to be defined. We need to embrace this community.

[San Diego FC Player]

When I was 13, my uncle took me to a qualifier and we watched Paraguay against Chile pouring rain. Just watching the fans jumping up and down, I think that was definitely a watershed moment for me. Not only was that going to be my game, but it was going to be my life.

[San Diego FC Host]

Listen to San Diego FC behind the Flow now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Announcer]

Sometimes it's hard to remember, but going.

[John Middlecoff]

Through something like that is a traumatic experience. But it's also not the end of your life.

[Announcer]

That was my dad reminding me and so many others who need to hear it that our trauma is not our shame to carry and that we have big, bold and beautiful lives to live after what happened to us. And I'm your host and co president of this organization, Dr. Lea Tritate. On my new podcast, the Unwanted Sorority, we wade through transformation to peel back healing and reveal what it actually looks like and sounds like in real time. Each week, I sit down with people who've lived through harm, carried silence, and are now reshaping the systems that failed us. We're going to talk about the adultification of black girls mothering as resistance and the tools we use for healing. The Unwanted Sorority is a safe space, not a quiet space. So let's lock in. We're moving towards liberation together. Listen to the Unwanted Sorority. New episodes every Thursday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[John Middlecoff]

Okay, let's do a little thing we call the mailbag at John Middlecoff. At John Middlecoff is the Instagram fire in those DMS get your question answered here on the show. Again, it's just my name. Fire in the dms. And we will start with Patrick. Question for the bag. Schefter today reported that McLaurin will not take less than $33 million a year. And that's the deal that DK just got from the Steelers. Schefter said he wants considerably more than that. Terry is a better player than DK in my opinion, so starting with that number makes sense. It does not seem like the commanders agree. Given what you know about Adam Peters and his background with the Patriots and the Niners, who seem to have plenty of these kind of holdouts in recent years, how do you see this playing out? I think this is complicated. You know, I think we discussed earlier, when you come into a situation and you really like the player one, you know, the Chargers giving Slater a lot of money is. It's not that's. Every single coach in the history of the league would have done that. I think Cortland Sutton's a better example. Sean Payton comes in, he gets this young quarterback, and immediately his young quarterback has a rapport with Sutton. Now, as of recording this, I haven't seen the guaranteed money, but he got like four years, 95 million bucks or whatever, right? So under 25 a year, which always factors into the guarantee. So it's a relatively easy deal to do. If you really like the player, you like the guy, and you go, we're getting this guy under market rate, you know, with the top guys, he's 6, 7, 8 million dollars off the top guys. And we love the player, he knows our scheme. And we feel at 28, 29 years old, for the next several years going to be in the prime of his career. I think when you start talking $40 million a year, it's like, I'm sorry, I'm out. I get $35 million a year. Let's just say like that's. That would wet his beak. You give me $35 million a year. So let's just do the math. Is he signing like a two year extension? Let's just say they guarantee every penny. Two years, $70 million, every penny. Like, do you feel comfortable given again, a really good player and I get DK got that. I think the Steelers giving him that type of money is kind of crazy, right? I do think that Terry McLaurin is really, really good player. But I think you got to be very, very careful. Like, is Terry McLaurin a top six, seven wide receiver in the league? You know, probably in the Discussion last season, which was his best year ever. But he's, no one would take him over the top guys. So it's like you're going to pay him more than the top guys who are younger than him. And he wasn't my guy. I, I just think this is the start the type questions you, you start asking yourself. The problem is, is you go, we got this guy on a rookie contract, the quarterback. This guy helps out my rookie quarterback. You know, Debo's pretty big risk now. If it doesn't work out, who cares? He's unrestricted free agent, he's gone. What's Terry going to do? Just not play? Obviously he showed up, he's, he's holding in. He's a high character guy so you feel good about the person. But I think the situations, I think there's a decent chance he's making play on the money. Speaking of Washington, is Jaden Daniels the next up in Washington's cursed quarterback cycle? We've seen it before. Rookie quarterbacks take the league by storm. Then year two hits in the brick wall. RG3 rookie of the year in 12, benched by year three. Jason Campbell flashes in 06, inconsistent by 07. Kirk Cousins took years before consistency. Dwayne Haskins rip 7 TD, 7 ints in his sophomore year. Washington's quarterbacks historically crash hard in year two and the NFL always adjusts. So is Jaden built different? I would say, I mean obviously he's way better than Dwayne Haskins. Rip Cousins, I mean was a fourth round pick. Jason Campbell little before my time of being super dialed but better player. RG3 was pretty awesome but he tore his knee so he was never the same. I, I would say he's a better player than all those guys and I would expect him to have a good year. I think the bigger question is less about the quarterback and more about the offensive coordinator because like every single time with Cliff, like he has a big year, then he kind of comes back to earth a little bit because teams figure out his offensive scheme. So it's not apples to apples. And I don't pretend to be some schematic genius, but I do think that spread offense in the pros. Chip Kelly, Cliff Kingsbury, it's just when that's your bread and butter as time goes on, defensive coordinators go buckle up buttercup, because it's fucking on and we plan on kicking your ass. And I would say that's happened in recent memory to Cliff and a chip. Now can they adjust? Can they adapt? We'll see, because there's no excuse with this quarterback's pretty freaking good. I'd be stunned if he's not really good for the mailbag. I saw Bill Simmons on his pod with Zach Lowe talking about how talks about expansion in the NBA have slowed because teams don't want to lose money in TV deals because they'd have to share revenue with whatever new teams there would be. Could you see this also being the case potentially in the future of the NFL if they've ever were to expand? For context, Simmons has been banging the drum that the NBA was going to expand because he's pretty dialed in with the owners, you know, Lee office people. And it was like Vegas and Seattle's going to get a team. And then I would say based on the last like six months, turns out James Dolan, the Knicks guy, has been at the forefront of being anti expansion and clearly got people to agree with them. And their main stance is we got just got a historic television deal. If we add two teams and we go to 32, we'd have the same. Right now they're at 30, they'd have 32. Like the NFL. Well, the piece of the pie we get in the national television contract, we have to split up with two more teams so it's less money coming into us. Even if these teams give us a couple hundred million dollars each with an expansion fee, I think it'd even be Greater with the NFL because NFL teams are already splitting it with 31 other teams if you own the team. So if we add two more, especially a couple international teams, it doesn't even matter where they'd be at. My piece of the pie gets cut dramatically more because now we're talking 33, 34 teams. So it's even a bigger cut than the NBA would be. Right. So I think 1 million percent the natural reaction to some of these guys, even if you there's a greater good big picture, it's hard to not think short term. And over the next three, four, five years, it's going to cost me hundreds of millions of dollars. Again, assuming that's the math. Yeah, I mean, I think that would be the number one. I think there'd be a lot of variables. I think anytime you're talking expansion, there should be a lot of variables besides just the money. The one thing I disagree with Simmons is like the league has never been more talented. It's like, Bill, I've been watching the NBA for 30 years. I feel we've never had worse teams. This isn't an individual sport It's a team sport. So yeah, it's like the AAU of the NBA. It's like I'm watching all these teams. Like I feel like all these teams and part of it is the transactional nature of the sport feels like these teams aren't any good. There's like four or five good teams total, max. Sometimes less than that in the NFL. You're so predicated on quarterbacks. Aren't enough quarterbacks to go around. So I'd be anti expansion in both. The NBA does not need more teams. The NFL does not need more teams. So that's where I stand even before the arguments about the money. Congrats on the wedding and the baby. Big year for me. I know. Question for the pot. I'm a Bronco fan and I hear all the time in the conversation about Bo Nix how old he is relative to rookie and second year quarterbacks. It seems like it is constantly brought up. But when the media talks about Jaden Daniels, his age never gets brought up in conversations about him. Even though he is literally only 10 months younger than Bo Nix. Might it just be biased for me? Do you know what I appreciate and I, you know, I had this just so hardcore when I was young and I was like in my peak as a sports fan of like high school into college. You have such a chip on your shoulder for arguments like this. And for me it's not as tight with like any specific team anymore like my, my happiness or my, my daily. And listen, I listen to multiple podcasts on the 49ers. I still follow the team closely, but I'm not as emotionally moved by the arguments one way or the other on a lot of the stuff I miss that I miss going, this is bullshit. Everyone keeps calling my guy old. Jaden Daniels is 10. They be in the same grade. So listen, sometimes you get a perception and you get a way you're going to be discussed and it's not going to change like bone. Jaden Daniels within a year was like, are we sure the Bears picked the right guy? And listen, I'm sorry, that's a conversation this year. Caleb can shut everyone up, including myself. But right now, like the Washington would not trade their guide. I don't know how the Bears, who knows, you know, early in training camp, but there's a chance by like Halloween they're like, God, that was a bad decision where Bo Nix, everyone's like, this guy should not go in the first round. Sean Payton's crazy. This is nuts. So anytime your first reaction is like this is stupid. People don't want to believe. Right? It's like most people that talked about football or in the NFL viewed Bo Nix not as a top 15 pick. Hell, most people did view them as like third, fourth rounder. It's go back to Kirk Cousins or Dak Prescott or Russell Wilson early in his career. When you're drafted in the third round, half the league didn't even like you as a prospect. So it's like it's hard for you to get the respect. It's, it's Purdy's argument. Same with Jalen Hurts. I know one was a second round pick, one was a seventh round pick, but it's like it's hard for you to shake that. So yeah, I don't, I don't really know what to tell you beside, it just is what it is. Win games. I was thinking about it today. Not today, but over the course of the last week is. I do think there is some sleeper like looking at some of the gambling odds. Obviously the Chiefs have won the division for whatever seven straight years, but I think the Broncos could be pretty good. I do think they could be pretty good. Last mailbag, you were talking about the fact that having pads for training really do make a difference. So my question is, knowing this year that Chargers got to it early because of the hall of Fame game with a coach as good as Harbaugh, could you expect an early advantage for them? First month of the season, for example. Hadn't thought about that. Hadn't thought about that at all. But you still get, you know, some of your core guys, Alt, McConkey, you know, Herbert's second year with this group, extra reps. Don't hate that. I don't. I haven't thought about that at all. Could that be a big advantage for the Chargers? Look at this from a gambling standpoint. Week one in Brazil against the Chiefs because the Chargers, most teams they play, I think they're going to have a coaching advantage. The one game for sure they do not have a coaching advantage is the Chiefs. But the Chiefs are breaking in. All signs point to being a left tackle, Josh Simmons, who's repping with the ones. Obviously some new players. We'll see what happens with the skill guys. You know, Rasheed Rice getting suspended, a couple new guys, defense, potentially. But yeah, I like where your head's out there. That's good knowledge. Good, good thinking. Now that Brock Purdy assigned a megadeal and is one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL, is it time for the media to stop Covering him like a plucky underdog and start covering him like a franchise quarterback. Guys, this does not just because you get paid, just because you're Jalen Hurts and you win a Super Bowl. Unless you're Patrick Mahomes or like Josh Allen or Lamar, if they just want a Super bowl, there's nothing to even argue anymore. All these guys, basically everyone beside the top couple guys are going to be argued constantly. It's never going to end. Jalen Hurts, have to win three Super Bowls like an MVP to shut people up. Purdy, even if Purdy won the super bowl, like, well, Kyle had his best year ever. Oh, they hit on all these draft picks. I'm just these conversations. The Bo Knicks, the Purdies, Dak Prescott. We argued about Dak Prescott for a decade now. You could say that people arguing against him were right. But I'm just saying, like Dak Prescott's going to be argued about this year. Same with Cousins. Unless you're Mahomes like you just going to get argued about. A big fan of the show. Do you think it's possible that Cam Ward is absolutely horrible for the Titans? We see a Rosen Kyler Murray situation. The upcoming draft class seemingly has a three to four player with the same talent as Cam Ward. What are your thoughts? I think, I think Cam Ward is a lock to be their quarterback for several years and I have a hard time seeing him be absolutely horrible. I really do. Now, how good? I don't know. I don't know how good their team's going to be. Could they be a sleeper this year if he's really good? I do think so because their defense is pretty good. But their gm who was just hired from the Chiefs, he made that pick. So when you, Josh Rosen was the 10th overall pick. So you went from the 10th overall pick to the number one overall pick. They took Cam Ward number one overall. It was crazy with the Josh Rosen, even though it really wasn't a couple years later. I do think getting rid of the number one overall pick after one year would be. I, I'd be stunned. I, I don't think it's going to happen at all. I know you're more of an NFL guy than college football, but you were still very knowledgeable. I appreciate that. Obviously the NFL pays the bills around here, but I, I love college football. It's just harder, you know, if you don't follow recruiting. It's easier to follow the NFL than it is college football. Especially now with the transfer portal. I was doing college football research and Found that dating back to 15 excluding Burroughs, LSU breakout year. The champion has come from the top four odds favorites each August before the season. LSU was number six that year. As of right now, the pool to select from would be Ohio State, Texas, Georgia and Penn State. I don't buy Ohio State or Penn State leaving Texas and Georgia in my book. I think there's great value in Texas at +650. What are your predictions? I do think the likelihood of Ohio State going back to back given they lost so many guys on defense and their quarterback. Like I listen I've been known to be Ohio State haters. Their team was fucking good last year. I mean they had the best team money could buy and they backed it up down the stretch after they lost to Michigan. Entering that bad boy. I'm with you. You know, Patricia's coaching the defense. I would say Ohio State if Ryan Day were to win that, it'd be be a hell of a coaching job. I would, I would put more stock into Penn State. I would put more. You could argue Penn State has a better chance than Texas given just how physically demanding the SEC can be. And like this is going to sound crazy. We do have more information on Drew Aller who actually played pretty well last year. They're returning their coordinators. I guess they added Knowles who Ohio State came from Ohio State. He's a PA guy. Their defense is going to be unreal. Penn State's defense is going to dominate this year offensively. They brought back both their running backs, their quarterback, their OC and I'm pretty sure they've added some dudes in the transfer portal at wide receiver. Now they did lose Tyler Warren. I think Penn State's going to be fucking good. I'd be I'm going to pick him to win the Big Ten. Georgia is Gunner Stockton their quarterback. I just hard for me to pick them. I would go in rank of Penn State, Texas, Georgia, Ohio State. Obviously Ohio State and Ryan Day are better program than Penn State. They've proven a lot more. But it's like this team, they're pretty good. You see the highlights of Lavar Arrington's kid who's going to be the next Abdul Carter and Micah Parsons. Jesus, he's 18 years old. He looks like a NFL player.

[Annabe Sofa Advertiser]

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[Jasmine Crockett]

I think Democrats have for a very long time allowed Republicans to play them. So essentially Republicans came up with a narrative and Democrats decided to play into that. And that only hurt the Democrats.

[Katie Couric]

I'm Katie Couric. Jasmine Crockett, Democratic representative of Texas, is not known for holding back and our recent chat on Next Question is no exception. But when you hear how she got to where she is, her intensity makes perfect sense.

[Jasmine Crockett]

It's just hard to imagine a world where you don't have enough people that care to do right by people. And so that same passion that carried me through as a public defender that led me to want to change laws and thinking about the harm that will happen not just to my constituents, but just generally. Like I carry that weight with me.

[Katie Couric]

Because you've seen it up close.

[Jasmine Crockett]

Yeah.

[Katie Couric]

Listen to Next question with me, Katie Couric on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[San Diego FC Host]

Check out behind the Flow, a podcast documentary series following the launch of San Diego Football Club. We go behind the scenes and explore the stories of those involved.

[San Diego FC Player]

San Diego coming to MLS is going to be a game changer because this region has been hungry for immense priority professional soccer team.

[San Diego FC Coach]

We need veteran players and we need young players. Like you're building a team from scratch and so the succession plan of long term success needs to be defined. We need to embrace this community.

[San Diego FC Player]

When I was 13, my uncle took me to a qualifier and we watched Paraguay against Chile. Pouring rain. Just watching the fans jumping up and down, I think that was definitely a watershed moment for me. Not only only was that going to be my game, but it was going to be my life.

[San Diego FC Host]

Listen to San Diego FC behind the flow now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Announcer]

Sometimes it's hard to remember, but going.

[John Middlecoff]

Through something like that is a traumatic experience. But it's also not the end of your life.

[Announcer]

That was my dad reminding me and so many others who need to hear it that our trauma is not our shame to carry and that we have big, bold and beautiful lives to live after what happened to us. I'm your host and co president of this organization, Dr. Leitra Tate. On my new podcast, the Unwanted Sorority, we wade through transformation to peel back healing and reveal what it actually looks like and sounds like in real time. Each week I sit down with people who've lived through harm, carried silence, and are now reshaping the systems that failed us. We're going to talk about the adultification of black girls mothering as resistance and the tools tools we use for healing. The Unwanted Sorority is a safe space, not a quiet space. So let's lock in. We're moving towards liberation together. Listen to the Unwanted Sorority. New episodes every Thursday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[John Middlecoff]

After a week of Josh Simmons checking all the boxes in Kansas City, even in pads, and there seemingly being no competition at left tackle anymore, is this outcome more of a failure on the league to let such a talent fall to Kansas City and bail them out? Or is it more about how capitalistic of an operation the Chiefs have going right now? Seems like the type of pick where we look up and see him in the super bowl next February and it's like, yeah, probably because Mahomes isn't worried about his blind side anymore. I think two things can be true. One, he's one of the more talented guys in the draft and if he had been healthy, he's a lock top 10ish pick lock. He was not healthy coming out of the draft. So that right away makes people a little squirmish. The other thing that is true, he had red flags. Now I wouldn't go as far as like Jalen Carter red flags, but I know he was off some boards where I think it benefits the Chiefs. Is their coaches a little liberal. More liberal with Veech of who's on and off the board, you know, and I think sometimes maybe where a front office would be like, I'm not quite comfortable Coach Re goes, we're good. I can handle the guy. It doesn't mean it's always going to work. But I think you got to be careful playing that game. Right. Did Atlanta screw up by not drafting Jalen Carter? Atlanta was not equipped to handle that guy. Not at all. So I think sometimes when we play that game, I don't know. I think sometimes it's Unfair. He was there at 32 for a reason. He plays the most coveted position on offense beside quarterback, left tackle. So for every team to pass on him, I think there were a ton of question marks. I also think we got to be careful. Is he going to be good? I would probably bet on it. But it's July 28th. I mean, let's. We got a long way to go. But he got pretty lucky. I would say it worked out pretty well for him. Now in the short term, you go 32nd instead of 14th or 10th or eighth, you make a lot less money. But I think in the long term, he can make a lot more money. So the Chiefs, if this works out, it'll be a steal. Not even a steal. I mean, he was, he was there. Of course the Chiefs were going to take him. He's left tackle. My wife and I just welcomed our son last month as well. So congrats on the announcement of the baby boy. Question for the Mailbag. I've heard you describe Philip Rivers and Debo as war daddies. What's your definition for a player that fits the bill and who would be your all war daddy team? Quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, defensive player. Will limit it to current and recently retired players. I think war daddy is one of those like, you know, when you see it. And I think part of being a war daddy as someone that you feel comfortable with and listen, whoever's listening to this, whoever you're a fan of, you know, there are certain players on your team that you just feel really comfortable going into a big game with. You know, this guy is ready. And I honestly, I think the quarterbacks, right, Philip Rivers, he was just listen, win or lose, you just felt good being in the trenches with them. I think it's what makes this top quarterback group pretty special is because I think all of them now, they might not play well, but I'll tell you this, the top four guys, Mahomes, Josh, Lamar and Joe Burrow, those fucking guys are scared of lick. I mean, those are guys do you just feel comfortable going to battle with. I think a war daddy, typically your best players that are your toughest players are going to stand out. So it's like, yeah, I mean Trent Williams or, you know, Lane Johnson, right. I mean some of these wide receivers, part of the two is a physicality. Like what made Debo is like Debo will break tackles, right. Like George Kittle when you watch him play is a lot different than Travis Kelsey, right? Travis Kelsey's numbers dwarf George's in terms of the receiving game. But when you watch George, there's a physicality that Travis just can't bring to the table, right? He's just. He's not going to do what George does. You know, back to Gronk. So certain position players, you know, McLaurin is like, Terry McLaurin is a war daddy. And I think you got to be very careful. Like, I'm not going to list. Maybe I'll do my all war daddy team before the season starts. But this is like with the Raiders spy tech and Pete get there. And I was guilty of this too. I'm like, hey, pivot kind of restart trademarks. Trade him two ones and a two. Like you get a hole for Max Crosby. The Lions would trade you a shitload for Max. But I think Pete John would be like, he is everything we want in a guy like Max Crosby is the ultimate war daddy. So the physicality, the toughness, the relentlessness, I think when the lights get the brightest, right? Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Football against the best competition, you know, that guy, if he's healthy, is going to be give everything you have. Doesn't mean you're always going to play the best games. To me, it's about effort, physicality, toughness. It's almost like an intangible thing, right? And there's a hitting aspect to it, especially defensive players like Dre Greenlaw. That guy's a war daddy. That guy is just an old school cut from the 1990s badass. And some of these guys just aren't. Doesn't mean you can't be a really good player and be, quote, unquote, a little softer than other guys. Awesome. I listen to your podcast every day. Experience is the reason why I side with mostly everything you say. But San Jose is an awesome city. We got the Sharks and a lot of nightlife. The food is amazing. And a weekend here may change your mind. It's just going to be hard. Disagreement on my side. I'm just. I'm not a San Jose guy. My question would have been for my Pittsburgh Steelers. You and especially Colin have been bashing their off season and trading for DK without having a franchise quarterback. But is it insane to think that they can draft or trade up to a higher position to get a franchise quarterback of their choice? If you had to pick between Drew Aller, Lenora Sellers or Nika. I'm a little Oliver. I can't say that last name. Who has the highest upside. I would say right now as we sit here today, Nico is not even in the conversation to sniff the first round, let alone trading up for. So I would remove Nico. I would say allergic is a very interesting prospect. The taste that he left in our mouths, especially if you had a thousand dollars wagered on Penn State and he threw that interception against Notre Dame. We, we got to bounce back from that bad boy. I don't feel as comfortable talking about Lenore Sellers. I'd be lying if I said I was super dialed in to all of his games for South Carolina. I would say he is a guy. Him and Arch are the guys and probably DJ Lagway as well. Like really excited to watch this year. But I would say Sellers and Aller immediately in that conversation of guys to me, if I'm a Pittsburgh Steeler fan, Rams fan for sure because I got the two picks. The Browns, they got a couple first rounders. I think you're, I mean you're watching all these guys. I Nico as well, but you're watching Aller, Lagway, Sellers, Arch, all the good quarterbacks who. And any guy that starts playing well, you're keeping an eye on probably leaving some guys off. So. I'm 19 years old and I just became the head coach of a West Seattle 8th grade football team. The players seem to look at me as an adult, but my assistant coaches seem harder to convince. So far, all we had is the skill showcase. Any tips for when I go to the first practice to get everybody bought in and behind me even though I'm 19. You want to rattle one of those assistant coaches cages, fire one of them before you even get there. Show everyone who's boss. Just kidding. Don't do that unless the guy sucks at his job. But no, I think the best thing you can do, like you can't change your age, you can't change your experience. Just be authentic. Be who you are. I think anytime like you're doing dealing with 8th grade kids, they're going to look up to you no matter what. You got them right? The assistant coaches, who I think it's fair to say many of them are going to be older than you, some way older than you. Like just I'd be a little careful of like screaming at them immediately. Not that I don't even know if you're coaching style, but don't try to act like a coach that you've seen on tv. Just be who you are. I think anytime at any level, this could be the pros, this could be college, this could be D2, this could be high school football, this could be eighth grade football. You have to Be authentic to who you are. I think the best coaches, Nick Saban didn't fake it. That's Nick Saban's personality. Andy Reid, Pete Carroll, they're authentic to themselves. Mike Tomlin, the Harbaugh brother. You go around, you go Kirby Smart, Lincoln Riley. Be true to who you are. Because if you just act, be consistent, and that's being authentic. If you act like you do normally would every single day, if you know what you're talking about, they'll respect you. So, like, you're not going to gain respect by screaming at them by, you know, bossing them around because you're the top of the totem pole. But I think you gotta just whatever your personality is, try to be consistent with that. I'd also try to know your shit because the more quote unquote schematic, you know, motivating eighth graders actually might be kind of important. Ideally, they're ready to roll a practice starts, but yeah, that's tough. There's no right or wrong way to do things. But I would say anytime you're a younger person and people are answering to you and you kind of start throwing around authority, it's the easiest way, you know, in terms of your fellow workers to get them to turn on you. And if you're going to want to win games in the 8th grade league football, you need a good staff. A question. Do you enjoy special teams? A friend who just started watching football last year tells me it's gimmicky and boring and I found it hard to defend. Why was it an interesting part of the game? Even though it is, I found it interesting. The NFL has big. Made big changes to it more than any side of the ball in the last 15 years. Well, because offense is defense beside like officiating the violence, right, the hits, because they don't want to get sued for concussions. Like, offensive defense is why you watch, right? Like when you play golf, hitting drivers and seven irons are fun. Putting sucks. Like, yeah, do I care about special teams? No. Like a kicker, punter, kickoff return. Like, no, it's. It's really boring. I. I do not care at all. Help. Most NFL coaches aren't that interested. They just want their special teams coach to handle those guys and their kicker to make kicks and their punter to be good at directional punting and whoever's on the special teams unit to be sound in their lanes and make tackles. Yeah, sucks, but it's. I mean, it's part of the sport because. Let's just say you took it out and if you got past like the 35 yard line, you can just give a thumbs up automatic three points. You could just start every drive at the 25. Like is exciting. I mean there can be exciting plays, a kickoff block, a punt block, a fake punt, but the overall run of the mill, 40 yard punt or 30 yard field goal right down the middle. Yeah, it doesn't do anything to me as a consumer and there is a gimmicky element to it of course, but it is pretty interwoven and connected to football at this point in time. In 2025, do I see them scrapping special teams? I don't. Maybe one day. I guess you'd never say never. But there are enough coaches in the league, older coaches that would definitely fight for it, to keep it as part of an integral part of the game. Even if it, quote unquote, can be a little gimmicky at times. The Volume so in the last month the Midas Touch Network beat Rogan, Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Charlie Kirk and Ben Shapiro all combined.

[Katie Couric]

What happens when three brothers take on right wing media and start winning? I find out on the latest episode of Next Question with me, Katie Couric.

[John Middlecoff]

We just want people to live their lives and be happy and be able to enjoy it without some, you know, lunatics screaming in their face every three seconds.

[Katie Couric]

Listen to Next Question with me, Katie Couric on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ebony]

Welcome to Pretty Private with ebony, the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free. I'm Ebony and every Tuesday I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you you new insight on the people around you. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect Podcast Network. Tune in on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Dani Shapiro]

Your entire identity has been fabricated. Your beloved brother goes missing without a trace. You discover the depths of your mother's illness. I'm Dani Shapiro and these are just a few of the powerful stories I'll be mining on our upcoming 12th season of Family Secrets. We continue to be moved and inspired by our guests and their courageously told stories. Listen to Family Secrets Season 12 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jasmine Crockett]

I'm Jemele Hill, host of the sports and politics podcast Spolitics. And on the latest episode of Spolitics, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries joins me for a candid conversation about the state.

[John Middlecoff]

State of the Democratic Party.

[Jasmine Crockett]

What do Republicans say to you privately that they won't say publicly?

[San Diego FC Host]

Many of them are in fear of their political lives.

[San Diego FC Coach]

We continue to say to them, you.

[San Diego FC Host]

Were elected to defend your constituents and there's life after Congress.

[Jasmine Crockett]

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