3 & Out - Tua BENCHED by the Dolphins, Will J.J. being the future starter in Minnesota, How important is elite QB play

Summary

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The Herd with Colin Cowherd: Three & Out – Tua Benched, J.J. in Minnesota, and the Value of Elite QB Play

Date: December 18, 2025
Host: John Middlekoff
Podcast Network: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

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Episode Overview

In this episode of Three & Out, John Middlekoff delivers a deep-dive, opinionated breakdown of some of the NFL’s hottest quarterback headlines: the benching of Tua Tagovailoa by the Miami Dolphins, the rise of J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota, and a broader discussion on the absolute importance – and the evolving role – of elite quarterback play for NFL franchises. Middlekoff also answers several detailed mailbag questions ranging from coaching prospects to roster construction strategy, with his signature direct, witty, and often blunt takes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tua Tagovailoa Benched: The End of the Miami Era

• Benchings Have Big Picture Ramifications
  Middlekoff begins by outlining the gravity that comes with benching a well-paid quarterback — not just performance, but salary cap strategy and franchise direction.

  "Whenever a guy who makes a ton of money is benched, usually there are big picture ramifications. ...When you bench Tua Tagovailoa, his career for the Miami Dolphins is over. He will never ever play another snap for the Miami Dolphins." (04:14)

• Coaching Motives & Organizational Signals
  He distinguishes two possible rationales for the move:

  • Desperation to save jobs
  • Organizational confidence in the coach’s security, giving him power to make bold decisions
    He speculates whether the Dolphins are trying to "catch lightning in a bottle" with Quinn Ewers or if this is just the end of Tua’s Dolphins tenure regardless.

• Quarterback Contracts Compared to Marriage
  Middlekoff frames QB contracts as irrevocable commitments, drawing parallels to high-stakes marriages:

  "I view quarterback contracts a lot like marriage. ...If you get it wrong, there are massive financial ramifications that are not good. But no one's telling you you have to get on a knee. You don't need to rush it." (07:02)

• Dolphins’ QB History and the Herbert 'Sliding Doors' Moment
  A detailed reflection on Miami’s fateful draft of Tua over Justin Herbert, and how Herbert’s subsequent success transformed the Chargers’ organization:

  "It’s just an all-time NFL moment that the Miami Dolphins drafted him fifth overall... But they pass on Justin Herbert and that changed the Chargers franchise forever. ...Jim Harbaugh is not their coach if they don’t have Justin Herbert." (13:13)

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2. The Fallout: Tua’s Decline and Concussions

• On-field Regression Post-Concussion
  Middlekoff is unsparing on Tua’s post-injury performance, linking it directly to his history of head injuries:

  "Once his marbles...got shook after all the concussions, like, I don’t see how anyone could debate. The player we watch now is a shell of the version that we watched a couple years ago." (10:28)

  He’s critical of box score analysis, instead citing the eye test from recent games, "His quarterback play was atrocious and they had gone on this winning streak...they were just running the ball and playing defense. They were avoiding having Tua do anything, and it was working." (11:39)

• Financial Fallout
  The next year’s dead cap implications for cutting Tua are massive, nearly $100M, but the host feels the team is likely to make a drastic move regardless.

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3. Mailbag Segment Highlights

• Will J.J. McCarthy Start in Minnesota?
  Middlekoff opines that recent progress, even against weak opponents, is critical:

  "If he has one good game in one of those two outings [against the Lions or Packers], I think you feel much better about this offseason. And he'll be the starting quarterback in 2026." (19:18)

• Is Elite QB Play Still Essential in Today’s NFL?
  A nuanced argument that you "have to have good quarterback play to win":

  "There’s a reason Mahomes has been there five of the last six years...You just do [need an elite QB]." (29:17)
  However, Middlekoff does acknowledge the examples of teams succeeding with defense and strong overall rosters, especially referencing the 49ers’ and Bills’ different approaches.

• Roster Building: Find Your Josh Allen or Build Around a Solid QB?
  He notes the rarity of true elite game-changing QBs:

  “There just aren’t ever going to be many Josh Allens. ...The number one goal always is to pick the best players.” (34:37)

• Kyle Shanahan and Coach of the Year Debates On why Shanahan is not getting more buzz:

  "People thought the 49ers were going to be good...so people assumed they were going to be good, and now he is good. So people thought that even though the route he took to get good is way different." (43:35)

• Experience Matters for Quarterbacks
  On why the AFC’s elite QBs are especially seasoned:

  “These guys all played a lot of college football. It’s easy to say Richardson has a ton of physical gifts, but if you had to win one game, are you taking him or Tyler Shuck? ...You cannot circumvent experience.” (41:33)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Quarterback Decisions:

  “If you have any reservations, do not buy the ring and get down on a knee.” — John Middlekoff (07:57)

• On Tua Post-Injury:

  “The player we watch now is a shell of the version that we watched a couple years ago.” — John Middlekoff (10:28)

• On the Dolphins passing on Herbert:

  “It’s just an all-time NFL moment that the Miami Dolphins drafted him fifth overall...But they pass on Justin Herbert and that changed the Chargers franchise forever.” — John Middlekoff (13:13)

• On the Importance of QB Play:

  “You have to have good quarterback play to win. You just do.” — John Middlekoff (29:17)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Tua Benching and Dolphins' Decision Fallout: 03:06–15:49
• Sliding Doors: Dolphins pass on Herbert: 13:13–15:49
• Mailbag – J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings: 19:08–22:00
• Mailbag – Importance of Elite QB Play for Playoff Success: 27:18–30:02
• Mailbag – Roster Building Philosophy (Josh Allen vs. Team Build): 33:00–36:00
• Mailbag – Shanahan and Coach of the Year: 41:33–44:50
• Mailbag – QB Experience and AFC Trends: 41:33–43:09

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Language & Tone

Middlekoff is conversational, blunt, and quick with analogies – often injecting humor and real-world references (comparing QB contracts to marriage, NFL decision-makers to risk-averse spouses). His takes are strong, occasionally caustic, and always opinionated but fair. He is as likely to call out GMs for panicking on quarterbacks as he is to empathize with players facing career-defining injuries.

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Conclusion

This episode is a quintessential example of why Three & Out has traction: a shrewd breakdown of headline news, insightful—if strong—perspective on quarterback value, and frank mailbag answers that show a blend of knowledge and authentic fandom. Whether you care about the fate of Tua, the importance of being deliberate with franchise quarterbacks, or what it takes to build a sustainable roster, Middlekoff’s mix of storytelling, analysis, and locker-room candor delivers value to informed and casual NFL fans alike.

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Transcript

[Host 1]

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[John Middlekoff]

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[Host 1]

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[Host 1]

The volume.

[John Middlekoff]

What is going on everybody? John Middlecop three and out podcast hopefully everyone is doing well out there in the real world we are brought to you by our friends at Zone Pouches and I've been moving offices because the baby's on the way. It was a room my office was in. Now we're going to turn it back just into a room. So I'm in my new office now. That is a shed in the in the backyard actually. It's pretty sweet and I think I broke a camera today. So we got a lot of moving parts here. We'll have a big announcement actually I think on Friday after because we're going to talk to today who was benched. We will talk mailbag. I do a big mailbag today as well. Tomorrow we'll have Stuckey on and we will also have a Sunday night reaction or Sunday night, Thursday night to the Rams Seattle game, which is massive. I mean the winner is going to have 12 wins and fired up to talk and react to that game. That's it's a big time football game. Better buckle your chin strap. Lot on the line. McVeigh just had a baby. I saw Sam Darnold trying to win a big game. Didn't go well last time he played the Rams. But that'll be the game plan today. And other than that, you guys know the drill. Subscribe to the podcast wherever you may listen, Spotify, Apple. If you listen on Collins feed, make sure you subscribe to Three and Out Feed and the YouTube channel. We're going live Thursday nights, Sunday nights, Monday nights, this week, Saturday night because it's Bears packers. So I'm sure we'll be live Saturday night. Buckle up, keep an eye out and don't miss a thing. But first game time. Best in the business. It doesn't get any better. Do you want to go to a game? Do you want to go to a pro football game? Do you want to go to a college game? Do you want to go to an NBA game, NHL concerts, comedy shows, you name it, they have you covered. Easiest ticketing app I've ever used. You can search by the arena, you can search by the team, you can search by the artist. Cannot recommend them enough. And the price you see when you click on your ticket is the price you pay when you check out. So take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account and use a 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 today. Last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed. I would say big picture whenever A guy who makes a ton of money is benched. Usually there are big picture ramifications. You don't want to get a guy injured much more difficult to then wave him injured. Obviously his trade value goes down dramatically. Usually there's a kicker at the beginning of the new league year like there was for Tua this year which guaranteed him I think $54 million next season. So two is doing well financially. But I think there are two schools of thought whether Mike is coaching for his job and this is somewhat of a desperate move. Slash Tua wasn't playing very good but this is like hey maybe we catch lightning in a bottle with Quinn Ewers impress the owner or there's the other school of thought that he knows he's staying the owner gives him the power to make. I you know I don't this isn't a polarizing move but just I mean a headliner a decision to essentially when you bench to a Tonga by Loa his career for the Miami Dolphins is over. He will never ever play another snap for the Miami Dolphins. Will they cut him this offseason? I think he has no trade value. My gut would say that they pull a Russell Wilson type move but you just you never say never in the NFL when it comes to maybe they could eat a bunch of money, trade him to someone desperate. Still feels a little far fetched but I don't think he'll ever play again for the Miami Dolphins. And one big picture thought I have when it comes to quarterbacks like Tua there are the no brainer guys that you go Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes. I mean even Lamar Jackson had to play it out a little longer than he probably thought he deserved or should have. He deserved money before that. That part of that situation got a little out of hand. Herbert I think signed a deal early in his career. Three years, maybe four years. Two is not one of those people and I view paying quarterbacks because there really isn't a secondary market. Kirk Cousins coming off an achilles who was 36 years old signed a four year $188 million deal. I think like $100 million he made in two years. So there is not much middle ground. There aren't many guys like I signed him for a two year $40 million deal. That was Justin Fields who's also already benched. So when you have a starting quarterback and listen to a let him to the to the playoffs if you're going to pay him it's very very expensive. We can argue about it till we're blue in the face, but the contracts are the contracts. I don't understand. I view quarterback contracts a lot like marriage. When you know, you know and you feel good about it, it's a massive decision. If you get it wrong, there are massive financial ramifications that are not good. Emotionally. It takes a huge toll on you if you're forced to get a divorce after making, you know, the wrong decision with who you marry. But no one's telling you that you have to get on a knee. You don't need to rush it. And I think we have seen examples now of Tua, of Kyler Murray. You know, Trevor Lawrence was looking like that until Liam Cohen showed up and looks like he's resurrecting his career. But these teams that rush to pay, these quarterbacks, and I mean, we're seeing it with Kyler and Tua, they clearly regret their decisions. But I would say to both organizations, you did not have to sign those contracts. You could have kept playing it out. Well, John, it would only get more expensive. That's what they would probably tell you. Well, so be it. At least I will know when I put pen to paper of a contract, it's going to make everyone in this building uncomfortable. Right. If you have any reservations, do not buy the ring and get down on a knee. And that's what I think these organizations did. And it was clear they regretted these decisions really, really quick. Now when it comes to Tua, I think the elephant in the room is when he got hit on. I think it was that Thursday night game against Buffalo and got, you know, the concussion where his, his arms, I forget the term. It just made your stomach drop when you were watching it. I mean, it was a tough visual and I can't even imagine what it was like for him and his family. He's never been the same. So after that hit, he came back and a lot of people like, why don't you just retire? Because he had $120 million if he kept playing. And young people typically don't just retire in their mid-20s because 50 year old people with more wisdom tell them to. That's not really the way it works. So I never had an issue with him like wanting to keep playing. The doctors are clearing him. He can play, but he's not the same. Now I always, I was never the biggest to a guy, but there was no disputing that early on in his career. Once Mike got there with Waddle, you know, with Tyree Kill, at least until it got freezing cold out, he could Be a very, very productive player. And the guy we've seen this year is, feels like a fringe backup. I mean, the performance, his numbers, you know, numbers lie because you can look at the stat sheet and the box score on that game. When it comes to the game against the Steelers on Monday Night Football and it doesn't look bad. He was like 22 or 28, but we all know what we watched the fourth quarter like the Steelers were checked out. They were ready to get home, getting out of the cold. They're up 28 to 3. His quarterback play was atrocious and they had gone on this winning streak. And every time I would look at the boxcard pick, they just won by 15 points, 2 or 3, 420 yards. The previous week, they beat the jets by 24. I think he threw for 130 yards. It's like they were just running the ball and playing defense. They were avoiding having TUA to do anything and it was working. And in that game against Pittsburgh, they didn't have a choice because they got down 14 to 3 in the third quarter. It's freezing cold. We know his limitations were one, he's not a great athlete, doesn't have a huge arm. But like once his marbles, you know, got shook after all the concussions, like, I don't see how anyone could debate. The player we watch now is a shell of the version that we watched a couple years ago. And no one was comparing that guy to, you know, the, the top guys. But he was a guy that you compete with. He's 27 years old. It's not like he's 35. It's not like he's Kirk Cousins, right? It's not like he was in Matt Stafford's draft class. He's 27 years old. But you take enough of those big hits, especially the violence and the concussions he had, I think that question has to be asked. And last but not least, it's just an all time NFL moment that the Miami Dolphins drafted him fifth overall. And listen, they weren't alone. A lot of people liked him. He was playing at Alabama. Now, granted, he was coming off a major hip injury that I think he suffered against Mississippi State. And then Mac Jones went in. Obviously, the next year, Mack Jones, they win the national championship and Mac Jones becomes, you know, 15th overall pick. But they pass on Justin Herbert and that changed the Chargers franchise forever. Because Jim Harbaugh is not their coach if they don't have Justin Herbert. He's even said it. And it was pretty clear when he took the job he was signing up for Justin Herbert. Now their organization feels a lot more buttoned up now than it had over the Philip Rivers and Drew Brees eras. And Harbaugh is obviously a big reason for that. Same with Joe Ortiz from the Baltimore Ravens. But if they just have random quarterback X, Jim Harbaugh's not their head coach and this franchise goes 11 and 6 last year. They're currently 10 and 5. They have the fifth seed with three games remaining now. Their schedule is actually kind of difficult. But they're not technically like in the playoffs right now. But they're going to go to the playoffs and obviously Harbaugh and Herbert are a major reason for that. So it's just an all time sliding doors moment for the NFL. And even Tom Telesco has told people that like they had to rated higher. And Justin Herbert, which I think sometimes it's easy to go after the fact. Even though it's like this guy's almost 6 foot 6, he's 235 pounds, he can run like a deer, he's got a massive arm, he's high character, he's been a four year starter at Oregon. Like what are we missing here? And clearly people overthought it. Definitely the Miami Dolphins did and now they're in a situation where if they cut him this offseason, the cap hit will be almost $100 million and he too is getting $54 million next year no matter what. So obviously to a financially it's unless you talk to Odell, Beckham is set for life, but just a devastating, devastating financial situation. Hopefully they catch if you're a Dolphins fan or you know Mike McDaniel, you catch lightning in a bottle with Quinn yours who you know could be a little hit or miss in college, but it'd be fascinating to watch the way this plays out. You know where I bet on sports during the holiday season? Hard Rock Bet. Not just because they're the presenting sponsor of our show, but because they make it easy to bet on my favorite teams, players and leagues with a few simple taps, especially with their brand new for you page. It recommends picks based on my favorites and who I like to bet on. 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[Host 1]

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[John Middlekoff]

I've got Dan Morgan here on the pod. Say hi, Dan.

[Dan Morgan]

Hey, how's it going today?

[John Middlekoff]

It's going good, man. Tell us who you are and what you do.

[Dan Morgan]

I'm Dan Morgan. I'm an attorney and a managing partner at Morgan and Morgan, which is America's largest injury law firm.

[John Middlekoff]

That's pretty awesome. Why do you guys think you win so many cases?

[Dan Morgan]

The insurance companies and other companies that we go against know that we're going to take it to the end, that we believe in the case. So we fight for every dollar and we're not afraid to go that extra mile for our clients.

[John Middlekoff]

Are insurance companies, like, actually afraid of you guys?

[Dan Morgan]

We don't bluff. We take it to trial. And we are not strangers of getting very, very, very large verdicts.

[Host 1]

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[John Middlekoff]

So how does someone get in contact with Morgan and Morgan? What would I do if I got into an accident?

[Dan Morgan]

Probably the easiest way is dialing pound law. That's £529 from your cell phone. Our call center is always waiting to take your call. 247 365.

[John Middlekoff]

Wow. Dan Morgan from Morgan & Morgan, America's largest injury law firm. Thanks for coming by the.

[Dan Morgan]

Show. Thanks for having me. Visit forthepeople.com for an office near.

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[John Middlekoff]

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[John Middlekoff]

Beauty. Okay, let's dive into some mailbag at John Middlecoff at John Middlekopf is the Instagram fire in those DMs. Get your questions answered here on the show. Love the content. If JJ, that'd be McCarthy continues playing as well as he's been against the Commanders and the Cowboys. Do you see the Vikings rolling him out as the starter next season? My answer would be and I said this the other night after what was a Sunday Night Football that the key. And I remember thinking this a couple weeks ago, he needed to just show progress. It wasn't about wins and losses. It was about we can't bring a guy back and look our star players in the eye that we're paying a lot of money to if we're getting smoked and the reason is him and we're going three and out every single drive and his numbers are comparable to Jamarcus Russell. But obviously the last two weeks not great defenses, especially the Commanders and the Cowboys didn't look great either. Then you get the Giants another Not so great opponent. I do think if you finish the last two weeks against the Lions and the packers and build off the play of these easier opponents where you play well. Because I would expect JJ to look like he has the last couple of weeks this week. But against the Lions and the packers, if he has one good game in one of those two outings, I think you feel much better about this off season. And he'll be the starting quarterback in 2026. Spencer here, I live in San Diego. I think the break from the Chiefs dominating the playoffs will be good for the league. I had people that hated the Chargers to their core rooting for the Chiefs to lose. This will create some rivals. I definitely think it's a good story for the league as a whole. Right. Because next year the Chiefs kind of can come back as this like big bad wolf. Especially Mahomes coming off the acl. Maybe they. I, I would say there's going to be a lot of transition with their franchise. They're going to feel a lot different next year, especially if Travis Kelsey and Chris Jones are not on the team. But I hear you, I mean that there were a lot of people rooting against the Chiefs and tired of the Chiefs. My wife said it all the time once we were watching the other day and I was like they just got eliminated from the playoffs. She's like, thank God. Tired of watching. Meanwhile, my mother is, I mean I would say likes the Chiefs as much as like Clark Hunt. I mean she hasn't missed a snap in years. Like mom, I thought you were a 49er fan. She's like Andy Reid, how do you do his house for Thanksgiving? I have been his biggest fan ever since. So she is a, she is a die hard Chiefs fan. Calls me after every win and definitely after every loss. And she was devastated here at my house on Thanksgiving when the Cowboys. She just couldn't understand. She couldn't comprehend what was happening to her team. So they're just not quite as good. They got some injuries, guys are aging. But I hear you. Why isn't Mike McDonald getting more national talk as the coach of the year? Seattle was a seven and a half wins preseason and picked by many to be last in the NFC West. He's completely turned around the defense in less than two full seasons. Keep up the great work. It's a great question. I actually sprinkled on 5 to 1 to win the division. They didn't win 10 games last year. I don't get as caught up in the coach of the year stuff. I think we got a bunch of questions on coach of the year. Like a huge part of coach of the Year. I think Ben Johnson's borderline of lock him variable. If he has some more wins, I mean, they could split it. It's like your team was shitty and now it's good. I mean, that's just a huge part of it. And listen, Ben Johnson deserves it. If he wins it. If Mike Vrabel were to win it deserves as well. I would give it to. I would give it to Ben Johnson over variable. But I thought the win loss over under was a little off again. They won 10 games last year and they had a good draft. People thought like Sam Darnold to Geno Smith was a downgrade. I didn't quite understand that. Yeah, Mike McDonald's a good coach. Recording this 24 hours before this Thursday night game. It's a, it's a big night for him. It's a big night. They win. They are in position to get the number one seed if they win their last two games. But that's pretty nuts heading into the postseason. I'm curious where you land on this topic. Does elite quarterback play still guarantee playoff success or are we seeing a real shift back toward defenses carrying teams in January? When you look at a team like the Broncos, built around a dominant defense versus a team like the Bills with Josh Allen playing like Superman, which formula actually holds up when the games are tighter? Thanks. Josh Allen is going to be a test case this year. Can he take this team that is not as good as some of the opponents that he's going to play and win, win the afc? Because we saw him play the Texans a month ago. They got worked and he got sacked like 20 times in that game. Right? The Broncos, you remove the quarterback. Every single human alive would take the Broncos over the Bills in terms of the roster. But when you have a guy that good, I would take my shot. You know, in a one game playoff, I'm not going to bet against Josh Allen in the spot. Doesn't mean he's going to win it. But I think that when he's playing at that level and the rules in 2025 are on his side, I would take Josh Allen now that next tier guy like Justin Herbert. I don't think Justin Herbert is a level of Josh Allen and also his team is so flawed because of the injuries. Like it wouldn't stun me if they're a one and done team, right? If they're the five seed and they play the Steelers like they can lose. Right? Especially The Steelers pass rush is playing well. They're just, they're playing with backups for offensive linemen where if you told me Josh Allen was like playing the Steelers, I see no way they lose. And part of it's Herbert's got a broken hand, but Herbert's probably even the bad example. It's like Jordan love. I mean some of the NFC guys, right? Stafford, Sam Darnold, Jordan Love, Purdy, Jalen hurts. Am I missing someone? Baker Mayfield. I think the Broncos is a really good team, but the player that we saw part of what makes them. I mean they could win it all if, if Bo's gonna play like he just played the other day. He threw four touchdowns. He was fantastic. I mean, scrambling around Micah Parsons. Part of the reason he tore his acl. He's cutting trying to chase him. So it's not part of the reason. That's the reason it was a cut trying to chase this guy who's running around making plays. So I, I. You have to have good quarterback play to win. You just do, you know, I mean, look at there's a reason Mahomes has been there five of the last six years and the other time Joe Burrow was there and multiple AFC championships, Josh Allen's been there. You just in last year. The commanders didn't do it because of their roster. Is their quarterback play was playing out of his mind. Quarterback plays really, really big now. It's a team game. You got to run the ball, got to play defense, got to create a timely turnover. Can't fuck up on special teams. I mean, there's a lot of variables that go into it. Question for the mailbag. If we reached a point where Burrow said he would retire if he's not traded, do you think the Rams would be a legitimate landing spot or do you think it's more likely we're headed toward a luck situation? I saw some quotes today. I read an article yesterday on the Athletic about the Bengals. I do wonder if we're overblowing this a little bit. Even Jamar Chase last week said like he thought people kind of took that story a little too serious and run ran with it given the guy that he's around. But then we watched him play against the Ravens and went something looks off. I do think he is going if I'm a betting man right now, Joe Burrow is the starting quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals next year. And if he wasn't going to be the starting quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, get assuming he's healthy, I see zero situation that Mike Brown would trade him. I think they would have the standoff that he did with Carson Palmer years ago. So I would expect Joe Burrow to be the my expectations on a pie chart. My percentage would be like 98%. He's going to be the starting quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals next year. I mean in this article on the athletic it was talking about guy must have been a beat reporter and it was really, really good talking about Zach Taylor and their gm, how both those guys probably aren't going anywhere. But like Joe Burrow is a big reason they've expanded their scouting staff. He plays a big role in personnel. Like he's pretty. Like he's got a lot of juice there now. Is he going to finish his career in the Bengals? You'd probably bet against that. But I'd be floored if he's not on the Bengals next year. If he was quote unquote available, I think the Rams would probably end up getting him. Yes Browns fan, wondering what your approach should be in this Wondering what our approach should be in this draft. The Bills and The Niners are two teams that have had sustained success but with two very different roster configurations. The 49ers have a much more complete roster and the quarterback Purdy Garoppolo are just asked to make the right reads, get the ball to their star players and in their hands and not do too much heavy lifting. They have built around the quarterback over the Bills. They seem to be incredibly reliant on Allen. He is the whole team. As a Browns fan, is it better to keep taking swings on quarterback until you find your Josh Allen or to build the roster? There just aren't ever going to be many Josh Allens. I've been watching football for 30 plus years. I've seen, I mean I didn't even see the peak of John Elway. That's a lot of comps. I think there's a physical, dominant nature to Cam Newton which he. Cam Newton's a 100% outlier. Obviously Josh throws it better than Cam. More consistent thrower, you know, Ben Roethlisberger. I mean you're talking about a short list of human beings. So if you can find a guy 6 foot 5 that can run with a huge arm, is accurate and high character, then yeah, I think the number one goal always is to pick the best players. And I think when you force quarterbacks, right, if you get Fernando Mendoza, if you're a Browns fan, you do it. But if there's not any other guys and you can't get him like Just take another Mason Graham. Take another, you know, Joe Thomas. Build the team. And then when you are situated ideally, like in a perfect world, the 49ers wanted Josh Allen. That's why they drafted Trey Lance. It just blew up in their face. And then the football gods threw them a bone with Brock Purdy. But, like, the 49ers were doing exactly what the Bills did and what the Browns tried to do with DeSean Watson. They took a huge swing. They tried to get a star. It's hard. You're dealing with human beings. The position's really hard. Obviously, the 49ers process on that whole thing was flawed, but that's a conversation for a different day. Question for the bag. I'm pretty much assuming Salah gets a head coaching job after this offseason. I have some names to replace him. Raheem Morris. Shanahan has mentioned many times about how much respect he has for him and how he's tried hiring him in the past. Schwartz. Stefanski is most likely going to get fired, so Schwartz could become available. He's had success against Kyle. And here's the wild card. Spags. What if the Chiefs shake things up? Spend reported. Niners tried hiring Spags after they fired Wilkes. I think Raheem Morris is the most natural transition. He knows him well. He's comfortable running a defense that Kyle is comfortable playing and running. That would be the number one choice. I mean, Kyle's proven now going back to Salah, he wants someone he's comfortable with running his defense. The Spags thing a couple years ago was more out of desperation. They were losing guys. I think that was after d', Amico. They didn't really have any options. And I think at the end of the day, Spags used them a little bit to get more money, which he should. The Jim Schwartz thing. Jim has a ton of success historically against Kyle as an offensive coordinator and as the head coach. I think he's beat him. Like, I think Kyle's like 2 and 8 or 2 and 9. Maybe it was 2 and 10. I mean, whatever the record is. And there was video of him at the game when they played the Browns a couple weeks ago, them talking. I mean, clearly he respects them a lot. That. That would definitely be a name to keep an eye on. Now, Jim Schwartz got a big ego, you know, So I think part of it is, you know, when he's got Salah and he's got Raheem, they have a very, very close personal relationship. You know, hiring Schwartz, it's not like you can Tell Schwartz what to do. And you don't know him that well personally, I would assume. Besides just like competing against them, I'd say Raheem Morris is way more likely than Jim Schwartz. Coming into the season, most people thought the Raiders would be much better in an improved football team with the additions of Pete Spytech and Geno and Genti, however, they look worse. My question is, do you think if they just kept Pierce for another season, they would be better? Also, was AP the issue? Pete's been a disaster. Like, there's no arguing Pete's. Pete feels like a guy that just should just quit. Now, I understand you don't quit because you want to get paid whatever they owe you. But like this Pete thinks over. It's pretty clear Pete Carroll cannot come back. And I think what they tried to do is spy tech who came on this podcast who I'm a big believer in, and he reminds me a lot of Adam Peters. He's going to be fine. But like John Spytak wasn't the guy hiring Pete Carroll. Like, that's Tom. And then Tom's forcing Chip Kelly on him. I think there has to be some balance of when you hired Pete Carroll, you know what the move was last offseason, they should have traded Max Crosby. They should have detonated and blown it up. But Pete Carroll's 95 years old. What did he want to do? Trade for Geno, Keep Max? It's like it was just, it was a situation where you should have thought big picture. Pete's not guaranteed to be alive in five years. I mean, Pete's living in the moment and rightfully so. So I, I think they just made a disaster hire. And when you make a disaster hire in the NFL, it impacts the way you build a team. And then obviously the product you see on the field speaks for itself. There seems to be a broad acceptance that Kittle will eventually be a Hall of Famer. Why is there not similar discussion around Ertz? Ertz is more career touchdowns, more career receiving yards, and played a huge role in the super bowl that he actually won. I think this discussion's a little nuanced. One, I say it pretty liberally that he's going to be a Hall of Famer. I don't think it's guaranteed now. I would say one difference. Is Ertz a three time Pro Bowler? Kittle after this season will be a seven time Pro Bowler. I think one major difference is Kittle's been a first or second team all pro so far five times and this year could be six And Zach Hertz is an elite receiver. You know, he's a lot like, he's kind of like the poor man's version. And I mean this as a compliment of Kelsey slot receiver, no one can cover him but he can't block. Now if you are as great as Kelsey is, then no one even cares. But like his numbers compared to Kelsey's are not even the same ballpark. Meanwhile George I, I, I think the run game element to his game now, now ER had won 2018, he had 116 catches. It was career year but you know, 74, 78, he's had some 56. I, I, I don't view ER I, I don't really know how to say it beside I don't view Ertz as a Hall of Famer. I view Kittle as one. If you told me I could get either guy at 24 years old for the next 10 years, I would take George Kittle over Zach Hertz. And that's not diminishing anything. Zachary has accomplished touchdown in the super bowl, huge catches over the course of his career. Super high level guy. Zach Erz is a winning player. I, I just think KD is a much more complete player. Big fan of the podcast. Colin. I have to stay up see your post game reactions. As someone who went to Cal Poly, what's the social scene like for post grads in San luis Obispo? I'm 22 in tech sales, thinking of moving to SoCal and that's top of the list. Or would something like Santa Barbara be better? My question is if the Bucks move off of Todd Bowles, who's at the top of the hiring list, do they only go Kubiak and Lafleur? Maybe Kingsbury or Marcus Freeman? I don't think they hire another defensive coordinator. I've only spent like 24 or 48 hours at a time in Santa Barbara. A little too uppity for me. A beautiful area. But I would say San Luis is much more of your true college town. Cool downtown, a lot of food. It's got the beach not far away. Now depending you're in tech sales if you know it's not a cheap place to live. I've neither Santa Barbara, but it's I would choose San Luis Obispo in your situation as a younger person over Santa Barbara. But again that's just me. I have really haven't. I've only been to San Luis one time in the last like decade. So you're probably asking someone that might be a little out of touch with the current setup of the area. When I was there, it was awesome. But I would say I don't know who you'd hire, honestly. You know, his last two hires have been Bruce and then they just transitioned to Todd because he was on the staff. I think if you could have a do over, clearly you would have taken Liam Cohen. My guess is they would try to do something offensively and, you know, have a coordinator who's going to be with Baker would be their kind of go to move if they could. 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[Dan Morgan]

Dan. Hey, how's it going.

[John Middlekoff]

Today? It's going good, man. Tell us who you are and what you.

[Dan Morgan]

Do. I'm Dan Morgan. I'm an attorney and a managing partner at Morgan and Morgan, which is America's largest injury law.

[John Middlekoff]

Firm. That's pretty awesome. Why do you guys think you win so many.

[Dan Morgan]

Cases? The insurance companies and other companies that we go against know that we're going to take it to the end, that we believe in the case. So we fight for every dollar and we're not afraid to go that extra mile for our.

[John Middlekoff]

Clients. Are insurance companies, like, actually afraid of you.

[Dan Morgan]

Guys? We don't bluff. We take it to trial. And we are not strangers of getting very, very, very large.

[John Middlekoff]

Verdicts. Awesome. So how does someone get in contact with Morgan and Morgan? What would I do if I got into an.

[Dan Morgan]

Accident? Probably the easiest way is dialing pound law. That's £529 from your cell phone. Our call center is always waiting to take your call. 247.

[John Middlekoff]

365. Wow. Dan Morgan from Morgan and Morgan, America's largest injury law firm. Thanks for coming by the.

[Dan Morgan]

Show. Thanks for having me. Visit forthepeople.com for an office near.

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[John Middlekoff]

Details and Doug oh what a horrible call. Hey ref. Open your eyes ref. You're really not gonna call that? Come on, come on. Hey ref, why don't you customize your car insurance with Liberty Mutual and save money? I don't think you get what we're doing. Sure I do. We're all just giving him advice. You guys on sports, me on saving money. Nope, that's not it. Only pay for what you [e-mail].

[Host 1]

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[John Middlekoff]

Beauty. I agree with your assessment on quarterback play. Why is nobody shouting this from the roof or our GMs just not listening? Look at the AFC. Allen, Lamar, Herbert Burrow, Mahomes, Rogers, Knicks. These guys all played a lot of college football. It's easy to say that Richardson has a ton of physical gifts, but if you had to win one game, are you taking him or Tyler Schuck? Repetitions and time spent in a system learning matter. There is no you can't circumvent experience. You can't circumvent improving. And to improve at something that is really competitive. I don't care what industry you're in, you got to do it over and over. Reps matter. What was Gladwell saying? 10,000 hours? Tiger woods talking about like when I'm in a rut, I just go and dig it out from the mud. I just practice, practice, practice. Do do do. Like I like doers. You know, people that talk in theories and on the board. It's like let's get our hands dirty here. Whatever we're doing, that's how we will make progress. So I, I understand they took a huge swing on Anthony Richardson. It blew up in their face. Tyler Schuck is a much better player than Anthony Richardson today. The Saints wouldn't trade Tyler Schuck for Anthony Richardson in a million years and the Colts would drive him to New Orleans. So yeah, I mean I now I mean Chuck's a unique story. He's 25 years old, he's played in a million places. But I hear what you're saying. There aren't that many Anthony Richardson's though, right? I mean his situation, only playing 13 college games, the elite physical gifts, I, I do get it. Like you just like hey, let's take a swing on this now. I think people would be less and less likely to ever do that again. And like most of these guys coming out now because of nil, they stay have a lot of college experience. You know Tyler Mendoza started two years at Cal and now one year in Indiana. He's played a lot of games, played a lot of football. That matters. Love the show. Keeps me going during baseball off season. We got ourselves Nolan Ryan. If the Dolphins end up cutting Tua, should the Chiefs sign him to a one year deal? He would want this to show he can play in cold weather and who better to learn from than Andy. The Chiefs can probably get to a for cheaper given that he just lost $99 million from the buyout. Or he just got 99 million. He doesn't get 99 million. The 99 million is the dead cap that the Dolphins incur. He gets I think 50 plus million but the guaranteed money in which they've paid him that factors into the cap hit. So he doesn't actually get 99 but he gets 55 and whatever he made this year. I would have a hard time seeing the Chiefs do that. I don't envision that they're not going to sign a guy that can't play in the cold. Now if he was completely free, would they rather have Tua for 1 million or Gardner Minshew for 10? That's a good question. I think they will see what Gardner over the next couple of weeks. But I have a hard time seeing them mess with tua. I really do. Why on earth is Shanahan not the favorite for coach of the year? He's fifth in odds plus 750 in 22. He went 13 and 4 with three different quarterbacks and they gave it to day ball And I think the reason was because he did the most with the least amount of talent. Now this year, Shanahan has gotten The Niners at 10 and 4 with an insane amount of injuries and including the starting quarterback, two best defensive players, a first round defensive pick, his hall of Fame tight end, and his best wide receiver hasn't even played. Whoever gave Brandon Iuk advice did a terrible job. It's like, bro, you, you don't give away $25 million. This is. It's too hard to make money in this world. Large amounts of money too. It's like, what are you doing? In 2019, took Garoppolo to 13 and 3 and a Super bowl and they gave it to John Harbaugh, who had a unanimous MVP in Lamar Jackson. I think it all gets back to people thought the 49ers are going to be good. They were the betting favorites to win the division with the Rams in Seattle. I mean, they were, they were heavy betting favorites over Seattle, so people assumed they were going to be good. And now he is good. So people thought that even though the route he took to get good is way different. Like you said, I mean, you lose Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, basically for the season, Kittle missed the first month of the year. Purdy missed how many games Mac Jones had to win? Like four or five. So yeah, I just don't get that cut up on coach of the year. Kyle's not going to win it this year, should he? If you gave it to him, you wouldn't hear me bitching and moaning. But I just don't really care. I do think the Year Day ball won it. That was impressive. Now you're right, they went nine and eight. Looking back, the hardball one, it's like, I don't know about that one. Why do quarterbacks get interceptions when the balls hit off a hands or chest of a wide receiver? Can we start giving wide receivers ints instead of quarterbacks? I feel this adds more nuance for quarterback evaluation overall. Better, more accurate statistics across the board. At a minimum have a stat for either half ints or a separate category for wide receivers. It's been like that forever. So I. It is stupid because you see a lot of interceptions throughout the course of the year that are not the quarterback's fault. But it doesn't feel like there's ever been any urgency to change that. Like you never hear anyone in the NFL go, what are we doing? No one ever says that. So I hear you. I think they should. But I think part of the problem would be it's like how do you compare than some guys that threw a bunch of interceptions in 2010 to like if I threw 12 interceptions in 2010, my number would have been 7. What about the ones that the DBS drop? Did I hit him in the hands? It's not going to get changed. This is a loaded question and I'm sorry. I started my own residential commercial cleaning company, but I don't think there's a passion or a dream of mine. I'm super interested in making a podcast about football specifically and going back in the sports media school. I was at school for two years at High Point University and really struggled. I was just being a dumb college student and messing around all the time. Also I had some bad advice and people close to me said I would do good, I wouldn't do good in sports, but sports is my everything other than my son and my wife of course. But now that I'm 23 years old and have a five month old baby, I don't want to waste an opportunity to chase my dreams before I have more kids and I don't have time or get too old. I'm definitely going to start my podcast. But is it worth it to go to sports media school? Even though radio and some other things are a dying industry, my first recommendation would be, it seems like, you know, you got a growing family at a young age. Congrats to you. Do not do the sports media school. I don't even know what technically that is, but go to school for sports media. I would recommend not doing that. You know, it feels like part of your life now. You have someone that you have to depend on. The good thing is like you can get the equipment and just do it on the side and see if it grows. See if you can get good at it. You're 23. Do you know how much life ahead of you that you have? I'm almost 20 years older than you and I feel fucking young. You have a lot of life. So I don't know what your current you said you have the company that you started. You could screw around on the side pretty easily and figure out if it's actually something you like and when no one's watching or no one's paying attention. Like is it worth it to you? Because at first I don't care if you're me or who you are. When I first started doing podcasts, I did not have a lot of listeners. Took some time. I had more than most because I had a built in radio base. But I would not have been able to podcast if I hadn't done screwed around and done radio and realized that I like doing it. And when I did that, it was like a part time just on the side. So my point is sometimes we think we like to do something and it's our everything and it means everything, and then we start doing it and it's like, ah, it's not quite as fun as we thought. Or vice versa. We tell ourselves, this is all I want to do. So right now it's just a thought in your head and it's a passion that you want to pursue, but you're able to pursue that passion while you're still paying the bills and taking care of your young family and then figure out like, is this really worth it or not after that, that would be my recommendation than going to sports media school, which again, I'm not trying to throw shade at whatever the school is, but I'm not even sure what that is. Question for the bag. I'm currently in my final year of medical school. We got some sharp listeners and I'll be pursuing a career in vascular surgery. I was curious if you could talk about the medical injury side of the NFL. For example, when Mahomes tore his acl, they did an MRI that night and he got surgery just a day or two later. Do these high profile athletes go to the local ER when they get injured or do team facilities have ct scanners and MRIs right there in house? Furthermore, do pro teams have contracts with specific surgeons or. Or do team docs look across the country to find the best surgeon available? I think it depends team to team. Sometimes you have to go to the hospital to get the mri, and sometimes the machine. I. I'd have to ask like Rick Burkholder, who's the trainer for the Chiefs. I would guess he went to the hospital to get an mri, but maybe they have one either at Arrowhead, their facilities right around the corner. I mean, it's right in the same kind of area. But I don't know. I would say most times guys usually go to the hospital to get the mri. It's why typically after a game, let's say Patrick Mahomes got hurt on the road. What would Andy have said? He would have said, we're getting an MRI first thing in the morning because what do they do? They take him to the, you know, local Kansas City hospital and he gets the MRI and they find out what happened. And then what happened with Patrick is he got a second opinion. Just to double check with maybe his agent set him up or people he knows have gone through the guy in Dallas, and they confirmed that he also tore. His was his lcl and he just got surgery right there. I think the teams often work with the players to get surgery if they want to stay locally or they go to a guy, you know, that's nationally renowned, was the Tommy John guy's name. There was a famous ACL and Tommy John guy that most people went to, and people just funneled their players to those guys. And I think most teams, maybe there's one or two. I think most of the time you have to go to the hospital to get the mri. So you have people on call, especially with game day. I would imagine they have a deal where people are there just in case for situations like the mri, Right. For your own team. But sometimes even players have to wait till the next day. So, I mean, it is Sunday afternoon or Sunday night now. If it's something catastrophic, they will take guys to the er, right? We have seen guys. Hamlin trying to think of, like, devastating injuries. Demar is probably the best example, but that was, like, really extreme. But we've seen guys like catastrophic knee injuries just go. Right. The ambulance go to the hospital, right? So it's. I think a lot of times, like when I was with the Eagles, Dr. DeLuca, who's now their doctor again, like, if you just. I would just go to him for checkups, right? Most teams have a local guy, right? If you're the Chiefs, you have a guy from Kansas City. If you're the Niners, you got a guy from Stanford. And those guys handle a lot of your stuff. And they're around on game day. They travel with the team. And, you know, players, like, you can't force a guy to get a surgery with a guy they don't want to have surgery with. So that's what's. That's what's unique, right? Like, if I have. Like, if my son's 10 years old, right, and he's playing. I was gonna say soccer, but we ain't gonna play soccer. Let's say he's playing baseball and breaks his leg sliding into second base. If we need to get surgery on his leg, like, I dictate where he's getting surgery, right? Get. Carry him to the car. Hopefully he's too big. I can't even carry because he's, you know, burgeoning athlete. But wherever he's going to get surgery is going to be. I'm going to determine it, right? Whereas a player, the team be like, hey, go talk to These guys. But I can talk to my own people and I can do whatever I want. Now. I can't do something that, like, hey, I'm going to take a different route in a different type medicine than your idea, right? The equivalent of, like, people that have babies in a bathtub, you know, teams to be like, that's part of the contract. We can't do that. I don't mean, obviously a players, I can have a baby in a bathtub, but you know what I mean? Like, I'm going to do this special ACL surgery that's never been done before. I think the team would push back on that. And you try to work together, like ultimately your business partners. But I do think these situations, historically, they've been complicated from time to time. Not Mahomes, necessarily, but I don't know why I gave that baby example. I don't even know what the equivalent would be, like ayahuasca. But again, teams don't even care. I. I think with someone like Patrick Mahomes, they trust his agent, they work with his agent really closely, that he has trust in Andy and Veech, and they just kind of work together on it. I think sometimes you can not be on the same page. And in fairness, this is where players think that I'm getting screwed. Like, you're telling me I don't need surgery. You're like, I can't even feel my calf right. My elbow feels like it's going to fall off. You're like, you're good. Just couple weeks of rehab and then you go to your own doctor or your agent set you up with a doctor, or teammates set you up with a doctor. And he's like, you need to get this. You need to get this taken care of. So you can just get a lot of different opinions. And in fairness to the players, I mean, this. Their body's their livelihood. So it is. It's pretty intense situations of like, well, I'm going to do what I think is best for my body because this is the only way that, like, this is how I make.

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[John Middlekoff]

If. If I start slipping, you guys will cut me in a New York minute, and you won't even think twice. So it's. It's pretty complicated, but the MRI machine, pretty sure most guys have to go to the hospital.

[Host 1]

Adios. The volume. This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea or OSA in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snored loudly or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at. Don't sleep on osa.com this information is provided by Lilly, a medicine.

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[John Middlekoff]

Location. What a matchup we got y'. All. This is that classic HBCU vibe. Non stop action. The band is rocking and the crowd lit. Chance echo drum beat everybody showing that school pride. Game like this. Yeah, it calls for an ice cold Coca Cola. Ah, crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer right there. Yeah, that taste always, always hits the right note. Just like the band at halftime. And just like that, we're back at it. Passionate fans, school colors everywhere. And in ice cold Coca Cola, that's a winning combo. No matter the sport, no matter the yard. Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work. So grab a Coca Cola and keep that HBCU pride going. Janice Torres here and I'm Austin Hankwitz. We host the podcast Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories produced by Ruby Studio in partnership with Intuit.

[Host 1]

QuickBooks. We're back for season four to talk to some incredible small business.

[John Middlekoff]

Owners. The big thing about working at Tech is that it's ever evolving, ever changing. Everyone's a rookie. That's how fast the industry is changing. So what I'm really excited about is to be part of that change. So listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your.

[Host 1]

Podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed.