Transcript
John Middlekauff (0:00)
The 2025 NCAA March Madness Men's Tournament is back and this time it is bringing all the feels. The biggest event in college sports is here with games happening all day long and you don't want to miss a second of the heart pumping action. Catch all the clutch shots, big time plays, upsets, Cinderellas, Blue Bloods and more. Tune in to the NCAA Men's Division 1 Basketball Championship March 18 through April 7 on TBS, CBS, TNT, TruTV and Stream on Max. You can count on T Mobile to help keep you connected from big cities to small towns on America's largest 5G network. Switch the T Mobile keep your phone and they'll pay it off up to 800 bucks per line via prepaid card. Learn more@t mobile.com heap and switch up to four lines via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device, credit service port in 90 plus days with device and eligible carrier and timely redemption required. Card has no cash access and expires in six months. AI is redefining what's possible for your business with more unique challenges to solve and higher stakes than ever, Microsoft helps you stay ahead. Our trustworthy AI tools and guidance can empower leaders like you to drive greater impact. And with Azure's simplified platform management, we helping businesses go further, faster, unlocking up to 150% improved output. Whatever challenge comes next, let Microsoft help you keep pushing forward. For more details, visit Microsoft.com challengers we.
Jeremy Hobson (1:37)
Live in a divided country and our media couldn't be more polarizing. That's why we started the Middle with Jeremy Hobson. It's about bringing voices not from the extremes, but from the vast middle into the national conversation. Each week we hear from ordinary Americans from all over the country. And when you subscribe to the Middle, you also get an episode each week called One Thing Trump did that focuses on just one item from the avalanche of news. Listen to the Middle with Jeremy Hobson on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
John Middlekauff (2:08)
The Volume what is going on everybody? How are we doing? It is Wednesday, March 19th and I thought I'd fire up a little podcast because breaking news we we had some information that came out early on Wednesday regarding a man named Aaron Rodgers and a team called the Minnesota Vikings. So we will dive into that. I saw Jalen Milroe ran a really fast 40 time at the the Alabama Pro Day and I just want to dive into pro days in general because I would say I don't think too highly of them. And then there were I think the owner's meetings are right around the corner and we have a lot of we knew the packers want the tush push band, they want it done. But there are also a lot of other potential rule changes, honestly, many that I am in full support of and Dan Campbell and the Lions. It feels like we're on the same page here because we both view something when it comes to the NFL and a rule that just drives us bananas. But before we dive into some football, I got to tell you about my friends, my partners and the official ticketing app of this podcast, Game Time. And can I tell you a little something that I've gone to a lot of games in my life. I've gone to a lot of events, I've done a lot of fun things and recently and I've used a lot of different ticketing apps. There is not one better. Honestly, it's not even close to my friends. At Game Time. You're talking concerts, you're talking comedy shows. You want to go get a laugh, you want to go watch Shane Gillis, Andrew Schultz, I see he's blowing up. I guess he's already blown up. You want to go to a game? Do you want to go to any event? College pro, get out of the house. Go enjoy yourself. Here's part of life to keep a smile on your face. You got to break up the monotony and listen, I am guilty as anybody. Every once in a while you just got to throw a curve ball. It's like, I'm going to a concert tonight. I'm going to a basketball or baseball game tonight. Just change up your life. And that's where my friends at Game Time come in because they'll take the guesswork right out of buying tickets with Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, use the code JOHN for $20 off. Your first purchase terms apply. Again, create an account, redeem the code John for $20 off. Download the game Time app today. Last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed. Okay, let's, let's dive into the Minnesota Vikings. Kevin O'Connell and Quesi, the GM have decided at this point in time while they discussed I think probably in depth and for days on end potentially for the last month or two. Should they be aggressive and sign Aaron Rodgers, that is their job. That is the job of every general manager is to do due diligence on every player available. And it's why Ryan polls last year. I'm sorry takes a little heat of like yeah, it was the easy thing to not bring any of the Quarterbacks in beside Caleb Williams. Yeah, the media is going to give you a lot of credit. They don't sign your checks. Your job is to thoroughly evaluate and bring in Jaden Daniels. And Drake May, if he could have that one over, doesn't mean he would change the pick. But let's face it, they did not do their due diligence like they did with Caleb. And just like, even though you drafted a quarterback really, really high in J.J. mcCarthy, like, he played two preseason games and then hurt his knee and then needed another surgery and lost what looked like 30 or 40 pounds and look like what I aspire to be, really skinny. And it's like, is this guy good enough to carry our offense? You have to ask these, ask these questions and you're not going to have the answers until the season starts. But I think one thing the Minnesota Vikings had on their side, they're not desperate. And I think one consistent theme in life is when you make decisions out of desperation, it can blow up in your face. And sometimes in life, you don't have a choice. Right. Anyone who's listening to this that's lost a job or been dumped or had something traumatic happen to you, that's, I would say, somewhat out of your control. It can force you into change and some desperation and to charge a different path immediately that you hadn't planned on doing. And you've heard a lot of people, especially successful people in business, that say the most powerful word is always no. It doesn't mean that you're not interested or that you won't end up doing that. But when you say no, you gain some leverage. And typically teams that make bad decisions or desperate decisions are bad. The reason the jets traded a Hall and then paid Aaron Rodgers or took his salary, actually, he ended up taking a pay cut, but basically gave him the keys to the franchise is not because they had been winning 11 or 12 games. It's because they had been dog shit. Like the 49ers just let their entire roster go. Do you think that happens if they win 12 games and are in the NFC championship game? Probably not. But they went six and 11. So when you look, look at the Eagles two years ago, they start whatever, what is it, 10 1, and then basically lose six of their last seven games, get their ass kicked in the playoffs, and they fired basically everyone they could see beside Nick Sirianni on the coaching staff. Do you think they do that if they were in the Super Bowl? Of course not. So winning and losing gives you juice. The Vikings were 60 minutes away from being the number one overall seed. And obviously they played a bad playoff game and got worked by the LA Rams. But like they're in a position where they look at the roster and go minus the quarterback. We feel we have one of the better rosters in the NFL and we've invested in this young quarterback because we believe in them. Now, I've been saying over and over, you have no clue. There is a great unknown when it comes to J.J. mcCarthy. Is he going to be a good NFL player? No one knows, including Minnesota. And it's why it is their responsibility to have these discussions, to go in depth. Is it worth it? How much would he cost? What would he impact on the locker room? Is it worth JJ's development, good or bad to have him around? Is it better to not have him around? Are we a better football team with him as the starting quarterback? That's what they're paid to do. It's like the media, people like me, people, the fans, we can have all the opinions we want and listen, it's fun. It's why football is huge. We got a lot of thoughts, we got a lot of takes and we like talking about it, but it is their job. It's not about takes, it's not about opinions, it's to get it right or wrong. And when you make a move, like if they go with J.J. mcCarthy and it works and they win 12, 13 games and he's a solid player, like, it's all worth it if he's not good and he can't carry the offense like Sam did. I know everyone's like, sam Donald's overrated. Look at the last two. He threw 35 touchdowns. J.J. mcCarthy, in 15 games when Michigan won the national championship, was never asked to play like that. His Career High was 22 touchdowns. Like he played in a run. First defensive team in college. That's how Jim Harbaugh coaches. That is not how Kevin O'Connell coaches. Kevin O'Connell wants to call past plays. Don't blame him. That's what a lot of Andy Reid likes, calling pass plays. But when you call a lot of pass plays, you're pretty dependent on the quarterback and Sam Darnold last year and Kirk Cousins the previous couple years, like, those are guys that clearly you could lean on. We don't know that with JJ McCarthy, we used to know that with Aaron Rodgers, he used to be a guy like he was one of the best players of all time. That guy's gone. So you're getting a 41 year old, he's not like completely washed. I mean, this isn't Drew Brees or Roethlisberger at the end of the career, but he's a shell of what he once was. Like, we have to acknowledge that if he was once basically like a 10 out of 10 player, whatever that version is is long gone. He's still a functional player. He's still a guy that can throw touchdowns, who can. If you have a good team you can probably be competitive with, but there is no guarantee that he can just carry you to the promised land. And I don't blame any older player, especially when you become really rich and you've checked off every box. Like, I don't want to get hit. I wouldn't want to get hit either. Tom Brady, that last year was like, I'm not getting sacked. Aaron Rodgers, last year, like, I'm not getting sacked. It's one thing to get, like, kind of randomly thrown to the ground. It's another thing when I see the guy coming at me like, I'm not standing in this pocket for that extra second where I can complete this ball. I'm hitting the ground now, throwing it away. And he used to not do that, and he did that last year, which, again, I will defend. But when you go into business with him, that's what you have to do is understand that that's the player. It's why when the talk about, like, well, we just. If Matt Stafford doesn't take a pay cut, we'll just. We'll trade them to the Giants and we'll go sign Aaron Rodgers. And you would have fell off a cliff in terms of your offensive production. Because the one thing Stafford will still do, even though he's made a ton of money and won a championship, he will sit in that pocket and get Molly whopped as he waits to the last possible second to deliver a strike to Puka Nakua for a first down. For some reason, I still don't. I saw a headline, Cooper Cup. He's like, I never got an answer from the Rams. It's like, cooper, they don't think you're worth $20 million. You're in the business of football and what your salary is. If it doesn't equal how good you are as a player anymore, whether it's the Rams or whether it's the Patriots, whether it's the Chiefs, every team in the league would have cut you. It's not because they don't like you as a guy. It's not because they don't think you work hard. It's not because they don't think you're a good influence to the team. It's because your salary was much larger than how you are currently as a player. It's called the business that is the NFL. You would have been cut by all 32 teams. They're not going to give you a letter of explanation of, like, your routes aren't as good anymore. It's your injuries and your dependability. You're not dependable anymore. It has nothing to do with, like, you as a guy. And I understand, like, I've been fired. It's. It's a humbling experience. But, like, they didn't think you were $20 million. It's not that fucking complicated. If I see one more headline like, Cooper cup just does not understand. What is there not to understand? This isn't a complicated formula. He's not as good as the high price. They think devonte Adams is worth way more money than you. Right. Which is your old salary, $20 million. They'll gladly play that. Savante, they do not want to pay you. And I think whenever I. It's hard to know with Rogers, you know, how much he actually wanted. If I was Rogers, I would have gone to Minnesota for, like, nothing, like five million bucks. I'm in. Because if he ends up with the Steelers and the Giants, and I mentioned this yesterday, like, I don't really care. Neither one of those things do anything to me. I don't think the Steelers are dramatically any different than they have been the last several years. And I think the Giants will be bad. And I think the Giants are in a really, really tough spot. And I don't really know what else they were supposed to do. But, and I said this yesterday, I understand why John Mara did not want to be looked at like some loony owner constantly firing people. But it's like, John, everyone you fired deserved to be fired. Like Ben McAdoo, you had to pull the trigger. Joe Judge ran a quarterback sneak on third and nine. He had to go. Pat Shermer had no business being a head coach. Like, this crew, it's not really working out. And like, I get it, you like these guys. A lot of people get fired in the NFL that people liked. Pete Carroll got fired. Andy Reid got fired. Like, it's part of the job. But these guys have no shot to win. And if you add Aaron Rodgers, like, their roster is way worse than the Jets. And unlike the jets, they play in a division that's much better. I mean, the Eagles are a powerhouse. Clearly, Washington is going to be improved. And they were in the NFC Championship last year. And let's face it, like, the Cowboys had a million injuries. Maybe they're no longer that 12 win team, but they're way better than the Giants. So I think this giant situation is like. And even if they end up drafting Shador with the third overall pick, like, I, I saw Shador two years ago on a bad Colorado team, they were not good. And it's just like, if you put players on bad teams, especially a quarterback, like, they, they let's. They're fucking Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers in his prime. They're not overcoming that. You will lose. We just saw Aaron Rodgers, on a talented team last year, lose week after week after week after week. And I think the Steeler thing, and I think what Cam said is reflective kind of what we all believe. It's like, I just, I can't. I just can't. It feels like a Bravo show now. And which, listen, when you are an elite, when you're a great player, you can deal with it, like, at one point in time, it's like, yeah, Antonio Brown's nuts, but he'll give you 120 catches and 15 touchdowns a year. Like, yeah, you just kind of deal with the nuts. And then it got to the point where, like, yeah, he's not giving you that anymore. I'm out. Terrell Owens became that. And every once in a while, quarterback becomes that. It's like your drama outweighs. I don't know how people deal with, like, I'm pretty lucky. My immediate family, there's not much drama involved. I keep a relatively smaller friend circle because I just, I can't really deal with crazy drama. I mean, there are levels where you have to be, you know, you have a family member, a close friend who just. There's drama in their life. They need help. Like, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm just saying constantly, something. It's like, if I'm the Steelers, it's like, listen, we sucked it up and we dealt with this weirdo Russell Wilson. Now we're dealing with Mr. Ayahuasca, who. It just isn't as good anymore. Now, you could also say, if you're the Steelers, like, what are your options? And I know it's been reported that they were pretty interested in bringing Justin Fields back on somewhat of a similar number to what the jets gave him, which I honestly think would have been insane. It's like, wait, you're willing to give him even a number near that couple years, $40 million and guarantee 30 and you wouldn't. And you benched him for Russell Wilson. How's that possible? And you refused as Russell Wilson started not playing well and it got cold and he looked like a shell of himself, you refused to start. Fields like that would have showed you that you essentially threw the last season. So I think both these franchises, I was pretty aggressive on how I was out on the Steelers last year and I looked dumb when they started 10 and 3 and then everything changed. They started playing good teams and I looked smart again. And listen, I've come to grips with. I'm no longer saying that Mike Tomlin and the Steelers should get a divorce. I don't believe it's going to happen. I believe he will be there forever no matter how many 8, 9, 10 win seasons he has and how many times he gets his ass kicked in the first round. Like, I'm done. That's a take. That's a waste of my energy. I'm also done ever thinking the Steelers are going to suck. They're clearly not. But like their version of suck is what we are witnessing right now. The team that just does the same thing every single year. And clearly the Chiefs are this dynasty team. Five Super Bowls, six years, three championships. But that next tier of team that cannot beat the Chiefs kicks your ass. The Bills and the Ravens. So it's like the Chiefs are in their own category and then that next tier of the Bills, Ravens have nothing in common with you. They own you. Yeah, occasionally you could beat the Ravens and Lamar in a regular season game. No one cares. Right? I mean, guys like De'Aaron Fox score 50 in random regular season games. It does not matter in the landscape of the league in the important games. So it's like, I just think the Steelers are now in the same spot over and over, over and over. They can add Rodgers, they can bring back Russell, they can draft Jackson Dart, they do whatever. I don't think anything's going to change. And it sucks if you're a Steeler fan because it's like we're never going to bottom out. So we never will have a chance at the Jaden Daniels or the, you know, I don't think Trevor Lawrence any good, but like that type player will always just, you know, somehow be nine to 10 wins, be one and done in the playoffs, not host a playoff game, have a stretch in the regular season where like, are we pretty good? It's like, no, you're actually not. So it's just the same old, same old. Now. Now you're waiting on a 41 year old who's toying with your emotions. That's what it's come to. You're waiting on a 41 year old that we've all acknowledged isn't that good anymore. Like he's not worthy of like we should be. But we're desperate. What else are we supposed to do? And the answer is you're screw. When it comes to college basketball in March mania, one thing is for sure. Nothing's for sure. Upsets, buzzer beaters, Cinderellas, Top seeds going home early. It's all gonna happen. Bet the unexpected. Every upset, every day with DraftKings Sportsbook. 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