Who Wins NFC North? Broncos Poised For Breakout? Pay Micah Parsons? LIV Tour

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd Episode: Colin Cowherd Podcast - Who Wins NFC North? Broncos Poised For Breakout? Pay Micah Parsons? LIV Tour
Release Date: June 30, 2025
Hosts: Colin Cowherd (iHeartPodcasts and The Volume) with Guest John Middlekauff

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1. Introduction and Guest Appearance ([02:00] - [05:53])

Colin Cowherd welcomes John Middlekauff, a former NFL scout, to the show. They discuss Middlekauff's recent appearance in the LA studio, highlighting his seamless integration despite initial reservations.

Notable Quote:

• Colin Cowherd: "John, you were great. You just, I mean, really, it was even. You're talking hoops." ([03:50])

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2. NFL Team Building Strategies ([05:53] - [12:22])

The conversation shifts to team-building strategies in the NFL, focusing on the trend of prioritizing offensive players over defense. Colin highlights how teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams are allocating significant resources to star offensive players while maintaining a young and cost-effective defense.

Key Points:

• Emphasis on drafting and retaining elite offensive talent.
• Defensive players are often younger and more budget-friendly due to higher injury rates.
• Comparison of Micah Parsons' value to other defensive stars.

Notable Quote:

• Colin Cowherd: "I think he’s a splash player and a really good one." ([08:06])

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3. Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys' Dilemma ([08:06] - [15:32])

John Middlekauff provides a deeper analysis of Micah Parsons' role and contract implications for the Cowboys. They debate whether Parsons justifies his high salary compared to other defensive players and discuss the Cowboys' reliance on star players like Parsons and CeeDee Lamb.

Key Points:

• Micah Parsons’ performance vs. his market value.
• The impact of high salaries on team budget and future contracts.
• Concerns over quarterback performance and overall team depth.

Notable Quote:

• John Middlekauff: "I think he’s a high end player, but he also plays a high end position that costs a premium." ([08:06])

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4. NFC North Contenders: Packers, Bears, Lions, Vikings ([11:04] - [15:32])

Colin expresses surprise at John’s support for the Green Bay Packers winning the NFC North. They delve into the criteria for a Super Bowl-winning team, emphasizing the need for multiple elite players. The Packers' strengths, including Matt LaFleur's coaching and key players like Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney, are discussed alongside their vulnerabilities.

Key Points:

• Importance of having seven elite players for a championship run.
• Packers' balanced team with strong coaching and key offensive talents.
• Comparison to other NFC North teams and their potential.

Notable Quote:

• Colin Cowherd: "Do they have six elite players? Because that's kind of what wins the Super Bowl." ([11:04])

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5. San Francisco 49ers and Coaching Dynamics ([15:32] - [30:09])

The focus shifts to the San Francisco 49ers, with an in-depth discussion on Kyle Shanahan's coaching prowess and his collaboration with General Manager John Lynch. They analyze the 49ers' draft strategies, team performance, and the influence of coaching decisions on team success.

Key Points:

• Kyle Shanahan’s offensive schemes and adaptability.
• The synergy between Shanahan and Lynch in team building.
• Expectations for the 49ers based on their current roster and coaching.

Notable Quote:

• John Middlekauff: "Kyle Shanahan is going nowhere for the foreseeable future because the ownership just signed Brock Purdy." ([21:48])

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6. Miami Dolphins Analysis ([30:09] - [37:57])

Colin and John critique the Miami Dolphins' current performance under Mike McDaniel. They discuss McDaniel's coaching style, team discipline issues, and the challenges posed by the Dolphins' roster and environment.

Key Points:

• Mike McDaniel’s coaching effectiveness and public perception.
• Team discipline and player behavior impacting performance.
• Comparisons to other teams and coaching styles in the NFL.

Notable Quote:

• John Middlekauff: "Mike McDaniels is sort of in that, hey, that McVay wave." ([28:23])

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7. Broader NFL Coaching Trends and Market Dynamics ([37:57] - [46:44])

The discussion broadens to encompass overall coaching trends in the NFL, the influence of young coaches like Brandon Staley, and the impact of media and market pressures on coaching decisions and team performance.

Key Points:

• The rise of young, innovative coaches in the league.
• The balance between coaching autonomy and front-office control.
• Market pressures and media scrutiny influencing coaching tenure and team strategies.

Notable Quote:

• Colin Cowherd: "It's a copycat league. And then you find out how special McVay is." ([35:20])

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8. Transition to Other Sports: Golf and Patrick Reed ([52:29] - [64:55])

In a shift from football, Colin and John discuss the world of golf, focusing on Patrick Reed's performance and personality. They compare the individual nature of golf to team sports, debating Reed's place in events like the Ryder Cup and the challenges golfers face in maintaining performance and public perception.

Key Points:

• The role of personalities like Patrick Reed in making golf more engaging.
• Comparison of golf's individual challenges to team sports.
• Assessment of Reed’s skills and potential contributions to team events.

Notable Quote:

• John Middlekauff: "Patrick Reed is a major champion. He almost, I mean he was in the mix this year. I think he finished third." ([54:21])

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9. Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts ([64:55] - End)

Colin and John wrap up the episode with casual remarks, touching briefly on personal experiences and upcoming topics. They conclude the discussion on a light note, avoiding deeper dives into specific contentious topics like Aaron Rodgers.

Notable Quote:

• Colin Cowherd: "This has been one of my favorite 50-minute podcasts in a while." ([64:40])

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Conclusion

This episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd offers a comprehensive analysis of current NFL team strategies, with a particular focus on the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, and Miami Dolphins. Guest John Middlekauff provides valuable insights from his background as an NFL scout, enriching the discussion with expert opinions on player valuations, coaching dynamics, and team-building philosophies. Additionally, the episode touches upon the individualistic nature of golf, highlighting figures like Patrick Reed, thereby broadening the scope beyond football. Listeners gain a nuanced understanding of the complexities involved in building a championship-winning team and the various factors that influence performance and success in professional sports.

Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

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[John Middlekauff]

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[John Middlekauff]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[John Middlekauff]

Yeah, I mean, I. Obviously, anything you asked me to do, my answer is going to be yes. You know, people ask me if I'm nervous. It was one of those situations where, you know, sometimes in those situations you're like gunning for a job or you're trying. I'm not going after J. Max Seat, so I just went in to help you in the situation. But also, you and I do a podcast together a lot. I mean, I don't know the exact number, but the numbers got to be over 100 over the last three or four years. So in terms of a chemistry of working with someone, I've watched and listened to you, I don't know, for decades, so it's kind of unique. You're not kind of going in blind working with someone you don't know, even if someone you know from far away. And when I got out of scouting, I did a lot of local TV work with that in CSN Bay Area. I don't even know if it's still around. But, I mean, they had the Giants and the warriors, so, I mean, I've been on television before in situations other than just going on your show as a guest. So honestly, I wasn't that nervous beside just not wanting to screw it up. And luckily it's, you know, it's once after the first day, you kind of get a little rhythm, but the lights are bright and you're firing I mean, it's. You know, I was telling someone the other day, a buddy of mine in the NFL, listen, you're not going to get credit because no one sees the inside of your show, but your pre show meetings, the ability to allow. I mean, there's 10 plus people in there, ages ranging, I'm sure, from early 30s to 50s, besides yourself. And it is. Everyone has a voice. People can say whatever they want. People can chime in. It is. I'd argue it's a pretty unique experience in terms of. It's not like you're just this dictator at the front. Everyone's firing their opinions, everyone's involved. Everyone feels, I'm sure, like they have a piece of, you know, maybe on a given show they're not as active, but over the course of months, everyone's pretty active in your operation. It's, it's was a sight to behold.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, no, we've got really good people. Scott Holmes, who sits at the very back, so he's the furthest from me. He's actually probably the funniest guy. And it was so funny. He was, you know, the first six months he was back there, he'd fire away. And I was like, who is this guy in the back of the beard? That dude is funny. And he did some comedy writing and does some standup and so he and I screw around and write some essays on Sundays. I found him, I'm like, you know, you're too good not to be doing some writing. You really got a great sense of humor. So we write an essay once a week just for something to do. But I'm glad you enjoyed it anyway because guys loved having you. You did a terrific job. So, yeah, I was saying this the other day. I think what the Kansas City Chiefs started doing and I think the Rams have followed suit, is there's kind of a trend that the Steelers are not doing this, which is, listen, we're going to draft our defense. We're going to stay young, cheap and twitchy. Defensive players get hurt more than offensive players. So you want a younger defense. We will pay for Chris Jones. The Rams, I think, will eventually pay for Jared Verse. You want to have most of your money on the offensive side, left tackle, quarterback, weapon. And that feels like what Kansas City started to do with Mahomes. Like we're going to pay for some stuff to help him. Offensive line going to keep our defense super, super young. You know, because offense is more choreographed, it's more of an offensive league. You want to make fewer mistakes. Now the Rams defense was the least penalized last year for its age, which is. Just. Doesn't even make sense. But anyway, I was this week. I talked about Michael Parsons and I said I couldn't pay him. Top of the market. I like him, but I don't think he has the strength of Jared Verse, the consistency of Miles Garrett. He doesn't play inside like Chris Jones. I don't think he' as kind of intimidating or as consistent as Max Crosby. I don't think he's as good as Trey Henderson. That's my interpretation. How do you. I think he's a splash player and a really good one. How do you view Micah Parsons?

[John Middlekauff]

Yeah, I think. I think he's better than probably the way you just described him. But I'm with you. Like the upper. Upper echelon of, you know, a Miles Garrett or whoever they are at their position. Justin Jefferson or Trent Williams, you know, given what you have to pay for a pass rusher, you know, Bosa a couple years ago, got $125 million guaranteed, give or take. So what's Parsons, $150 million. I mean, are we talking quarterback contract? But Jerry's already down this road. I mean, the chance to trade him or move on would have been before the draft. And we also know the way that Jerry does business is like anyone thinking that Mike is going to get paid during the fourth of July holiday hasn't been following the Cowboys. This is going to happen mid to late August, right before the season, and it's going to be absolutely top of the market. And I've always theorized, I don't know if Jerry has this incredible investment. He never likes pulling out the cash till the last second, but he does. I mean, he's done it very consistently now with Dak, with CD Lamb. He waits till the last second on his premium players. They would have been way better off. Clearly, like we have enough evidence now, the market's only going up and up and up. So they should have paid him after last year. It would have been way cheaper. But they're down this road. I'm with you. If he's the cornerstone, like, you're Ray Lewis, you're Reggie White, you're Chris Jones. Because the one thing Chris Jones at this point in time in his career, take some plays off, but in a big game, he can be the best player on the field and Michael Parsons can. But, you know, against the run, is he an elite player? I would say no. He. He's. He's a special pass rusher. But when does a pass Rusher come into play when you're up 10 points. You know, this is, is this cowboy team going to be leading a lot of people? You know, I, I, I don't know. So I, I, I think yeah, I mean I, I like him. I mean he's definitely a, a high end player, but he also plays a high end position that costs a premium and anytime that a guy like him gets paid, it's going to be an, it's an astronomical amount of money now. It's essentially like what they paid to a couple of years ago at quarterback. I mean I would imagine his number comes in 175. They come in at 120 and then they'll meet somewhere 140, 150. So now the Cowboys, to me it's the way they built their team. They're all in on two players, Micah Parsons and CD Lamp. CD is an excellent player. Micah's damn good. And a quarterback who's, you know, on his good days like eight and on his bad days like 16th and that's, that's in the coach staff has a lot of question marks. So I don't know, I go back and forth. I know everyone in your down on the Cowboys, rightfully so. Usually that's the time like when a team actually is better than you think. But you look at their division, they're the third best team in their division. Schedule's pretty difficult. I mean Dak, I think we got asked major question marks about what he's going to look like now off another major, major injury. You know, is he completely immobile? Yeah, I mean they've invested a lot in the offensive line so they're going to pay him and then it's just going to be, he's got to be, you know, a 15 to 18 sack guy to make you feel good about it moving forward.

[Colin Cowherd]

So I was a little surprised you like the packers doing the NFC north. And I'll, I'll kind of throw out my belief system which is I think to win a Super bowl you have to have seven elite, elite players generally close to their prime or just out of it. And you know there, there are obviously exceptions, but if you go look at the Patriots dynasty, it was like Edelman, Gronk, you know, Tom Brady, they'd have Logan Mankins, there'd be a pass rusher somewhere, a one great corner. And they always had like six or seven guys who were really step up big player guys. Now they, I mean the Ravens teams with Ray Lewis obviously had that. The Chiefs have mostly had that. Where they have Chris Jones, one elite corner. They almost always have a good safety. Now they've got linebackers, Travis Kelsey, Patrick Mahomes, again Joe Tuney for a couple of Super Bowls. But it's like, at least like 5 to 6 really high end players. So I look at Detroit and I think Detroit Jameer Gibbs, Omaron St, Brown Hutchison, Penne Sewell. They did lose their center, which I think is a real thing. That hurts. He was an elite center, but I see, I see about five guys with them who I, I think they have a young safety we like. Right?

[John Middlekauff]

Who's that?

[Colin Cowherd]

Detroit?

[John Middlekauff]

Yeah. Brian Branch. The Alabama kid.

[Colin Cowherd]

Brian Branch? Yeah, yeah, Brian Branch. I, I like Green Bay's running back, Josh Jacobs. Jair Alexander. I like two years ago, the receiving core I thought was incredibly promising at the beginning of last year. But now they drafted a receiver in the first round, signaling they don't trust it. Here's my knock on Green Bay. Do they have six elite players? Because that's kind of what wins the Super Bowl. Philadelphia certainly just did.

[John Middlekauff]

Yeah, I mean, I think they're very beholden on and you know, predicated on the quarterback playing really well. And two years ago down the stretch, he was a top six, seven guy in the league. The way he played last year obviously was really bumpy. So to me, if he's a Pro bowl guy, he definitely has a physical characteristics. I think the, the question mark on him coming into the season is very fair. I'm with you on Jacobs. I think Kenny Clark is a excellent player. Xavier McKinney, who they signed from the Giants, was excellent last year. I think they're receiving unit. I'm with you. I mean, there were high hopes for a couple of those guys. Concussions, injuries, you know, Watson couldn't catch. Now he's got a torn acl. I think the, the tight end, Tucker pretty good.

[Colin Cowherd]

Musgrave is the other tight end.

[John Middlekauff]

I mean, they got two good tight ends. To me they are. I'm with you. Like, do they have the Justin Jeffersons and the Micah Parsons and the Fred Warners? I think you could push back on that. And that's more than fair. Coaching staff's pretty damn good. Like their talent is good, right? They won 11 games last year and went one in five. So they are a good team. This is a team sport. That's why pushback always on the NBA, there's more talent than ever. Well, it's not an individual sport. It's team game. So it's like, are the teams that good? And so I Think the packers are probably better as a group than they are individually. Because I'm with you. If you just did like a draft from scratch in the NFC north, their players might not go as high as some of the other players, but you go. They've been running circles around the Bears for years. And there's last year. You would have got into the year. Bears have all these great players, so it is a team sport. Their head coach is not just the head coach who's proven to be good. He's the play caller, which is powerful. And I think Jeff Halfley proved to be a pretty damn good hire. I mean, their defense was vastly improved. So I more like the reason when we did the segment last week about picking them to win the division Is they won 11 games where the quarterback was banged up and they won one division game. And honestly they kind of got lucky to win that against the Bears. If you remember, they could have got Owen 6. So it's like that's not going to happen. I would say on average they're going to split, let's say three and three. And then their culture. I just think that I like their coaching staff and I'm betting a little on the come on the quarterback, which I could go the other way, but I think they have a long history. Even if they goes Montana young to Jeff Garcia. If this guy's Jeff Garcia. Jeff Garcia was banging out Pro Bowls. Now he's got a while to prove he's even Jeff Garcia. Right. He's going to need a big season, stay healthy. But he got, he got injured in that first game in Brazil and I just felt like that kind of derailed their whole deal.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. And I think when you're a young quarterback and you get hurt and you get out of a rhythm.

[John Middlekauff]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

I don't think it's like a veteran quarterback who comes back. I felt like Jordan Love never got into a rhythm last year. He was gone, then he was back then he was inconsistent. Then he had a couple great games stretched, then he struggled. We don't know if he was 100% healthy. So I just, I do think he's super talented. But you, you mentioned coaching. So there was an article this week. I think it was maybe Thursday. It was after you'd done Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday shows. Sportsillustrated.com said, you know, now that you've paid Brock Purdy a ton, you're coming off a losing season. Let's say Christian McCaffrey gets hurt or Trent Williams and they're. They're 7 and 10 they just, I mean, let's face it. McCaffrey is a. He's the bell cow. He, he touches it. They're really good. I think Kyle's excellent. And I, I, you can get away with firing a great coach. I mean, Philadelphia's a factory and they let go of Andy Reid.

[John Middlekauff]

But.

[Colin Cowherd]

I do see something with San Francisco and I worry about. And I, and I saw this the last six or seven years or maybe more with New England, and I talked about it a lot on the air is that Belichick had too much say in the draft and they started drafting very poorly. I thought Pete Carroll had a stretch with John Snyder before the last year. I think it was maybe the last two where he had too much power. Pete did. When Paul Allen died, there was a void, there was a hole in the organization. Snyder almost left, you remember, to Detroit. He wanted the power back. And then when he got it back, the drafts were great again. And I thought they had the best draft this year in the NFL. So Schneider and so you see this. You've talked about this. The coach makes the money. And if the coach starts winning, Super Bowls are getting to him, he's going to have a say. I think Sean Payton, this draft had real say. I could tell either John lynch misses a lot or Shanahan has a little more impact than I'd be comfortable with. I didn't love Pearsall as a pick. I thought they've. I think they've drafted too many receivers. I. The offensive line drafts picks have been weird. Jake Moody is a kicker third round I didn't love. There's a lot of real misses. Is that Shanahan usurping Lynch? He is the most respected kind of revered guy in the building. What do you make of the Niners bad drafts?

[John Middlekauff]

Well, I think I told you this around the draft time because I had a personnel guy tell me because he was listening to podcasts. He's like. The way we describe it is coaches view drafts like a depth chart. Hey, I'm missing a guard. We need to draft a guard high. I don't have a starting guard. Where front office personnel view it through the lens of over the course of the next three or four years, how do we build this team and see big picture? And I think this draft, you know, for the most part was pretty clear. Kyle, they had some emptiness in their depth chart. Right. Because they let half their team go during free agency and with the cut. So when you make 15 to 20 million dollars and John Lynch, I think, is one of the highest Paid, if not the highest paid gm, but relative to coaches, he's not making as much. And Kyle had in his contract the moment he got hired, he has the final say. Same with Pete. I do think Pete and John, over time work together. No different with Kyle and John because they have a high level of respect. But at the end of the day, the coach, when he's in these predicaments like the Niners were in this season because they had to kind of revamp the roster financially, they had a lot of holes. And the first thing you try to do with holes is plug them if you're the coach. So I think this draft, there's going to be a lot of pressure on these last two drafts, and I'm more bullish on the 49ers than everyone else. To me, Kyle Shanahan is going nowhere for the foreseeable future because the ownership just signed Brock Purdy, and Brock Purdy's tied to Kyle, so they're getting a couple year run. And obviously if Kyle was let go at the end of this year or the end of next year, regardless how these next couple years, he would be hired immediately. He'd be the number one candidate if he wanted to keep working and would be hired. But people would think about firing their coach, right? So he's not worried about, like, he's in one of these spots where unlike a day ball or McDaniel or some of these guys that might get fired, they're not guaranteed to get another job immediate. Kyle's guaranteed right to get immediate another job. But I do think, you know, this, this season is big because the expectations are lower. But everyone's like, look at the schedule. And I know Edelman, you know, the way they talk about Belichick, you never. And I understand it's the NFL, but like, their schedule is a lot different than playing the Ravens, the Bills and the Eagles. I mean, they're playing a lot of the Titans and the Saints. They have no excuse to not win. I think at minimum, nine games. And part of it is when you pay a quarterback, you know, it's the Bucky Brooks Tractors in the trailers. Regardless where Purdy is, if you're willing to pay him, you should be very competitive with him as your starting quarterback. I'm hard on Tua, but there is no disputing when Tua plays 16, 17 games. The Dolphins are just going to be a competitive team, right? So now, even as they've changed the construct of the roster, I think at minimum, anything other than nine wins, if you're the 49ers, based on this schedule, based on, you know, investing in the quarterback would be viewed as a disaster. And I expect because again, it's a coaching league and I do think Kyle's pretty awesome and if he wasn't, McVeigh A couple of years ago was really humbled by the experience and came back and obviously what they've done the last couple of years speaks for itself. You know, Coach Reed, when he was fired, had a big chip on his shoulder, came back that, that had to be a pretty humbling year for Kyle at 6 and 11 with all the money they were spending, the way they lost those games. Now you bring in Robert Sala, your guy, I think they're going to come with a fury. I think they got a lot to prove and I'm higher on purdy than you are, mainly just because of the offense. But I'm with you if McCaffrey gets injured. Their record with and without him speaks for itself, though. They have been very, very open about like, he's good, he's in great shape. You know, I know people have been going to practice that he looks good. Last year was weird. You know, the Achilles weren't working and then he tears his knee when he finally comes back. So if he gives them, I don't know, 90% of the season, I think they'd be in pretty. He's a, he's a unique player, right?

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, I think he is. I think take out Walter Payton and maybe Barry Sanders. I think he's as good a running back as I've ever seen in my life. Now, Adrian Peterson was more fortunate. Forceful and faster maybe, but he couldn't catch. He had a fumble issue. I think McCaffrey, I, I, Walter Payton was stronger than Barry Sanders. Barry was shifty, Walter was shifty. And incredibly pound for pound, I mean, Walter Payton is one of those. Could have been the strongest guy in league history. Pound for pound, he was incredible. You couldn't tackle him one on one. Linebackers couldn't, so. But I think McCaffrey is in that class. I think he's just, he's a remarkable player. Nothing says summer like long days, clutch plays and firing off a few bets on a game. All of it with DraftKings Sportsbook. My fave season's heating up. So do the bats. And DraftKings sportsbook has you covered. Home run props, live betting, odds boosts. Whether you're chasing dingers or jumping in mid game, there's always action to be had. So if you've never bet on baseball before. It's really, really easy. You just pick a guy, you hit a home run, hammer some live odds mid game, or just ride with your squad and hope for the best. No spreadsheets, just vibes. So here's something special for first timers. You may have heard this before. New DraftKings customers. All you have to do is bet five bucks. That's it. And you'll get $150 in bonus bets instantly. So you just download the DraftKings sportsbook app. You know how to do that? 90 seconds. And just use my code. It's Colin C O L I N. That's code Colin C O L I N. That'll get you 150 bucks. If you're a new customer betting just five bucks only on DraftKings, the crown is yours.

[John Middlekauff]

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[Colin Cowherd]

Summer is here and you can now get almost any anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. Now, what do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parm delivered. A day at the lake? That's a no. A Philly cheesesteak? That's a yes. A nice tan? Sorry. A box fan? Happily, yes. What about a day of sunshine? Not happening. How about a box of fine wines? Yeah, that's happening. Delivery's on its way. Okay, how about some clear skies? Nope. Well, how about some french fries? Yeah. So how about a freshly cut lawn? Can't help you there. But a barbecued prawn? Order it and it's on its way. Even throw in some paper towels. Clean up after the feast. So while you can't get fun in the sun delivered, don't worry because you can get pork buns delivered. Uber Eats can definitely get you that. Get almost almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details.

[C]

The last thing anyone wants is to leave behind confusion, stress or worse, family conflict. That's why estate planning isn't just for the wealthy. It's for families like mine and probably like yours. With Trust and Will I created my estate plan in minutes. From naming guardians for my kids to putting our house in a trust to avoid probate. Fast, affordable and way easier than I thought. Every plan is designed by estate planning attorneys and customized for your state. Plans start at just $199 and include essentials like healthcare directives and power of attorney. With Trust and Will's bank level security and built in privacy protections, your personal information and your wishes stay safe. Whether you're newly married, raising kids, caring for for aging parents or just want peace of mind. Trust and will makes it easy to protect what matters Most. Go to trustandwill.com, use code RADIO at checkout and save 20% on your personalized plan because there's no better time to protect the people you love. Trust and Will is an online estate planning service. See website for details.

[Colin Cowherd]

At the end of the season, there's only one team that can call themselves NBA champs. Only one player that can call themselves the number one pick in the NFL draft. Well, there's only one electric SUV worthy of the title. The ultimate. The all electric BMW ix. What I love about the IX is that it delivers legendary BMW performance while its sleek design exudes innovative style from the inside out. Not to mention how much space and utility it provides. Over 75 cubic feet of cargo space. The IX is completely changing the game with an all electric suv. The greatest legends of sports never compromise any part of the game. So why would you settle for anything less from your suv? After all, there's only one ultimate the BMW ix. Everything you love about the ultimate driving machine. Electrified hey, so we all make mistakes, but owning up to them is the right thing to do. So you know Degree Cool Rush deodorant, right? Well, last year they changed the formula and it did not go over well with their fans. So Degree's whole thing is it turns up the sweat and odor protection when you turn up the effort. And good thing it does because Cool Rush fans really turned up the effort to bring the original formula back. One guy even started an online petition and Degree listened. They admitted they effed up. They're bringing back the original Cool Rush scent. They're bringing it back and it's exactly how you remember it. Cool, crisp and fresh. It's back in Walmart, Target and other stores now for under $4. There's a reason it's been the number one men's antiperspirant for the last decade. It's the same Reason why people were not happy when it changed. So if you've never tried it, it might be a good time to see what the fuss is about. Head to your local Walmart target and try the OG degree. Cool rush for yourself. You know, it's interesting. I think the east coast version of the niners is Miami. McDaniels runs largely Kyle's offense. Tua like Purdy, when he has time to throw and decent movement, throws a very accurate ball. It's not that I dislike Purdy. I just. I see him as kind of a B guy with an A coach.

[John Middlekauff]

The one thing, though, I'd push back, though, is, you know, Kyle, for an offensive guy, is a tough guy. His teams have been tough. I mean, last year they lost games. They are tough. They've gone into Green Bay. They've gone on the road. They go toe to toe with the Eagles. They own the Rams. Mike McDaniel, to me, is not a tough guy. Kyle, you know, his dad, Mike Shanahan, was a tough guy. He's a tough guy. Mike McDaniel is just not. Vic Fangio laughed at him and left.

[Colin Cowherd]

So that is my take. So you beat me to it. But it's. My point is that a lot of times you can take somebody's system in the NFL, but it's to the players respect you. I mean, there's. There's some of these guys, Bill Parcell's had it. Dan Campbell, Mike Vrabel. There's an alpha to stand in front of a bunch of badass dudes, deliver a message, and they buy it. And Mike McDaniel, and you know why he's popular with the media? He looks like a sportswriter. He's kind of small and quirky and clever and funny, and I'm not disputing his brain power. But when I watch Miami, and I do think they have the system and a comparable quarterback, I think two is more talented. But he and Purdy kind of share, you know, don't have huge arms, move enough, accurate, smart guys. But Miami, to me, you know, we were talking coaches on the hot seat. Miami has a history of moving off people. And the two years before Mike McDaniel got there, they won, I think, 19 games. Two years. First two years with him, they won 20. Is that. I think a lot of what he's selling is the Niners without any physicality. They're not a physical team. It is just. It's. It's ice cream cake. You know what I mean? Like, there's just nothing. There's just. It's just wasted calories. I think McDaniels, to me, for all the money they've spent, I think he's in trouble in Miami with a bad year.

[John Middlekauff]

Do you know, the irony is the guy they fired, Brian Flores, because he was awful with offense, was an unreal defensive guy, and the team was tough. And then the defense now stinks. And their offensive innovation, I mean, it stalled a little bit. If you could combine those two, you'd have a real good head coach, right?

[Colin Cowherd]

That's right.

[John Middlekauff]

One thing, you know, I remember talking to Kyle Jusjack and like, him and Kittle, those guys loved Mike McDaniel right in the room, how smart he was, how good he was. He was like a savant with the run game. But it's kind of easy to be close with the players and impress them when you're an assistant coach, because it's not. You're not in charge of finding them or ever getting mad at them in the sense like the head coach or the boss. So you kind of play a unique role. Right. You're like middle management, not the CEO, laying off everyone. No one blames you. And then you become the guy at the front of the room. And what happened last year? Players were showing up late. And you and I have talked about this. It's obviously not the majority of the team because they can't afford to show up late. It's the rich guys. Well, why do you think they want to trade Jalen Ramsey? You think Jalen Ramsey respects Mike McDaniel? Clearly. Not by his actions if he's not showing up on time. And listen, every human being's late every once in a while, but if you're constantly doing it and Mike even like, listen, my fine system doesn't work. They don't listen. I also think there's an element to. I do wonder, you know, Pat Riley runs a very, very tight ship with the basketball team. It's honestly, it's kind of like a Belichickian football operation. And they've fallen off a little bit because they've lost talent. But over the course of 25 years, they have been really, really successful. I almost think you have to do that with the football team to even have a chance with your disadvantages. One, it's. It's a unique city. These guys are all filthy rich now in the NFL, there's a ton to do when you factor in. I mean, it's just gorgeous weather, basically. 365.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, it is. I've had. I've had people in the league Say GM for the Dolphins is hard. You have to. You have to draft, maturity, free agency. You can't go get the flashy wide receiver with a big personality. It's like, it doesn't work there. There's nothing. It's hard to get into trouble. In Buffalo. You can get into trouble at noon in Miami.

[John Middlekauff]

It's like you can be like, well, what about la? I think LA is much more spread out, a little more low key, not nearly as crazy. A lot of places shut down way earlier. There is no time limit in Los Angeles or in Miami. A lot like New York City. But none of the guys are living in the city that play for the jets or Giants. They all live in the suburbs. So it's like you're living in the heart of Miami. I wonder if you can win there. It's like one of those places like some of these colleges where it's like you could say the same thing for the University of Miami nowadays. Like, it's. You're at a pretty big disadvantage with the NIL paying these guys millions. Like, are you ever going to compete to win national championships? I don't know. And I listen Mike McDaniel, I think they're going to be terrible. I mean, I think they got a chance to be really, really bad. I mean, they are 12 injury away from losing every single game. Yeah, you could fire them, but like, what. What's the owner going to do? Go after, like, Kirby Smart because he's going to want some sexy name. I'm just, I'm shorting that franchise. It's a little bit of a sexier version of the Cleveland Browns. And unlike, like the Cleveland Browns, at least Stefanski and Andrew Barry, they would get. Both get hired. Like, those guys are high end. I would hire as my head coach and definitely as my gm. The Miami thing feels like a couple guys a little over their head. And like, honestly, you could put John lynch and Kyle there. I do think they would have an uphill battle because like you said, the guys you need to. The guys you need to draft, the guys you need to sign. It's just difficult.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. And I also think, and this is a little bit of the Sean McVeigh influence. So Sean McVeigh is young and all of a sudden everybody wants to hire the next Sean McVeigh. And so, you know, like Cliff Kingsbury gets a job and then Brandon Staley gets a job and then Mike McDaniels get a job. You know, these younger guys can get jobs and they don't necessarily have impressive track records, but McVay didn't. And it's a copycat league. And then you find out how special McVay is, is that it's almost like Russell Wilson got a lot of smaller quarterbacks drafted. Well, Russell in his prime was about as elusive as any quarterback I've ever. Not saying fast elusive. He also threw a beautiful deep ball and had a great run game and defense to support him. So he didn't get in a lot of shootouts. It was like make two or three big throws late and Russell Wilson did. So I think this is what happens in the NFL and always have people copy and everybody, everybody knows it's moved to an offensive league. And you're just getting a lot of like, Brandon Staley. I don't think I've ever seen anything like Brandon Staley. Like the media, which is pretty toothless in la, it's pretty supportive for a big market media. It's not a Boston or a Philly or it's gnarly and angry or New York, where it's just big and loud. So I think Mike McDaniels feels a little bit like he was sort of in that, hey, that McVeigh wave. I do think Zach Taylor's decent. Maybe not great, but I think. I think it's a wave. And I think you see that. I mean, people think about this, John. There was a point in the NFL where people were hiking the ball to a running back, the Wildcat. And even New England tried it for a while. It's like, guys, you can't hike the ball to a running back. That's not a sustainable offense. So I think I feel like some of these young guys, Brandon Staley, for sure, I think they've been undressed a little bit. Like the league's like, they're not ready.

[John Middlekauff]

I think Brandon Staley is a good example of someone that almost was like, trying to play the Ted Lasso version like a character of a head coach. I mean, he had been in the league for three or four years before he got the job. It was a unique situation in LA where it's 2020, you know, they have the. One of the greatest players in the history of the league in his prime. They have Jalen Ramsey, they have a great defense, but it's not like he had a long track record of running his own show and that's only half the team. And then like you said, I mean, I think when you become the head coach, he was. Should never have been put in that situation because to me, he's a Little fraudulent in the way he acts like he's not comfortable in his own skin. So he tries to be a version of what a head coach was going to sound like. It's where I give a lot of the Shanahan guys credit. You know, they spent a lot of years around Kyle and even around Mike. Like it was a pretty intense environment. They're all like, Matt LaFleur is very comfortable in his own skin. Kevin O' Connell, who, you know, not necessarily a Shanahan guy, but McVeigh around the Gruden's. But with Belichick, he's just a good looking former quarterback, comfortable in his own skin. Obviously McVay and Kyle are very. And I think there's an element you got to be true. Like, I think Mike McDaniel is not putting on an act. Like that's. He acted kind of quirky and weird when he was with the Niners. Like that's kind of who he is. I do think that version is hard with players when, you know, let's face it, he looks a lot different than basically every head coach and he's not a tough guy. So you can't. To me, you can never fake toughness. It's not like Sean McVeigh is some old school tough guy. But in terms of his intensity, his attention to detail like that really resonates with guys, you know, Dan Campbell, the Tomlins, the Harbaughs. It's easy for them to be a tough guy because they are tough guys, right? So, you know, you either have to implement it in the way you practice and the intensity in which you practice, or you have to do it with your personality. And that's where I think Mike is kind of lost in no man's land. And listen, this gm, I mean, their roster is not great, not helping them. You have to have the right type players at the line of scrimmage. I mean, when your offensive line is not good, it's hard to be kind of a tough football team. And then, listen, they got a little unlucky, you know, the TUA concussion thing. Because if TUA just played, I think they would be much more functional. But they're never going to be good. Like, how can you prepare to play in 10 degree weather when it's 90 degrees, you know, in December, it's absolutely, it's literally impossible. There's. Unless you're going to fly whatever a week early and just go to Baltimore on Tuesday and spend the week there, which these teams clearly are a little uncomfortable doing because it throws the rhythm of everyone off. And it's a very disciplined, you know, profession where you like to keep people on the same rhythm of the week.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yet, John, we've never had a dome or a warm weather dynasty in NFL history. It is, think go back to it. Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers in the 70s, the New England Patriots, Kansas City, San Francisco is not warm weather, as you well know.

[John Middlekauff]

Candlestick was not at all. I mean, how many former Montana January games? Is it pouring rain or. It looks like 58 degrees. It's not 90 degrees there.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. And Dallas, by the way, has real winters. So, you know, Dallas is maybe the closest to it because for most of the football season until maybe November, it's not chilly, but we don't really have the Hogs, the Ravens. We just, if you, and I've said this before, I think it's such a disadvantage. Think about it. We've never had a dome or a really truly warm weather dynasty. And so I think weather does play a factor. And I mean, even the way you draft quarterbacks, when you play North Flacco, big arm, big Ben, Bradshaw, Brady, I think throws as good a bad weather football as I've ever seen. So anyway, I think even Peyton Manning's teams in the dome, you say to yourself, well, Peyton Manning, Indy, no, they were always good, but they always felt like they were playing second fiddle. I do think playing in a dome and playing in warm weather, I don't think you can fake it. I just don't think you can fake it. And now for our next segment, whiskey business. Yes, whiskey business. Brought to you by Green River Whiskey, the official whiskey of the Colin Coward podcast. You know, I was, as we go through all this stuff, something popped in my head the other day. Pff. Had Sean Payton as the second best coach in the league. And I actually, and I'm not saying this because I get along with Sean, we really hit it off. But I'm also saying this, I don't think he's quite getting enough credit for what he's done in Denver. And some of that is Harbaugh soaks up so much of the glare because he's such a character. And then there's the reigning dynasty in the division, and now you got Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly. So Denver sort of gets lost from a publicity standpoint. But John, think about this. So he goes into an organization and the culture's broken, the quarterback's a mess, and there's impending new ownership. So he goes, in the first year, I think they one game, they win three more games, he Makes Russ functional. He cleans up the offensive line from like 21st to like seventh. It just got ranked second by the way. PFF's grade starting the season, it's now second last year with Herbert Mahomes, Harbaugh Reed, he has a rookie quarterback. They end up leading the league in sacks. It is now a bonafide top offensive line with really one Cortland Sutton, one dependable weapon. And I mean I just, I looked at them last year and I thought, I thought they'd be good with bonix. I don't think we understand. You start looking at that division and in almost every other division with a number 2o line. Sean Payton, a very capable young quarterback, leader in sacks. They get Greenlaw and Hufanga. I'm like, are we. I think what he's done there last year they make the playoffs with $89 million. I think it wasn't dead cap money. Are we undervaluing because of the glare with everybody else what he's done in Denver?

[John Middlekauff]

I've watched a couple of his press conferences during OTAs. He thinks his team's pretty good. He thinks his team's pretty good because defensively they got a chance to dominate. And if you have a dominant defense with an offensive coach who's proven like he, how are your floor is so high? I mean your floor is immediately like 10 wins. And someone sent me this DM recently. They said, you know, everyone talks about Jaden and I understand why, but look at, pull up the stats for Bo Nixon. I think we talked about Bo Nix. Like he threw 18 touchdowns. He threw 29 touchdowns. Now some of these are scheme touchdowns but his numbers, you know, he, you know, the accuracy is something that I think he has to work on now. The weapons, they have the running back in the draft but I do think that, you know, is he a guy under Sean Payton? If he just becomes like Sean Payton's version, even if he's not Drew Brees or whatever, but just like a Jared Goff, a Brock Purdy, like a consistent starter for. They're going to be really good for a while. And I know last week you had the Chargers to. They could be to win the division. It's not, I mean it's not inconceivable. Right, because he's a, He's a unique second year player. How old is he? 25 years old. Like he's played a lot of football.

[Colin Cowherd]

And he, I think unless you watch him, he didn't move a lot at Oregon. Sean lets him move and he can, I Mean, he's an athlete. That, that dude is ripped. When I went to the Oregon Utah game, I saw him play the Huskies, but I was up so I bought really good seats for Oregon Utah. I wanted to be behind Oregon's bench and he's on the sideline and he is cut and you just watch him in these NFL games. And I always kind of look at it. When a quarterback runs, how's the outside linebacker, how's the outside linebacker stack up? He runs past them. I mean he, when he gets ahead of steam going, he can move past guys. And I remember when Johnny Manziel broke into the league, he went for a couple of runs on the defensive end, chased him down and you're like, yeah, that's not going to work. That shit's not going to work when that guy's chasing you down. But I, Sean is one of those no nonsense guys and he's a little gruff. I remember when he said something and Aaron Rodgers, you know, when he said something about Nat Hackett. And again, I don't think the media always gives Sean quite a fair shake because he's, he's pretty rough and pretty direct. But that Hufunga pickup, you know, he's been banged up. He's an elite safety.

[John Middlekauff]

Well, to me, I mean two years ago he's all pro in Greenlaw. I mean a lot of question marks with his, with his health. But if you, if one of those two guys is a full time player, let alone both of them, the violence of their defense will be, it'll be one of the, if not the hardest hitting defense in the league. I mean they already were right up there last year. And you know, we talk a lot about this when it comes to quarterbacks, especially young quarterbacks is the intangibles, the maturity, the focus, the drive. You know, Bo Nix and Jaden gets a lot of credit for that, rightfully so. Bo Nick should be right there too in terms of, you know, the way they spoke about him at Oregon, his maturity also what he's been through a lot like Jaden, like, and I would say unlike Jaden, it's easier to fail at Arizona State. No one really cares. Team hasn't been good. You struggle at Auburn when you're in his situation. Like that was a, that was like an NFL. The way they're covered, the amount of people that care, the spotlight that was on him. Remember he was, I think his first start was against Justin Herbert. Remember that Oregon Auburn game, a long, long time.

[Colin Cowherd]

He won it. He played throw in the corner, he played A big throw as a freshman into the corner of the end zone to win it.

[John Middlekauff]

And then his career just kind of unraveled as their program did. And then he went to Oregon. You've seen him in two stable environments, Oregon and Denver, and he's thrived. So it's safe to say, like, yeah, pretty impressive guy. I would bet on Bo Nixon, because Sean Payton, clearly not going anywhere. I mean, they are a 12, 13 win season away from Sean Payton then getting a huge contract extension. Right. He was given five years, 90 million. They have a good year and the trajectory of this franchise. And listen, I would have assumed when Sean got the job that General Patton, the gm, would have been fired. And John, it kind of feels like it's worked pretty seamlessly. They work together. Maybe Sean's realized I got to pick my battles, like, let's just get along. And feels like they got a pretty stable organization. That's the thing with. With Pete Carroll and the Raiders. Like, Jim Harbaugh is kind of matured. Sean Payton's at a different stage in his life. Obviously. You know, Andy's the most. Him and Veech are on the same. It's a really, really difficult division with these guys like that have really figured it out that have cracked the code of personality. What it takes, the energy that it takes, what they're looking. They know exactly what they're looking for. It's pretty scary.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. No, I think. I think actually Patton's a pretty good gm. I thought. I didn't think the problem was. I thought the problem was hack it. And listen, it happens. I mean, Bob Kraft is a good owner. He hired Gerard Mayo, and he just wasn't ready for it. Like, it happens. It's hard to hire coaches. I mean, they took a huge swing on Sean McVeigh in Los Angeles. They wouldn't let him out of the building. That was a. But, you know, at one point, Lane Kiffin was in the NFL and was a pretty good coach. The dysfunction of the Raiders ended that. But.

[John Middlekauff]

And they. And they hired Hackett right to. Because they thought Rogers was going to come, which I would have done, too, at the time. I mean, that was.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, listen, Josh McDaniels was a guest on my show, and we've kept in touch. He's a really, really sharp guy. It just hasn't worked as head coach. He's a tremendous coordinator. So whatever the magic is, I don't know exactly what it is. Some guys work, some don't. When you want to enjoy life's simpler pleasures, reach for Green river whiskey. Whether it's rye whiskey or single barrel bourbon, you're getting over a century of craftsmanship packed into every bottle. Hop on over to greenriverwhiskey.com and discover a legend in a bottle today. Blending Vice's signature dynamic storytelling with a high octane world of sports, Vice Sports brings an exciting and diverse range of programming beyond the game. Behind the scenes documentaries, hard hitting investigative pieces, in depth profiles of athletes, coaches, teams. Vice Sports is capturing raw energy, drama, passion that makes sports unforgettable. Recent Vice Sports Premieres include Brady vs. Belichick, the Verdict with host Christopher Mad Dog Russo and a sixth season of the hit show Dark side of the Ring. That's not all. Vice TV also televises live sports Arena Football 1 BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing feel the adrenaline of Arena Football 1 fast paced, high scoring, kinetic environment. Then brace yourself for the raw, unfiltered intensity of bare knuckle boxing. Every punch counts. These events bring audiences the excitement and unpredictability of live sports. No holds barred. So whether you're a die hard fan or a casual, Vice Sports offers a fresh, bold, unfiltered approach to sports. You're not going to find it anywhere else. Catch these action packed live events Other exclusive sports programs only on Vice TV. Go to vice tv.com vice tv.com to find your cable channel. Summer is here and you can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. Now what do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parm delivered. A day at the lake? That's a no. A Philly cheesesteak? That's a yes. A nice tan? Sorry. A box fan? Happily, yes. What about a day of sunshine? Not happening. How about a box of fine wines? Yeah, that's happening. Delivery's on its way. Okay, how about some clear skies? Nope. Well, how about some french fries? Yeah. So how about a freshly cut lawn? Can't help you there. But a barbecued prawn? Order it and it's on its way. Even throw in some paper towels. Clean up after the feast. So while you can't get fun in the sun delivered, don't worry because you can get pork buns delivered. Uber Eats can definitely get you that. Get almost almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details.

[C]

The last thing anyone wants is to leave behind confusion, stress or worse, family conflict. That's why estate planning isn't just for the wealthy. It's for families like mine and probably like yours. With Trust and Will I I created my estate plan in minutes. From naming guardians for my kids to putting our house in a trust to avoid probate. Fast, affordable and way easier than I thought. Every plan is designed by estate planning attorneys and customized for your state. Plans start at just $199 and include essentials like healthcare directives and power of attorney. With Trust and Will's bank level security and built in privacy protections, your personal information and your wishes stay safe. Whether you're newly married, raising kids, caring for aging parents, or just want peace of mind, Trust and will makes it easy to protect what matters Most. Go to trustandwill.com, use code RADIO at checkout and save 20% on your personalized plan because there's no better time to protect the people you love. Trust and Will is an online estate planning service. See website for details.

[Colin Cowherd]

At the end of the season, there's only one team that can call themselves NBA champs. Only one player that can call themselves the number one pick in the NFL draft. While there's only one electric SUV worthy of the title. The ultimate the all electric BMW ix. What I love about the IX is that it delivers legendary BMW performance while its sleek design exudes innovative style from the inside out. Not to mention how much space and utility it provides. Over 75 cubic feet of cargo space, the IX is completely changing the game with an all electric suv. The greatest legends of sports never compromise any part of the game, so why would you settle for anything less from your suv? After all, there's only one ultimate the BMW ix. Everything you love about the ultimate driving machine. Electrified hey, so we all make mistakes, but owning up to them is the right thing to do. So you know Degree Cool Rush deodorant, right? Well, last year they changed the formula and it did not go over well with their fans. So Degree's whole thing is it turns up the sweat and odor protection when you turn up the effort. And good thing it does because Cool Rush fans really turned up the effort to bring the original formula back. One guy even started an online petition and Degree listened. They admitted they effed up. They're bringing back the original Cool Rush scent. They're bringing it back and it's exactly how you remember it. Cool, crisp and fresh. It's back in Walmart, Target and other stores now for under $4. There's a reason it's been the number one men's antiperspirant for the last decade. It's the same Reason why people were not happy when it changed. So if you've never tried it, it might be a good time to see what the fuss is about. Head to your local Walmart target and try the OG degree. Cool rush for yourself. Foreign. Okay, so I watched three hours, two and a half hours of live golf today. It was in Dallas. Tip of the cap to not only the golfers, but the fans who went. Because it looked really hot.

[John Middlekauff]

Muggy.

[Colin Cowherd]

I was checking. Yeah, it looked really, really muggy. Now that I spend a lot of time in Chicago, that's my reality as well. So I got to ask you, watching this. Where are you on Patrick Reed? So Patrick Reed is not, you know, and listen, golf can be. I mean, you have a caddy, but golf is like one of those sports. Like, it can be like skiing, it can be like swimming, you could be on Team usa. But it's very individual and guys are creatures of habits. It's so it's always felt in my life there's just a golfer or two on the tour that's either a little irascible, he's a little difficult, he's not one of the guys. And I always think, like, I get it. The Ryder cup is one of the only times we see golf and it's like, it's a collective, but you have to pay for everything. You're on your own. I mean, every course is different. Every other team sport, the football fields are the same dimensions. I mean, golf, you go to Augusta and you're literally the putting, you're putting on glass. Yeah, I was just talking to somebody. I golf with somebody. Robbie Hummel, the former Purdue basketball player, broadcasting a great guy. And he was, we was talking about. He went great three point shooter, right? Great. And he's just great. Katie stories. Great. I mean, just funny, funny guy. He was talking about Augusta. He's golf down there. And he's like, you can't even imagine how fast they are. It's just because they don't have a lot of rough at Augusta, so they kind of overcompensate, you know, with the greens. Like, that's, that's the dange. But I. But I've always kind of felt like with golf, like, it's okay. It's okay if you're a little odd or a little gruff. Patrick Reed played very, very well this weekend. Where are you at with him? How do you view him?

[John Middlekauff]

Well, I think, you know all these other sports. Let's use basketball, for example. Over the years they've had Dennis Rodman, Draymond Green. You get these different personalities that add elements to the villain nature versus the good guys. Football's had it. Domic and sue, just different players. Patrick Reed was always, you know, one of those people that I didn't want to say rubbed people the wrong way but just pissed people off. He's had some incidents over the course of his career, but one of the greatest short games in the history of the sport. I mean you put him right up there with like Sevy Ballesteros, you know, in terms of just a wedge in his hand. He's a guy that from Tiger woods to since he's been on live, John Rahm and people will go pick his brain as good of a short game that's ever played golf. I. And he's, I mean guys won the Masters. You know, this guy is a major champion. He almost, I mean he was in the mix this year. I think he finished third. Yeah. Just is someone that as the game of golf like you know, part of golf get a lot of guys that especially now is pretty cookie cutter, you're not bringing much to the table. Kind of boring. You do need some personalities and the golf has always had some of that, you know, going back to when I was a kid with John Daly to you know, Patrick Reed brings that. There was an incident I think today out there with a fan where Patrick Reed like stared him down after the guy was giving it to him. And you know, Patrick, you need more Patrick reads to make this thing interesting. You know, you need some, you need some people, they're going to throw some curveballs every once in a while because let's face it, golf, you know, can be a little boring in nature. You know, this isn't exactly the National Football League, so. Yeah, listen, he's, when he's on, he can play with anybody.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, he, Patrick won a four way playoff. His first live golf win. Had a chance to win on 18 with a pot that was short. But, but here's my question. Would you put him on the Ryder cup team?

[John Middlekauff]

Well, I don't know how close you've been following the Ryder cup, but we got issues. Colin. America. We are. They look, they, they look really good. I mean their team is just, is pretty stacked and our team is kind of falling off the map and part of it is, you know, Keegan, Bradley, they tried to, you know, change it up a little bit, go with the younger guy. I think they would have liked to go with Tiger but you know, for whatever reason, I don't know, Tiger's hanging out with Charlie he just wasn't that interested. So they went with Keegan, who's now basically played himself onto the team and beside a couple guys like, I think you could go with anybody. You know, Bryson Dechambeau is going to be on the team. You know, Koepka I think would have been a guy they would have liked to pick. He withdrew. I don't know if he's sick or had an injury this week, hasn't played that well. Patrick Reed now top five in a major. Just one today. To me, if he plays well at the Open Championship here coming up, I think he's the type guy. We just need more talent because right now our team relative to their team and this is in New York, so the atmosphere is going to be nuts. The vibes are already huge. You know, Keegan Bradley is a northeast guy. He went to St. John's a lot of buzz coming into this now. Bryson, who wasn't on the team a couple of years ago, is going to be. That's going to add a huge element to the, to the just intensity of it. To me, Patrick Reed's a guy like, why not? He'd definitely be in the discussion, I'll promise you that. So, yeah, he plays well here down the stretch. I would imagine they're going to have some conversations for sure.

[Colin Cowherd]

What, what do you think happened to Brooks Koepka, who I thought 18 months ago was going to post sort of the career that DeChambeau. I mean DeChambeau really changed not only his marketing and likability and relatability, he feels like the better golfer. I would not have guessed that. I thought he was a bit of a. I thought he was too over the top. DeChambeau, I thought it was all off the tee. Well, he's become a more complete golfer. Brooks Koepka. I mean, again, you get that live money. I get it. You know, you, you win. And you know, these good looking young guys, like Rory McElroy right now is in a weird space where like he won in Augusta and acknowledged it's hard to get up in the morning, it's hard to work on the short game for five hours, you know, on a Tuesday. And it was to say that publicly was like, well, that is, that is something to say publicly. But where is Brooks Koepka now?

[John Middlekauff]

I do wonder if, you know, when he went to live there were a lot of question marks with him physically. And then within six months he won the PGA Championship and he proved to everybody like, hey guys, I'm still here. And I do wonder if there's an element like Rory where, like sitting on the range in that Florida heat for three hours, you look at your clock, you've been there for 45 minutes, you're like, I think I'm going to go into the clubhouse. I think I'm going to go get Arnold Farmer and go hang out with my wife, these guys. Brooks won five majors, right? He's one of the greatest American champions in the history of the sport. Unique career, right? Because not like he has 40 wins in five majors. I think he only has like 10 or 11 PG tour wins. I don't think he's ever won maybe one time on live, but he's just a great major player, you know, physically. You know, Brooks is, was an older. It's like a Bo Nix or whatever when he kind of came onto the scene because he had been playing like international tours, the Asian tour, a little bit of a late bloomer. And right now, I mean, I don't know what was going on this week, but he, he's, he has not played well. You know, that's where I think Bryson, I, I do think Rory's comments. You know, listen, I grew up on 90s athletes. They were rich, but there was an element where it felt like they weren't. LeBron just opted in. He's almost made $600 million in his career. That's just the basketball court, right?

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, right.

[John Middlekauff]

That's a lot of money, right? I mean, you, Kirk Cousins, 300. Derek Carr is like, yeah, I made a $210 million, I'm out. He's 34 years old. Look how much money Joe Montana and Steve Young made in their careers combined. So the money now, Rory's probably made, I don't know if I had to go $500 million on and off the golf course, maybe more. And he's just telling you, you know, I'm 35. I kind of get bored practicing. And I, you know, Koepka was already really well off before he went to live. It's gotta. I always. Listen, Colin, I admire your work ethic. Going to that meeting, thinking like it inspires me. Like, you get up, you're in that meeting at 6 o' clock, we're grinding. I'm like, damn, this guy is bringing it. There's a passion and listen, there's a passion of Brady, there's a passion to tiger. Not everyone has that. And I do think it's difficult. If you just handed me $100 million right now, at 40, am I going to have the same work ethic? In five years. I don't know. I mean these guys have made so much money. So I do just wonder the impact in golf at least in football, because you go, God, eventually some of these football guys going to stop. Well, they get yelled at every practice. You ever go to a training session, like, it's hot, everyone's sweating, people are screaming. And golf is just kind of you out there on the range and these guys are practicing it like Michael Jordan's course. I mean it's, there's others. It's pretty cool. You're like, do I even want to sit on this range right now? So it's, it's hard.

[Colin Cowherd]

No, I, I've always felt that about golfers, is that, you know, it's, it's almost like boxers. I always wondered why boxers because of pay per view. I mean boxers were the highest paid athletes for a lot of my life.

[John Middlekauff]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Conor McGregor, you can make, you can make $40 million.

[John Middlekauff]

Didn't Floyd make like three flights, like $500 million or something?

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, it's like, yeah, I'd be done fighting like. Yeah. I mean there's brain damage, there's brain trauma. So boxing, not in ufc. But you know, I, I do, I think the media sometimes has this wonderment like, you know, I can't figure out Rory and I'm like, great looking guy, made a lot of money. His dream was Augusta. I mean he won on his 17th trip and it's like he's human. Like, man, he's just exhaling and I totally get it. It's, you know, it's the old Marvin Hagler. Hard to, you know, it's hard to get up for that 5am run when you're sleeping on silk sheets. Like it's just the reality of it. So I think people are trying to figure out Rory and I think, you know, the other thing John, is you just forget a golfs really hard. It's an incredible grind. And Rory looks young, right? Brooks Koepka, they're good looking, they're in shape, they look young. I mean just think blay Augusta, 17 years. So just to get there takes a while. So I think sometimes we forget with some of these golfers and some of these athletes, like in football we have stats, we keep those. And in golf we talk about majors, but we don't really talk about necessarily about years. You know, with Brady, it's the super bowl year or the year he eliminated. Roy McElroy has been playing high end golf and by the way, international golf. You know, he's. I just get it? I think, I think, I think he's taking a big exhale for a year and he doesn't quite know how to communicate that with us.

[John Middlekauff]

And I also think, like, in basketball or football, even if you just get into somewhat of a rut and get a little content after a couple games, if you're, let's say, you know, you're Draymond or Steph, all of a sudden you're kind of getting embarrassed out there on the court for a couple of weeks. You're like this. No more of this, right? In football, all of a sudden you get hit or tackled, you like, this sucks, right? So they're in golf, you're like, whatever, I just missed the cut. Go home. It's not like, you know, especially once you've got to their level, the caddy's already super rich as well. I mean, Maria's in this luxury real estate world out here and they have their caddies go look at homes worth four or five million dollars. They're caddies. This is. These aren't Tiger woods caddies. These are caddies of just, you know, the 40th player in the world or the 50, the amount of money that's gone out there in that sport like these other sports, but even in football, basketball, you still have your teammates that rely on you. You are a good example of like, you have this company, people relying on you. Fox, you're. You're in. Who's really. It's just Rory, right? And that's.

[Colin Cowherd]

Right.

[John Middlekauff]

I think sometimes we compare everything to Tiger, like we compare everything to Michael. Those personalities are not normal. They are the extreme Tom. They're the extreme outlier like Tom and Peyton. We got very spoiled, these two guys at the same time, they were both pretty wired the same way of just do whatever it takes for as long as it takes till they're basically dragged off the field. You know, that's most quarterbacks like, yeah, whatever, you know.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, that's.

[John Middlekauff]

That's kind of the case.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. John Middlekoff, former NFL SCOUT three and out is the podcast. This has been. This is one of my favorite 50 minute podcast in a while. We touched on so many different angles and so many different teams. Thank God, no Aaron Rodgers discussion. I. I'm glad for that for a chance.

[John Middlekauff]

I watched the other night Enygma at least two episodes and then she's like, turn it off. I can't take it anymore.

[Colin Cowherd]

Only so much here. Good to see anybody.

[John Middlekauff]

See ya.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[John Middlekauff]

Someone that has been out there there.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[John Middlekauff]

Thank you like they will punch back.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[John Middlekauff]

I also want to address the Tonys.

[Colin Cowherd]

On a recent episode of Checking in with Michelle Williams. I open up about feeling snubbed by the Tony Awards.

[John Middlekauff]

Do I? I was never mad. I was disappointed because I had high.

[Colin Cowherd]

Hopes to hear this and more on disappointment and protecting your peace. Listen to Checking in with Michelle Williams from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[John Middlekauff]

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[Colin Cowherd]

I get right back there and it's bad.

[John Middlekauff]

Listen to Absolute Season 1 Taser incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Colin Cowherd]

This is an iHeart podcast.