What's Wright? - Shedeur Sanders STELLAR Browns debut, QB rankings REACTION, DEFENDING Caleb Williams

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Episode: "What's Wright?" Release Date: August 12, 2025
Host: Nick Wright
Platform: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

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1. Introduction

The episode kicks off with Nick Wright welcoming listeners to episode 357 of "What's Right," sponsored by Boost Mobile. The introduction includes brief mentions of various promotions and upcoming segments but primarily sets the stage for the day's main topics.

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2. Quarterback Rankings Reaction

a. Bill Simmons' Quarterback Pyramid ([06:51] - [09:10])

Nick and co-host Damanze delve into recent quarterback rankings released by sports analysts. Bill Simmons debuted his "quarterback pyramid," placing Josh Allen at the top. Nick expresses frustration, stating:

"My real beef is with Bill because Bill debuts his quarterback pyramid and has Josh Allen at the top."
— Nick Wright ([08:15])

Nick criticizes Simmons for potentially bias, recalling Simmons' long-standing support for Tom Brady over Peyton Manning, despite statistical arguments favoring Manning during their rivalry.

b. Dan Orlovsky's QB Traits ([07:16] - [09:10])

Contrasting Simmons, Dan Orlovsky released a list based on specific quarterback traits, citing Patrick Mahomes as number one. Nick acknowledges Orlovsky's expertise but still finds Simmons' pyramid more provocative.

"I think Josh Allen 1, Patrick 2 no problem. I actually agree with that."
— Nick Wright ([08:50])

c. Comparison Between Rankings ([09:10] - [15:00])

The discussion shifts to comparing Simmons' and Orlovsky's rankings. Nick appreciates certain aspects, like arm strength rankings but remains critical of the overall methodology.

"If you're going to really do it, each level has to be one player bigger than the previous. You can't go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, five."
— Nick Wright ([10:30])

d. Personal Rankings and Critiques ([15:00] - [35:00])

Nick outlines his quarterback rankings, emphasizing his top choices and critiquing others based on performance and potential biases from fantasy football influences.

"If I were to just do the Nick Wright rankings, pure just me who I would like for this season, assuming health, Patrick, Josh, Lamar, Joe Stafford."
— Nick Wright ([25:00])

He also addresses the inconsiderate placement of certain quarterbacks in lower tiers despite their on-field performance, attributing it to possible bias or incomplete evaluations.

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3. Shedeur Sanders' Debut

While the transcript provided does not contain explicit discussions about Shedeur Sanders' stellar debut with the Browns, it's presumed that this segment addresses his performance and impact on the team. Given the episode's focus, valuable insights into his gameplay, potential, and how he elevates the Browns' offense are likely discussed, though specific quotes are unavailable in the transcript provided.

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4. Defending Caleb Williams

a. Caleb Williams' Preseason Performance ([70:45] - [75:37])

The conversation shifts to Caleb Williams, a prominent quarterback, focusing on his preseason performance and the Chicago Bears' management decisions regarding his playtime.

"Ben Johnson did not play it down in the preseason game... if you are deciding institutionally the starters aren't playing, then you obviously can't throw Caleb out there."
— Nick Wright ([71:05])

Nick defends Caleb Williams against criticisms, emphasizing the Bears' strategy in handling his development and playtime during the preseason.

b. Colin Cowherd's Take ([71:05] - [75:00])

Nick references Colin Cowherd's commentary, which he found too harsh, stating:

"When tech companies delay the release, it's usually because you're still in the beta stage. Collins way of saying he's not ready for the bright lights."
— Nick Wright ([72:30])

He balances this by acknowledging that while Nick disagrees with some of Cowherd's views, he believes Caleb's talent and the Bears' offensive strategies will ultimately be beneficial.

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5. Listener Questions and Rankings

a. All-Time QB Rankings ([79:19] - [80:35])

Listeners inquire about where Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson rank among all-time quarterbacks based purely on talent.

"I think safely tied. So raw talent. Mahomes Rogers, Farve has to be up there."
— Nick Wright ([80:12])

Nick places both Allen and Jackson within the top 15 quarterbacks of all time, highlighting their unique talents and impact on the game.

b. Sports Gambling and Bias ([81:27] - [83:02])

Ethan asks about applying poker strategies to sports gambling. Nick differentiates his approach to poker versus sports betting, advocating for viewing sports gambling as a recreational activity rather than a money-making endeavor.

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6. Notable Quotes

• On Quarterback Rankings:

  "People are either dumb or lying or just think that we don't have access to their previous takes." — Nick Wright ([05:00])

• On Bill Simmons' Influence:

  "People remember what you fucking wrote." — Nick Wright ([09:22])

• On Caleb Williams' Development:

  "I think Caleb should play a fair amount. And do I think that they are hiding Caleb? No." — Nick Wright ([71:10])

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7. Conclusion

The episode wraps up with brief promotions for upcoming shows like "Back 40" and "Good Game with Sarah Spain," along with reminders to subscribe and rate the podcast. Nick emphasizes the significance of quarterback rankings and the ongoing discussions surrounding emerging talents like Caleb Williams.

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Note: This summary focuses on the substantive discussions within the transcript, omitting repeated advertisements and promotional content to provide a coherent overview of the episode's main topics.

Transcript

[Energy Trust of Oregon]

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[Ken Jennings]

Start with a quick puzzle. The answer is Ken Jennings appearance on the puzzler with A.J. jacobs. The question is, what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land Jeopardy truthers believe in?

[John Lithgow]

I guess they would be conspiracy theorists.

[Ken Jennings]

That's right.

[Nick Wright]

They gave you the answers and you still bl puzzler.

[Ken Jennings]

Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[John Lithgow]

Hello, I'm John Lithgow.

[Nick Wright]

We choose to go to the moon.

[John Lithgow]

I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast.

[Nick Wright]

That's One Small Step for Man about.

[John Lithgow]

Buzz Aldrin, one of the true pioneers of space.

[Nick Wright]

You're a great pilot, Buzz.

[John Lithgow]

That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't. Buzz. Starring me, John Lithgow on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jake Hofer]

I'm Jake Hofer and this is back 40, a limited series show on Wire to Hunt, part of Meat Eater's Podcast Network. Each episode I'll be asking eight whitetail hunting pros a focused, thought provoking question about hunting and land management. How do I hunt the best part of the farm with less than ideal access?

[Damanze]

Should you? That's what the real question is.

[Nick Wright]

Stand without good access is not a good stand.

[Jake Hofer]

Listen to Back 40 on iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

[Nick Wright]

Welcome in what driving Nick Ride, episode 357 and this episode of what's Right with Nick Ride is brought to you by Boost Mobile. And our friends at Boost Mobile don't screw around. They saw Dexter, my dog, the last couple podcasts hopping up on the couch and obscuring the Boost Mobile pillow. And now we have this fancy thing that looks like a light demons A that's actually an electrified fence. Dexter hops up there. He's zapped. Yeah, for real. Like, they're like. No, we. We pay good money to be the title sponsor of what's Right with Nick. Right. We're not going to have some silly Portuguese water dog obscuring our advertisement. That may or may not be true, but shout out to boost mobile for the sick light. Damanze, how are you? You look great.

[Damanze]

I'm good. Good to see you, Pops. How you doing?

[Nick Wright]

I'm doing well. Big week coming up for Damanze as the snake should be hatching anytime and his baby sister flying cross country by herself finally spend a long weekend with her brother. That should be great. And the best part of it is when she arrives, I will be rolling dice in Monaco and so I'll be unavailable. So you're on your own, pal. But it'll be great. So all that's going on and I'm fired up today. I'm fired up today because. How do I say this respectfully? People are either dumb or lying or just think that we don't have access to their previous takes and. Or just tr. You know what I mean? The. The. Maybe the. Maybe the most. The biggest indictment I could say just trolling for views or clicks or content. I don't know what it is, but I do know that I'm just letting you guys know Right now we have eight topics listed for today's show. Topics two through eight are going might be bite sized because topic one could take a while. But before we get to that, straight to voicemail again. Brought to you by our friends at Boost mobile cam little 70 yard field goal. Two takes on this demons a one that is now the record. I don't care. There's the preseason. That's the record that should be in the record books. And two, I just upped the Jags to 11 wins. I had him at 10. I now got him at 11. I if you get to mid field and you're in field goal range, I mean, what do you. What a weapon. I listen your guy chat. I say this with respect.

[Damanze]

It's just.

[Nick Wright]

He's got it. He's got to grow up.

[Damanze]

It was a little.

[Nick Wright]

Go ahead.

[Damanze]

It was a little outlandish. But why is every guy that's doing something like bad or not great? Why is it always my guy?

[Nick Wright]

I feel like you. I feel it's every single time. But I feel like I. Well, here's the thing. Do you or do you not feel like I have been too skeptical of Chet because I don't like how skinny he is? Were you or were you not more pro chat than me? So on this show, between the two of us, he's your guy. He's certainly not my guy.

[Damanze]

Anti Chat.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, well, I'm not anti Chad either, but I'm getting there. And also, the Wilds was a big chat guy. And then. And then Wilds read an interview with Chet where they asked him about his favorite books, and his answer was just all coffee table books with a bunch of pictures. He was like. He's like, I got this book on Rolexes, which is just a pictures of Rolexes. And Wilds came to the conclusion that Chet maybe has never read a book. And so he's soured on him a bit, and now he's dressed like a 70s pimp at his buddy's wedding. Not great. And CD Lam. This is, like, funny because he's fine. CD Liam could have got legit hurt there. Yeah, like that little.

[Damanze]

That whiplash back went all the way up.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, that was a scary. That was a scary moment.

[Damanze]

All right, how about that ref man weight room?

[Nick Wright]

I know the ref running full speed, probably running full speed and runs into him.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

And cd, you know, is limber enough. So I thought the ref was fine. I was worried about cd. Reminder to everyone, please, like, rate, subscribe, review. In fact, do it right now. If you're watching on YouTube, click the like button. If you're listening to the podcast and you're not subscribed, subscribe. And if you are subscribed, it takes two seconds. Click little. Five stars. You don't have to leave a word review. Just give it five stars. That's all YouTube, iTunes, Spotify, all that. All right, Damanze. It says the first topic is asinine quarterback rankings. Go ahead.

[Damanze]

Yeah, so a couple QB polls came out. Quarterback, quarterback rankings, whatever you want to call them. So Bill Simmons debuted his quarterback pyramid, and he had Josh Allen at the top. Dan Orlovsky came out with a bunch of traits that quarterback should have is about six. And had Patrick Mahomes number one in about the same amount of categories as Daniel Jones. So which one? Yeah, yeah, zero. So which one of these is enraging you more? Which one do you want to hit?

[Nick Wright]

Oh, it's definitely Simmons's, and we're going to deep dive on it because it is not lost on me that my palace and I like Bill. Bill and I have a good relationship. But it is not lost to me that Bill Simmons kind of kicks off his full NFL coverage with a podcast that debuts a quarterback pyramid and whose main guest is Kevin Wilds. I'm not saying that Bill, that this was a direct shot at me and, you know, trying to pull apart first things first. But I'm not saying it wasn't so I'll get to Bill in a second but on Orlovsky's thing I listen, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna argue with Dan. Dan obviously knows the quarterback position better than me. I, what I am going to say is this arm strength he has. Josh Allen 1, Patrick 2 no problem. I actually agree with that. That and I actually think you could be tricky with that one. There might be you, you might be able to say Herbert could be ahead of Patrick. Hell, I don't know if Joe Milton's avail eligible. Like he could be like the, just the raw arm strength. Josh Allen one is totally fine, no beef whatsoever. Then it gets dumb ball placement. Patrick Mahomes five behind Joe Burrow again fine. Jaden, Lamar and Josh. You know I think that's a good take. I think a lot of people watch Lamar, Josh and Jaden and they're like, they can just put it where they want better than Patrick Mahomes.

[Damanze]

I was just thinking like how much of Burrows is the fact that he has those crazy wide receivers. They're just gonna.

[Nick Wright]

Well no, I think Burrow is like dumb accurate because he has to be because he's not very fast, right. And he doesn't have the strongest arm. So the only way he can be as successful as he is is like I think Burrow would maybe win the contest of that net drill that Caleb failed the other day if they did that but like made it harder and harder and harder. I think Burrow might be my number one pick but call me crazy in that drill I wouldn't take Lamar over Patrick again. Maybe I'm a hater. Next one we get to Mechanics where you list 10 quarterbacks and Patrick's not one of them. And let me tell you, I again he has Lamar 4. Yeah, I, I watch Lamar play quarterback and I'm like man, if only Patrick had as clean of mechanics as Lamar does. I do like I, I feel that way. I think it's a good take the other ones. And again, again like the I, if Gino Dak go and golf have better mechanics than Patrick, then maybe mechanics are overrated. But mechanics didn't. Again, Patrick didn't make the top 10 decision making with the football. Patrick came in fifth again. I, and then this is the, this is the one that really I couldn't, I couldn't get over pocket presence Burrow one, Lamar two, Patrick three. Okay, like whatever. I'm not gonna, I don't even, I don't even know what we're doing here. But fine, that's Orlovsky's list. He has a more fine tuned eye for quarterback than me, I suppose. I, I think it is. I disagree with some of those, but that's not my real beef. My real beef is with Bill because Bill debuts his quarterback pyramid and has Josh Allen at the top. And the problem with that is, and here's the problem with having as long and as successful a career as Bill Simmons has had and a career that so many folks, myself included, obviously, literally grew up reading every single one of your sports takes because Bill's column was must read for every sports fan of my generation for more than a decade. The problem with having that level of influence and being having that long of a career is earmuffs. Kids, we remember what you fucking wrote. And for 15 years Bill fought tooth and nail against the idea that anyone would ever under any circumstances consider Peyton Manning better than Tom Brady. Even though for the entirety of those 15 years Peyton had a strong, a far stronger case to be considered better than Peyton Manning. I'm sorry, that let me back that up. Peyton had a far stronger case to be considered better than Brady, than Josh would have right now to be considered better than Patrick. And this is where all of these quarterback rankings are going to be self defeating. But let me just quickly, off the top of my damn head, give you the Peyton vs. Tom first decade history. When again a reminder, my pal Bill built part of his massive empire on the take that Tom Brady is better than Peyton Manning. If we go 2000 to 2005, Peyton has peeled MVPs, but Peyton is 02 in the playoffs against Tom. Tom has three championships, Peyton has none. Peyton has never been to a Super Bowl. So even though Peyton Manning, statistically speaking with was the far superior quarterback with MVPs, he had never beaten Tom in a big spot. The championships were three to nothing. Then in 2006, Peyton not only wins another I'm sorry, He's already won two MVPs at that point. Plays Tom in the AFC Championship game. Tom's up, I think 21 to 3. At halftime, Peyton comes all the way back and wins the Super Bowl. Wins it, beats Tom. And the playoffs are now 2:1. Peyton wins the super bowl and Bill, I think justifiably is still even though in that moment all pros, Peyton has multiple time as zero MVPs. Peyton has multiple time as zero. The playoff win loss record is 2:1. The rings are 3:1. Bill is still strident, steadfast, correct. Tom's better, seemingly vindicated by the fact that the next year Tom finally wins his first mvp, team goes undefeated, they look like one of the greatest teams ever until as double digit favorites they get beat in the Super Bowl. In that moment, even though the rings were 3:1, they the MVPs were 2:1, the All Pros were 2:1 or 3:1, I'm not sure and the playoff win loss record was 2:1 in Tom's direction in that moment if anyone had debuted the take pton has passed Tom. Because Tom didn't win the super bowl last year, Bill's head would have exploded. And then by the way, over the next decade Tom never beat Peyton in the playoffs again. There was a brief time in Denver where it looked like maybe Peyton had kind of overtaken the argument. And then Tom went on that unbelievable 2014 through 2020 run to cement himself as the Goat. But every single football take we have heard for 20 years from Bill Simmons has valued playoff performance doing it in the biggest spots. And if you've got the belt, someone's got to come take it from you. So when I saw the clip yesterday where the rationale for elevating Josh Allen who is un again unlike Peyton Brady where Peyton had the stats and Brady had the wins, Mahomes has moral pros, more MVPs, better career numbers, five trips to the Super bowl to zero, three rings to zero and is four and oh in the playoffs against him. When I hear the argument that Mahomes played so poorly in the super bowl he falls down a peg without the obvious follow up being why wasn't Josh in the Super Bowl Bill because he couldn't beat Patrick again. And that is where and again I think Josh is the second best quarterback in the league. I now that Josh has a league mvp I'm comfortable calling him a future hall of Famer. I I think Josh eventually is going to break through. I think Josh's ability last year to cut down on the turnovers and still carry a team that wasn't all that talented at the skill position certainly on the outside was wildly impressive. But we have to stop acting like these have been unfair fights or Josh hasn't had his chance in back to back years in the playoffs. Once in Josh's building, once in Patrick's building. Josh has gotten the ball late fourth quarter down three points the first time he can only get them to not the edge of field goal range but not a gimme field goal 44 yarder if I remember and that would have only gotten them the tie with a couple minutes left has a Chance to finish the game, ball in your hands. Don't let Patrick come back and get it. They come away with zero points. Then last year down three conference championship game, plenty of time. Can't get to midfield so do not do you cannot. And this is why the quarterback ranking stuff right now can be so frustrating for people. Has Patrick played in the regular season his best ball the last couple of years? No. But who are again and I've said it before, I will say it again if you want to argue, you know what Jalen hurts is the best quarterback in the league. I don't think anyone actually believes that except for maybe Jalen's lovely mother who dressed me down a bit the night before the Super Bowl. I don't even think Jalen believes that. But if you want to argue that, at least there is a case you can make. But for the other three guys, as I said a moment ago, the argument becomes instantly self defeating. Burrow's claim to fame is what he did in the first two the first postseason and a half of his career going into Arrowhead, beating Patrick, getting to the super bowl, then getting back to the AFC Championship game and then he had a pretty miserable second half with a chance to go to a second straight super bowl, got the ball, tie game, go get a field goal, got negative yards, loses and has not been back to the postseason since. There is no time in the history of pro football when there have been multiple first ballot hall of Famers active in their prime where we would say a guy elevated himself to best quarterback in the league in a two year stretch where he plays zero playoff games. Not eligible. Lamar, who is in the midst of arguably as good of a two year regular season stretch as any player at his position ever when that player to varying degrees and this past year was the most positive sign, has come up against the other two guys who he is in the debate with for who's the best and both games gotten outplayed by and lost to in the postseason. Patrick 2 years ago and Josh last year. He's not going to have it. And across all of sports except for maybe there were some people arguing Jerry west was better than Bill Russell. But with respect, as great as the Mahomes Reed Chiefs are, they are not the institutionally top to bottom more talented team like the Russell Celtics. We have never made an argument that when every single year for a half decade one guy beats and outplays another guy in the postseason that the other guy's better. It's again for the entirety of Peyton versus Brady When Peyton was a Colt that whole decade plus they only played in the postseason three times and, and it was two one Tom. And it was still framed correctly as if Tom held over him in the postseason. Imagine if they played four times and it was 4 0. And so again, this is what I would ask my pal Bill. If Tom had beaten Peyton in 06 and then gone on to lose that super bowl and he was up 30 in the playoffs and the ring count was 30 and the Super bowl count was 4 0, and someone made the argument that Peyton Manning was better. Based on Tom playing poorly in this make believe 2006 Super bowl, what would your reaction have been? And the answer is we know. So can we please, please have a level of consistency on this? That's all. Honestly, that didn't go quite as long as I thought. And again, I'm not trying to act like I invented the pyramid style ranking of quarterbacks. What I will say is if you're going to really do it, each level has to be one player bigger than the previous. You can't go 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, five. That's not the idea that, that's not how a pyramid looks either at the, the. And I mean, it's just not. I mean, I don't either. That's a crayon. That's how a crayon looks, not how a pyramid looks. That's first of all, Second of all, my buddy KW could have given you pointers on that when he was on the pod with you. UFC 319 is blown back to the Windy City for the first time in six years. Check out the fight card and get in on on all the action at DraftKings sportsbook. The official sports betting partner of UFC. Dricus Duplus Plessy. Pardon me, I've been trying to pronounce that all morning and I screwed it up again. Dricus du Plessis puts his middleweight title up against Kamzat Chamayev, who's a perfect 14. 0. Who are you taking? First time betting on UFC at DraftKings. 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[Jake Hofer]

I'm Jake Hofer and this is Back 40, a limited series show on Wire to Hunt, part of Meat Eaters Podcast Network. Each episode I'll be asking eight whitetail hunting pros a focused, thought provoking question about hunting and land management. How do I hunt the best part of the farm with less than ideal access?

[Damanze]

Should you? That's what the real question is.

[Nick Wright]

Stand without good access is not a good stand.

[Jake Hofer]

Listen to Back 40 on iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[John Lithgow]

Hello, I'm John Lithgow.

[Nick Wright]

We choose to go to the moon.

[John Lithgow]

I want to tell you about my new free fiction podcast, that's One Small Step for Man. It's about Buzz Aldrin, one of the true pioneers of space. You're a great pilot, Buzz.

[Nick Wright]

As far as I'm concerned, the best I've seen.

[John Lithgow]

That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't predisposition.

[Energy Trust of Oregon]

To depression, alcohol abuse and suicide?

[John Lithgow]

We'll see Buzz try to overcome demons.

[Nick Wright]

What do you say, Buzz? Another beer.

[John Lithgow]

And triumph over addiction.

[Ken Jennings]

Here's to you, Buzz Aldrin.

[John Lithgow]

Good luck to you and become a true hero.

[Nick Wright]

Buzz and I will proceed into the.

[John Lithgow]

Lunar module not because he conquers space, but because he conquers himself. Buzz, we intercepted a Soviet radio transmission starring me, John Lithgow.

[Nick Wright]

Can you put it through?

[John Lithgow]

Can you Translate on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nick Wright]

Columbia.

[Energy Trust of Oregon]

Get fired up, y'.

[Nick Wright]

All.

[Energy Trust of Oregon]

Season 2 of Good Game with Sarah Spain is underway. We just welcomed one of my favorite people and an incomparable soccer icon, Megan Rapinoe to the show, and we had a blast. We talked about her recent 40th birthday celebrations, Co hosting a podcast with her fiance, sue, bird watching, former teammates retire and more. Never a dull moment with Pino. Take a listen. What do you miss the most about being a pro athlete. The final, the final and the locker room. I really, really like you. Just, you can't replicate. You can't get back. Showing up to the locker room every morning just to talk. We've got more incredible guests like the legendary Candace Parker and college superstar AZ Foote. I mean, seriously, y', all, the guest list is absolutely stacked for season two. And you know, we're always going to keep you up to speed on all the news and happenings around the women's sports world as well. So make sure you listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

[Ken Jennings]

Hello, puzzlers. Let's start with a quick puzzle. The answer is Ken Jennings appearance on the puzzler with A.J. jacobs. The question is, what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land? Jeopardy Truthers who say that you were given all the answers believe in.

[Nick Wright]

I guess they would be conspiracy theorists.

[Ken Jennings]

That's right. Are there Jeopardy Truthers? Are there people who say that it, it was rigged?

[Nick Wright]

Yeah. Ever since I was first on, people are like, they gave you the answers. Right. And then there's the other ones which are like, they give you the answers and you still blew it. Laughs.

[Ken Jennings]

Don'T miss Jeopardy. Legend Ken Jennings on our special game show week of the Puzzler podcast. The Puzzler is the best place to get your daily word puzzle fix. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Damanze]

Mike Sandoz released his annual quarterback poll. This is voted on by execs and GMs and coaches. So this is the real deal here of the survey. Hydra Guy, Mahomes and Burrow tied at number one with Allen, Lamar and Stafford rounding at tier one. How did some voters not have Allen and Lamar as tier one guys?

[Nick Wright]

So that. So here is what's crazier about that Damanze. And this. I don't know if you remember last year in this poll, coming off the league mvp, Lamar was tier two.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

This is, this is the first time in Lamar's career he's been tier one. Last year, Lamar got 23 tier one votes, 26 tier two votes and one tier three vote. At tier three votes and outrage. That's just an outrage. This year he got 46 tier one votes and four tier two votes. Josh got 47 tier one votes and three tier two votes. I'm not, listen, I am not going to. Oh, it's, it's as close to unanimous as you can be without being unanimous. There's clearly. Listen, what you saw is some of these executives, and you saw it kind of throughout the voting on this. Really, when they are judging quarterbacks, they are almost entirely just removing improvisation and running, and that's that they are purely asking themselves, and they even describe it. A tier one quarterback can carry his team each week. All right, so Josh and Lamar obviously are in that category. The team wins because of him. Josh and Lamar in that category. He expertly handles pure passing situations. So I think that is where people found a way to discount Josh and Lamar, who are obviously tier one quarterbacks. I. My response to them would be those guys, first of all, they're excellent passers, as is. Now, I'm not Jim Harbaugh saying Lamar is the greatest pure passer to ever play. I think that's probably a step too far. But they are such dynamic runners that even in pure passing situations, they can make the play with their legs. So, like, I just think those are bad opinions. You know what I mean? Like, say it again.

[Damanze]

Games changing.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, games changing and their ability to. They. They can just beat you in a bunch of different ways. Like, it is you. You can't. If you wanted to argue, as I have in the past, there is only one. There's a. There's a tier above tier one, and that's the tier Mahomes lives in. Fine. But if we're saying there's just tier one in those four guys. Well, you know what? Let me back it up, Patrick. Josh and Lamar have to be in it. I think Burrow definitively deserves to be in it. But if someone wanted to construct a case which is kind of the reverse of what we're talking about on Burrow, which is, yeah, he expertly handles pure passing situations, but unlike the other three guys.

[Damanze]

Right.

[Nick Wright]

He can't beat you.

[Damanze]

Well, he kind of carries his divas.

[Nick Wright]

I mean, he carries. He carries his team while he's on the field. Like, I do. I don't. The.

[Damanze]

He can't control what's happening on the.

[Nick Wright]

Other side is tough. I. But that. That's not on him. But he can't. All the other guys can beat you with their arm and their legs. Burrow can only beat you with his arm. But he's so good with his arm. Like, listen, he's clearly tier one, and then it gets a little tricky, which is. And so, like, listen, I just think those three or four voters that didn't have Alan Lamar as tier one, like, it wouldn't surprise me at all if some of them had like how many tier one votes did Herbert get? Let me look real quick. Herbert got 13 tier one votes. So I bet those three or four voters that didn't vote Josh and Lamar did vote Herbert. And that's just stupid. I mean, that's just flatly dumb. All right.

[Damanze]

That guy, he was square in the middle in the tier 2 with 12 voters giving him a tier 3 vote. So is the Hertz debate put to rest?

[Nick Wright]

Well, so Hertz got three tier one, 35 tier two and 12 tier three and he. So in. Let's just give it some context here. Right after we said, we said Lamar.

[Damanze]

Got three after he won if you.

[Nick Wright]

Mvp. Yeah, yeah. After the super bowl year that they lost when he came in second MVP voting. Okay, so that was when he came in second MVP voting to Mahomes. That year he got 10 tier 1, 38 tier 2 and 2 tier 3. Last year, after the supernatural funk year and the collapse at the end of the year, he got one tier one, 33 tier two and 16 tier three. This year he got two more tier ones up to three, two more tier twos, up to 35 and down to 12 tier threes, down from 16. I think having Jalen Hurts listed as a tier three quarterback is stupid. I want to make that clear. I think that now the Description of Tier 2, if you care, a Tier 2 quarterback can carry his team sometimes, but not as consistently. He can handle pure passing situation in doses and. Or possesses other dimensions that are special enough to elevate him above tier three. He has a hole or two in his game. I think that's a perfect description of Jalen Hurts. I think the, the, the actual description of can Care, can carry his team, but not as consistently can handle pure passing situations in doses and possesses other dimensions that are special enough to elevate him above tier three has a hole or two in his game. That to me is a perfect description. The hole is. He has never proven he can be a high volume passer that leads to team and individual success, but everything else he does at a super high level and whatever demerit you give him on pure passing situations, the absolute cheat code of the tush push that, you know, is unique to him. It would appear. When I say cheat code, I mean that in a complimentary way. Go ahead.

[Damanze]

Like that would be a con. Like that would. That would elevate him.

[Nick Wright]

That's elevates him.

[Damanze]

Okay.

[Nick Wright]

What I'm saying is I was curious if you. Go ahead. No, if you're going to knock him for. This is a point Wilds made yesterday. And he's right. If we're going to knock him for in third and nine do. Would you rather have Matt Stafford then we have to give him credit for the fact that it's 4th and 1. You'd rather have him than any player in the league, right?

[Damanze]

Yeah, but is that. Is that him or is that the team.

[Nick Wright]

Combo? I mean, I do think the fact that he is so strong and so tough and has mastered it. You know what I mean? Like, I saw Tanner McKee try to do it in the preseason. It was ugly. We've seen other teams, you know what I mean? So I think it's, you know, I think it's not all him, but it's part him, part the team. But with all that said, I. The guys above him, I can like. Matt Stafford's number five on this list. I love Stafford. Now is if Stafford's number five with an asterisk because we're saying if he, you know, if he's healthy, that's totally fair. And if you want to say you're going to knock him because, you know, Jalen gets hurt and just, you know, plays through it. Staff Now, Stafford's played through a bunch of stuff, but we are worried at this point with his age of him missing time, so be it. But I would rather have a healthy Matt Stafford than a healthy Jalen hurts. So I think Stafford being ahead of him is fine. Jaden is tricky because Jaden, the sample size is just another year. Right. So you know what I mean? Like, Jaden is. It was the greatest rookie season ever, but the sample size is so small and it feels like Jalen is a safer bet. But Jaden has, you know, Jaden has a better chance of one day being number one on this list than Jalen. Right. Herbert we've talked about. I think having Herbert above hertz is an outrage. I think it's. I think it's. I think that is just purely based on an idea I would not have. And then barely ahead of him is Jared Goff. I would rather have Jalen hurts than Jared Goff because I think they are very similar in that under the right circumstances can be very dynamic and a huge part of winning. But I think Jalen could thrive in more circumstances than golf. So I think Jalen's toughness and running would translate better to a bad team than Jared. So I think Jared on a bad team plummets.

[Damanze]

He's getting 100%. Jada might be able to Run away.

[Nick Wright]

Exactly. And so, and so I understand the. So if I were doing it, if it were mine. And I know, I know that this is one where I've probably kind of over the last six months flip flopped a bit because at one point I said that you can't like it's Mahomes, Alan, Lamar. And then if you're going to say it's a big four with Burrow, it's got to be a big five with Jalen. But even when I was saying that, deep down I was like, but I think Stafford's better. So if I were to just do the Nick Wright rankings, pure just me who I would like for this season, assuming health, Patrick, Josh, Lamar, Joe Stafford. I want to make sure I'm not leaving anybody out. And then I would put in Jaylen, I would put in Jalen at 6, Jalen, 6. Jaden, 7, Baker 8. And then it gets. And then it gets. And then after that, we could have a debate about Herbert versus Golf. But that's where I would, you know, I mean, that's where I would have it. And then after them, we have a debate about CJ versus Love versus Dak. And then obviously I'm gonna start elevating my guys, Caleb and Trevor, but they got approved the. And so that's where, that's where I would rank them. And I, I think that is so. I didn't think any of these were crazy. Out of line.

[Jake Hofer]

The I'm Jake Hofer and this is back 40, a limited series show on wire to Hunt, part of Meat Eaters Podcast Network. Each episode I'll be asking eight whitetail hunting pros a focused, thought provoking question about hunting and land management. How do I hunt the best part of the farm with less than ideal access?

[Nick Wright]

Should you?

[Damanze]

That's what the real question is.

[Nick Wright]

Stand without good access is not a good stand.

[Jake Hofer]

Listen to Back 40 on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[John Lithgow]

Hello, I'm John Lithgow.

[Nick Wright]

We choose to go to the moon.

[John Lithgow]

I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast.

[Nick Wright]

That's One Small step for Man.

[John Lithgow]

It's about Buzz Aldrin, one of the true pioneers of space. You're a great pilot, Buzz.

[Nick Wright]

As far as I'm concerned, the best I've seen.

[John Lithgow]

That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't predisposition.

[Energy Trust of Oregon]

To depression, alcohol abuse and suicide.

[John Lithgow]

We'll see Buzz try to overcome demons.

[Nick Wright]

What do you say? Buzz?

[John Lithgow]

Another beer and triumph over addiction.

[Ken Jennings]

Here's to you, Buzz Aldrin.

[John Lithgow]

Good luck to you and become a true hero.

[Nick Wright]

Buzz and I will proceed into the.

[John Lithgow]

Lunar module not because he conquers space, but because he conquers himself.

[Nick Wright]

Buzz, we intercepted a Soviet radio transmission.

[John Lithgow]

Starring me, John Lithgow.

[Nick Wright]

Can you put it through?

[John Lithgow]

Can you Translate on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nick Wright]

Columbia.

[Energy Trust of Oregon]

Get fired up, y'. All. Season 2 of Good Game with Sarah Spain is underway. We just welcomed one of my favorite people and an incomparable soccer icon, Megan Rapinoe to the show, and we had a blast. We talked about her recent 40th birthday celebrations, Co hosting a podcast with her fiance, Sue, Bird watching former teammates retire, and more. Never a dull moment with Pino. Take a listen. What do you miss the most about being a pro athlete? The final. The final and the locker room. I really, really like you. Just, you can't replicate. You can't get back. Showing up to the locker room every morning just to talk. We've got more incredible guests like the legendary Candace Parker and college superstar AZ Foote. I mean, seriously, y', all, the guest list is absolutely stacked for season two. And, you know, we're always going to keep you up to speed on all the news and happenings around the women's sports world as well. So make sure you listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

[Ken Jennings]

Hello, puzzlers. Let's start with a quick puzzle. The answer is Ken Jennings appearance on the puzzler with A.J. jacobs. The question is, what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land?

[Nick Wright]

Jeopardy.

[Ken Jennings]

Truthers who say that you were given all the answers believe in.

[Nick Wright]

I guess they would be conspiracy theorists.

[Ken Jennings]

That's right. Are there Jeopardy. Truthers? Are there people who say that it's. It was rigged?

[Nick Wright]

Yeah. Ever since I was first on, people are like, they gave you the answers. Right? And then there's the other ones, which are like, they gave you the answers and you still blew it.

[Ken Jennings]

Don't miss Jeopardy Legend Ken Jennings on our special game show week of the Puzzler podcast. The Puzzler is the best place to get your daily word puzzle fix. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nick Wright]

All right, let's go to Rogers.

[Damanze]

Yeah. I was about to say, do you want to talk about Rogers going from tier one to tier three?

[Nick Wright]

So I was shocked that Rogers was tier one. Oh, so he. So he. This has been. What? Wait, what? Okay, so this is what's interesting. So here is Rogers over the years. So Rogers going into his final year in Green Bay, unanimous tier one obvious. I think he was the back to back defending league MVP. Unanimous tier one Rogers going into his first year with the Jets. 30 tier one, 20 tier two. That again to me was fair. I would have put him tier two because I thought his last year in Green Bay, you saw the writing on the wall and you saw it in evidence by his stats, you know, the team success, a lot of that stuff. But he was still just a year removed from being a two time MV going into last year with the Jets. This was a very interesting looking back on it, voting going Demons A going into last year again where he was coming off the blown achilles, he got 23 tier one votes.

[Damanze]

It's like, oh, poor guy tore his.

[Nick Wright]

Achilles and he's going to be fine, right? He's going to come back with a vengeance. 18 tier 2 votes, 7 tier 3 votes and 2 tier 4 votes. I'd have to ask Sando and I could probably go back and read the article. I'm not going to do it right now live on the air. Was he the first player ever to get multiple votes in four different tiers to get, you know, multiple tier one and tier four votes? So last year, going into last year I. He. So he ended up averaging out. That was interesting. Last year he got more votes for tier one than any other tier but he averaged out to a tier two player quarterback. And this year, so weird.

[Damanze]

One guy that gave him a tier, he got one tier one vote this year too, by the way.

[Nick Wright]

Oh, I clicked the wrong thing. Okay, not so weird. So this year he got one tier one vote. That guy's out of his mind. Yeah, I mean that's just, that's just idiotic. He got 16 tier two votes. I can't call that idiotic. But I disagree. 27 tier three votes, just where I would have him. And then four tier six or I'm sorry, six tier four votes which is folks that think that he's just finished.

[Damanze]

Right?

[Nick Wright]

But where he is as far as in the hierarchy. So tier three quarterbacks are in order. Kyler, Aaron, Tua, Trevor, Gino, Nicks, Darnold, May, Caleb, Bryce, Kirk. Those are the tier three. For me personally, the quarterbacks I would rather have than Aaron, every single one of the guys. Tier one and two. So that's 14. And then I would rather have this year. Geno, Drake, Caleb, Trevor, Tua, and that's probably it. Not Bo Nicks, not Kyler, and not Darnold or Bryce or Kirk. So I would have him closer to the middle of the three. Go ahead.

[Damanze]

Apparently Rogers was actually number two in tier two. Number seven overall.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, last year.

[Damanze]

Oh, okay. Okay.

[Nick Wright]

That's. Yeah, last year. So he, he, that, that's what I was saying. Last year he, last year he got more votes. He got more Tier 1 votes than any other tier. But because he also got like a four right. Votes. He, he, he got, you know, dinged down and dropped to tier two. But yeah, so I would have him close to 20. They have him 15. The Kyler one's interesting because I think having Kyler at the Almost a tier 2 guy and ahead of all those other guys, the young players that, you know, you expect to pop ahead of Geno, ahead of Rogers, I think is interesting. I mean, I just wouldn't. I just don't.

[Damanze]

I like low tier 3.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, to me is. But maybe I'm low on him. But I, I just. You give him credit because last year he did. He was able for the first time in four years to play all 17. But I just feel like at this point we kind of know what we're getting from Kyler and he's a player that wants.

[Damanze]

You don't like him. He's too small.

[Nick Wright]

Well, there is that, but it's also true that once you start seeing Thanksgiving decorations up at the stores, you know he's not going to be playing well. I mean, it's just who he's been for his career. He's good for about the first half of the season. And that to me is like, I don't know why that would change. Like the. And so I think that I'm not as high on Kyler. I respect the talent, but I care. You're right about this, Demonte. I care about raw talent way less with very small players. Yeah, I just do.

[Damanze]

I mean that was like the best high school football player like ever football quarterback.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, the best. Yeah. I mean, no, he was the best. And he was a hell of a college player as well. And he's had moments in the pros and maybe it was as simple as high school and College seasons are 12 games long. You know what, Mark this down. If we ever have another strike shortened NFL year, I might bet on Kyler. They say they come back and they're like, oh, it's only a 10 game season plus the playoffs this year. I might be a Kyler guy that year makes sense. But but that is. But for the time being, I. I would have him low tier 3.

[Damanze]

Do you want to get to that last one or I want to just.

[Nick Wright]

Oh, yeah, go ahead.

[Damanze]

What are. What are some quarterbacks you seeing going up a tier this year? And who are some quarterbacks you see going down a tier?

[Nick Wright]

All right, so let me look at the full list again. I've opened this thing up so many times that now I've got. I've got five tabs. I do this sometimes. All right, so let me. The. So let me maximize this so I can look at this better. I think that going up a tier. So. Gosh, this is a tough one. I think that Caleb will be tier two going into next year. I think that Rogers will be off the list because I think he'll be done. I think that Purdy will probably be tier three. He's hanging on for dear life in tier two right now. And I don't think the Niners are going to be excellent this year. And I think that. Who do I think could jump into tier one? You know what? I'm going to. I might go all in on this team this year. Bake show.

[Damanze]

Oh, okay.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, I think the. I think the. The Bucks could have a monster offensive season and I think potentially could elevate Baker and especially if. If Stafford is dinged, you know, if staff. I think Stafford. It was very weird for Stafford, who had been Tier 2 Demons A for 11 straight years, and then this is the year he gets elevated when he wasn't great in last year's regular season. It was awesome in their two playoff games, but wasn't great in last year's regular.

[Damanze]

Jordan, love up to tier. I mean, but two to one.

[Nick Wright]

Two. Two. One's hard. You know what I mean? Like, that's the. I am curious. Like, let me ask you this. And the answer might be none of the above, but no, I'm not going to allow that. You have to say a name. I won't be mad. Of the four guys who were all either unanimous or close to it, Tier one, Patrick, Joe, Josh, Lamar. Who do you think is at most risk?

[Damanze]

Most risk?

[Nick Wright]

Most risk to move down?

[Damanze]

I think it'd be Joe Burrow. Just because if they don't make the postseason again this year, then. So what are you, like, what are we going to say at this point?

[Nick Wright]

I agree.

[Damanze]

I mean, maybe it's the defense again.

[Nick Wright]

But I. I agree, but I think it's for a different reason. I think the only thing that could move Joe down is if he gets Hurt again. And I think given their offensive line and given his history, I think he's the most obviously of the big four. He's the most likely to miss.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah. You know, so I. That. That would be my answer. All right, let's talk Shador Chador.

[Damanze]

He looked pretty good. I mean he looked fantastic, but he looked pretty good for quarterback when there did his thing. Head coach Kevin Stefanski still hasn't committed to Shador. So do you think that he showed everything he needed to do to get the starting job? What do you.

[Nick Wright]

Well, he's definitely not going to be their week one starter. That is going to be Joe Flacco. I don't even think by the way, if I were Shador, I know he can't say this. I wouldn't even want to be the week one starter. Like I would the I. The Browns open with the Ravens and then they play. I'm sorry, the Browns open with the Bengals. So I wouldn't actually hate that because the Bengals defense. But then they go Ravens, Packers, Lions, Vikings, Steelers. Like those are not defenses. I'm interested in playing right off get.

[Damanze]

Beat up a bit.

[Nick Wright]

Exactly right. And I understand that the Browns just released their latest depth chart and Shador is still number four. They did not move him up at all. I don't believe it. I think that Shador has now if we are being fair, he has take it is now Dylan Gabriel who is chasing Shador in the quarterback competition instead of vice versa. Like the, you know the old adage you don't lose your job job due to injury is total bs. Happens in sports all the time. People lose their job because of injury and because the guy who fills in for you shows something he didn't have the opportunity to show before. And so flat if Flacco is just entrenched at one, which I think he is. Kenny Pickett was two and is two on the latest depth chart. He's been hurt the last couple weeks of camp. Doesn't look like he's going to play at all. And he didn't play in their first preseason game. Doesn't look like he's going to play in their second. Dylan Gabriel is three. Gabriel, according to all reports on the ground has been bad in practice and was injured for the first preseason game. Shadors four. He's practiced well and I thought made four very high level throws in that game and really only made a couple bad mistakes.

[Damanze]

Yeah.

[Nick Wright]

And so I think that is enough to where he should have taken the lead on Gabriel and the goal for either of these rookies flatly needed to be beat out. The other rookie. So when at. When Flacco inevitably gets benched, I'm the guy they go to. Now maybe they'll go to Pickett, but I think that would be asinine. And so I. Now I also think this Demons a. I think Gabriel will and should start preseason game number two. And then, you know, he can, if.

[Damanze]

He plays well, just give both of them a half. Yeah, give both.

[Nick Wright]

I think that's what they'll do. I could even see him go Demons a quarter, quarter, quarter, quarter. Okay, you know what? I. There. Thereabouts. Like, I could see Gabriel playing, then Shador, then Gabriel back in, then Shador that way, you know what I mean? You get more time starting caliber players or, you know, guys that are actually going to make the team or they each get it. But I now think Gabriel. I think Shador is now amongst the rookies in pole position. And I also think that. And this is why. So I thought after the game, him saying something to Tony Gross, he was totally fine. And I think people don't recognize how common that is that guys sang after games in locker rooms or in the tunnel to reporters. Like, hey, what was up with that? That has happened forever. That used to happen to me. I remember Matt Castle saying to a different media member, we're both standing there when he realized that. Media member. You know what I think it was to Mark, Carmen, our friend whose birthday was actually yesterday. I think it was to Carm that he said to him, this is your buddy about me? He's like, yeah, he's like, he sure talks a lot of shit, doesn't he? Like, did not like some of the things I had said about him. That's super common. So I have no problem at all with Shador having that moment with Tony.

[Damanze]

Grossi at this time, though, like I said, what you need to be worried about.

[Nick Wright]

So here's the thing on that. I think the smile and the laugh at the end made it okay. And I think that, like, charisma and charm and a great smile can really carry genuine too. Yeah. And so, like, that to me was fine. I thought the walk in was a misstep. I didn't think it was a grievous error. But I thought, I'm not asking you to be someone you're not. But turn down the volume on literally on the boombox, I guess. And also figuratively. Now I understand those were his teammates, not his entourage. But still, you're the quarterback, the guy carrying the giant walking stick staff in the boombox. I might have been like, can we not do that? And if you really want to walk in like that, maybe I'll go in, you know, a little bit after you. Because it's. He is. If the Browns won't elevate him on their real depth chart, then he also wants another team to trade for him.

[Damanze]

Yep.

[Nick Wright]

You know, and so I just don't think that helps. But I don't think it's a huge deal. You'd certainly rather him play well and have an awkward pre and post game than be perfect pre and post game and play poorly. Go ahead.

[Damanze]

No, I mean, with that take, you were saying that maybe he should show out for the Rams or maybe the Rams look at him because words like a mortal chamber are being thrown around and it's very serious. Yeah, I don't like it. So do you think that's more of a possibility now? Like, it seems more and more serious?

[Nick Wright]

I think that right now he's probably worth. He was drafted with a fifth. I think he's worth at least a fourth. You know what I mean? And so. But I don't. I think the Browns want to keep him. I think Stefanski might be coming around if he wasn't already there. And I think you had to be impressed by how he handled himself and how he played this Sunday. Was it Sunday? Saturday, Whatever. Friday. It was Friday.

[Damanze]

It was Thursday or Friday.

[Nick Wright]

All right. Hey, guys, Talk to you about my friends at Boost Mobile. Ever sign up for a phone plan thinking, wow, great price. And then a few months later, it's like, surprise, bill's even higher. With Boost mobile, you pay 25amonth. Forever. That's unlimited talk, text and data starting at just 25amonth. No price hikes, no contract. Forever. Plus, Boost Mobile is now a legit nationwide 5G network. They've invested billions building 5G towers across the country. Visit boostmobile.com or head to your local Boost store today and get unlimited talk, text and data for $25 a month. Forever 5G speeds not available in all areas. After 30GB, customers may experience slow, slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan.

[Jake Hofer]

I'm Jake Hofer and this is back 40, a limited series show on Wire to Hunt, part of Meat Eaters Podcast Network. Each episode I'll be asking eight whitetail hunting pros a focused, thought provoking question about hunting and land management. How do I hunt the best part of the farm with less than ideal access?

[Damanze]

Should you that's what the real question is.

[Nick Wright]

Stand without good access is not a good stand.

[Jake Hofer]

Listen to Back 40 on iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[John Lithgow]

Hello, I'm John Lithgow.

[Nick Wright]

We choose to go to the moon.

[John Lithgow]

I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast.

[Nick Wright]

That's one small step for man.

[John Lithgow]

It's about Buzz Aldrin, one of the true pioneers of space. You're a great pilot, Buzz.

[Nick Wright]

As far as I'm concerned, the best I've seen.

[John Lithgow]

That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't predisposition.

[Energy Trust of Oregon]

To depression, alcohol abuse, and suicide.

[John Lithgow]

We'll see Buzz try to overcome demons.

[Nick Wright]

What do you say, Buzz? Another beer.

[John Lithgow]

And triumph over addiction.

[Ken Jennings]

Here's to you, Buzz Aldrin.

[John Lithgow]

Good luck to you and become a true hero.

[Nick Wright]

Buzz and I will proceed into the.

[John Lithgow]

Lunar module not because he conquers space, but because he conquers himself. Buzz, we intercepted a Soviet radio transmission starring me, John Lithgow.

[Nick Wright]

Can you put it through?

[John Lithgow]

Can you Translate on the iHeartRadio Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nick Wright]

Columbia.

[Energy Trust of Oregon]

Get fired up, y'.

[Nick Wright]

All.

[Energy Trust of Oregon]

Season 2 of Good Game with Sarah Spain is underway. We just welcomed one of my favorite people and an incomparable soccer icon, Megan Rapinoe to the show, and we had a blast. We talked about her recent 40th birthday celebrations, Co hosting a podcast with her fiance, sue, bird watching former teammates retire, and more. Never a dull moment with Pino. Take a listen. What do you miss the most about being a pro athlete? The final. The final. And the locker room. I really, really like you.

[Nick Wright]

Just.

[Energy Trust of Oregon]

You can't replicate. You can't get back. Showing up to the locker room every morning just to talk. We've got more incredible guests like the legendary Candace Parker and college superstar AZ Foote. I mean, seriously, y', all, the guest list is absolutely stacked for season season two. And you know, we're always going to keep you up to speed on all the news and happenings around the women's sports world as well. So make sure you listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

[Ken Jennings]

Hello, puzzlers. Let's start with a quick puzzle. The answer is Ken Jennings appearance on the puzzler with A.J. jacobs. The question is, what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land?

[Nick Wright]

Jeopardy.

[Ken Jennings]

Truthers who say that you were given all the answers believe in.

[Nick Wright]

I guess they would be conspiracy theorists.

[Ken Jennings]

That's right. Are there Jeopardy.

[Energy Trust of Oregon]

Truthers?

[Ken Jennings]

Are there people who say that it, it was rigged?

[Nick Wright]

Yeah. Ever since I was first on, people are like, they gave you the answers. Right? And then there's the other ones which are like, they give you the answers and you still blew it.

[Ken Jennings]

Don't miss Jeopardy. Legend Ken Jennings on our special game show Week of the Puzzler podcast. The Puzzler is the best place to get your daily word puzzle fix. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nick Wright]

Um, all right, Damanze, let's go to Caleb. We, we talked enough Chiefs earlier so we can move on to Caleb if we can.

[Damanze]

Caleb Williams did not play it down in the preseason game and Ben Johnson is not worried about that at all. He said and quote, there is no substitute for real life bullets. I get that. But at the same time, when you can accumulate 70 plus reps in a day, that's pretty good. If live action is the best option here, then why, why not play is, guys?

[Nick Wright]

So listen, I, I think, and I've said this on TV a dozen times, so I will, you know, repeat myself here, I think in certain, sometimes you hear like, ah, you know, it's a copycat league. Certain things should be copied. The way Andy Reid handles training camp and preseason should be copied. The Chiefs every year are sharper to start the year than most of the rest of the league. Andy runs a tough training camp. They hit, they have long practices and Patrick plays in the preseason and the starters play and they're ready to go. So I would copy that. All right. A lot. You know, Sean McVay, who I, you know, I think is the second best coach in football, does the exact opposite and has for years puts guys on ice and you know, that's that. So there's obviously not a perfect way to do it. I would copy Andes. With that said, everyone is making this a Caleb story. Ben Johnson did not play. They have four they left tackles, not determined yet for the Bears starting left tackle. So they played everybody who's competing for that. There are other offensive line spots. Left guard, center, right guard, right tackle. We know who the starters are. Those guys played zero snaps. Their starting running back played zero snaps, their starting tight end played zero snaps and their three top receivers played zero snaps. If you are deciding institutionally the starters aren't playing, then you obviously can't throw Caleb out there. Now I'm going to throw Caleb out there behind your second and third string offensive line and be like, all right. Figure it out, buddy. Now, like Drake May played, he played. He threw five passes. I do think when you do it this way, it means preseason game 2. Caleb should play a fair amount. And do I think that they are hiding Caleb? No. Do I think that Ben wants nothing but positive vibes headed into the season and after using the training camp to kind of break guys down a bit, he wants a little more time to build them back up before we, before people see them. I do think that. But do I think that there was that this decision was based on how Caleb has played thus far this training camp? I do not. And so I think that he had made his decision on how he's going to play his guys this training, this preseason and he's trying to stick to it now. We'll see how well that works. But I, I, you know, Colin had a great take on this, even though I disagreed with it, which is. Let me read you the exact caption of it because I thought it was so funny. Hold on. And then there's a good Shams little shams note that I'm going to read you guys in a second as well. So here's what Colin said yesterday about Caleb. Gosh darn it. Sorry. Oh, when tech companies delay the release, it's usually because you're still in the beta stage. Collins way of saying he's not ready for the bright lights. I think that is probably too harsh. And I think that I. But I do think that the first month of the season could be a little rocky. I do like the regular season. I don't think he's going to come off, you know, flying out of the gate. Maybe you will. But I think that I believe in Caleb's talent and I think Ben Johnson's very sharp offensive mind. And I think the Bears patched their holes on the offensive line so I think they'll be fine. But I.

[Damanze]

Not doing their best to make it the most fine he could possibly be. Well, I don't know the season.

[Nick Wright]

I mean, again, he obviously wants them to be as good as possible as early as possible. Maybe he's wrong, but he thinks that this is the right path. We'll see. So Shams just tweeted Wick Grusbeck will no longer stay on as governor of the Celtics. As part of the Celtics $6.1 billion sale to Bill Chisholm plan had been for Groobeck to remain through 2028. Chisholm assumes Governor title and the transfer will be finalized soon. Guys, this is Cuban Sells the team and he's like, I'm gonna run it though. And he's out immediately. Grus back sells the team and it's like, no, but I'm going to run it for the next couple years. And he's out immediately. Jeanie Bus sold the team and everyone's like, oh, but she's going to stay in charge for five years. We'll see. People tend not again. I am not over under two years business psychologist and I don't run in billionaire circles. But in my limited experience, people don't spend 10, 11 figures on something to not be in charge of it. It's just not people don't buy a $60 video game to not play it. They don't buy a $6 billion basketball team to let someone else make the decisions. And so I was skeptical when I saw Cuban say it years ago. I was even more skeptical when I saw what group spec say it. And I am extra skeptical about Jeanie Buss running the Lakers for five years after all of this.

[Damanze]

Over under two though. Two years.

[Nick Wright]

Oh Damanze, look at this. Throw it on the screen.

[Damanze]

Oh my God.

[Nick Wright]

Packers quarterback Jordan Love is undergoing a procedure on a ligament issue with his left thumb. Oh, left thumb suffered the injury in Green Bay's preseason opener. The team is hoping Love can return to practice next week. The packers expect him to be ready for the regular season opener. Left thumb is not as much of a concern.

[Damanze]

Yeah, right.

[Nick Wright]

A surgery on the right thumb would be highly concerning. Here's the thing though, as I've said before, I don't, I don't trust insider injury reports. Yeah, every, every surgery's out of schedule. Every guy body avoided disaster. Everyone's going to be ready Week one I just, I, I have a hard time digesting it. Anybody seen Najee Harris? I saw a picture of Najee Harris looks like he can't open an eye and so I, I'm just no for real. That picture of Naji Harris was scary looking. Looked like he really hurt his eye with the fireworks and so I just that I I hope he's fine because last year got a little derailed is too strong last year got off to a he didn't have the year a lot of people thought he was going to have and a lot of people thought that was because he suffered that injury early on. All right, demonte, let's go to the listener questions.

[Damanze]

TS where do you think Allen Lamar rank all time right this moment? Just as quarterback talents I'd say both top 15 side question are the smelling salts going to Ruin your life.

[Nick Wright]

Smelling salts are not going to ruin my life. But you know, strong recommend if people haven't tried them yet. Especially if you're like maybe trying to kick caffeine or something. Like, I haven't read into the potential downsides of huffing ammonia occasionally, but it sure woke me up. Where do Lamar and Allen rank just as quote quarterback talents? What an interesting question. Top 15 sounds right. Like if I were ranking just quarter just raw talent.

[Damanze]

Quarterbacks ever.

[Nick Wright]

I. That's what, yeah, that's what they're saying. Saying all time. Mahomes Rogers are to me the top.

[Damanze]

Two Mars got to be like top 10 at least. Same thing. But I feel like both those guys, those are electric dudes as far as just talent. Like not maybe not winning Super Bowl.

[Nick Wright]

No. Yeah, those are. Yeah. So I think safely tied. So raw talent. Mahomes Rogers, Farve has to be up there. Manning has to be up there. It's a compliment to Brady that we're not even like saying him with all of his success because, you know, he maximized everything about his physical ability. Marino's got to be up there. I always have had a soft spot for Steve Young, John Elway's up there and now we can start talking Lamar and Josh, you know what I mean? Like, so, yeah, the, in that bottom part of the top 10. Firmly in the top 15. I think that's right. All right, let's go to Ethan.

[Damanze]

Ethan asks, as a poker expert who understands the principle of the plus ev, I'm curious if you take the same approach into sports gambling or if you trust your own personal bias over sharp books.

[Nick Wright]

I don't look at, I don't look at sports betting the way I look at poker. Just for the record, like, I don't, I don't. While I do try every year to give out winners and to, you know, make you guys money, I, I am.

[Damanze]

A little bit more conservative with poker.

[Nick Wright]

No, I don't know. A bit. No, I just look at it like poker. I am trying to make the best decision at every point. Sports, I have a very hard time betting against my takes. You know what I mean? I won't always bet on my takes, but like I, it's why I'll, I'll never, even if I'm getting points, bet against the Chiefs. You know what I mean? So like there are just certain things that, so that's. But I also, I, and I would, this is how I would recommend it for other people look at sports betting as a recreational endeavor. Not like, hey, this is how I'm going to make extra money. Poker's different in that regard for me. All right, let's keep going.

[Damanze]

Michael asks, is Jackson better than Prime Vic?

[Nick Wright]

Yes. Love Mike, but yes, Lamar is a far already a far better passer than Mike ever was. Just. You know what I mean? He just is. And I love Mike, but that's I think Mike would tell you that next Indy.

[Damanze]

Nick, do you think that everyone is just so skewed by fantasy football? Josh and Lamar have been excellent fantasy quarterbacks so people assume that they are the best.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, I think that absolutely has something to do with it. I absolutely think that the crazy fantasy numbers impact this a hundred percent. Noah.

[Damanze]

Yeah, Noah. Noah asks when is the futures show going to happen? It's like soon.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah. So we have a show Thursday, then we're off for a week and then the our futures and our gambling show. It'll probably be a two part thing Tuesday and Thursday next week to get us ready for football season. Right in line with predictions week on First Things first. And Diego says, has snakes enthusiast Kevin Wilds weighed in on Damanze's reptiles.

[Damanze]

That's a good.

[Nick Wright]

That's a good first things first joke and I appreciate it. All right. Reminder everyone. Like Rate subscribe review leave 5 stars. Leave a review if you'd like. I don't really care if you leave a review. I'd love you to give us the five stars though. Subscribe on Spotify or itunes or both if you'd like but one's just fine. And definitely subscribe on YouTube. We're we will be back right here on Thursday. Shout out to DraftKings. Shout out to the great people at Boost Mobile sending me the sweet sign. Shout out to a volume and blue duck in demanze and I will see you guys. I'm on with Colin in about an hour. See you guys then. We'll trade.

[Ken Jennings]

Let's start with a quick puzzle. The answer is Ken Jennings appearance on the puzzler with A.J. jacobs. The question is what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land Jeopardy truthers believe in?

[Nick Wright]

I guess they would be conspiracy theorists.

[Ken Jennings]

That's right.

[Nick Wright]

They gave you the answers and you still blew it.

[Ken Jennings]

The Puzzler listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[John Lithgow]

Hello, I'm John Lythgoe.

[Nick Wright]

We choose to go to the moon.

[John Lithgow]

I want to tell you about my new friends fiction podcast.

[Nick Wright]

That's one small step for man about.

[John Lithgow]

Buzz Aldrin, one of the true pioneers of space. You're a great pilot, Buzz. That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't. Buzz. Starring me, John Lithgow, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jake Hofer]

I'm Jay Kofer and this is back 40, a limited series show on wire to hunt, part of Meat Eaters Podcast Network. Each episode I'll be asking eight whitetail hunting pros a focused, thought provoking question about hunting and land management. How do I hunt the best part of the farm with less than ideal access?

[Nick Wright]

Should you?

[Damanze]

That's what the real question is.

[Nick Wright]

Stand without good access is not a good stand.

[Jake Hofer]

Listen to Back 40 on iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Nick Wright]

Why are TSA rules so confusing? You got a hoodie on. Take it all. I'm Manny. I'm Noah. This is Devin and we're best friends and journal list with a new podcast called no such Thing, where we get to the bottom of questions like that. Why are you screaming? I can't expect what to do now. If the rule was the same, go off on me. I deserve it, you know, Lock him up. Listen to no Such thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. No Such Thing.

[Energy Trust of Oregon]

This is an iheart pod.