May 17, 2024 • 61 mins
John dives into how once the schedule gets released so many people go through the teams wins and losses for the upcoming season however so many different factors will change by week 3 or 4 and the opponent is almost irrelevant. John also talks about how the Panthers and Patriots aren't favored in any games this season and if the 49ers should be favored over KC despite losing most of their recent match-ups. Later, John reacts to the Cowboys going "all-in" on Trey Lance during camp to find out if he will have any value to them, and finally John goes through your Fugazi Friday comments.
Later, John answers your questions in this episode's mailbag segment.
5:48 - NFL schedule overreaction
17:13 - Patriots & Panthers aren't favored
22:10 - Trey Lance
25:18 - Other NFL news
29:05 - Fugazi Friday
45:22 - Mailbag
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
The vilume.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
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Speaker 2 (01:28):
What is going on everybody, John Middlecoff, that'd be me
three and our podcasts.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
That'd be this show.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
And I had about twenty four hours to sleep on
the schedule and just some overall thoughts from things I'm
guilty of the overreactions to just fly when the schedule
comes out, and then we'll just dive into some other
stuff that the Cowboys are going all in on Trey
Lancetis offseason in terms of giving him a bunch of
(01:56):
reps instead of their other quarterbacks to see what they
have the off season. Hard Knocks will feature the Giants,
and we'll just hit some other NFL stories here and there.
I went on with Colin yesterday. There's a podcast out.
I did a shorter podcast after we did that, and
(02:17):
then today, so we had a lot of content this week,
as well as a golf podcast.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Earlier in the week.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Other than that, we ain't slowing down, even though it's
quote unquote the off season. Of course it's Fugazi Friday,
so fire in those dms with Fugazi Fridays. We will
read them on the show at John middlecoff Is the Instagram.
Also we will answer questions separate from Fugazi Friday and
give a nice little podcast here on a Friday morning
(02:44):
if you're listening or whenever you may listen. And if
you listen on Collin's feed, subscribe to three and Out
if you like watching it. Everything is up on YouTube
and like I said, podcast out all week. We'll be
back again next week and keep rocking. So with the
schedule out, we got a pretty good idea and it
(03:04):
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(04:18):
When the schedule comes out, it's crazy. You're trying to
keep an eye you know, whoever you're a fan of.
Obviously you're seeing the schedule. When's our bye week, when's
our Thursday night games? Now because of the emphasis and
the relationship that is clearly going really well with Amazon,
which is smart by the NFL to get better with them,
(04:41):
because of the amount of money the amount of power
they have. Their Thursday night schedule is a lot better
because they no longer just throw random teams and shitty
games on there. That's why a lot of teams play twice,
which we could argue is unfair, but the NFL is
not consumed with fairness.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
They really don't care.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
This is why I disagree with Colin when he says
the league is trying to do this or that they're
just trying to get the highest rating. That's really all
they're caring it. They don't care who wins and loses.
Let's face it, one hundred plus million people are watching
the Super Bowl no matter what, and the reality is
these deals are already signed, like the NBA has been
(05:20):
diminishing in viewership for a long time. Doesn't mean they
make any less money. The partners do, but we all
know a lot of people are gonna watch football. The
reason they put the Jets on Monday Night against the
Niners because it's Aaron Freakin Rodgers and a New York team.
Last time I check, New York is the biggest city
in America, so all these primetime games, and specifically Thursday,
(05:42):
are about getting the big brands getting the good teams
and the good quarterbacks involved. It's why I think the
opening weekend or week I guess because it starts Thursday, Thursday, Friday,
Sunday and Monday are just big brand, star quarterbacks. Like
they're just not messing great teams. They're not messing around
where they used to kind of throw leagues. And Colin
(06:06):
and I talked about this. Monday Night Football got a
bad stretch of games for a while. Thursday Night Football
before they really got aggressive these last two.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Years, was very very hit or miss.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
And someone who does this for a living, and I can't, like,
I don't go out on Thursday Night like there's no
dinners re in it because I'm watching the game because
I'm going to record a podcast. I like it a
lot more. I'm very very I have a lot of
gratitude on this side that they put good games on
that slate. Now it does suck. It is like one
(06:40):
thing I was thinking about last night is we talked
about schedules, me and Colin and I did on my
own little twenty five to thirty minute podcast about like,
oh the meat of the schedule is really tough or
that is a crazy ending to the schedule.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
We talked about that with the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
I think it's basically impossible to guess what anything is
gonna look like after the first several weeks injuries. Teams
that you thought were gonna be good are gonna be bad. Obviously,
there are certain teams you know, if you're going on
the road to Baltimore, or on the road to Kansas City,
or on the road to Buffalo. There's just a weather component.
And they have been consistently good.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
For a while.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
But they're the middle portion of the league. Like, you
got no clue of Atlanta, it's gonna be any good
or not. Most of us thought Tampa was gonna suck
last year. They didn't, right Minnesota. Are they gonna win
eight games? Are they gonna win five games?
Speaker 3 (07:33):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
I got no clue. I have no feel for them.
If you told me they were competitive this year, I'd
believe you. If you told me to end up drafting
in the top seven, totally believe you as well. Seattle,
I've heard a lot of people like their team to
keep an eye on. They have a first time head
coach who's under forty and Gino Smith's their quarterback. So
just assuming they're gonna be what they were the last
(07:54):
couple of years, I can't do that. Their offensive coordinator
has never coached in the NFL before the University of Washington.
He never coached at Power five as a coordinator, and
I like Ryan Grubb a lot. I put the most
money I've ever put on a game last year basically
because him versus Sarks defense, and I profited. But you
(08:16):
never know. This stuff is crazy. We have a pretty
good idea who's gonna be good the high end teams.
But what happens if you're playing the Lions and Jared
Goff had got a concussion the week before, So if
the Lions are on your schedule week ten or week five,
who knows, things change so dramatically so fast. If Lamar
Jackson were to miss a couple games all of a sudden,
(08:38):
that Ravens game is a tad bit different. The other
thing is we're gonna have a lot of young quarterbacks
playing right Jayden Daniels starter, Caleb Williams starter, Bow Knicks starter,
and by the time you play the Patriots or Minnesota
their two rookies could be in Pennix. Is the one
guy if Cousins is healthy, probably won't play. But everyone else,
(08:59):
Like last time I checked rookies, c J. Stroud as
an outlier, most guys struggle. Bryce Young is a good example.
I think Carolina, like I would say most people they're
gonna suck. What if this year he takes a huge
jump and he's a serviceable, solid starter, you would say
they probably would be a little more competitive. So I
think we got to be very and I'm guilty of
(09:20):
this as anybody, But to me, the biggest things which
aren't are you know, pretty common sense, are if you're
a cboard team, meaning you're Seattle, you're the Niners, you're
the Chargers or the Rams or any of the teams
on the East Coast, the long travels, especially on a
(09:41):
short week, are challenging. So if you play Monday night
football several time zones away, that next game is difficult.
Right you get home, typically at a weird hour, you're
thrown off, your coaches are thrown off. I don't care
how much adderall and diet mountain dew they're sucking down,
it is.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
It is difficult.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
And to me, the Thursday games early on in the season,
I don't view them as some crazy uphill battle, not
saying they're not challenging, but if you have a if
your loan Thursday night game is November, all, I'm like,
that's pretty hard. I don't care when your bye week is.
You've played a lot of games, you've been playing for
(10:23):
a while. Guys are tired, coaches are tired. That is
a big challenge. It's why to me, if you play
a road Thursday night game after Halloween, specifically after Thanksgiving,
and you win it, it feels like two wins. I mean,
it feels like a remarkable accomplishment, and the schedule's fun
(10:44):
and it's awesome, and I, like I told Colin, I
am not. I have no patience for the fucking losers
who cover sports and are like, I don't get it.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
You don't.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
It's pretty simple. The NFL is king because there's one
game a week, meaning the games matter. So even if
you know the opponents, when you find out when you're
playing who, what day you're playing the team, and if
it's a primetime game is a pretty big deal.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
We get it.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
No one cares about Sunday night baseball anymore. No one
cares about regular season TNT doubleheaders on Thursday night. People
still really care about this and it does impact the season.
It's their last team sport where the regular season games,
when you play them, what time you play them, really
(11:36):
really matter. And one thing I'll give Colin credit for this,
and I think anyone, you know, I don't know how
everybody watches games, but my Sunday in the morning, you know,
if there's a big slate, you kind of got to
pick and choose who you really need to focus on.
You know, if the Ravens are playing the Chiefs and
the Texans are playing the Colts, and there's some other
(11:59):
random games you gotta You can have eight boxes on
on my three TVs in my office, but you can't
watch everything closely and you kind of focus on what
really matters. And I think one thing's clear with the
impact of these primetime games of the league, I would
say even doubling down on their importance. And the Fox
(12:21):
and CBS afternoon games now with Tom Brady and we
know CBS Jim Nansen, Tony Romo gets sweet games. The
morning games are somewhat of an afterthought. They are by
far consistently now for us on the West coast ten
AM Pacific Standard time the shittiest games on the slate
in a weird way from an NFL standpoint, kind of
(12:41):
the throwaway games, even though they're not. I'm not saying
they don't matter, but from a matchup standpoint, they're usually
the worst matchups of the of the of the week.
And like I said last night, I'm very very happy
that for the most part, the international morning games. I mean,
it's much easier for you guys on the East Coast.
(13:02):
I have a lot of respect for anyone that stays
up late for the night games.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Because it was difficult. I've lived it. But the morning
games are tough.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
I mean getting up, can't even sleep into like seven thirty,
it's already in the second quarter. But for the most part,
they're just bad matchups and not as important to be
super locked in. So the league understands they're trying to
go international, but they're not trying to go that difficult.
I mean, by far, the best international game is a
primetime game Eagles in Brazil against the Packers Week one,
(13:33):
which is easy to consume. So the schedule, we know it.
It was fun and now we just move on to
OTA's and kind of get a feel for you know. Luckily,
the NFL does a good job of making coaches and
coordinators and star players talk every week up until summer break,
so it kind of keeps them in the loop even
though they're just in shorts and T shirts and they're
(13:55):
lifting weights. But it's a really big time for your
younger players and excited to see what happens over this
next month with stuff going on on the field. You know,
the Panthers and Patriots right now are underdogs in every game.
(14:19):
That's pretty crazy, Like you have to be viewed as
pretty shitty to not be favored in one game at home,
not even just to be one point favored at home. Now,
like I said, it's impossible to play this game. Lines
changed dramatically, but it shows you and I would agree
(14:42):
these would be two teams that most people would circle
as like they should be drafting in the top five. Obviously,
both of them have young quarterbacks. If Bryce Young were
to make a big step, maybe the Panthers could win
five or six games, if Drake May were to come
in and play and make some plays. Same with the Patriots,
but expectations are clearly pretty low. And the one thing
(15:02):
I don't understand is the forty nine Ers are the
only team favored in every game. They haven't beat the
Chiefs since Kyle Shanahan has been there. They lost to
him in twenty eighteen when Jimmy Garoppolo towards ACL They
lost to him in the Super Bowl in twenty nineteen.
They lost to him two years ago when Christian McCaffrey
(15:23):
showed up, and they lost to him again this year
in the Super Bowl. Ever since Patrick Mahomes Andandy Reed
have been together, the Chiefs have owned the Niners. Now
the games have a couple the big games have been close,
and I get it's in San Francisco, but that would
be the one I would circle of. Like, I'll tell
you right now, you should hammer the Chiefs until the
(15:44):
forty nine ers prove that they can beat kind of
that unit.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Right.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
I just think the Chiefs clearly have the forty nine
ers number for whatever reason. I don't care if the
forty nine ers get a lead, I don't care if
they're fucking winning in overtime. They just can't beat that team.
But glad they play again, and I would imagine I
would even seen probably a CBS game or Fox game afternoon.
Tom Brady will be fantastic. That's the other thing I
(16:10):
do think adding Tom Brady. Listen, Greg Olsten's clearly a
really high level good guy, and he's good at his job.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
But this reaction of.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Like, I can't believe, you can't believe that he got
replaced for Tom Brady. What are we talking about. It's
like it happens all the time with players. They get
replaced essentially by draft picks. It's no different than what's
happening here, except he's Tom freaking Brady. Now, if he's terrible,
(16:42):
they'll have a problem on their hands. But if any
of us ran a network and Tom Brady wanted to
call football games, he's not going to be doing the
Sea Crew with some random play by play guy doing
Panthers Falcons. That's never going to be the case. He
was always gonna jump to the front of the line.
(17:03):
Why because his name, Because his name, image and likeness
is that powerful.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
Now he's got to.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Prove that he's good, he's got to prove that he's loose.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
And I'm interested. I don't.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
I don't have a great feel if I was guessing
he'll probably be solid. But I do think, because you know,
he's kind of corporate. I know the version we saw
on the roast. If we got that version just without
the swear words, it would be unincredible. But most times
you see Tom in more of the setting in which
he'll be in calling games. He can be a little tighter.
(17:35):
If you get the guy in the locker room with
Edelman and Gronk, you have a superstar in your hands.
I just I don't know how he's gonna figure it out,
and obviously he'll get in theory get better as time
goes on. Many people think Romo's gotten worse. I mean
a big part of Romo getting worse. People don't think
he tries anymore. It's like the knock on him is
he got lazy. Because when you call football games, it
(17:58):
takes a lot of work. You got to watch a
lot of film, not maybe as much as when you
were quarterback, but you can't really go through the motions.
I remember playing golf with a buddy who does one
of the best NBA teams in the league, and we
were on a hole and we were having a beer.
We were bullshitting about preparation. I said, how early you
get to the games? He's like my time arriving hasn't changed.
(18:24):
But for the most part half the NBA, I could
show up and no one would notice. I know all
the players, especially teams in our division we play multiple times.
I know their rotations, They've had the same coach for
a while, not much changes. That is not the case
with football because personnel injuries happen all the time. Your
(18:45):
rosters are so big, You're constantly getting guys getting injured,
and then a practice squad guy starts, or a draft
pick from a previous year as a starter. He might
be impacting the game dramatically the rotation of players. It's hard,
makes a lot of work, and that's never been a
knock on Tom. You could argue many consider him like
the hardest worker in the history of the league. So
(19:08):
I'd be pretty bullish on the situation. What else Trey
Lance the Cowboys. I think Brian Schottenheimer said on a
local radio station he might have said this on a
podcast that Trey Lance is going to essentially get more
reps than normal this offseason in training camp because we
already know what we got with Cooper Rush. Dak Prescott
(19:29):
obviously is a well established veteran and we need to
figure this out and I think this is the hard
part about quarterback development. Like Trey Lance has started I
think four games in his career five games in like
the last four years if you count his final year
in college where the season got canceled and they just
play the one game. He just has never played. And
(19:49):
when he has at the NFL level, he has not
looked good. It's why when the Cowboys traded for him
last year before the start of the season, he was
their third street quarterback the entire year and right now,
to me, if you just have a normal competition, I
don't believe he could beat out Cooper Rush. Why because
he wouldn't get the reps. If Dak's getting the ones,
Cooper's getting the twos, and he's getting the threes, there
(20:11):
aren't many three reps. You don't have seven hour practices,
especially with no double days, so you almost have to
cook the books, which is what the Cowboys are going
to try to do. But they can't cut him right
if he can't win the backup job, They're basically going
to keep three quarterbacks. But if Trey Lance is not
able to be the backup quarterback, because they can, he's
(20:33):
on the books next year for five point two million
dollars basically guaranteed, and that's what they would owe him
if they cut him. Cooper Rush they can cut for
under seven hundred thousand dollars. So if when Week one comes,
are in the final cuts, if all three quarterbacks are
on the roster, it tells you that he can't beat
him out. And I think he's just an example of
(20:55):
the weird draft that was twenty twenty one and a
guy that just hasn't got many reps. And I also
think you got to be very careful when you draft
quarterbacks super high from smaller levels because it's not very
comparable when you're playing Montana State, Weaver State, and cal
Poly and listen, it's hard evaluating guys at Alabama, LSU
(21:15):
and Ohio State. Imagine evaluating people at the level of Yeah,
he played a total of four NFL level players his
entire college career, and three of them were on offense,
so he didn't even play against them. Like you're just
not seeing dbs or defensive linemen or linebackers that are
going to play at the next level. So it is
a hard projection. It's why this stuff because a huge
(21:36):
thing he hung his hat on was character, really good guy.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Why the forty nine ers liked him? Super high character guy.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
I remember when the Colts had a thing go viral,
they had like the horseshoe next to his name, and
that's we get on guys that are low character guys.
But sometimes you can overrevaluate guys because they're high character
guys and their skill set is not quite what you want.
A couple other things, ESPN will have the first Hall
(22:03):
of Fame game ever that they've never Usually the Hall
of Fame game, at least in recent memory, has always
been on Sunday Night Football. It's been on ABC a
couple times over the last like fifty years, but ESPN has.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
Never had it. So they will have it this year.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
And I've said for years Hard Knocks isn't for me anymore,
and there's nothing wrong with that. Some content in the
sporting world just is not for me. It's for other people.
It just doesn't interest me anymore. And part of it
is I've been watching Hard Knocks for so long. I
remember when it was much more raw, uncut and authentic.
(22:39):
It was much closer, and it inspired me like I
wanted to be part of that. I wanted to be
in those meetings and you don't really get to see
that anymore. I've been the guy that had to cut people.
It sucks, but it's still a part of the business.
It's just a reality of the sport. You take ninety
people to training camp, you're only taking fifty three guys
to week one, plus are gonna be on the practice squad.
(23:02):
Just the nature of the beast, and we just don't
really see that anymore, and I just find it kind
of boring. It's more of a pr campaign, but clearly
it works enough. Now they're gonna add an off season
hard knocks. I would say this, the end season hard knocks,
which still is not totally for me, is much better
(23:22):
than the training camp hard knocks. But the off season
hard knocks hard pass the giants.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
I just don't care.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
But they're not just doing this randomly. People are clearly watching,
and if you want to watch, I don't blame you.
I don't understand people and like my profession that talk
shit about other people, fans that like doing stuff, I
just don't get it. And part of it is I
got news free of Most people in the media don't
like you guys. You know that they hate the common fan,
(23:53):
that they don't relate to the common fan. I try
to put myself like I have a lot of to
think a lot actually. I mean I haven't not paid
for a ticket and sat in the stands for the
last four or five years, and it's been very healthy
for my for my job because I thought I was
very insulated when I used to sit in the media room.
It just it's like a little bubble of a lot
(24:15):
of angry people. But listen, if you want to watch
off season hard necks, hot hard knocks, have at it.
I gotta say it's a hard It's a hard pass
for me. Okay, Fugazi Friday wanted to dive into some
(24:40):
Fugazi Fridays. Randy Travis just came out with a new
song that is a I generated. Do you think we'll
see more Fugazi or AI generated songs from dead artists?
Pretty sure Randy Travis is still alive. Could be wrong.
I know he's been really sick. I'd be lying if
(25:01):
I said I was that deep in the AI world.
I mean I listened to like podcasts people talk about
I don't necessarily use it yet, like I'm sure some
of you use it like I don't have an AI
personal assistant. I don't really use chat GPT that at all.
Maybe I should start using it. But one thing I
(25:22):
listened to a podcast.
Speaker 3 (25:23):
With one of the leading guys the All In podcast had.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Forget the guy's name, Sam Sam something on talking about
what they do with artists and how everyone gets compensated
when it.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Comes to artists.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
I think a huge reason that I love music is
when you listen to a song and it like strikes
you in your soul, and that person's singing that song,
and the best.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
Part about music.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
That could be something from the sixties, that could be
something from twenty twenty three that you're just like, this
hits home, this moves me, and you know that comes
from a human being. And then as time goes on,
that person talks about how he wrote the song, how
whatever he was going through influence that part of the song.
(26:15):
I'm not trying to sound like old man, get off
my lawn, but I just don't see how computers can.
Obviously they can generate the sound. Obviously they can create
things that sound just like Randy Travis or Nirvana or
whoever they're gonna be able to do it. All who
knows they'll be able to do a podcast that sounds
just like me, but they can never be me, just
(26:37):
like that person could never be Randy Travis or Kurt Cobain.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Or whoever elvit.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
You go the history of music, and I'm not gonna
get on board with that. But you'd be naive to
think little kids watch other people play video games on
YouTube that is extremely popular. If you would have told me,
and like most kids in the nineties, I love video games.
(27:03):
That was like a huge expansion time. As you know,
we went from Nintendo to PlayStation, Nintendo sixty four and
Sega and then to where we are today, where the
graphics are incredible. I'm not a video game player anymore,
but if you would have told me that people would
love to watch other people play video games on television,
(27:23):
I never believe you. So things change, and some things,
like I said, just aren't for me. And maybe that's
one of them. Because my unborn children, maybe their favorite
artists are gonna be the from the computer and I'll
just have to pretend to like it, I guess in
the car, unlike my dad, who if he hated the tape.
(27:45):
I mean, I'm old enough where you put in tapes
and show or probably many of you listening, he would
like throw it out the window. Probably shouldn't have been littering,
but I definitely had a tumble. I remember one time,
I think like it might have been a CD. One
of the first CDs I ever bought was Doggy.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
Style Snoop Dogg.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
You know on tower record you had to like no
a guy at the front because if they had the
parent advisory on the front, they wouldn't sell it to
you if you were like thirteen years old. I remember
buying it and I left it in my dad's truck
and then we got in and let's just say he
wasn't feeling it after Snoop dropped about seven f bombs.
Great album, one of the greatest rap albums ever.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
What's Up John?
Speaker 2 (28:23):
My Fugazi Friday Submission is now unnecessary? Apps have become
for elementary transactions. I went to do laundry at my
apartment washer dryer. The machines used to have a standard
payment pad where you could swipe or tap your cart,
or you could insert coins. We've all been there, baby
(28:44):
for years. Never had a problem. You just put in
some quarters and do a load. One day, they decided
to take out the card reader and replace it with
a QR code. Now you have to download the app
for the washer and put money onto the app, then
take a picture of the coat. And half the time
the Bluetooth doesn't work on the damn machines and I
(29:05):
have to restart my phone. Keep in mind the machines
are not new, and they raise the price per load.
There are no ads on the app either. What the
hell is the point? Yeah, man, I one thing I've embraced.
I was telling Colin this the other day. The amount
of things in my home connected to the phone is
(29:31):
it's borderline uncomfortable. And one thing I definitely notice is
all my TVs in the house. My remote is my phone.
We have one hard remote, but I mainly keep in
the living room and honestly we never use it, which
like not that big a deal, But sometimes you're laying
in bed, it's like, I don't want to touch my
phone at all, but the only way to turn off
the TV.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
Is your phone.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
And then you think about like from my garage to
my blinds.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
I just got this pool cleaner.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
It's all an app. The little rumba thing I got
the vacuum. So if we all have seven, eight, ten
things us an app think of where we're going to
be in five years. So I guess my pushback here
is we can complain about it. The reality is the
majority of our life, we're only at the beginning of
(30:22):
this thing is going to be on the phone. It's
not going away. The hard transaction or just the hard
manual press a button and you have to hold something
is a dying thing. And if you think it's a
pain or a problem, now, if you view it that way,
buckle up, because it is only the beginning. So I'm
(30:45):
at the point I kind of embrace it. It just
kind of is what it is. Just the way the
world is going. We're not going back. Fugazi Friday College
football coaches salaries ranked in order of what he basically
just goes Harbaugh, Smart, Kyle Whittingham, Kelly, Dabo Lane. All
(31:09):
of their base salaries are pretty low, between like one
point two to five hundred k, but they all are
top in bonuses, making them, you know, eight to ten million.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
Dollars a year.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Here are the top Fugazi's no bonuses earned. Mel Tucker
buyout ninety million, Jimbo Fisher buyout seventy seven million, Luke
Fickel buy out thirty nine million, Venables buy out thirty million,
Nardoozi twenty eight etc. The crown jewel of Fugazi's Matt
Rules zero bonus paid sixty two million dollar payout. You know,
(31:47):
the biggest uh mismatch maybe in America right now is
these academic institutions who are dependent on football because of
the money it generates, are run by a president who
I wouldn't exactly call Jeff Bezos or Steve Jobs when
it comes to doing deals, well, Jimmy Sexton, who represents
(32:09):
a lot of these guys, negotiates contracts for a living.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
That's what he does.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
His whole life revolves around that contract and the money
involved in that contract. Where these presidents that is not
their priority. They're running these massive institutions that revolve around academics.
So you could say he negotiates with an athletic director
(32:38):
who most athletic directors google how they came up, or
like marketing guys started in ticket sales. They have no
chance against Jimmy, but ultimately they have to go through
either a board or the president or a combination of
both who are very academically driven, and one thing is
(32:58):
very consistent, and Jimmy's not alone. There are more agents
that represent these coaches. They get fucking dominated. It is
not a fair fight. It's why when Drew Rosenhaus tries
to negotiate against Howie Roseman or Omar Kahan or whoever,
those guys have been dealing in specific contracts for what
they're dealing with for a long period of time, and
(33:22):
it's just it's almost like, if you ran Nebraska or
ran Ohio State or whatever, you should essentially have a
cap guy who is focused on your sports teams. So
when Jimmy comes in, you can say, no, not doing that,
or no, we don't believe yet, but that's not really
what happens. He simply bends them all over. And it's
not a coincidence. It really isn't. It just isn't because
(33:45):
he's good at his job. He is, but it'd be
like Nikola Jokic going up against some high school center.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
It's like, good luck, buddy.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
And it's why every one of these contracts all look
the same. They're very one sided. It's a consistent theme
because academia negotiating against someone who does these contracts, even
if they negotiate contracts for other things. Clearly they don't
have a good feel for this because they get worked
Fugazi Friday people who don't fucking slow down in construction
(34:22):
or school zones. I slow down, and most of the
time someone tailgates me, then angrily pulls around and passes me.
Speaker 3 (34:31):
WTF.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
One thing I've done in my older age, because like
a lot of young people, you get very mad on
the road. You just scream and you know, definitely tailgate
guys and just do stupid things. I do the opposite now.
When someone does that, I just try to justify it
in my head. You know, maybe they're rushing home to
their sick child, maybe they're headed to pick up their.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
Wife at the airport.
Speaker 2 (34:59):
I don't know. I just don't care. Now. The school
zone thing, I agree, especially around if you're driving by
a school zone in the morning or the afternoon when
they're picking up, like slow down. But one thing about Arizona,
I feel like everyone on the road feels like they are.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
Lewis Hamilton or Dale Earnhardt.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
It is crazy how fast people drive and how aggressive
people are, and for the most part is let them go.
I just I don't care, and I'm not exactly slow
on the roads, but I've gotten to the point I
guess my reaction to you, to your statement, I just
(35:43):
don't care. You know, I'm like a football coach just
worrying about me. We're just focused on my car. We're
just trying to get where I'm trying to get. I
can only control myself. That's what I tell myself. That
that was my sec football coach Fugazi Friday. Duck sauce
packets at Chinese takeouts is right up my alley. When
(36:04):
you order Chinese takeout and you get two packets of
duck sauce, which is well short of the amount you need.
Then when you ask for more packets, I often get
a look like I'm trying to steal money from them,
and they do give me more packets. It's like one
or two max. Nothing bothers me more. As a big
(36:25):
sauce guy and a very fat guy at heart, is
not getting enough sauce. Now, when when you pick something up,
you know if you tip them when you pick it up,
which is always a hot debate on this show. I
don't feel bad about saying more that's not enough.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
I need more.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
One key as a door dash Guy or Uber East
or whatever you may use. When you order something online
and getting it delivered and you want more sauce, whether
it's ranch, whether it's duck sauce, or whatever you need,
you know what the move is because in special instructions,
let's face it, they read it ten percent of the time.
(37:05):
You call in and say, hey, I'm John. I just
ordered chicken chow mane, broccoli, beef rice, potstickers, and miso soup.
I need eight extra sauces. I will have no hesitation
doing that key move, zero shame when asking for extra sauce, because,
(37:30):
as anyone knows, sauce can definitely make a meal. I
don't think I'm too locked into duck sauce. Recovery shoes, slides,
got a fougazi for you. They're selling these things for
eighty dollars to wear after you work out. There is
no such thing. They are just fucking shoes. Maybe I'm
(37:53):
out of the loop. They have post workout shoes. I
didn't know that. If I go to the gym and
I'm gonna shower there because I'm gonna use the steam
room in thesauna, I just bring an extra pair.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
Of shoes or sandals or whatever.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
What shoes post workout do you put on your feet
that make it easier on your feet? Maybe I'm just
out of the I've never even heard of that.
Speaker 3 (38:20):
Does that exist?
Speaker 2 (38:21):
They sell post workout shoes for eighty dollars? Why wouldn't
you just bring your own shoes? Is that really a thing?
I honestly I don't. I don't know never I've never
been offered that or even seen that online. Maybe I'm
out of the workout loop in terms of the current trends, cause,
(38:43):
like I, like you said, I thought they're just shoes.
Slides Are the extra easy on your feet? Is it
because like you're doing dead lifts or squats?
Speaker 3 (38:54):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
I can't say I've ever heard of that. But I'm
with you. That is a major, major scam, And maybe
I'm wrong. Maybe I'll have some workout guys say, well,
there are actually these benefits. I just put on a
different pair of shoes after I work out in my
sweaty ons that are currently falling apart. Okay, Middlecoff mail
(39:24):
back time at John Middlecoff Instagram. Fire in those dms
start with Sean in the beginning, you agreed with the
Falcons drafting Michael Pennix. Later you felt it was not
a good idea.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
What made you change your mind.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
I'm not sure I ever agreed that it was a
good idea. I don't remember that take at all. I
thought it was one of the most outrageous things in
the history of the draft then now today. And I
like Michael Pennox, But to draft a quarterback who's ready
made when you just paid a guy one hundred million dollar,
(40:01):
I'm sorry. It still makes no sense to me, even though,
like I always understand the logic of thinking big picture
and everything that goes along with it. But to draft
Michael Pennix, a twenty three to twenty four year old
plug and play starter. Now, I don't know if he's
going to be good or not, but he's not some project.
(40:21):
While you just gave a guy forty five million dollars
a year and guaranteed him over one hundred million dollars.
It's not very logical to me, and it's just kind
of represents not everyone's on the same page. I'm sorry,
it just doesn't. You know, the coaches fell in love
with them because they get in love with involved with
the draft process. Later the owner wanted it just not
(40:44):
everyone's on the same page, and.
Speaker 3 (40:46):
Yeah, I just I really don't know what else to say. Besides,
I thought it was stupid.
Speaker 2 (40:52):
I mean, I really and I like Michael Pennox. Honestly,
if you told me, would you rather have cousins coming
off Achilles for the next four years or just take
your chances with Michael Pennix, I would just take my
chance with Michael Pennock, especially on a rookie contract. I
really enjoyed watching you and Colin talk about the schedule.
(41:12):
I did a little research and noticed that the Niners
have four games against teams coming off of bye Kansas
City off of bye week seven, Dallas off of bye
week eight, Seattle off of bye week eleven, and then
the Bills off of bye week thirteen. And they get
New England coming off a Thursday game. MANI bye week four.
I know they suck, but it's still extra rest prep time.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
Is the league?
Speaker 2 (41:36):
If the league is always intentional with what they do,
what do.
Speaker 3 (41:39):
You make of that? It's a good question.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
I I don't really have a theory on the league
trying to screw the forty nine ers here I think
when you're trying to mix and match all these schedules,
the forty nine ers are playing the most primetime games
with like the Jets and the Chiefs, sometimes you.
Speaker 3 (42:01):
Just get a little screwed.
Speaker 2 (42:02):
Now, the problem is with the teams, Like you said,
it's the Chiefs, the Cowboys, and the Bills. The Chiefs
won the Super Bowl and beat the Niners. The Cowboys
won twelve games, and the Bills won the division again
and won a playoff. I mean that's tough. Like you said,
the Patriots whatever, I don't give a shit, but that's
(42:24):
a challenge. I don't think it was intentional. I just
think you have some of this stuff, and I thought
the Niner schedule opens up pretty easy. You're always when
you pull a first place team, you're gonna get first
place opponents. And yeah, I mean their AFC game is
the Chiefs. They also play the AFC North, which is
(42:46):
good because of the Lions and the Bears, or excuse me,
the Lions and the Packers, and if the Bears are
solid like that, that's not an easy division to play.
But I don't necessarily think there's any logic thought behind
the league going you know what, let's really try to
slow down this forty nine er operation and give them
(43:07):
the bills, the Chiefs and the Cowboys off buys. You
know what the league likes. They're television partners to be happy,
why so they can get more money moving forward, And
the forty nine ers, when they're good, draw enormous ratings.
So I don't think there's any malicious intent. I just
think sometimes it's the way the cookie crumbles.
Speaker 3 (43:31):
Love the show.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
Lifelong Cowboy fan living in New York City, I consider
myself a realist, Unlike ninety five percent of Cowboy fans.
The weed and boys thing drives me insane. Anyway, the
Niners have Bang Bang Niner gang. I like you, forty,
but that also drives me nuts.
Speaker 3 (43:53):
But it is what it is. People, I can have
some fun anyway.
Speaker 2 (43:56):
I've seen a lot of talk about the Cowboys running
back situation, and I honestly think they're in a better
situation now than last year. People forget just how mediocre
Tony Pollard was. There were plenty of instances where I
thought Rico Duadle was the better early down back. Is
that your special teams guy from South Carolina? Also, the
(44:17):
Cowboys weren't incapable of running the ball on goal line
all season. I believe the Cowboys missed Zeke tremendously last year,
not only for a short yardage running, but his ability
to pass protect honestly a part of his game that
does not get talked about.
Speaker 3 (44:31):
You know why.
Speaker 2 (44:32):
It's like defense in the NBA, all we talk about
is catching passes and running the ball. Yet pass protection
is literally protecting the highest paid guy on the team,
and no one gives it any respect beside coaches and
GMS fans don't give a shit.
Speaker 3 (44:47):
Hell, I complained about it.
Speaker 2 (44:48):
I'm like, why is this guy not playing?
Speaker 3 (44:50):
And then you do a little research text a buddy
in the league, They're like.
Speaker 2 (44:53):
Yeah, you can't pass protect not only honestly a part
of his game. Okay, this year, with the question marks
on the offensive line, it's even more important to have
Zeke back there for the reason for this reason and
also be able to run the ball in short yard situations.
Speaker 3 (45:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
I mean, I Tony Pollard got his leg snapped in
the playoff game, right, but I think by Drake Greenlaw
on a it would have been a hip drop tackle
now and he clearly was not only not the same
guy last year. But I think it brought to light
that some players, and this is not a knock on
any guy in Tony Pollard situation, are incredible second options.
Speaker 3 (45:30):
It's like this in life.
Speaker 2 (45:32):
Some guys are meant to be the COO or the
number three guy in a company. Not everyone can lead
the fucking thing. And he's not a lead back. He's
an incredible extra guy, and he was awesome two years ago.
I remember last year. I'm not a huge fantasy guy,
but I listened to a fantasy podcast here and there
(45:53):
just to get some nuggets talk about in the pod.
It felt like a lot of people were gonna draft
him number one overall. I mean, he was a guy
in a lot of fantasy leagues that was going very,
very high for a lot of money. And I think
the problem with Zeke is is his speed is greatly diminished.
(46:15):
Now high end speed for running back.
Speaker 3 (46:17):
Is very overrated. It's not needed.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
How often are running back's plusing fifty yard runs. It's
the least important attribute. The Adrian Peterson's are an outlier,
but you do need to have explosive characteristics in short areas.
And when you watch Zeke, he looks like a slower back,
but from a skill standpoint of reading the hole catching
the ball, he's a very skilled player. But when running
(46:43):
backs legs go, it's a problem. So if all you're
signing this guy is for short yardage and pass protection
because he can catch the ball out of the backfield, Okay,
it makes some sense. But who on a given game
is going to carry the ball for sixteen attempts eighteen attempts?
Like you do need that player on your roster, and
(47:04):
I think that is unknown because Zeke, if you give
him sixteen eighteen carries like old, you guess his yardage
would be forty yards. You can be a winning player
as long as you're in the right role later on
in your career, which ideally Zeke will be in. But
to me, the running back position, you know, when you
(47:26):
get a high end guy, you know the elite players, obviously,
they make a huge difference. If you got kind of
a random group that like garden center, is the easiest
to find. You can pluck a guy off a practice squad,
you can find a guy that gets cut. You can
find that position. It's not like you're not gonna find
random edge rushers. You're not gonna find random quarterbacks in
(47:49):
training camp.
Speaker 3 (47:50):
You can find running.
Speaker 2 (47:51):
Backs die Hard twelve here aka Seattle Fan. Any thoughts
on Ted Nawin's piece in The Athletic Do you think
Mike McDonald can turn the Seahawks around and make them
a legitimate contender in the NFC West against the Niners Rams.
If so, how long do you think it would take?
In fact, how long does it typically take for players
(48:13):
to adjust.
Speaker 3 (48:13):
To the new coaching staff and schemes. It's a good question.
Speaker 2 (48:19):
Anytime you get a coordinator who usually if you get
a head job, you are a star coordinator. And Mike
McDonald was, as many called him in Baltimore boy genius.
Him and Ben Johnson were the two best non head.
Speaker 3 (48:34):
Coach coordinators in the league last year. He was a.
Speaker 2 (48:37):
Badass, but being a head coach is dramatically different. And
Seattle's defense the last couple of years has mainly been putrid.
It hasn't been good.
Speaker 3 (48:49):
Now.
Speaker 2 (48:49):
They invested a lot in Jamal Adams and that was
a disaster. Their pass rush has not been nearly what
it was, and they've invested a lot of picks on
defense over the year and it hasn't quite worked out.
So you go, Okay, could the defense be better? And
we say that a lot of the time, But just
because you were a great coordinator doesn't mean it immediately
(49:10):
translates on. Sometimes it does, right McVeigh did, Lafleur did,
Kyle did. It happens a lot with offensive guys. But
I think sometimes defensive guys because they're spread more thin.
As a head coach, like, I don't obviously they're not
going to look as good as Baltimore did.
Speaker 3 (49:27):
Last year, but we go, oh, they're gonna be better.
Speaker 2 (49:29):
Well, maybe it's not like Pete was the village idiot.
Speaker 3 (49:33):
Last time I checked. He was a Hall of Famer
on defense, Like he's a defensive coach. That's his baby.
So I don't know.
Speaker 2 (49:41):
I like anyone with a brain like Mike McDonald a lot.
How could you not? But a lot of people are
very bullish on Seattle. I gotta see it first, and
I say this over and over and it sounds like
I'm a hater.
Speaker 3 (49:57):
The guy's a great story. But Gino fucking smister quarterback.
I mean, the Niners have.
Speaker 2 (50:03):
Smoked him for about the last couple of years, Like
he's do you feel good about winning a big game
with him against Stafford and McVeigh or Purdy and Kyle, because.
Speaker 3 (50:13):
I have a hard time seeing it.
Speaker 2 (50:18):
I think one thing they got to figure out big
picture is the quarterback position. And I mean they trade
for Sam Howell, I might see what we got in
Sam howl. And I'm not acting like Gino deserves to
get benched or whatever. I'm not saying start Sam Howel
week one. But I think we've seen the ceiling on
the team. Love the show listen every day. My question
(50:43):
is do you think the Packers should extend Jordan Love
this year? After seeing golf get fifty three million dollars,
I am curious what the market value for a guy
that has only played at an elite level for eight games.
I think he's one of the most fascinating guys in
the NFL. Because if you're I said this, I think
yesterday on my schedule pod, If you're the Packers right now,
(51:07):
would you you would put in front of them three years,
one hundred million dollars, guarantee every penny, basically averaging out
thirty three million dollars a year. But if you're Jordan Love,
and I think it's safe to say at this point
you'd probably have some pretty good self belief. You go, yeah,
let's play this out. Let's see how this goes. And
(51:27):
I've said over and over, if he plays like he
continues to look like he did last year, giving him
the Jared GoF contract wouldn't be that difficult. But I
got to use, like the first eight games if he's
not gonna sign a very very team friendly deal, which
is still a lot of money, but relative to quarterbacks,
I think, if you're Jordan Love, you go, let's watch
(51:47):
these first eight games, and if he does it in
another eight games. I wrote down their schedule yesterday obviously Philly,
then the Colts, then a couple weeks the Rams, then
the Texans, then the Lions, and if he's looking like
he did last year against these teams, then I would
just break him off in the middle of the season.
So it doesn't I don't see why he would be
(52:09):
inclined to do anything right now that wasn't for a
huge number, and it doesn't make sense for the Packers
to do it right now, just because, like you said,
it's only been eight games at a really really high level. Now,
if he's going to play at that level, he's a very,
very valuable commodity.
Speaker 3 (52:27):
I mean, very, very valuable, but my guess is they
play it out a little bit.
Speaker 2 (52:33):
Huge fan of the pod. I wanted to hear your
opinion on a recently article that dropped. I pasted the
link below. The article discusses new reports that Bears quarterback
room with Fields Foles and Andy Dalton was effing toxic
as hell. Apparently Justin wasn't open to being mentored by
(52:53):
Foles and the two couldn't stand one another. I wanted
to get your opinion on how a seemingly high character
guy could have so many issues in the quarterback room.
I don't know how well you knew Nick Foles during
your time with the Eagles, but I couldn't imagine Nick
being a problem in this situation. Could you speak on
how this report should be interpreted. I haven't read the article,
(53:16):
I've heard people talking about it, and i've heard the
main points. I would say this, you can be a
high character, good person and view your situation as kind
of getting screwed. Like I don't necessarily blame him as
a rookie when he gets drafted eleventh overall and he
comes in with Andy Dalton, he's trying to beat Andy
(53:39):
Dalton out and then the following year they or was Foles?
Was it Andy Dalton and then Foles the following year.
Speaker 3 (53:51):
Maybe Foles? Did they overlap? Was it both those guys.
Speaker 2 (53:54):
I'm kind of confused on the timeline now, like that
would have been his first year. He's trying to win
the job.
Speaker 3 (54:03):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (54:06):
I don't put much stock into it. Also, when you're
young as a rookie, you haven't heard any of that stuff.
The last couple of years, I think we all can
be kind of know it alls and egotistical is probably
the wrong way to put it. But I know Foles
won a Super Bowl, but it's not exactly like Peyton
(54:26):
Manning or Tom Brady.
Speaker 3 (54:27):
You're telling him he views himself as better than Nick Foles.
We could argue if that's.
Speaker 2 (54:32):
True or not, But like what you do at twenty one,
twenty two years old, if you're different at twenty five,
like welcome to being a guy.
Speaker 3 (54:41):
We grow, we mature.
Speaker 2 (54:42):
That definitely wasn't a knock that polls and Eberflus had
on him. And one thing's pretty clear with Poles is
he values character a lot. So I wouldn't put much
into it. It's kind of irrelevant, and who cares. He's
not your quarterback anymore. He's a backup for the Steelers
like you got Caleb Williams. These jobs so competitive, there
is so much on the line. Think about your own situation.
(55:04):
If you work in an office setting, not everyone likes
each other, and if you're both going after similar deals
or competing with other people in your industry, like, not
everyone is fucking kumbaya, even if they're quote unquote on
your team or work for the same company. It's kind
(55:25):
of life right now.
Speaker 3 (55:28):
Toxic.
Speaker 2 (55:28):
Was it toxic because the organization was falling apart or
was it toxic just because they wouldn't talk to each other.
I think we'd be shocked with how often stuff like
that happens. You don't just unless you're Peyton Manning or
Aaron Donald or Travis Kelcey. You're not just guaranteed that
I have to listen to what you're saying, like I
(55:49):
gotta listen to my coach. But like, just because you're
another player that did something six years ago sounds like
I mean, I'm basically defending justin fields. But if I'm
feels I show up like I'm the guy just got
drafted really high. I'm ready to play. I'm not some
third round pick, Like you don't want your third round
pick looking like that. But justin Fields is supposed to
be like, oh yeah, Andy, I'll just sit behind you
(56:10):
and soak it all in. Like I understand competitive. That
doesn't bother me really at all. But at the end
of the day, if you're a Bears fan who cares
as a Texans fan, I'm very excited about your two
with CJ. While I think they're going to be very
good this year, I want to avoid getting overhyped about
(56:32):
a deep playoff run. How far do you see the
Texans making it with a second year quarterback who could
have a sophomore slump.
Speaker 3 (56:41):
I think the.
Speaker 2 (56:42):
Biggest key to your off season was in that Ravens game.
There was a major, major discrepancy in talent. Now, you
guys had had some injuries, so the Tankdale had broke
his leg or whatever, but the talent as the second
half way on it. It wasn't a fair fight. Where
(57:03):
this year you add Hunter, you add a couple dbs
early in the draft, you add digs. I think you
go into this season hoping we just.
Speaker 3 (57:13):
Have more talent.
Speaker 2 (57:15):
So if the quarterback, if he goes into a sophomore slump,
you might not win the division, but if he plays
at a high level, Again, do we have the talent
the young coaching staff to compete in the playoffs against
the Chiefs, against the Ravens, against the Bills. Because last
year you weren't gonna win those games.
Speaker 3 (57:34):
It just wasn't gonna happen.
Speaker 2 (57:36):
Like, you wouldn't beat Josh Allen the Bills, you wouldn't
beat the Chiefs. You obviously didn't beat the Ravens. You
couldn't have beaten those teams. This year, I think, hey,
I don't have your would you go win ten games
last year or eleven?
Speaker 3 (57:48):
I think ten?
Speaker 2 (57:50):
We might win ten or eleven games, like being the
similar win loss record, But we're going to.
Speaker 3 (57:54):
Be a better team.
Speaker 2 (57:56):
Clearly there's some luck involved with health, but that to
me is what matters. It's not as much getting over hyped.
It's like, are we just better? Are we more impactful?
Do we have more high end guys? Can Daniel Hunter
add something and Will Anderson take a step? See I
(58:18):
look at it? More young players second year in the system,
can Hunter and Will or can Will Anderson and CJ.
Stroud be even better. CJ really just needs to be
the same. But if Will Anderson is even more of
an impact guy, you're like, Okay, you're fucking playing.
Speaker 3 (58:34):
Let's let's roll. What time is game time? That's how
I look at it. Follow up?
Speaker 2 (58:40):
Do you think nil money will empower players to try
and dictate where they end up in the NFL? I
just think no one cares. Like, if I want a
draft you, I'm gonna draft you.
Speaker 3 (58:53):
What are you gonna do?
Speaker 2 (58:55):
I just I guess it could. But unless you're the
number one overall pick, no one really cares about your opinion.
And let's face it, most players, the higher you get drafted,
the more money you get. So to dictate where you
get in the NFL, Like, yeah, would I rather play
for the Chiefs than the Panthers?
Speaker 3 (59:17):
Of course? But am I gonna be like I will
not play for.
Speaker 2 (59:20):
Anybody, but the Chiefs were the Ravens or the Niners,
you'd be like, Okay, we're gonna draft you at third
overall and one? Why would you pass up that type money?
So no, it happens a lot in the NBA, like
we're not giving you our medical information we just refuse
(59:42):
to play for you.
Speaker 3 (59:43):
And it feels a lot in the NBA, it's.
Speaker 2 (59:44):
Like okay, yeah, we'll totally listen to you and we'll
pass on the player. I just don't think anyone in
the NFL gives a shit. The other thing is players
in the NFL, like, once you're in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (59:55):
People be like, who the hell is this guy?
Speaker 2 (59:57):
Because let's face half the first round bus they ain't
any good, so you'd be a marked man before you
even got Now the Eli Mannings and the John elways
like that will happen again. But if you're not the
number one overall player, if you're like the tenth best
player in the draft and you're trying to dictate going
somewhere else one you would cost yourself money into. Like
(01:00:19):
I said, I just don't think front offices care at all.
Speaker 3 (01:00:23):
What are you gonna do? Not show up to OTAs,
not be a good guy. What are you gonna do
when my.
Speaker 2 (01:00:27):
Three Pro bowlers on defense are like, why are you
acting like this? So it's just it's just not really tolerated.
Speaker 3 (01:00:34):
You know. That's why the NFL.
Speaker 2 (01:00:36):
Has a lot of parallels to life. You couldn't act
like that. No matter how talented you are, some up
and coming engineer out of you know, USC or the
best highest grades out of Ohio State or cal Berkeley's
Business School. You can't just walk into the company day
one and be like, sit in the corner office and
(01:00:57):
tell everyone to shut up. Just the way it works.
It is the way it works in basketball. It's not
the way it works in the NFL. And one resonates
a little bit more with most people than the other.
The volume
The vilume.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
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Speaker 2 (01:28):
What is going on everybody, John Middlecoff, that'd be me
three and our podcasts.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
That'd be this show.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
And I had about twenty four hours to sleep on
the schedule and just some overall thoughts from things I'm
guilty of the overreactions to just fly when the schedule
comes out, and then we'll just dive into some other
stuff that the Cowboys are going all in on Trey
Lancetis offseason in terms of giving him a bunch of
(01:56):
reps instead of their other quarterbacks to see what they
have the off season. Hard Knocks will feature the Giants,
and we'll just hit some other NFL stories here and there.
I went on with Colin yesterday. There's a podcast out.
I did a shorter podcast after we did that, and
(02:17):
then today, so we had a lot of content this week,
as well as a golf podcast.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Earlier in the week.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Other than that, we ain't slowing down, even though it's
quote unquote the off season. Of course it's Fugazi Friday,
so fire in those dms with Fugazi Fridays. We will
read them on the show at John middlecoff Is the Instagram.
Also we will answer questions separate from Fugazi Friday and
give a nice little podcast here on a Friday morning
(02:44):
if you're listening or whenever you may listen. And if
you listen on Collin's feed, subscribe to three and Out
if you like watching it. Everything is up on YouTube
and like I said, podcast out all week. We'll be
back again next week and keep rocking. So with the
schedule out, we got a pretty good idea and it
(03:04):
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watch a baseball game, get out in the sun, a concert.
I need to go to a concert, get my singing on,
(03:47):
have a few bruskies, take a friend, take your dad,
take your mom, take your son, take your daughter.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
And just have a good time.
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(04:18):
When the schedule comes out, it's crazy. You're trying to
keep an eye you know, whoever you're a fan of.
Obviously you're seeing the schedule. When's our bye week, when's
our Thursday night games? Now because of the emphasis and
the relationship that is clearly going really well with Amazon,
which is smart by the NFL to get better with them,
(04:41):
because of the amount of money the amount of power
they have. Their Thursday night schedule is a lot better
because they no longer just throw random teams and shitty
games on there. That's why a lot of teams play twice,
which we could argue is unfair, but the NFL is
not consumed with fairness.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
They really don't care.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
This is why I disagree with Colin when he says
the league is trying to do this or that they're
just trying to get the highest rating. That's really all
they're caring it. They don't care who wins and loses.
Let's face it, one hundred plus million people are watching
the Super Bowl no matter what, and the reality is
these deals are already signed, like the NBA has been
(05:20):
diminishing in viewership for a long time. Doesn't mean they
make any less money. The partners do, but we all
know a lot of people are gonna watch football. The
reason they put the Jets on Monday Night against the
Niners because it's Aaron Freakin Rodgers and a New York team.
Last time I check, New York is the biggest city
in America, so all these primetime games, and specifically Thursday,
(05:42):
are about getting the big brands getting the good teams
and the good quarterbacks involved. It's why I think the
opening weekend or week I guess because it starts Thursday, Thursday, Friday,
Sunday and Monday are just big brand, star quarterbacks. Like
they're just not messing great teams. They're not messing around
where they used to kind of throw leagues. And Colin
(06:06):
and I talked about this. Monday Night Football got a
bad stretch of games for a while. Thursday Night Football
before they really got aggressive these last two.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Years, was very very hit or miss.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
And someone who does this for a living, and I can't, like,
I don't go out on Thursday Night like there's no
dinners re in it because I'm watching the game because
I'm going to record a podcast. I like it a
lot more. I'm very very I have a lot of
gratitude on this side that they put good games on
that slate. Now it does suck. It is like one
(06:40):
thing I was thinking about last night is we talked
about schedules, me and Colin and I did on my
own little twenty five to thirty minute podcast about like,
oh the meat of the schedule is really tough or
that is a crazy ending to the schedule.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
We talked about that with the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
I think it's basically impossible to guess what anything is
gonna look like after the first several weeks injuries. Teams
that you thought were gonna be good are gonna be bad. Obviously,
there are certain teams you know, if you're going on
the road to Baltimore, or on the road to Kansas City,
or on the road to Buffalo. There's just a weather component.
And they have been consistently good.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
For a while.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
But they're the middle portion of the league. Like, you
got no clue of Atlanta, it's gonna be any good
or not. Most of us thought Tampa was gonna suck
last year. They didn't, right Minnesota. Are they gonna win
eight games? Are they gonna win five games?
Speaker 3 (07:33):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
I got no clue. I have no feel for them.
If you told me they were competitive this year, I'd
believe you. If you told me to end up drafting
in the top seven, totally believe you as well. Seattle,
I've heard a lot of people like their team to
keep an eye on. They have a first time head
coach who's under forty and Gino Smith's their quarterback. So
just assuming they're gonna be what they were the last
(07:54):
couple of years, I can't do that. Their offensive coordinator
has never coached in the NFL before the University of Washington.
He never coached at Power five as a coordinator, and
I like Ryan Grubb a lot. I put the most
money I've ever put on a game last year basically
because him versus Sarks defense, and I profited. But you
(08:16):
never know. This stuff is crazy. We have a pretty
good idea who's gonna be good the high end teams.
But what happens if you're playing the Lions and Jared
Goff had got a concussion the week before, So if
the Lions are on your schedule week ten or week five,
who knows, things change so dramatically so fast. If Lamar
Jackson were to miss a couple games all of a sudden,
(08:38):
that Ravens game is a tad bit different. The other
thing is we're gonna have a lot of young quarterbacks
playing right Jayden Daniels starter, Caleb Williams starter, Bow Knicks starter,
and by the time you play the Patriots or Minnesota
their two rookies could be in Pennix. Is the one
guy if Cousins is healthy, probably won't play. But everyone else,
(08:59):
Like last time I checked rookies, c J. Stroud as
an outlier, most guys struggle. Bryce Young is a good example.
I think Carolina, like I would say most people they're
gonna suck. What if this year he takes a huge
jump and he's a serviceable, solid starter, you would say
they probably would be a little more competitive. So I
think we got to be very and I'm guilty of
(09:20):
this as anybody, But to me, the biggest things which
aren't are you know, pretty common sense, are if you're
a cboard team, meaning you're Seattle, you're the Niners, you're
the Chargers or the Rams or any of the teams
on the East Coast, the long travels, especially on a
(09:41):
short week, are challenging. So if you play Monday night
football several time zones away, that next game is difficult.
Right you get home, typically at a weird hour, you're
thrown off, your coaches are thrown off. I don't care
how much adderall and diet mountain dew they're sucking down,
it is.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
It is difficult.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
And to me, the Thursday games early on in the season,
I don't view them as some crazy uphill battle, not
saying they're not challenging, but if you have a if
your loan Thursday night game is November, all, I'm like,
that's pretty hard. I don't care when your bye week is.
You've played a lot of games, you've been playing for
(10:23):
a while. Guys are tired, coaches are tired. That is
a big challenge. It's why to me, if you play
a road Thursday night game after Halloween, specifically after Thanksgiving,
and you win it, it feels like two wins. I mean,
it feels like a remarkable accomplishment, and the schedule's fun
(10:44):
and it's awesome, and I, like I told Colin, I
am not. I have no patience for the fucking losers
who cover sports and are like, I don't get it.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
You don't.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
It's pretty simple. The NFL is king because there's one
game a week, meaning the games matter. So even if
you know the opponents, when you find out when you're
playing who, what day you're playing the team, and if
it's a primetime game is a pretty big deal.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
We get it.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
No one cares about Sunday night baseball anymore. No one
cares about regular season TNT doubleheaders on Thursday night. People
still really care about this and it does impact the season.
It's their last team sport where the regular season games,
when you play them, what time you play them, really
(11:36):
really matter. And one thing I'll give Colin credit for this,
and I think anyone, you know, I don't know how
everybody watches games, but my Sunday in the morning, you know,
if there's a big slate, you kind of got to
pick and choose who you really need to focus on.
You know, if the Ravens are playing the Chiefs and
the Texans are playing the Colts, and there's some other
(11:59):
random games you gotta You can have eight boxes on
on my three TVs in my office, but you can't
watch everything closely and you kind of focus on what
really matters. And I think one thing's clear with the
impact of these primetime games of the league, I would
say even doubling down on their importance. And the Fox
(12:21):
and CBS afternoon games now with Tom Brady and we
know CBS Jim Nansen, Tony Romo gets sweet games. The
morning games are somewhat of an afterthought. They are by
far consistently now for us on the West coast ten
AM Pacific Standard time the shittiest games on the slate
in a weird way from an NFL standpoint, kind of
(12:41):
the throwaway games, even though they're not. I'm not saying
they don't matter, but from a matchup standpoint, they're usually
the worst matchups of the of the of the week.
And like I said last night, I'm very very happy
that for the most part, the international morning games. I mean,
it's much easier for you guys on the East Coast.
(13:02):
I have a lot of respect for anyone that stays
up late for the night games.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Because it was difficult. I've lived it. But the morning
games are tough.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
I mean getting up, can't even sleep into like seven thirty,
it's already in the second quarter. But for the most part,
they're just bad matchups and not as important to be
super locked in. So the league understands they're trying to
go international, but they're not trying to go that difficult.
I mean, by far, the best international game is a
primetime game Eagles in Brazil against the Packers Week one,
(13:33):
which is easy to consume. So the schedule, we know it.
It was fun and now we just move on to
OTA's and kind of get a feel for you know. Luckily,
the NFL does a good job of making coaches and
coordinators and star players talk every week up until summer break,
so it kind of keeps them in the loop even
though they're just in shorts and T shirts and they're
(13:55):
lifting weights. But it's a really big time for your
younger players and excited to see what happens over this
next month with stuff going on on the field. You know,
the Panthers and Patriots right now are underdogs in every game.
(14:19):
That's pretty crazy, Like you have to be viewed as
pretty shitty to not be favored in one game at home,
not even just to be one point favored at home. Now,
like I said, it's impossible to play this game. Lines
changed dramatically, but it shows you and I would agree
(14:42):
these would be two teams that most people would circle
as like they should be drafting in the top five. Obviously,
both of them have young quarterbacks. If Bryce Young were
to make a big step, maybe the Panthers could win
five or six games, if Drake May were to come
in and play and make some plays. Same with the Patriots,
but expectations are clearly pretty low. And the one thing
(15:02):
I don't understand is the forty nine Ers are the
only team favored in every game. They haven't beat the
Chiefs since Kyle Shanahan has been there. They lost to
him in twenty eighteen when Jimmy Garoppolo towards ACL They
lost to him in the Super Bowl in twenty nineteen.
They lost to him two years ago when Christian McCaffrey
(15:23):
showed up, and they lost to him again this year
in the Super Bowl. Ever since Patrick Mahomes Andandy Reed
have been together, the Chiefs have owned the Niners. Now
the games have a couple the big games have been close,
and I get it's in San Francisco, but that would
be the one I would circle of. Like, I'll tell
you right now, you should hammer the Chiefs until the
(15:44):
forty nine ers prove that they can beat kind of
that unit.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Right.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
I just think the Chiefs clearly have the forty nine
ers number for whatever reason. I don't care if the
forty nine ers get a lead, I don't care if
they're fucking winning in overtime. They just can't beat that team.
But glad they play again, and I would imagine I
would even seen probably a CBS game or Fox game afternoon.
Tom Brady will be fantastic. That's the other thing I
(16:10):
do think adding Tom Brady. Listen, Greg Olsten's clearly a
really high level good guy, and he's good at his job.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
But this reaction of.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Like, I can't believe, you can't believe that he got
replaced for Tom Brady. What are we talking about. It's
like it happens all the time with players. They get
replaced essentially by draft picks. It's no different than what's
happening here, except he's Tom freaking Brady. Now, if he's terrible,
(16:42):
they'll have a problem on their hands. But if any
of us ran a network and Tom Brady wanted to
call football games, he's not going to be doing the
Sea Crew with some random play by play guy doing
Panthers Falcons. That's never going to be the case. He
was always gonna jump to the front of the line.
(17:03):
Why because his name, Because his name, image and likeness
is that powerful.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
Now he's got to.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Prove that he's good, he's got to prove that he's loose.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
And I'm interested. I don't.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
I don't have a great feel if I was guessing
he'll probably be solid. But I do think, because you know,
he's kind of corporate. I know the version we saw
on the roast. If we got that version just without
the swear words, it would be unincredible. But most times
you see Tom in more of the setting in which
he'll be in calling games. He can be a little tighter.
(17:35):
If you get the guy in the locker room with
Edelman and Gronk, you have a superstar in your hands.
I just I don't know how he's gonna figure it out,
and obviously he'll get in theory get better as time
goes on. Many people think Romo's gotten worse. I mean
a big part of Romo getting worse. People don't think
he tries anymore. It's like the knock on him is
he got lazy. Because when you call football games, it
(17:58):
takes a lot of work. You got to watch a
lot of film, not maybe as much as when you
were quarterback, but you can't really go through the motions.
I remember playing golf with a buddy who does one
of the best NBA teams in the league, and we
were on a hole and we were having a beer.
We were bullshitting about preparation. I said, how early you
get to the games? He's like my time arriving hasn't changed.
(18:24):
But for the most part half the NBA, I could
show up and no one would notice. I know all
the players, especially teams in our division we play multiple times.
I know their rotations, They've had the same coach for
a while, not much changes. That is not the case
with football because personnel injuries happen all the time. Your
(18:45):
rosters are so big, You're constantly getting guys getting injured,
and then a practice squad guy starts, or a draft
pick from a previous year as a starter. He might
be impacting the game dramatically the rotation of players. It's hard,
makes a lot of work, and that's never been a
knock on Tom. You could argue many consider him like
the hardest worker in the history of the league. So
(19:08):
I'd be pretty bullish on the situation. What else Trey
Lance the Cowboys. I think Brian Schottenheimer said on a
local radio station he might have said this on a
podcast that Trey Lance is going to essentially get more
reps than normal this offseason in training camp because we
already know what we got with Cooper Rush. Dak Prescott
(19:29):
obviously is a well established veteran and we need to
figure this out and I think this is the hard
part about quarterback development. Like Trey Lance has started I
think four games in his career five games in like
the last four years if you count his final year
in college where the season got canceled and they just
play the one game. He just has never played. And
(19:49):
when he has at the NFL level, he has not
looked good. It's why when the Cowboys traded for him
last year before the start of the season, he was
their third street quarterback the entire year and right now,
to me, if you just have a normal competition, I
don't believe he could beat out Cooper Rush. Why because
he wouldn't get the reps. If Dak's getting the ones,
Cooper's getting the twos, and he's getting the threes, there
(20:11):
aren't many three reps. You don't have seven hour practices,
especially with no double days, so you almost have to
cook the books, which is what the Cowboys are going
to try to do. But they can't cut him right
if he can't win the backup job, They're basically going
to keep three quarterbacks. But if Trey Lance is not
able to be the backup quarterback, because they can, he's
(20:33):
on the books next year for five point two million
dollars basically guaranteed, and that's what they would owe him
if they cut him. Cooper Rush they can cut for
under seven hundred thousand dollars. So if when Week one comes,
are in the final cuts, if all three quarterbacks are
on the roster, it tells you that he can't beat
him out. And I think he's just an example of
(20:55):
the weird draft that was twenty twenty one and a
guy that just hasn't got many reps. And I also
think you got to be very careful when you draft
quarterbacks super high from smaller levels because it's not very
comparable when you're playing Montana State, Weaver State, and cal
Poly and listen, it's hard evaluating guys at Alabama, LSU
(21:15):
and Ohio State. Imagine evaluating people at the level of Yeah,
he played a total of four NFL level players his
entire college career, and three of them were on offense,
so he didn't even play against them. Like you're just
not seeing dbs or defensive linemen or linebackers that are
going to play at the next level. So it is
a hard projection. It's why this stuff because a huge
(21:36):
thing he hung his hat on was character, really good guy.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Why the forty nine ers liked him? Super high character guy.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
I remember when the Colts had a thing go viral,
they had like the horseshoe next to his name, and
that's we get on guys that are low character guys.
But sometimes you can overrevaluate guys because they're high character
guys and their skill set is not quite what you want.
A couple other things, ESPN will have the first Hall
(22:03):
of Fame game ever that they've never Usually the Hall
of Fame game, at least in recent memory, has always
been on Sunday Night Football. It's been on ABC a
couple times over the last like fifty years, but ESPN has.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
Never had it. So they will have it this year.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
And I've said for years Hard Knocks isn't for me anymore,
and there's nothing wrong with that. Some content in the
sporting world just is not for me. It's for other people.
It just doesn't interest me anymore. And part of it
is I've been watching Hard Knocks for so long. I
remember when it was much more raw, uncut and authentic.
(22:39):
It was much closer, and it inspired me like I
wanted to be part of that. I wanted to be
in those meetings and you don't really get to see
that anymore. I've been the guy that had to cut people.
It sucks, but it's still a part of the business.
It's just a reality of the sport. You take ninety
people to training camp, you're only taking fifty three guys
to week one, plus are gonna be on the practice squad.
(23:02):
Just the nature of the beast, and we just don't
really see that anymore, and I just find it kind
of boring. It's more of a pr campaign, but clearly
it works enough. Now they're gonna add an off season
hard knocks. I would say this, the end season hard knocks,
which still is not totally for me, is much better
(23:22):
than the training camp hard knocks. But the off season
hard knocks hard pass the giants.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
I just don't care.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
But they're not just doing this randomly. People are clearly watching,
and if you want to watch, I don't blame you.
I don't understand people and like my profession that talk
shit about other people, fans that like doing stuff, I
just don't get it. And part of it is I
got news free of Most people in the media don't
like you guys. You know that they hate the common fan,
(23:53):
that they don't relate to the common fan. I try
to put myself like I have a lot of to
think a lot actually. I mean I haven't not paid
for a ticket and sat in the stands for the
last four or five years, and it's been very healthy
for my for my job because I thought I was
very insulated when I used to sit in the media room.
It just it's like a little bubble of a lot
(24:15):
of angry people. But listen, if you want to watch
off season hard necks, hot hard knocks, have at it.
I gotta say it's a hard It's a hard pass
for me. Okay, Fugazi Friday wanted to dive into some
(24:40):
Fugazi Fridays. Randy Travis just came out with a new
song that is a I generated. Do you think we'll
see more Fugazi or AI generated songs from dead artists?
Pretty sure Randy Travis is still alive. Could be wrong.
I know he's been really sick. I'd be lying if
(25:01):
I said I was that deep in the AI world.
I mean I listened to like podcasts people talk about
I don't necessarily use it yet, like I'm sure some
of you use it like I don't have an AI
personal assistant. I don't really use chat GPT that at all.
Maybe I should start using it. But one thing I
(25:22):
listened to a podcast.
Speaker 3 (25:23):
With one of the leading guys the All In podcast had.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Forget the guy's name, Sam Sam something on talking about
what they do with artists and how everyone gets compensated
when it.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
Comes to artists.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
I think a huge reason that I love music is
when you listen to a song and it like strikes
you in your soul, and that person's singing that song,
and the best.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
Part about music.
Speaker 2 (25:53):
That could be something from the sixties, that could be
something from twenty twenty three that you're just like, this
hits home, this moves me, and you know that comes
from a human being. And then as time goes on,
that person talks about how he wrote the song, how
whatever he was going through influence that part of the song.
(26:15):
I'm not trying to sound like old man, get off
my lawn, but I just don't see how computers can.
Obviously they can generate the sound. Obviously they can create
things that sound just like Randy Travis or Nirvana or
whoever they're gonna be able to do it. All who
knows they'll be able to do a podcast that sounds
just like me, but they can never be me, just
(26:37):
like that person could never be Randy Travis or Kurt Cobain.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Or whoever elvit.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
You go the history of music, and I'm not gonna
get on board with that. But you'd be naive to
think little kids watch other people play video games on
YouTube that is extremely popular. If you would have told me,
and like most kids in the nineties, I love video games.
(27:03):
That was like a huge expansion time. As you know,
we went from Nintendo to PlayStation, Nintendo sixty four and
Sega and then to where we are today, where the
graphics are incredible. I'm not a video game player anymore,
but if you would have told me that people would
love to watch other people play video games on television,
(27:23):
I never believe you. So things change, and some things,
like I said, just aren't for me. And maybe that's
one of them. Because my unborn children, maybe their favorite
artists are gonna be the from the computer and I'll
just have to pretend to like it, I guess in
the car, unlike my dad, who if he hated the tape.
(27:45):
I mean, I'm old enough where you put in tapes
and show or probably many of you listening, he would
like throw it out the window. Probably shouldn't have been littering,
but I definitely had a tumble. I remember one time,
I think like it might have been a CD. One
of the first CDs I ever bought was Doggy.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
Style Snoop Dogg.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
You know on tower record you had to like no
a guy at the front because if they had the
parent advisory on the front, they wouldn't sell it to
you if you were like thirteen years old. I remember
buying it and I left it in my dad's truck
and then we got in and let's just say he
wasn't feeling it after Snoop dropped about seven f bombs.
Great album, one of the greatest rap albums ever.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
What's Up John?
Speaker 2 (28:23):
My Fugazi Friday Submission is now unnecessary? Apps have become
for elementary transactions. I went to do laundry at my
apartment washer dryer. The machines used to have a standard
payment pad where you could swipe or tap your cart,
or you could insert coins. We've all been there, baby
(28:44):
for years. Never had a problem. You just put in
some quarters and do a load. One day, they decided
to take out the card reader and replace it with
a QR code. Now you have to download the app
for the washer and put money onto the app, then
take a picture of the coat. And half the time
the Bluetooth doesn't work on the damn machines and I
(29:05):
have to restart my phone. Keep in mind the machines
are not new, and they raise the price per load.
There are no ads on the app either. What the
hell is the point? Yeah, man, I one thing I've embraced.
I was telling Colin this the other day. The amount
of things in my home connected to the phone is
(29:31):
it's borderline uncomfortable. And one thing I definitely notice is
all my TVs in the house. My remote is my phone.
We have one hard remote, but I mainly keep in
the living room and honestly we never use it, which
like not that big a deal, But sometimes you're laying
in bed, it's like, I don't want to touch my
phone at all, but the only way to turn off
the TV.
Speaker 3 (29:52):
Is your phone.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
And then you think about like from my garage to
my blinds.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
I just got this pool cleaner.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
It's all an app. The little rumba thing I got
the vacuum. So if we all have seven, eight, ten
things us an app think of where we're going to
be in five years. So I guess my pushback here
is we can complain about it. The reality is the
majority of our life, we're only at the beginning of
(30:22):
this thing is going to be on the phone. It's
not going away. The hard transaction or just the hard
manual press a button and you have to hold something
is a dying thing. And if you think it's a
pain or a problem, now, if you view it that way,
buckle up, because it is only the beginning. So I'm
(30:45):
at the point I kind of embrace it. It just
kind of is what it is. Just the way the
world is going. We're not going back. Fugazi Friday College
football coaches salaries ranked in order of what he basically
just goes Harbaugh, Smart, Kyle Whittingham, Kelly, Dabo Lane. All
(31:09):
of their base salaries are pretty low, between like one
point two to five hundred k, but they all are
top in bonuses, making them, you know, eight to ten million.
Speaker 3 (31:21):
Dollars a year.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Here are the top Fugazi's no bonuses earned. Mel Tucker
buyout ninety million, Jimbo Fisher buyout seventy seven million, Luke
Fickel buy out thirty nine million, Venables buy out thirty million,
Nardoozi twenty eight etc. The crown jewel of Fugazi's Matt
Rules zero bonus paid sixty two million dollar payout. You know,
(31:47):
the biggest uh mismatch maybe in America right now is
these academic institutions who are dependent on football because of
the money it generates, are run by a president who
I wouldn't exactly call Jeff Bezos or Steve Jobs when
it comes to doing deals, well, Jimmy Sexton, who represents
(32:09):
a lot of these guys, negotiates contracts for a living.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
That's what he does.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
His whole life revolves around that contract and the money
involved in that contract. Where these presidents that is not
their priority. They're running these massive institutions that revolve around academics.
So you could say he negotiates with an athletic director
(32:38):
who most athletic directors google how they came up, or
like marketing guys started in ticket sales. They have no
chance against Jimmy, but ultimately they have to go through
either a board or the president or a combination of
both who are very academically driven, and one thing is
(32:58):
very consistent, and Jimmy's not alone. There are more agents
that represent these coaches. They get fucking dominated. It is
not a fair fight. It's why when Drew Rosenhaus tries
to negotiate against Howie Roseman or Omar Kahan or whoever,
those guys have been dealing in specific contracts for what
they're dealing with for a long period of time, and
(33:22):
it's just it's almost like, if you ran Nebraska or
ran Ohio State or whatever, you should essentially have a
cap guy who is focused on your sports teams. So
when Jimmy comes in, you can say, no, not doing that,
or no, we don't believe yet, but that's not really
what happens. He simply bends them all over. And it's
not a coincidence. It really isn't. It just isn't because
(33:45):
he's good at his job. He is, but it'd be
like Nikola Jokic going up against some high school center.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
It's like, good luck, buddy.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
And it's why every one of these contracts all look
the same. They're very one sided. It's a consistent theme
because academia negotiating against someone who does these contracts, even
if they negotiate contracts for other things. Clearly they don't
have a good feel for this because they get worked
Fugazi Friday people who don't fucking slow down in construction
(34:22):
or school zones. I slow down, and most of the
time someone tailgates me, then angrily pulls around and passes me.
Speaker 3 (34:31):
WTF.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
One thing I've done in my older age, because like
a lot of young people, you get very mad on
the road. You just scream and you know, definitely tailgate
guys and just do stupid things. I do the opposite now.
When someone does that, I just try to justify it
in my head. You know, maybe they're rushing home to
their sick child, maybe they're headed to pick up their.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
Wife at the airport.
Speaker 2 (34:59):
I don't know. I just don't care. Now. The school
zone thing, I agree, especially around if you're driving by
a school zone in the morning or the afternoon when
they're picking up, like slow down. But one thing about Arizona,
I feel like everyone on the road feels like they are.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
Lewis Hamilton or Dale Earnhardt.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
It is crazy how fast people drive and how aggressive
people are, and for the most part is let them go.
I just I don't care, and I'm not exactly slow
on the roads, but I've gotten to the point I
guess my reaction to you, to your statement, I just
(35:43):
don't care. You know, I'm like a football coach just
worrying about me. We're just focused on my car. We're
just trying to get where I'm trying to get. I
can only control myself. That's what I tell myself. That
that was my sec football coach Fugazi Friday. Duck sauce
packets at Chinese takeouts is right up my alley. When
(36:04):
you order Chinese takeout and you get two packets of
duck sauce, which is well short of the amount you need.
Then when you ask for more packets, I often get
a look like I'm trying to steal money from them,
and they do give me more packets. It's like one
or two max. Nothing bothers me more. As a big
(36:25):
sauce guy and a very fat guy at heart, is
not getting enough sauce. Now, when when you pick something up,
you know if you tip them when you pick it up,
which is always a hot debate on this show. I
don't feel bad about saying more that's not enough.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
I need more.
Speaker 2 (36:44):
One key as a door dash Guy or Uber East
or whatever you may use. When you order something online
and getting it delivered and you want more sauce, whether
it's ranch, whether it's duck sauce, or whatever you need,
you know what the move is because in special instructions,
let's face it, they read it ten percent of the time.
(37:05):
You call in and say, hey, I'm John. I just
ordered chicken chow mane, broccoli, beef rice, potstickers, and miso soup.
I need eight extra sauces. I will have no hesitation
doing that key move, zero shame when asking for extra sauce, because,
(37:30):
as anyone knows, sauce can definitely make a meal. I
don't think I'm too locked into duck sauce. Recovery shoes, slides,
got a fougazi for you. They're selling these things for
eighty dollars to wear after you work out. There is
no such thing. They are just fucking shoes. Maybe I'm
(37:53):
out of the loop. They have post workout shoes. I
didn't know that. If I go to the gym and
I'm gonna shower there because I'm gonna use the steam
room in thesauna, I just bring an extra pair.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
Of shoes or sandals or whatever.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
What shoes post workout do you put on your feet
that make it easier on your feet? Maybe I'm just
out of the I've never even heard of that.
Speaker 3 (38:20):
Does that exist?
Speaker 2 (38:21):
They sell post workout shoes for eighty dollars? Why wouldn't
you just bring your own shoes? Is that really a thing?
I honestly I don't. I don't know never I've never
been offered that or even seen that online. Maybe I'm
out of the workout loop in terms of the current trends, cause,
(38:43):
like I, like you said, I thought they're just shoes.
Slides Are the extra easy on your feet? Is it
because like you're doing dead lifts or squats?
Speaker 3 (38:54):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
I can't say I've ever heard of that. But I'm
with you. That is a major, major scam, And maybe
I'm wrong. Maybe I'll have some workout guys say, well,
there are actually these benefits. I just put on a
different pair of shoes after I work out in my
sweaty ons that are currently falling apart. Okay, Middlecoff mail
(39:24):
back time at John Middlecoff Instagram. Fire in those dms
start with Sean in the beginning, you agreed with the
Falcons drafting Michael Pennix. Later you felt it was not
a good idea.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
What made you change your mind.
Speaker 2 (39:41):
I'm not sure I ever agreed that it was a
good idea. I don't remember that take at all. I
thought it was one of the most outrageous things in
the history of the draft then now today. And I
like Michael Pennox, But to draft a quarterback who's ready
made when you just paid a guy one hundred million dollar,
(40:01):
I'm sorry. It still makes no sense to me, even though,
like I always understand the logic of thinking big picture
and everything that goes along with it. But to draft
Michael Pennix, a twenty three to twenty four year old
plug and play starter. Now, I don't know if he's
going to be good or not, but he's not some project.
(40:21):
While you just gave a guy forty five million dollars
a year and guaranteed him over one hundred million dollars.
It's not very logical to me, and it's just kind
of represents not everyone's on the same page. I'm sorry,
it just doesn't. You know, the coaches fell in love
with them because they get in love with involved with
the draft process. Later the owner wanted it just not
(40:44):
everyone's on the same page, and.
Speaker 3 (40:46):
Yeah, I just I really don't know what else to say. Besides,
I thought it was stupid.
Speaker 2 (40:52):
I mean, I really and I like Michael Pennox. Honestly,
if you told me, would you rather have cousins coming
off Achilles for the next four years or just take
your chances with Michael Pennix, I would just take my
chance with Michael Pennock, especially on a rookie contract. I
really enjoyed watching you and Colin talk about the schedule.
(41:12):
I did a little research and noticed that the Niners
have four games against teams coming off of bye Kansas
City off of bye week seven, Dallas off of bye
week eight, Seattle off of bye week eleven, and then
the Bills off of bye week thirteen. And they get
New England coming off a Thursday game. MANI bye week four.
I know they suck, but it's still extra rest prep time.
Speaker 3 (41:34):
Is the league?
Speaker 2 (41:36):
If the league is always intentional with what they do,
what do.
Speaker 3 (41:39):
You make of that? It's a good question.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
I I don't really have a theory on the league
trying to screw the forty nine ers here I think
when you're trying to mix and match all these schedules,
the forty nine ers are playing the most primetime games
with like the Jets and the Chiefs, sometimes you.
Speaker 3 (42:01):
Just get a little screwed.
Speaker 2 (42:02):
Now, the problem is with the teams, Like you said,
it's the Chiefs, the Cowboys, and the Bills. The Chiefs
won the Super Bowl and beat the Niners. The Cowboys
won twelve games, and the Bills won the division again
and won a playoff. I mean that's tough. Like you said,
the Patriots whatever, I don't give a shit, but that's
(42:24):
a challenge. I don't think it was intentional. I just
think you have some of this stuff, and I thought
the Niner schedule opens up pretty easy. You're always when
you pull a first place team, you're gonna get first
place opponents. And yeah, I mean their AFC game is
the Chiefs. They also play the AFC North, which is
(42:46):
good because of the Lions and the Bears, or excuse me,
the Lions and the Packers, and if the Bears are
solid like that, that's not an easy division to play.
But I don't necessarily think there's any logic thought behind
the league going you know what, let's really try to
slow down this forty nine er operation and give them
(43:07):
the bills, the Chiefs and the Cowboys off buys. You
know what the league likes. They're television partners to be happy,
why so they can get more money moving forward, And
the forty nine ers, when they're good, draw enormous ratings.
So I don't think there's any malicious intent. I just
think sometimes it's the way the cookie crumbles.
Speaker 3 (43:31):
Love the show.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
Lifelong Cowboy fan living in New York City, I consider
myself a realist, Unlike ninety five percent of Cowboy fans.
The weed and boys thing drives me insane. Anyway, the
Niners have Bang Bang Niner gang. I like you, forty,
but that also drives me nuts.
Speaker 3 (43:53):
But it is what it is. People, I can have
some fun anyway.
Speaker 2 (43:56):
I've seen a lot of talk about the Cowboys running
back situation, and I honestly think they're in a better
situation now than last year. People forget just how mediocre
Tony Pollard was. There were plenty of instances where I
thought Rico Duadle was the better early down back. Is
that your special teams guy from South Carolina? Also, the
(44:17):
Cowboys weren't incapable of running the ball on goal line
all season. I believe the Cowboys missed Zeke tremendously last year,
not only for a short yardage running, but his ability
to pass protect honestly a part of his game that
does not get talked about.
Speaker 3 (44:31):
You know why.
Speaker 2 (44:32):
It's like defense in the NBA, all we talk about
is catching passes and running the ball. Yet pass protection
is literally protecting the highest paid guy on the team,
and no one gives it any respect beside coaches and
GMS fans don't give a shit.
Speaker 3 (44:47):
Hell, I complained about it.
Speaker 2 (44:48):
I'm like, why is this guy not playing?
Speaker 3 (44:50):
And then you do a little research text a buddy
in the league, They're like.
Speaker 2 (44:53):
Yeah, you can't pass protect not only honestly a part
of his game. Okay, this year, with the question marks
on the offensive line, it's even more important to have
Zeke back there for the reason for this reason and
also be able to run the ball in short yard situations.
Speaker 3 (45:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
I mean, I Tony Pollard got his leg snapped in
the playoff game, right, but I think by Drake Greenlaw
on a it would have been a hip drop tackle
now and he clearly was not only not the same
guy last year. But I think it brought to light
that some players, and this is not a knock on
any guy in Tony Pollard situation, are incredible second options.
Speaker 3 (45:30):
It's like this in life.
Speaker 2 (45:32):
Some guys are meant to be the COO or the
number three guy in a company. Not everyone can lead
the fucking thing. And he's not a lead back. He's
an incredible extra guy, and he was awesome two years ago.
I remember last year. I'm not a huge fantasy guy,
but I listened to a fantasy podcast here and there
(45:53):
just to get some nuggets talk about in the pod.
It felt like a lot of people were gonna draft
him number one overall. I mean, he was a guy
in a lot of fantasy leagues that was going very,
very high for a lot of money. And I think
the problem with Zeke is is his speed is greatly diminished.
(46:15):
Now high end speed for running back.
Speaker 3 (46:17):
Is very overrated. It's not needed.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
How often are running back's plusing fifty yard runs. It's
the least important attribute. The Adrian Peterson's are an outlier,
but you do need to have explosive characteristics in short areas.
And when you watch Zeke, he looks like a slower back,
but from a skill standpoint of reading the hole catching
the ball, he's a very skilled player. But when running
(46:43):
backs legs go, it's a problem. So if all you're
signing this guy is for short yardage and pass protection
because he can catch the ball out of the backfield, Okay,
it makes some sense. But who on a given game
is going to carry the ball for sixteen attempts eighteen attempts?
Like you do need that player on your roster, and
(47:04):
I think that is unknown because Zeke, if you give
him sixteen eighteen carries like old, you guess his yardage
would be forty yards. You can be a winning player
as long as you're in the right role later on
in your career, which ideally Zeke will be in. But
to me, the running back position, you know, when you
(47:26):
get a high end guy, you know the elite players, obviously,
they make a huge difference. If you got kind of
a random group that like garden center, is the easiest
to find. You can pluck a guy off a practice squad,
you can find a guy that gets cut. You can
find that position. It's not like you're not gonna find
random edge rushers. You're not gonna find random quarterbacks in
(47:49):
training camp.
Speaker 3 (47:50):
You can find running.
Speaker 2 (47:51):
Backs die Hard twelve here aka Seattle Fan. Any thoughts
on Ted Nawin's piece in The Athletic Do you think
Mike McDonald can turn the Seahawks around and make them
a legitimate contender in the NFC West against the Niners Rams.
If so, how long do you think it would take?
In fact, how long does it typically take for players
(48:13):
to adjust.
Speaker 3 (48:13):
To the new coaching staff and schemes. It's a good question.
Speaker 2 (48:19):
Anytime you get a coordinator who usually if you get
a head job, you are a star coordinator. And Mike
McDonald was, as many called him in Baltimore boy genius.
Him and Ben Johnson were the two best non head.
Speaker 3 (48:34):
Coach coordinators in the league last year. He was a.
Speaker 2 (48:37):
Badass, but being a head coach is dramatically different. And
Seattle's defense the last couple of years has mainly been putrid.
It hasn't been good.
Speaker 3 (48:49):
Now.
Speaker 2 (48:49):
They invested a lot in Jamal Adams and that was
a disaster. Their pass rush has not been nearly what
it was, and they've invested a lot of picks on
defense over the year and it hasn't quite worked out.
So you go, Okay, could the defense be better? And
we say that a lot of the time, But just
because you were a great coordinator doesn't mean it immediately
(49:10):
translates on. Sometimes it does, right McVeigh did, Lafleur did,
Kyle did. It happens a lot with offensive guys. But
I think sometimes defensive guys because they're spread more thin.
As a head coach, like, I don't obviously they're not
going to look as good as Baltimore did.
Speaker 3 (49:27):
Last year, but we go, oh, they're gonna be better.
Speaker 2 (49:29):
Well, maybe it's not like Pete was the village idiot.
Speaker 3 (49:33):
Last time I checked. He was a Hall of Famer
on defense, Like he's a defensive coach. That's his baby.
So I don't know.
Speaker 2 (49:41):
I like anyone with a brain like Mike McDonald a lot.
How could you not? But a lot of people are
very bullish on Seattle. I gotta see it first, and
I say this over and over and it sounds like
I'm a hater.
Speaker 3 (49:57):
The guy's a great story. But Gino fucking smister quarterback.
I mean, the Niners have.
Speaker 2 (50:03):
Smoked him for about the last couple of years, Like
he's do you feel good about winning a big game
with him against Stafford and McVeigh or Purdy and Kyle, because.
Speaker 3 (50:13):
I have a hard time seeing it.
Speaker 2 (50:18):
I think one thing they got to figure out big
picture is the quarterback position. And I mean they trade
for Sam Howell, I might see what we got in
Sam howl. And I'm not acting like Gino deserves to
get benched or whatever. I'm not saying start Sam Howel
week one. But I think we've seen the ceiling on
the team. Love the show listen every day. My question
(50:43):
is do you think the Packers should extend Jordan Love
this year? After seeing golf get fifty three million dollars,
I am curious what the market value for a guy
that has only played at an elite level for eight games.
I think he's one of the most fascinating guys in
the NFL. Because if you're I said this, I think
yesterday on my schedule pod, If you're the Packers right now,
(51:07):
would you you would put in front of them three years,
one hundred million dollars, guarantee every penny, basically averaging out
thirty three million dollars a year. But if you're Jordan Love,
and I think it's safe to say at this point
you'd probably have some pretty good self belief. You go, yeah,
let's play this out. Let's see how this goes. And
(51:27):
I've said over and over, if he plays like he
continues to look like he did last year, giving him
the Jared GoF contract wouldn't be that difficult. But I
got to use, like the first eight games if he's
not gonna sign a very very team friendly deal, which
is still a lot of money, but relative to quarterbacks,
I think, if you're Jordan Love, you go, let's watch
(51:47):
these first eight games, and if he does it in
another eight games. I wrote down their schedule yesterday obviously Philly,
then the Colts, then a couple weeks the Rams, then
the Texans, then the Lions, and if he's looking like
he did last year against these teams, then I would
just break him off in the middle of the season.
So it doesn't I don't see why he would be
(52:09):
inclined to do anything right now that wasn't for a
huge number, and it doesn't make sense for the Packers
to do it right now, just because, like you said,
it's only been eight games at a really really high level. Now,
if he's going to play at that level, he's a very,
very valuable commodity.
Speaker 3 (52:27):
I mean, very, very valuable, but my guess is they
play it out a little bit.
Speaker 2 (52:33):
Huge fan of the pod. I wanted to hear your
opinion on a recently article that dropped. I pasted the
link below. The article discusses new reports that Bears quarterback
room with Fields Foles and Andy Dalton was effing toxic
as hell. Apparently Justin wasn't open to being mentored by
(52:53):
Foles and the two couldn't stand one another. I wanted
to get your opinion on how a seemingly high character
guy could have so many issues in the quarterback room.
I don't know how well you knew Nick Foles during
your time with the Eagles, but I couldn't imagine Nick
being a problem in this situation. Could you speak on
how this report should be interpreted. I haven't read the article,
(53:16):
I've heard people talking about it, and i've heard the
main points. I would say this, you can be a
high character, good person and view your situation as kind
of getting screwed. Like I don't necessarily blame him as
a rookie when he gets drafted eleventh overall and he
comes in with Andy Dalton, he's trying to beat Andy
(53:39):
Dalton out and then the following year they or was Foles?
Was it Andy Dalton and then Foles the following year.
Speaker 3 (53:51):
Maybe Foles? Did they overlap? Was it both those guys.
Speaker 2 (53:54):
I'm kind of confused on the timeline now, like that
would have been his first year. He's trying to win
the job.
Speaker 3 (54:03):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (54:06):
I don't put much stock into it. Also, when you're
young as a rookie, you haven't heard any of that stuff.
The last couple of years, I think we all can
be kind of know it alls and egotistical is probably
the wrong way to put it. But I know Foles
won a Super Bowl, but it's not exactly like Peyton
(54:26):
Manning or Tom Brady.
Speaker 3 (54:27):
You're telling him he views himself as better than Nick Foles.
We could argue if that's.
Speaker 2 (54:32):
True or not, But like what you do at twenty one,
twenty two years old, if you're different at twenty five,
like welcome to being a guy.
Speaker 3 (54:41):
We grow, we mature.
Speaker 2 (54:42):
That definitely wasn't a knock that polls and Eberflus had
on him. And one thing's pretty clear with Poles is
he values character a lot. So I wouldn't put much
into it. It's kind of irrelevant, and who cares. He's
not your quarterback anymore. He's a backup for the Steelers
like you got Caleb Williams. These jobs so competitive, there
is so much on the line. Think about your own situation.
(55:04):
If you work in an office setting, not everyone likes
each other, and if you're both going after similar deals
or competing with other people in your industry, like, not
everyone is fucking kumbaya, even if they're quote unquote on
your team or work for the same company. It's kind
(55:25):
of life right now.
Speaker 3 (55:28):
Toxic.
Speaker 2 (55:28):
Was it toxic because the organization was falling apart or
was it toxic just because they wouldn't talk to each other.
I think we'd be shocked with how often stuff like
that happens. You don't just unless you're Peyton Manning or
Aaron Donald or Travis Kelcey. You're not just guaranteed that
I have to listen to what you're saying, like I
(55:49):
gotta listen to my coach. But like, just because you're
another player that did something six years ago sounds like
I mean, I'm basically defending justin fields. But if I'm
feels I show up like I'm the guy just got
drafted really high. I'm ready to play. I'm not some
third round pick, Like you don't want your third round
pick looking like that. But justin Fields is supposed to
be like, oh yeah, Andy, I'll just sit behind you
(56:10):
and soak it all in. Like I understand competitive. That
doesn't bother me really at all. But at the end
of the day, if you're a Bears fan who cares
as a Texans fan, I'm very excited about your two
with CJ. While I think they're going to be very
good this year, I want to avoid getting overhyped about
(56:32):
a deep playoff run. How far do you see the
Texans making it with a second year quarterback who could
have a sophomore slump.
Speaker 3 (56:41):
I think the.
Speaker 2 (56:42):
Biggest key to your off season was in that Ravens game.
There was a major, major discrepancy in talent. Now, you
guys had had some injuries, so the Tankdale had broke
his leg or whatever, but the talent as the second
half way on it. It wasn't a fair fight. Where
(57:03):
this year you add Hunter, you add a couple dbs
early in the draft, you add digs. I think you
go into this season hoping we just.
Speaker 3 (57:13):
Have more talent.
Speaker 2 (57:15):
So if the quarterback, if he goes into a sophomore slump,
you might not win the division, but if he plays
at a high level, Again, do we have the talent
the young coaching staff to compete in the playoffs against
the Chiefs, against the Ravens, against the Bills. Because last
year you weren't gonna win those games.
Speaker 3 (57:34):
It just wasn't gonna happen.
Speaker 2 (57:36):
Like, you wouldn't beat Josh Allen the Bills, you wouldn't
beat the Chiefs. You obviously didn't beat the Ravens. You
couldn't have beaten those teams. This year, I think, hey,
I don't have your would you go win ten games
last year or eleven?
Speaker 3 (57:48):
I think ten?
Speaker 2 (57:50):
We might win ten or eleven games, like being the
similar win loss record, But we're going to.
Speaker 3 (57:54):
Be a better team.
Speaker 2 (57:56):
Clearly there's some luck involved with health, but that to
me is what matters. It's not as much getting over hyped.
It's like, are we just better? Are we more impactful?
Do we have more high end guys? Can Daniel Hunter
add something and Will Anderson take a step? See I
(58:18):
look at it? More young players second year in the system,
can Hunter and Will or can Will Anderson and CJ.
Stroud be even better. CJ really just needs to be
the same. But if Will Anderson is even more of
an impact guy, you're like, Okay, you're fucking playing.
Speaker 3 (58:34):
Let's let's roll. What time is game time? That's how
I look at it. Follow up?
Speaker 2 (58:40):
Do you think nil money will empower players to try
and dictate where they end up in the NFL? I
just think no one cares. Like, if I want a
draft you, I'm gonna draft you.
Speaker 3 (58:53):
What are you gonna do?
Speaker 2 (58:55):
I just I guess it could. But unless you're the
number one overall pick, no one really cares about your opinion.
And let's face it, most players, the higher you get drafted,
the more money you get. So to dictate where you
get in the NFL, Like, yeah, would I rather play
for the Chiefs than the Panthers?
Speaker 3 (59:17):
Of course? But am I gonna be like I will
not play for.
Speaker 2 (59:20):
Anybody, but the Chiefs were the Ravens or the Niners,
you'd be like, Okay, we're gonna draft you at third
overall and one? Why would you pass up that type money?
So no, it happens a lot in the NBA, like
we're not giving you our medical information we just refuse
(59:42):
to play for you.
Speaker 3 (59:43):
And it feels a lot in the NBA, it's.
Speaker 2 (59:44):
Like okay, yeah, we'll totally listen to you and we'll
pass on the player. I just don't think anyone in
the NFL gives a shit. The other thing is players
in the NFL, like, once you're in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (59:55):
People be like, who the hell is this guy?
Speaker 2 (59:57):
Because let's face half the first round bus they ain't
any good, so you'd be a marked man before you
even got Now the Eli Mannings and the John elways
like that will happen again. But if you're not the
number one overall player, if you're like the tenth best
player in the draft and you're trying to dictate going
somewhere else one you would cost yourself money into. Like
(01:00:19):
I said, I just don't think front offices care at all.
Speaker 3 (01:00:23):
What are you gonna do? Not show up to OTAs,
not be a good guy. What are you gonna do
when my.
Speaker 2 (01:00:27):
Three Pro bowlers on defense are like, why are you
acting like this? So it's just it's just not really tolerated.
Speaker 3 (01:00:34):
You know. That's why the NFL.
Speaker 2 (01:00:36):
Has a lot of parallels to life. You couldn't act
like that. No matter how talented you are, some up
and coming engineer out of you know, USC or the
best highest grades out of Ohio State or cal Berkeley's
Business School. You can't just walk into the company day
one and be like, sit in the corner office and
(01:00:57):
tell everyone to shut up. Just the way it works.
It is the way it works in basketball. It's not
the way it works in the NFL. And one resonates
a little bit more with most people than the other.
The volume
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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