April 11, 2025 • 38 mins
John answers all of your questions as we continue to get closer to the NFL Draft. Who does he think will be the top 5 picks in the draft, does he think the Commanders will have a sophomore slump, should college football change the playoff to get more non-power conference teams in, and much more!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume. What is happening everybody? How are we doing?
John Middlecoff three and out podcast. Hopefully everyone is having
a good Friday. And the game plan today it will
(00:25):
be a little thing we call the Middlecoff mail Bag.
We're gonna empty the clip here, do a big, big
mail bag. So at John Middlecoff. At John Middlecoff is
the Instagram. Fire in those dms. We're doing a big
mail bag. It's Fugazi Friday, but we're gonna be happy today.
No fugazis today because it's Master's weekend and I'm just
gonna bang out a bunch of mail bag questions. So
(00:47):
fire in those dms. We'll get you next week. It's
obviously a little slower time in the lead up to
the draft. Uh So fire in those dms and get
your question answered here on the show. But before we
dive in, you know, I gotta tell you about my friends,
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app today last minute, take as lowest price guaranteed. Okay, guys,
let's start with this question. Oh, some nice words, huge
(01:54):
Bills fan, very proud of our team despite not coming
through when it mattered. My question is about coaching during
the game. Obviously we were having trouble with the tush
push versus the Chiefs on the pivotal fourth and one.
Who's making the call in that scenario? Is it Brady
or is it McDermott or is it Joe and McDermott
(02:14):
approving it in real time? I think the thing that
makes football so fascinating that that is a question that
the only people that know that answer, like Josh Allen
probably doesn't even know that answer, right, they have to
buzz in to get to the headset. That could be
just the offensive coaching staff, I would imagine during the week.
(02:34):
I think it's fair to assume that they thought, and
rightfully so, that Josh Allen, who's a thoroughbred, could convert
short yarded situations and it was not working in that game. Now,
late in the game, I think there were multiple spots
in the second half. Does Brady go, hey, coach, you
(02:54):
still like this quarterback sneaks or do you want to
try something else? Very possible? Could it be just like McDermott,
lets him call the game and if he's got an opinion,
Hey Joe, let's, uh, let's mix in a screen pass.
Hey Joe, let's let's mix in a play action bootleg. Sure,
I mean, he's the boss. I don't know. That's a
(03:15):
great question. I think because they kept running it, I
think it's fair to assume that Brady he just let
Brady call the game, because if they would have tried
something else, you would think that he would have chimed
in on the headset, like, hey, let's throw a curveball here.
But not only did they not throw a curveball. They
(03:36):
were like throwing BP fastballs. Mike Carolina Panther fan here.
I know we're still owned by Tepper and had the
worst defense statistically in NFL history. I did not know that.
But have we graduated from the little porta potty Panthers.
It was a roller coaster for Canalis and even Bryce.
(04:00):
It did look like a real player in the last
nine weeks, and it seems like him and Dan Morgan
and the GM are aligned. What are your thoughts for
those of you knew to the show early on in
the year, when they look like one of the worst
teams in the history of the sport. I nicknamed them
the porta potty Panthers because they were so smelly, you know,
(04:23):
like when you get into a porta potty in the
summer and that humidity and that heat, and even if
you just need to take a leak and you look
down and the toilet seats up and there's like Mount
Everest down there of just just disgustingness and that smell
when you're trapped in there, even if it's just for
thirty or seconds or forty five seconds. I remember a
(04:44):
couple of years ago, I went to Morgan walling at
Chase Field in the heat of summer in Arizona and
the Porta potties. I mean it was rough, man, it
was rough. I saw one of the amateurs today at
the Masters. He's actually from Arizona State. He's a Spanish kid.
He went, he took a piss into the creek on
(05:07):
like the thirteenth hole, which I can't imagine. Augusta was
cool with, but he said he really had to pee
and he did it. So I would say, yes, you
graduated from the Porta Ponte Panthers, And to me, the
coolest part if I'm a Panther fan, your team roster
wise pretty shitty last year should be vastly improved. Now
(05:28):
does that mean nine to ten wins? I don't know,
but it did look early in the season like Bryce
Young was headed to the UFL. Yeah, I mean it
looked like he was an all time bust. Now I
don't know if he's ever going to live up to
being the number one player in the NFL draft, but
he was really good. I watched a decent amount of
(05:48):
you guys down the stretch like he was a good player.
So listen, you don't start from Nick Saban for multiple
seasons without being really mentally tough, Like I'm not the
biggest to a guy as a player, I respect his
metal toughness. If you play for Nick and start at
(06:09):
any position, let alone quarterback, like you got some serious
shit to you. And I think Bryce kind of proved
that last year of like not getting rid of me
this easy. You think I'm gonna fucking tap out, So
congrats to him. What are your thoughts on a head
coach and coordinator switching roles on a different team like
(06:30):
Staley and Kellen Moore, who is the OC and head
coach of the Chargers now more and Staley are the
head coach and the DC for the Saints. I just
think it's like a little ice scratch your back, you
scratch my back. You know, it's a unique business where
there aren't that many jobs. They're only thirty two head coach,
DC and OC jobs. So when a guy takes care
(06:53):
of you when you get fired, it does feel like
guys take care of them on the On the reverse,
I think, Hilia Kellen Moore, I'm a big fan. I
Brandon Staley's one of my biggest red flags in my life,
any walk of life, any industry politics included. But he
(07:17):
took Kara call care of Kellen, so I think Kellen
kind of paid him back. I would not have done that.
I'd hire someone I didn't know who's good, but Kellen
hired him. I don't even think Brandon says I could
have a defensive coordinator. He had one good year as
a defensive coordinator with the Rams when they had Aaron
Donald in the prime of his career. Who's basically like
(07:38):
Reggie White or Lawrence Taylor and Jalen Ramsey in the
COVID season. But and you gotta be careful, like if
the defensive coordinator sucks, you're an offensive head coach as
the play caller and gets you in trouble. Wonder if
you watch McAfee and The Big Night Show. I'm a
fan and love the show, great guests, huge giveaways. Are
(08:01):
you a McAfee fan, And if you think, and if
you watch the event, what do you think? I have
a lot of admiration for what he's built. I mean,
he started this thing from scratch, and he's built something
that Disney has no control over. What a fucking legend.
And he's brought his buddies with him. Now am I
(08:24):
like a daily watcher. I'm not. There are certain interviews
I definitely watch of him. I did watch some last night.
I clicked on it. When Whiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg
came out, I'm like, this is awesome. I mean Pat
and Snoop they were high. They were higher than a kite.
I mean Snoops handing Pat and passed like dancing. I'm like,
(08:46):
this is dude. Sold out an arena had Whiz Khalifa
and Snoop Dogg getting high on stage. I was like,
this guy man. And I watched when Parker McCollum came out,
and then Sidney Crosby and Roethlisberger. So yeah, I got
a lot of respect. And when the traditional media hates you,
(09:06):
I'm just naturally gonna like you because I usually disagree
and hate everything they like. And it does feel like
that all those type hate Pat. Like Pat's built something
like people love going on a show, love going on
a show. It's really impressive of what they've built from scratch.
I've had trouble trying to formulate this question, but I'm
going to try to ask you, how do you separate
(09:28):
team in city history? Regarding football. For example, I'm a
Colts fan from Indy, and obviously the Colts used to
be in Baltimore. So do I view the history of
the Colts before eighty four as Baltimore claim or Indianapolis claimed?
Do part of history? You can ask similar questions with
the Browns, the Raiders, and the Rams. What city claims
team history? It's a complicated question. I do think if
(09:52):
the move happened before you were born and the team
claims it, It's like if you're a Laker fan and
they say they have whatever twenty titles or whatever that
number is eighteen. Some of those are from when you know,
when they were in Minnesota. I don't even know when
they moved. The sixties. Yeah, I mean, if you want
(10:14):
to claim that, some people will make fun of you.
I don't care. Now if you're the Raider, Like if
you're a Vegas Raider fan, it depends. Like if you're
an Oakland Raider fan and you're like sixty years old,
you can claim everything. Right if you're like fifteen years
old and you live in Vegas and you're a Raider
fan now because they moved, are you claiming, like rich Gannon,
(10:35):
That's where it gets weird if you're a Rams fan
in LA and you're like thirty years old, Like you
don't get to pound your chest about Kurt Warner and
Marshall Folk. So I just think it depends. It's a
good question. I also think those type things are kind
of I mean, that's like really nerdy argument when you're
(10:57):
either really drunk or you just got way too much
time on your hands. Like to me, when when I
close my eyes and think the Colts, I think Harbaugh
in the nineties they actually drafted Marshall Folk, Peyton Manning
Luck It Also, you're right, I mean, it depends how
(11:18):
to hold you. Johnny uniteds big fan of the show.
How does a team draft board look? Does a team
have a list of four hundred players ranked or is
it more like a board with a few players at
each team's projected pick with who they are happy to draft.
Curious to hear your teams organize the board. Well, you
wouldn't have it like organized by each pick because you
(11:38):
could trade a lot. So you usually do it. You know,
some teams do it by whether you're like a starter,
a backup, or you know, a fringe guy. Most teams
probably do it by rounds the board that they kind
of go off during the draft. When I was with
(12:02):
the Eagles, we probably had more players than most teams.
I always heard stories that the Patriots didn't have many players.
I don't think it's four hundred. I would guess I'd
have to text some people. Most a good team like
the Chiefs or the Ravens would probably have a couple
(12:26):
hundred players up there. Now, they are going to be
players that you go, hey, this guy is gonna get
drafted in the second round. This guy's going to be
a fourth round pick, give or take right, you know,
going into the draft, like, this guy's a draftable player
and could get drafted in the top one hundred picks,
but he's not a scheme fit. He doesn't character, no issues.
It's like, this guy does not fit our team, so
(12:49):
you could not put him on the board if you wanted. Again,
there are dynamics with the owner, you know, if you
don't have a magnet, it's like, did we valuate this guy?
And the owner looks at everybody, so that there are
a lot of different variables, but four hundred be a
lot because you don't have four hundred guys in the
draft that you would want, you would only have the
(13:10):
guys up on the board that you would want a draft.
So I think that number probably somewhere between one to
seventy five and two fifty, maybe maybe closer to in
the high twos because of undrafted free agents as well,
(13:31):
Like you do get a lot of names in like
the fifth, sixth, seventh round, and maybe you have less
in the first couple rounds, So it can be weighted
like it's it should be really hard to be a
top one hundred player where it's like most guys that
are draft eligible that are kind of like in the
mix to get drafted, there're gonna be a ton of
guys in the sixth, seventh and undrafted free agent range.
(13:53):
There's always a shitload of players there. So I also
think the I know the Eagles, I think they have
a big digital board. So many things are going digitally
now that when I was there, we had the magnet
and you'd print it out and you kind of paste
it on the magnet. Those things, I mean, we're probably
(14:15):
in the next I don't know, five years max for
those not even existing. So once you get to there,
it's like it wouldn't even matter. You could just have
a board. You could have as many players in the
in the system as you want. Now, you would have
to know who you'd want a draft, so you'd have
(14:37):
to create a board. But like when you're putting it
on the wall, like he's either up there or he's
not right. If it was digitally, I can kind of
mess with that a little bit. With your background. Could
you do your own mock draft with the top five picks,
(15:00):
not what will happen, but what you think you would
do as a GM. Let's do it right now. We'll
just do a quick one. Titans, I would take quarterback.
They don't have a quarterback. Their quarterback positions a joke.
Their division sucks. If cam Ward just turns out to
be like pretty good, doesn't even need to be like
(15:21):
some star. If he's just a top fifteen quarterback, you'd
be in pretty good shape. So I think, I mean,
who's the best quarterback they've had, like the last twenty years.
It's like Ryan Tannehill. So I would take him at two. Listen,
I have a lot of respect for Travis Hunter, but
we talk about this over and over, and assuming he's healthy,
(15:43):
which I saw he got medically rechecked and they said
it's healing. Well, I mean, let's face it, he's got
a foot issue. So if the foot issue is a
question mark, then clearly you take Travis Hunter. But assuming health,
which you know Drew Rosenhouse, of course he's gonna say
he's good if he's healthy, I would take Abdual Carter
over Hunter. And at three i'd take Travis Hunter if
(16:05):
I was the Giant. So if I was the Browns,
I'd take Carter in despec Well, you already have Miles Garrett. Well,
now I got two of them. Good luck passing against us.
Travis Hunter three would be the easiest pick of all time.
I don't know what the Patriots would do because there
was a clear drop off. I wouldn't overthink it that much.
Like you know, I think there are a lot of
(16:26):
question marks. Calvin Banks, the offensive lineman from Texas, Will
Campbell the arm length, because if he does become a
guard over the next couple of years, you would really
regret taking him at four. Overall, even if he's a
good player, I'd probably just take like, I don't know,
Mason Graham, maybe defensive tackle from Michigan. Jaggs. Shit, I
(16:50):
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Speaker 1 (18:25):
Uh Travis Hunter being a two way player and made
me wonder why don't more teams in the NFL have
offensive packages for dbs. After all, they are typically the
fastest and most most athletic players on the field. You're
assuming they can catch. Usually they play defensive back for
a reason. They're not exactly Jamar Chase or Ceedee Lamb
when it comes to their hands. So I think most
(18:46):
of these guys don't have great hands, And well, yeah,
there are a lot of them are fast. Most of
the wide receivers are fast too. So unless you're like
Dion was clearly the fastest guy on the field, what
Dion ran go routes? Like, what routes are these running?
They're used to backpedaling, you know, as a wide receiver.
You have to you're running forward and then cutting right,
(19:07):
left or back. So are they training to run round?
Do they have good hands? Most of them, I would
say average at best, and they're not training to run routes.
So unless you're an absolute Blazer, you know Travis Hunter
runs place. He's played white, he's been playing wide receiver
throughout college. Most of those guys haven't played wide receiver
(19:28):
since high school, when clearly they were the best player
on the field. So I get what you're saying, but
I think it's a little more complicated in practice than
it is in theory. I love the pod. All signs
point to the forty nine ers paying party, but my
question is this, if Sanders is there at eleven, why
(19:48):
would they not take them? I think Brock is solid,
but there are clearly limitations and do we do not
envision the Niners beating the top teams in the NFC
unless their team is stacked like it was the past
few years. It is highly unlikely the roster will be
as good again unless party is willing to make twenty
or thirty million, but even then it's still unlikely. Why
(20:08):
not reset with a rookie contract and go with Sanders
and see if he fits the Shanahan system or no.
I think he fits the Shanahan system extremely well. If
you think Sanders is ready, trade Party now for draft capital.
And if you don't think he's ready, let him sit
for a year. Well, Purty plays out the last year
of his contract. If the Titans k new right now
that Shadoor Sanders would be as good as Brock Party,
(20:30):
they would draft Shador Sanders over cam Worere. The notion
that Shador Sanders will be as good as Brock Party
to me is you're right about the business element to
reset the franchise from a contract standpoint. Now, Purty, you
know he's been really cheap, uh Shadoor, I'd pick eleven,
I don't know what, probably make twenty five million dollars
(20:51):
signing bonus. Maybe a little less, but like four or
five million dollars a year. I mean, Party was making
like a million a year. It's just the unknown of
that position. You just can't do it. You can't. And
I do think they're gonna get pretty I bet he
ends up playing for less than people think. Would be
my guess. But like teams in the NFC, I mean,
(21:12):
dak Prescott was making forty million dollars for three years
and they won twelve games. Jalen Hurts makes a shitload
of money. They just won the Super Bowl. Jared Gobs
on a massive contract like this is on Kyle and John.
But build up the team perty's proven. If the team's
good enough, you can win. Lions, Eagles, Rams, Cowboys not
(21:33):
last year, but they've all had high priced quarterbacks and
they've won. Question about the Broncos. My question is around
teams who really like a player, say a round pick
ten to twelve, like the Broncos did last year, but
the players rated as a second round quarterback or a
great If you really think that player is great, why
(21:55):
not take him with the first pick, knowing he's going
to be an immediate starter. Sure, it'll cost you a
bit more and you'll probably not get a great draft grade.
But look at the Lions a few years ago. They
drafted Gibbs well before people thought because he was a
perfect fit. I just don't understand why they take the
chance on someone else drafting the player. Why don't think
the Broncos viewed bo Nicks as a second round player.
(22:18):
I think they viewed bo Nicks as one of the
best players in the draft. I think the Lions came
out and admitted, like, if we couldn't have got a
trade partner, we were ready to take him at pick six.
So but there's a value, right why the Lions trade
from six to twelve because they were pretty confident that
Gibbs was still going to be there. If you are
(22:40):
negotiating right now, I'm sure young people are listening that
eventually you're either looking for a home or one day
hopefully be able to buy a home. Well, you know,
if just the Holmes listed for a five hundred k
or eight hundred k or one million dollars, you don't
have to pay that, and maybe depending on the supply
and demand, and get it for cheaper, or maybe you
(23:01):
got to pay more less a draft. So it's like,
this guy's my favorite player in the draft, but I'm
pretty confident he's going to be there at pick forty five.
I wouldn't take the guy at pick fourteen. That's fucking
terrible business. But if I love Jackson Dart and I
think he's worth the I like him somewhere twenty to thirty,
(23:25):
but I'm drafting at pick fourteen. But I don't draft
again until the middle of the second round. I better
highly contemplate taking him at fourteen because he's not going
to be there when I pick at fifty. This is
an economic exercise when you pick players. So what you
said is one hundred percent correct. If you love a
player and you're like, well, this is a little rich,
(23:47):
Like I don't think anyone's going to take him the
next five picks, but he's probably going to go in
the next fifteen picks, and we don't draft again for
thirty picks, and we don't have any amo to trade
back up. You got to think about taking that guy. Then,
depending on the position, it's like, well, is he a
wide receiver? You can find another wide receivers. If we're
talking quarterback, you better be willing to pull the trigger.
(24:08):
So like, yeah, a lot of people at second round
grades on Bonix clearly, I mean, that's not a lie.
But the Broncos didn't and Sean Payton, and I also
think it's easier, you know, when you're Sean Payton, when
you're Andy Reid, when you're Sean McVay, Like, I don't
give a shit what John Middlecop's gonna say about me.
(24:29):
What Field Yates or Matt Miller or Dane Brugler or
Lewis Riddick or anyone that likes talking about the draft
is going to say a couple of days after me,
it does not mel kiper I don't give a flying
you know what. But if you're some new don't have
(24:50):
many pelts on the wall like the Jets. Can the
Jets just get crazy, you better be careful. Look at
Raheem Morris last year, like that was a little clunky,
weird situation. And let's face it already feels a little
weird going into your two. Now, if if a guy,
if Mike Tomlin had done that, it's like, yeah, he's
been doing this for fifteen, seventeen, eighteen, twenty years. So
(25:14):
it kind of depends on your status of where you stand.
Like whatever Kevin O'Connell wanted to do, whether it was
Keith Sam Darnold, whether it was signed Aaron Rodgers, whether
it's go JJ Like he's kind of earn the benefit
of doubt. Two of the last three years have been
really good, Like we think he knows what he's doing.
I'm trying to think of a rent. Could Mike McDaniel
(25:34):
pull that off, probably not, even though they both have
the same amount of playoff wins zero. What about the
Chargers trading for Michael Mayer, the tight end the Raiders
draft that it thirty five two years ago. I bet
Pete is wanting to grab more picks, maybe a fourth
rounder of ours. I think Pete went to the Seahawks.
(25:54):
He traded Marshawn for a fourth He traded for Marshawn
he did. I just don't think the Raiders are trading
with the Chargers. It's one thing on the clock or
during the draft to make trades with picks. I don't
think you're trading a player Pete Carroll's doing a deal
with Jim Harball. I just and I don't think you can. Like,
(26:18):
if you're the Raiders and you are willing to trade
Mayor to another team, you're not trading to Sean Bayton
or Jim Harbaugh or Andy Reid. He just not getting
traded there. Could you trade him the Jets or something?
For sure, you keep him in the AFC, but you're
not trading him to one of those teams unless they're
willing to give you a super high pick, and they're
(26:39):
just not going to love the pod listening all the
way from the UK. I appreciate you. My question is,
how did you meet Coward and build a good relationship
with him? I think I met him on I don't
think I met him through Twitter. I think we DMD
probably like two thousand fourteen ish, fifteen ish maybe, and
(27:03):
he had me on it. It would have been fourteen
because I went on his ESPN radio show for several years.
He would just have me on as a guest and then, yeah,
that's I think we met online. Slid into my DM,
so I slid into his because when I was doing
(27:24):
radio stuff, Phil Savage and Lewis Riddick were working at
ESPN and they would go on Coward show. So he
started following me, and you know, there was a lot
of connections there and Colin just liked football, so started
having me on. You know what's crazy is like you
go on a show now it's a television show. Back
(27:45):
then you would just call in and this isn't that
long ago. There's like fourteen and fifteen at ESPN Radio
and he was their biggest radio star. Shows you how
much shit has changed. I mean, you listen to ESPN
Radio now, fucking thing's gonna fold. Okay, Joshua, I'm a
Lions fan, and it feels like Brad Holmes is betting
on continually or betting on continuity this year, basically running
(28:09):
it back. A lot of fans wanted a splash move,
especially at edge, but with upcoming extensions for Hutchinson, Branch
and Kirby, I get why they're playing it safe. Curious
to hear your take. Do you prefer the long term
window approach, keeping the roster deep and sustainable for multiple shots,
but would you lean toward going all in? Listen, I
(28:32):
always I will always support any GM that wants to
take a very very bold move, trading a bunch of
picks for an established player. The Rams did it multiple times.
You know, teams that have traded for Tyreek Hill and
DeVante Adams. Like, I always understand why these moves happen,
(28:53):
but it takes two to tango. Like the reason that
DeVante Adams ended up on the Raiders is because, like
the Packers were willing to trade him. The reason the
Niners land at Christian McCaffrey is like he was available.
So I hate and listen, I talked about this too.
It's like, go get Miles Garrett or Max Crosby. Well,
those two guys got to combine like two hundred and
(29:14):
fifty million dollars. They clearly were not available. If Miles
Garrett was available and they didn't make if not the
best offer, like one of the best offers, then yeah,
I think you could be critical of him. Both those
guys resigned, and those were the two guys we kept
talking about who else, Like who else you trading for?
So I have a hard time criticizing them at all.
(29:38):
I just don't. I don't think there was any available options.
Another Lions fan question, I feel like we're totally underrated
and overlooked. Why are they easy to disrespect? Was it
the history golf kneecaps? I think your guys are pretty
highly thought of. I think when people say best teams
(29:59):
in the NFC, Eagles are unanum's first pick right now.
I feel like the Lions are really really high up there.
It's like you get a little pass this year, a
million injuries. Now do you think it's fair? Two new coordinators?
But they got to have one of the best rosters
in the NFL. I mean, all the guys are coming back.
I think your history for sure. I mean, you guys
(30:21):
are pretty bad for a long time, can't help. But
I don't think it's I think i'd be pretty excited
if I was a Lions fan. Why is nobody talking
about the Commanders as a candidate for a sophomore slump.
They remind me of the Texans last year coming off
(30:42):
a great season. Rookie head coach and quarterback Dan Quinn's
not a rookie head coach. But I hear what you're saying.
I know the Commanders made it the title game, but
the Texans also won a playoff game in their first
year the NFC. The NFC East will have three good
teams and the Commanders are on a second schedule, so
it feels like they are poised for some regression. Not
(31:03):
to mention everyone having more film on Jaden, progression is
not linear. I do think it's hard to guess regression teams.
Like I looked at the Texans this year, I thought
they were gonna be good. They add daneil Hunter. You
just thought like they were poised, you know, CJ would
(31:25):
take a next step. It turns out their offensive line sucked.
What's his name? Tank Dell shatters his leg again, they
clearly would just warned it they couldn't run the ball.
I didn't see that coming. I mean, I had a
bet on them to have the number one overall seat.
So I guess sometimes it's like socks, you gotta when
(31:47):
everyone is betting, you gotta fade. I almost I had been.
I have a little bet on Rory, but I was
going to place one of the biggest wages I ever
have made on a golf tournament, at least on an
individual to win the last twenty four hours. But everything
I listened to was like, Roy's gonna win the Masters.
(32:09):
Roy's gonna win the Masters, Roy's gonna win the Masters,
and listen, I've lived long enough. When everyone thinks one
thing is gonna happen when it comes to sports, when
it comes to stocks, when it comes to just betting
on something, that's usually when you get cautious. Like when
everyone's freaking out stock market, that's when you buy. Now
(32:30):
everyone's freaking out, like the dolphins are probably gonna suck,
Like I agree, but it was like I don't. So
I got cold feet and I didn't do it. And
I'm glad because we double bogie too. The last like
four holes and shut even par But the Commanders are
gonna be one of those teams that everyone's gonna pick
(32:53):
next year to be really really good. It's like, I'm
not gonna I kind of agree, Like we have two
years now out of Jaden playing at a high level.
LSU two years ago dominated SEC best player in the
country by far last year. I mean, it was pretty
remarkable to watch, and to me, it's not just like
freelance plays like Deshaun when he was at Houston had
(33:16):
like his breakout years. He was really good, but a
lot of it was like outside the pocket he was
a great playmaker. He was just a great instinctive playmaker
outside the tackles, a little like Russell Wilson. He was.
He was like a young version of prime Russell Wilson.
Immediately DeShawn was, but that's not that sustainable all the time,
(33:38):
and then he lost his mojo and those plays don't
happen anymore. You watch him now, he sucks. Jayden is
not like some Russell Wilson. Deshaun Watson freelance player stood
him in the pocket throw darts like he's Mahomes or
Josh Allen or Matt Stafford. So It's like the way
he plays now. You would say the same thing for CJ.
(33:59):
CJ was a pocket quarterback and it just it was
just off. But Kingsbury has been calling plays for a
lot longer now. His scheme makes me a little nervous.
But Yad Debo, Yad Tunsil, Terry's a really good player.
You think their defense is gonna be better. I mean,
dan Quinn's been doing this for a long time. I
(34:22):
could see this happening them not being in the NFC
title game but having another playoff year. Here's my theory
(34:42):
as to why every as to why people are so
worked up over the NIL, it has everything to do
with fans investment in a singular team. I would argue
that ninety percent of college football fans are captivated with
one team, and they know about the other teams through
the media that they consume and watching games. As someone
(35:04):
who doesn't have a strong allegiance to a huge school,
I think it makes perfect sense if you are way
less worried about NIL. I totally agree, and I think
you're right right. I mean, most people I know that
are diehard fans of a given team, A decent amount
of them went to that school, or they grew up
(35:24):
either in that area or their dad or parents or
someone went to that school. Right, You're right, they have
a connection. So who's not freaking out about nil Texas fans,
Ohio State fans, Oregon fans like there is, Michigan fans,
Penn State fans, like all the teams buying all the
(35:45):
sweet players, Miami fans, Georgia fans, not really losing anybody
beside the top, like six seven teams. Notre Dame feels
like pretty cocky right now, Bama, LSU, some of these
other teams kind of just feel a little on edge.
It's like this this used to be a little easier USC,
right And obviously if you're a fan of like that
(36:06):
second tier like Wisconsin, Iowa, I'm trying to think, you know,
Boston College, I don't even know. I wouldn't put them
on equal, but you know what i mean, it's like,
got is this a Missippi State? Is this a fair fight?
And the answer is no, So I'm totally with you.
Like if it was the NFL, if Steeler fans like, hey, hey,
(36:30):
this offseason TJ and Minca just left. Minca signed with
the Kansay Chiefs, and TJ went to the rams like
what are you talking about. I'm like, oh, yeah, the
the NFL for a year out of the transfer portal
and your contract doesn't count. You'd be like what, people
(36:52):
would be furious. So I think I think you hit
the nail on the head. And as someone that like
you said, I don't have allegiance to any of these schools.
I macal Pauly Fresnel State guy, I feel for Fresne State,
but I also don't really feel bad like they, you know,
the Fresno States just aren't on the tier with these
(37:13):
other programs. I honestly like I would have had no problem.
Now Boyse deserved to make it last year, but like they,
the non Power four should not get a guaranteed seat
at the table. I'd even argue, like the Big Twelve,
you shouldn't be guaranteed. A team in Arizona State showed
(37:34):
out well and I respect them what they did last year,
but I think on a yearly basis, if you go
like ten and three, just because you win the Big
Twelve doesn't mean that you get a seat at the table.
If you say the same thing for the ACC, it
was pretty bad last year. Now, if you're if you
are a Miami fan or a fan of one of
these other programs, you'd be like, shut up, John, we're
(37:57):
getting automatic bids. We should get multiple teams. It's like, yeah, okay,
I hear you. Well, then I watch SMU play Penn
State and look like JV vers Varsity, Like I don't
want to watch that. I care about being entertained, So
I hear you. Good email, have a great day, audios,
and enjoy the weekend. The volume
The volume. What is happening everybody? How are we doing?
John Middlecoff three and out podcast. Hopefully everyone is having
a good Friday. And the game plan today it will
(00:25):
be a little thing we call the Middlecoff mail Bag.
We're gonna empty the clip here, do a big, big
mail bag. So at John Middlecoff. At John Middlecoff is
the Instagram. Fire in those dms. We're doing a big
mail bag. It's Fugazi Friday, but we're gonna be happy today.
No fugazis today because it's Master's weekend and I'm just
gonna bang out a bunch of mail bag questions. So
(00:47):
fire in those dms. We'll get you next week. It's
obviously a little slower time in the lead up to
the draft. Uh So fire in those dms and get
your question answered here on the show. But before we
dive in, you know, I gotta tell you about my friends,
my partners in the official ticketing app of this podcast,
Game Time, best ticketing app I've ever used by a mile.
We got baseball in full swing, NBA playoffs, NHL Playoffs.
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download that app. You can search by venue. You can
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So take the guests. We're out of buying tickets with
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app today last minute, take as lowest price guaranteed. Okay, guys,
let's start with this question. Oh, some nice words, huge
(01:54):
Bills fan, very proud of our team despite not coming
through when it mattered. My question is about coaching during
the game. Obviously we were having trouble with the tush
push versus the Chiefs on the pivotal fourth and one.
Who's making the call in that scenario? Is it Brady
or is it McDermott or is it Joe and McDermott
(02:14):
approving it in real time? I think the thing that
makes football so fascinating that that is a question that
the only people that know that answer, like Josh Allen
probably doesn't even know that answer, right, they have to
buzz in to get to the headset. That could be
just the offensive coaching staff, I would imagine during the week.
(02:34):
I think it's fair to assume that they thought, and
rightfully so, that Josh Allen, who's a thoroughbred, could convert
short yarded situations and it was not working in that game. Now,
late in the game, I think there were multiple spots
in the second half. Does Brady go, hey, coach, you
(02:54):
still like this quarterback sneaks or do you want to
try something else? Very possible? Could it be just like McDermott,
lets him call the game and if he's got an opinion,
Hey Joe, let's, uh, let's mix in a screen pass.
Hey Joe, let's let's mix in a play action bootleg. Sure,
I mean, he's the boss. I don't know. That's a
(03:15):
great question. I think because they kept running it, I
think it's fair to assume that Brady he just let
Brady call the game, because if they would have tried
something else, you would think that he would have chimed
in on the headset, like, hey, let's throw a curveball here.
But not only did they not throw a curveball. They
(03:36):
were like throwing BP fastballs. Mike Carolina Panther fan here.
I know we're still owned by Tepper and had the
worst defense statistically in NFL history. I did not know that.
But have we graduated from the little porta potty Panthers.
It was a roller coaster for Canalis and even Bryce.
(04:00):
It did look like a real player in the last
nine weeks, and it seems like him and Dan Morgan
and the GM are aligned. What are your thoughts for
those of you knew to the show early on in
the year, when they look like one of the worst
teams in the history of the sport. I nicknamed them
the porta potty Panthers because they were so smelly, you know,
(04:23):
like when you get into a porta potty in the
summer and that humidity and that heat, and even if
you just need to take a leak and you look
down and the toilet seats up and there's like Mount
Everest down there of just just disgustingness and that smell
when you're trapped in there, even if it's just for
thirty or seconds or forty five seconds. I remember a
(04:44):
couple of years ago, I went to Morgan walling at
Chase Field in the heat of summer in Arizona and
the Porta potties. I mean it was rough, man, it
was rough. I saw one of the amateurs today at
the Masters. He's actually from Arizona State. He's a Spanish kid.
He went, he took a piss into the creek on
(05:07):
like the thirteenth hole, which I can't imagine. Augusta was
cool with, but he said he really had to pee
and he did it. So I would say, yes, you
graduated from the Porta Ponte Panthers, And to me, the
coolest part if I'm a Panther fan, your team roster
wise pretty shitty last year should be vastly improved. Now
(05:28):
does that mean nine to ten wins? I don't know,
but it did look early in the season like Bryce
Young was headed to the UFL. Yeah, I mean it
looked like he was an all time bust. Now I
don't know if he's ever going to live up to
being the number one player in the NFL draft, but
he was really good. I watched a decent amount of
(05:48):
you guys down the stretch like he was a good player.
So listen, you don't start from Nick Saban for multiple
seasons without being really mentally tough, Like I'm not the
biggest to a guy as a player, I respect his
metal toughness. If you play for Nick and start at
(06:09):
any position, let alone quarterback, like you got some serious
shit to you. And I think Bryce kind of proved
that last year of like not getting rid of me
this easy. You think I'm gonna fucking tap out, So
congrats to him. What are your thoughts on a head
coach and coordinator switching roles on a different team like
(06:30):
Staley and Kellen Moore, who is the OC and head
coach of the Chargers now more and Staley are the
head coach and the DC for the Saints. I just
think it's like a little ice scratch your back, you
scratch my back. You know, it's a unique business where
there aren't that many jobs. They're only thirty two head coach,
DC and OC jobs. So when a guy takes care
(06:53):
of you when you get fired, it does feel like
guys take care of them on the On the reverse,
I think, Hilia Kellen Moore, I'm a big fan. I
Brandon Staley's one of my biggest red flags in my life,
any walk of life, any industry politics included. But he
(07:17):
took Kara call care of Kellen, so I think Kellen
kind of paid him back. I would not have done that.
I'd hire someone I didn't know who's good, but Kellen
hired him. I don't even think Brandon says I could
have a defensive coordinator. He had one good year as
a defensive coordinator with the Rams when they had Aaron
Donald in the prime of his career. Who's basically like
(07:38):
Reggie White or Lawrence Taylor and Jalen Ramsey in the
COVID season. But and you gotta be careful, like if
the defensive coordinator sucks, you're an offensive head coach as
the play caller and gets you in trouble. Wonder if
you watch McAfee and The Big Night Show. I'm a
fan and love the show, great guests, huge giveaways. Are
(08:01):
you a McAfee fan, And if you think, and if
you watch the event, what do you think? I have
a lot of admiration for what he's built. I mean,
he started this thing from scratch, and he's built something
that Disney has no control over. What a fucking legend.
And he's brought his buddies with him. Now am I
(08:24):
like a daily watcher. I'm not. There are certain interviews
I definitely watch of him. I did watch some last night.
I clicked on it. When Whiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg
came out, I'm like, this is awesome. I mean Pat
and Snoop they were high. They were higher than a kite.
I mean Snoops handing Pat and passed like dancing. I'm like,
(08:46):
this is dude. Sold out an arena had Whiz Khalifa
and Snoop Dogg getting high on stage. I was like,
this guy man. And I watched when Parker McCollum came out,
and then Sidney Crosby and Roethlisberger. So yeah, I got
a lot of respect. And when the traditional media hates you,
(09:06):
I'm just naturally gonna like you because I usually disagree
and hate everything they like. And it does feel like
that all those type hate Pat. Like Pat's built something
like people love going on a show, love going on
a show. It's really impressive of what they've built from scratch.
I've had trouble trying to formulate this question, but I'm
going to try to ask you, how do you separate
(09:28):
team in city history? Regarding football. For example, I'm a
Colts fan from Indy, and obviously the Colts used to
be in Baltimore. So do I view the history of
the Colts before eighty four as Baltimore claim or Indianapolis claimed?
Do part of history? You can ask similar questions with
the Browns, the Raiders, and the Rams. What city claims
team history? It's a complicated question. I do think if
(09:52):
the move happened before you were born and the team
claims it, It's like if you're a Laker fan and
they say they have whatever twenty titles or whatever that
number is eighteen. Some of those are from when you know,
when they were in Minnesota. I don't even know when
they moved. The sixties. Yeah, I mean, if you want
(10:14):
to claim that, some people will make fun of you.
I don't care. Now if you're the Raider, Like if
you're a Vegas Raider fan, it depends. Like if you're
an Oakland Raider fan and you're like sixty years old,
you can claim everything. Right if you're like fifteen years
old and you live in Vegas and you're a Raider
fan now because they moved, are you claiming, like rich Gannon,
(10:35):
That's where it gets weird if you're a Rams fan
in LA and you're like thirty years old, Like you
don't get to pound your chest about Kurt Warner and
Marshall Folk. So I just think it depends. It's a
good question. I also think those type things are kind
of I mean, that's like really nerdy argument when you're
(10:57):
either really drunk or you just got way too much
time on your hands. Like to me, when when I
close my eyes and think the Colts, I think Harbaugh
in the nineties they actually drafted Marshall Folk, Peyton Manning
Luck It Also, you're right, I mean, it depends how
(11:18):
to hold you. Johnny uniteds big fan of the show.
How does a team draft board look? Does a team
have a list of four hundred players ranked or is
it more like a board with a few players at
each team's projected pick with who they are happy to draft.
Curious to hear your teams organize the board. Well, you
wouldn't have it like organized by each pick because you
(11:38):
could trade a lot. So you usually do it. You know,
some teams do it by whether you're like a starter,
a backup, or you know, a fringe guy. Most teams
probably do it by rounds the board that they kind
of go off during the draft. When I was with
(12:02):
the Eagles, we probably had more players than most teams.
I always heard stories that the Patriots didn't have many players.
I don't think it's four hundred. I would guess I'd
have to text some people. Most a good team like
the Chiefs or the Ravens would probably have a couple
(12:26):
hundred players up there. Now, they are going to be
players that you go, hey, this guy is gonna get
drafted in the second round. This guy's going to be
a fourth round pick, give or take right, you know,
going into the draft, like, this guy's a draftable player
and could get drafted in the top one hundred picks,
but he's not a scheme fit. He doesn't character, no issues.
It's like, this guy does not fit our team, so
(12:49):
you could not put him on the board if you wanted. Again,
there are dynamics with the owner, you know, if you
don't have a magnet, it's like, did we valuate this guy?
And the owner looks at everybody, so that there are
a lot of different variables, but four hundred be a
lot because you don't have four hundred guys in the
draft that you would want, you would only have the
(13:10):
guys up on the board that you would want a draft.
So I think that number probably somewhere between one to
seventy five and two fifty, maybe maybe closer to in
the high twos because of undrafted free agents as well,
(13:31):
Like you do get a lot of names in like
the fifth, sixth, seventh round, and maybe you have less
in the first couple rounds, So it can be weighted
like it's it should be really hard to be a
top one hundred player where it's like most guys that
are draft eligible that are kind of like in the
mix to get drafted, there're gonna be a ton of
guys in the sixth, seventh and undrafted free agent range.
(13:53):
There's always a shitload of players there. So I also
think the I know the Eagles, I think they have
a big digital board. So many things are going digitally
now that when I was there, we had the magnet
and you'd print it out and you kind of paste
it on the magnet. Those things, I mean, we're probably
(14:15):
in the next I don't know, five years max for
those not even existing. So once you get to there,
it's like it wouldn't even matter. You could just have
a board. You could have as many players in the
in the system as you want. Now, you would have
to know who you'd want a draft, so you'd have
(14:37):
to create a board. But like when you're putting it
on the wall, like he's either up there or he's
not right. If it was digitally, I can kind of
mess with that a little bit. With your background. Could
you do your own mock draft with the top five picks,
(15:00):
not what will happen, but what you think you would
do as a GM. Let's do it right now. We'll
just do a quick one. Titans, I would take quarterback.
They don't have a quarterback. Their quarterback positions a joke.
Their division sucks. If cam Ward just turns out to
be like pretty good, doesn't even need to be like
(15:21):
some star. If he's just a top fifteen quarterback, you'd
be in pretty good shape. So I think, I mean,
who's the best quarterback they've had, like the last twenty years.
It's like Ryan Tannehill. So I would take him at two. Listen,
I have a lot of respect for Travis Hunter, but
we talk about this over and over, and assuming he's healthy,
(15:43):
which I saw he got medically rechecked and they said
it's healing. Well, I mean, let's face it, he's got
a foot issue. So if the foot issue is a
question mark, then clearly you take Travis Hunter. But assuming health,
which you know Drew Rosenhouse, of course he's gonna say
he's good if he's healthy, I would take Abdual Carter
over Hunter. And at three i'd take Travis Hunter if
(16:05):
I was the Giant. So if I was the Browns,
I'd take Carter in despec Well, you already have Miles Garrett. Well,
now I got two of them. Good luck passing against us.
Travis Hunter three would be the easiest pick of all time.
I don't know what the Patriots would do because there
was a clear drop off. I wouldn't overthink it that much.
Like you know, I think there are a lot of
(16:26):
question marks. Calvin Banks, the offensive lineman from Texas, Will
Campbell the arm length, because if he does become a
guard over the next couple of years, you would really
regret taking him at four. Overall, even if he's a
good player, I'd probably just take like, I don't know,
Mason Graham, maybe defensive tackle from Michigan. Jaggs. Shit, I
(16:50):
don't know the top four. Hey for the jacket is
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Speaker 1 (18:25):
Uh Travis Hunter being a two way player and made
me wonder why don't more teams in the NFL have
offensive packages for dbs. After all, they are typically the
fastest and most most athletic players on the field. You're
assuming they can catch. Usually they play defensive back for
a reason. They're not exactly Jamar Chase or Ceedee Lamb
when it comes to their hands. So I think most
(18:46):
of these guys don't have great hands, And well, yeah,
there are a lot of them are fast. Most of
the wide receivers are fast too. So unless you're like
Dion was clearly the fastest guy on the field, what
Dion ran go routes? Like, what routes are these running?
They're used to backpedaling, you know, as a wide receiver.
You have to you're running forward and then cutting right,
(19:07):
left or back. So are they training to run round?
Do they have good hands? Most of them, I would
say average at best, and they're not training to run routes.
So unless you're an absolute Blazer, you know Travis Hunter
runs place. He's played white, he's been playing wide receiver
throughout college. Most of those guys haven't played wide receiver
(19:28):
since high school, when clearly they were the best player
on the field. So I get what you're saying, but
I think it's a little more complicated in practice than
it is in theory. I love the pod. All signs
point to the forty nine ers paying party, but my
question is this, if Sanders is there at eleven, why
(19:48):
would they not take them? I think Brock is solid,
but there are clearly limitations and do we do not
envision the Niners beating the top teams in the NFC
unless their team is stacked like it was the past
few years. It is highly unlikely the roster will be
as good again unless party is willing to make twenty
or thirty million, but even then it's still unlikely. Why
(20:08):
not reset with a rookie contract and go with Sanders
and see if he fits the Shanahan system or no.
I think he fits the Shanahan system extremely well. If
you think Sanders is ready, trade Party now for draft capital.
And if you don't think he's ready, let him sit
for a year. Well, Purty plays out the last year
of his contract. If the Titans k new right now
that Shadoor Sanders would be as good as Brock Party,
(20:30):
they would draft Shador Sanders over cam Worere. The notion
that Shador Sanders will be as good as Brock Party
to me is you're right about the business element to
reset the franchise from a contract standpoint. Now, Purty, you
know he's been really cheap, uh Shadoor, I'd pick eleven,
I don't know what, probably make twenty five million dollars
(20:51):
signing bonus. Maybe a little less, but like four or
five million dollars a year. I mean, Party was making
like a million a year. It's just the unknown of
that position. You just can't do it. You can't. And
I do think they're gonna get pretty I bet he
ends up playing for less than people think. Would be
my guess. But like teams in the NFC, I mean,
(21:12):
dak Prescott was making forty million dollars for three years
and they won twelve games. Jalen Hurts makes a shitload
of money. They just won the Super Bowl. Jared Gobs
on a massive contract like this is on Kyle and John.
But build up the team perty's proven. If the team's
good enough, you can win. Lions, Eagles, Rams, Cowboys not
(21:33):
last year, but they've all had high priced quarterbacks and
they've won. Question about the Broncos. My question is around
teams who really like a player, say a round pick
ten to twelve, like the Broncos did last year, but
the players rated as a second round quarterback or a
great If you really think that player is great, why
(21:55):
not take him with the first pick, knowing he's going
to be an immediate starter. Sure, it'll cost you a
bit more and you'll probably not get a great draft grade.
But look at the Lions a few years ago. They
drafted Gibbs well before people thought because he was a
perfect fit. I just don't understand why they take the
chance on someone else drafting the player. Why don't think
the Broncos viewed bo Nicks as a second round player.
(22:18):
I think they viewed bo Nicks as one of the
best players in the draft. I think the Lions came
out and admitted, like, if we couldn't have got a
trade partner, we were ready to take him at pick six.
So but there's a value, right why the Lions trade
from six to twelve because they were pretty confident that
Gibbs was still going to be there. If you are
(22:40):
negotiating right now, I'm sure young people are listening that
eventually you're either looking for a home or one day
hopefully be able to buy a home. Well, you know,
if just the Holmes listed for a five hundred k
or eight hundred k or one million dollars, you don't
have to pay that, and maybe depending on the supply
and demand, and get it for cheaper, or maybe you
(23:01):
got to pay more less a draft. So it's like,
this guy's my favorite player in the draft, but I'm
pretty confident he's going to be there at pick forty five.
I wouldn't take the guy at pick fourteen. That's fucking
terrible business. But if I love Jackson Dart and I
think he's worth the I like him somewhere twenty to thirty,
(23:25):
but I'm drafting at pick fourteen. But I don't draft
again until the middle of the second round. I better
highly contemplate taking him at fourteen because he's not going
to be there when I pick at fifty. This is
an economic exercise when you pick players. So what you
said is one hundred percent correct. If you love a
player and you're like, well, this is a little rich,
(23:47):
Like I don't think anyone's going to take him the
next five picks, but he's probably going to go in
the next fifteen picks, and we don't draft again for
thirty picks, and we don't have any amo to trade
back up. You got to think about taking that guy. Then,
depending on the position, it's like, well, is he a
wide receiver? You can find another wide receivers. If we're
talking quarterback, you better be willing to pull the trigger.
(24:08):
So like, yeah, a lot of people at second round
grades on Bonix clearly, I mean, that's not a lie.
But the Broncos didn't and Sean Payton, and I also
think it's easier, you know, when you're Sean Payton, when
you're Andy Reid, when you're Sean McVay, Like, I don't
give a shit what John Middlecop's gonna say about me.
(24:29):
What Field Yates or Matt Miller or Dane Brugler or
Lewis Riddick or anyone that likes talking about the draft
is going to say a couple of days after me,
it does not mel kiper I don't give a flying
you know what. But if you're some new don't have
(24:50):
many pelts on the wall like the Jets. Can the
Jets just get crazy, you better be careful. Look at
Raheem Morris last year, like that was a little clunky,
weird situation. And let's face it already feels a little
weird going into your two. Now, if if a guy,
if Mike Tomlin had done that, it's like, yeah, he's
been doing this for fifteen, seventeen, eighteen, twenty years. So
(25:14):
it kind of depends on your status of where you stand.
Like whatever Kevin O'Connell wanted to do, whether it was
Keith Sam Darnold, whether it was signed Aaron Rodgers, whether
it's go JJ Like he's kind of earn the benefit
of doubt. Two of the last three years have been
really good, Like we think he knows what he's doing.
I'm trying to think of a rent. Could Mike McDaniel
(25:34):
pull that off, probably not, even though they both have
the same amount of playoff wins zero. What about the
Chargers trading for Michael Mayer, the tight end the Raiders
draft that it thirty five two years ago. I bet
Pete is wanting to grab more picks, maybe a fourth
rounder of ours. I think Pete went to the Seahawks.
(25:54):
He traded Marshawn for a fourth He traded for Marshawn
he did. I just don't think the Raiders are trading
with the Chargers. It's one thing on the clock or
during the draft to make trades with picks. I don't
think you're trading a player Pete Carroll's doing a deal
with Jim Harball. I just and I don't think you can. Like,
(26:18):
if you're the Raiders and you are willing to trade
Mayor to another team, you're not trading to Sean Bayton
or Jim Harbaugh or Andy Reid. He just not getting
traded there. Could you trade him the Jets or something?
For sure, you keep him in the AFC, but you're
not trading him to one of those teams unless they're
willing to give you a super high pick, and they're
(26:39):
just not going to love the pod listening all the
way from the UK. I appreciate you. My question is,
how did you meet Coward and build a good relationship
with him? I think I met him on I don't
think I met him through Twitter. I think we DMD
probably like two thousand fourteen ish, fifteen ish maybe, and
(27:03):
he had me on it. It would have been fourteen
because I went on his ESPN radio show for several years.
He would just have me on as a guest and then, yeah,
that's I think we met online. Slid into my DM,
so I slid into his because when I was doing
(27:24):
radio stuff, Phil Savage and Lewis Riddick were working at
ESPN and they would go on Coward show. So he
started following me, and you know, there was a lot
of connections there and Colin just liked football, so started
having me on. You know what's crazy is like you
go on a show now it's a television show. Back
(27:45):
then you would just call in and this isn't that
long ago. There's like fourteen and fifteen at ESPN Radio
and he was their biggest radio star. Shows you how
much shit has changed. I mean, you listen to ESPN
Radio now, fucking thing's gonna fold. Okay, Joshua, I'm a
Lions fan, and it feels like Brad Holmes is betting
on continually or betting on continuity this year, basically running
(28:09):
it back. A lot of fans wanted a splash move,
especially at edge, but with upcoming extensions for Hutchinson, Branch
and Kirby, I get why they're playing it safe. Curious
to hear your take. Do you prefer the long term
window approach, keeping the roster deep and sustainable for multiple shots,
but would you lean toward going all in? Listen, I
(28:32):
always I will always support any GM that wants to
take a very very bold move, trading a bunch of
picks for an established player. The Rams did it multiple times.
You know, teams that have traded for Tyreek Hill and
DeVante Adams. Like, I always understand why these moves happen,
(28:53):
but it takes two to tango. Like the reason that
DeVante Adams ended up on the Raiders is because, like
the Packers were willing to trade him. The reason the
Niners land at Christian McCaffrey is like he was available.
So I hate and listen, I talked about this too.
It's like, go get Miles Garrett or Max Crosby. Well,
those two guys got to combine like two hundred and
(29:14):
fifty million dollars. They clearly were not available. If Miles
Garrett was available and they didn't make if not the
best offer, like one of the best offers, then yeah,
I think you could be critical of him. Both those
guys resigned, and those were the two guys we kept
talking about who else, Like who else you trading for?
So I have a hard time criticizing them at all.
(29:38):
I just don't. I don't think there was any available options.
Another Lions fan question, I feel like we're totally underrated
and overlooked. Why are they easy to disrespect? Was it
the history golf kneecaps? I think your guys are pretty
highly thought of. I think when people say best teams
(29:59):
in the NFC, Eagles are unanum's first pick right now.
I feel like the Lions are really really high up there.
It's like you get a little pass this year, a
million injuries. Now do you think it's fair? Two new coordinators?
But they got to have one of the best rosters
in the NFL. I mean, all the guys are coming back.
I think your history for sure. I mean, you guys
(30:21):
are pretty bad for a long time, can't help. But
I don't think it's I think i'd be pretty excited
if I was a Lions fan. Why is nobody talking
about the Commanders as a candidate for a sophomore slump.
They remind me of the Texans last year coming off
(30:42):
a great season. Rookie head coach and quarterback Dan Quinn's
not a rookie head coach. But I hear what you're saying.
I know the Commanders made it the title game, but
the Texans also won a playoff game in their first
year the NFC. The NFC East will have three good
teams and the Commanders are on a second schedule, so
it feels like they are poised for some regression. Not
(31:03):
to mention everyone having more film on Jaden, progression is
not linear. I do think it's hard to guess regression teams.
Like I looked at the Texans this year, I thought
they were gonna be good. They add daneil Hunter. You
just thought like they were poised, you know, CJ would
(31:25):
take a next step. It turns out their offensive line sucked.
What's his name? Tank Dell shatters his leg again, they
clearly would just warned it they couldn't run the ball.
I didn't see that coming. I mean, I had a
bet on them to have the number one overall seat.
So I guess sometimes it's like socks, you gotta when
(31:47):
everyone is betting, you gotta fade. I almost I had been.
I have a little bet on Rory, but I was
going to place one of the biggest wages I ever
have made on a golf tournament, at least on an
individual to win the last twenty four hours. But everything
I listened to was like, Roy's gonna win the Masters.
(32:09):
Roy's gonna win the Masters, Roy's gonna win the Masters,
and listen, I've lived long enough. When everyone thinks one
thing is gonna happen when it comes to sports, when
it comes to stocks, when it comes to just betting
on something, that's usually when you get cautious. Like when
everyone's freaking out stock market, that's when you buy. Now
(32:30):
everyone's freaking out, like the dolphins are probably gonna suck,
Like I agree, but it was like I don't. So
I got cold feet and I didn't do it. And
I'm glad because we double bogie too. The last like
four holes and shut even par But the Commanders are
gonna be one of those teams that everyone's gonna pick
(32:53):
next year to be really really good. It's like, I'm
not gonna I kind of agree, Like we have two
years now out of Jaden playing at a high level.
LSU two years ago dominated SEC best player in the
country by far last year. I mean, it was pretty
remarkable to watch, and to me, it's not just like
freelance plays like Deshaun when he was at Houston had
(33:16):
like his breakout years. He was really good, but a
lot of it was like outside the pocket he was
a great playmaker. He was just a great instinctive playmaker
outside the tackles, a little like Russell Wilson. He was.
He was like a young version of prime Russell Wilson.
Immediately DeShawn was, but that's not that sustainable all the time,
(33:38):
and then he lost his mojo and those plays don't
happen anymore. You watch him now, he sucks. Jayden is
not like some Russell Wilson. Deshaun Watson freelance player stood
him in the pocket throw darts like he's Mahomes or
Josh Allen or Matt Stafford. So It's like the way
he plays now. You would say the same thing for CJ.
(33:59):
CJ was a pocket quarterback and it just it was
just off. But Kingsbury has been calling plays for a
lot longer now. His scheme makes me a little nervous.
But Yad Debo, Yad Tunsil, Terry's a really good player.
You think their defense is gonna be better. I mean,
dan Quinn's been doing this for a long time. I
(34:22):
could see this happening them not being in the NFC
title game but having another playoff year. Here's my theory
(34:42):
as to why every as to why people are so
worked up over the NIL, it has everything to do
with fans investment in a singular team. I would argue
that ninety percent of college football fans are captivated with
one team, and they know about the other teams through
the media that they consume and watching games. As someone
(35:04):
who doesn't have a strong allegiance to a huge school,
I think it makes perfect sense if you are way
less worried about NIL. I totally agree, and I think
you're right right. I mean, most people I know that
are diehard fans of a given team, A decent amount
of them went to that school, or they grew up
(35:24):
either in that area or their dad or parents or
someone went to that school. Right, You're right, they have
a connection. So who's not freaking out about nil Texas fans,
Ohio State fans, Oregon fans like there is, Michigan fans,
Penn State fans, like all the teams buying all the
(35:45):
sweet players, Miami fans, Georgia fans, not really losing anybody
beside the top, like six seven teams. Notre Dame feels
like pretty cocky right now, Bama, LSU, some of these
other teams kind of just feel a little on edge.
It's like this this used to be a little easier USC,
right And obviously if you're a fan of like that
(36:06):
second tier like Wisconsin, Iowa, I'm trying to think, you know,
Boston College, I don't even know. I wouldn't put them
on equal, but you know what i mean, it's like,
got is this a Missippi State? Is this a fair fight?
And the answer is no, So I'm totally with you.
Like if it was the NFL, if Steeler fans like, hey, hey,
(36:30):
this offseason TJ and Minca just left. Minca signed with
the Kansay Chiefs, and TJ went to the rams like
what are you talking about. I'm like, oh, yeah, the
the NFL for a year out of the transfer portal
and your contract doesn't count. You'd be like what, people
(36:52):
would be furious. So I think I think you hit
the nail on the head. And as someone that like
you said, I don't have allegiance to any of these schools.
I macal Pauly Fresnel State guy, I feel for Fresne State,
but I also don't really feel bad like they, you know,
the Fresno States just aren't on the tier with these
(37:13):
other programs. I honestly like I would have had no problem.
Now Boyse deserved to make it last year, but like they,
the non Power four should not get a guaranteed seat
at the table. I'd even argue, like the Big Twelve,
you shouldn't be guaranteed. A team in Arizona State showed
(37:34):
out well and I respect them what they did last year,
but I think on a yearly basis, if you go
like ten and three, just because you win the Big
Twelve doesn't mean that you get a seat at the table.
If you say the same thing for the ACC, it
was pretty bad last year. Now, if you're if you
are a Miami fan or a fan of one of
these other programs, you'd be like, shut up, John, we're
(37:57):
getting automatic bids. We should get multiple teams. It's like, yeah, okay,
I hear you. Well, then I watch SMU play Penn
State and look like JV vers Varsity, Like I don't
want to watch that. I care about being entertained, So
I hear you. Good email, have a great day, audios,
and enjoy the weekend. The volume
Host
John Middlekauff
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