3 & Out - Caleb Williams not playing in the Hall of Fame game, Brock Purdy needs to get more credit, top 5 NFL venues - The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (01:59):
What is going on? Everybody? John Middlecock Throwing Out podcast,
Simone Files takes down another gold. She is some people
would say the goat, but this is obviously a football podcast,
but it got the Olympics on television, and god, she
can get high. She's Mary dating fiance football player, so

(02:22):
they're football ties there. But we're gonna talk a lot
of quarterbacks today because the preseason. We have a game.
If you're listening to this on Wednesday, there's a game
Thursday night, the Hall of Fame Game that features Caleb Williams,
who is not gonna be playing. So some thoughts on
the preseason purty John Elway on Josh Allen bo Nicks signs,

(02:45):
pointing to him be the starter. I thought i'd list
my top five NFL atmospheres because we talk a lot
about college atmospheres, right like Penn State, LSU, Dude, Oklahoma whatever.
I mean, all the college atmospheres of the good teams
are sweet Oregon. We don't do that enough or a lot,

(03:07):
and rightfully so in the NFL because a lot of
them are just whatever. But I thought i'd listen my
top five atmospheres because it's different than the stadiums. The
sweetest stadium is so Fi, but no one would put
that atmosphere very high, partly because depending on what team's there,
you get away fans. And other than that, we'll do

(03:28):
a little mail bag at John middlecoffs the Instagram, fire
in those dms, and we'll just keep the pods flowing, baby,
because football is in the air. We're gonna have a
football game and pads are coming on around the league
basically every team, it looks like, and we're often running.
So subscribe to the podcast if you listen on Collins Feed.
Check out the YouTube. A lot of stuff got a

(03:48):
cool guest coming on a little later this week to
talk NFL contracts and other than that, you guys know
the drill. So before we dive into football, obviously, I
got to tell you about my friends, my partners, and
the official ticketing app of this podcast. I'm actually going
out to Nashville late in August. We're gonna get married

(04:11):
there in early March, and we're doing a little trial run,
do a little food tasting, and check out a couple
of things. And I was looking like, should I go
to something when I'm there? Should I go to a concert?
Should I go there's no hockey, there won't be a
football game that week because the preseason is ended. Maybe
go to the Grand Ole Operay just to experience something.

(04:33):
And what did I do? Pulled up my Game Time
app and just typed in a couple different venues arenas
and looked around. Haven't quite decided where I want to go,
but I'm going somewhere that week because of my friends
at Game Time games. If you want to go to
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(05:14):
John for twenty dollars off. Download the game Time app today,
last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed. When I first got
to the NFL in twenty ten, it was before I
would say the game changing CBA agreement and the television
money really spiked. Is Players all around the NFL played

(05:36):
in the preseason, including star quarterbacks. I mean, one vivid
memory from I think I was in college was when
Michael Vick broke his leg during a preseason game. And
obviously over the years there were a lot of injuries
in the nineties and the two thousands to starters in
the preseason because they played well. Those days are over now.

(06:01):
Andy Reid, who played as starters back then, still does
to this day. But he's an outlier. I would say
Sean McVeigh and his mindset when it comes to games
in August, has been copied by basically everyone and star
players most of them don't play at all. And it
was announced Caleb Williams, who had said he's down to play,

(06:25):
is not going to take any snaps in the Hall
of Fame game. Aaron Rodgers, who hasn't played in the
preseason in a long time, is not going to play
a preseason game. We know Matt Stafford go around the league.
Most of these guys will not play any snaps in
the preseason. And it's really not that complicated. It's simply money.

(06:45):
And with the explosion of paying guards twenty million, paying
some of these wide receivers thirty million dollars, guys like
Nick Bosa help. Nick Bosa practices like every other day
when the pads come on, so you are scared in
practic this. Now, let alone in these meaningless preseason games
to lose an asset who you are paying a lot

(07:07):
of money to. And I don't blame any coach for
not playing these guys. And I'll never forget when my
first year in Philly they had just traded Donovan McNabb
and Kevin Cobb was going to be the starting quarterback
and still to this day. Andy plays players in the
preseason and early on, I think the first preseason game
it was not going well. The offense looked terrible, and

(07:29):
they kind of kept rolling them out, and by there
were four preseason games at the time. That third preseason game,
most starters, I mean everyone on the Eagles and all
around the league not only played the first half of
the game. A lot of them went into halftime and
got a series after halftime. Those days are dead. Those
days are gone, and I think the league knows it.

(07:51):
This is why they've been pushing desperately for eighteen games
and they're gonna make the preseason two games. Now that's
gonna have ramifications on younger players, and that sucks, but
ultimately the owners and the people running the league don't
really care, which sucks for gms and coaches trying to
evaluate these guys. And that's why I think you've seen

(08:13):
a change. And let's face it, most industries, as they grow,
change and they adapt, and that's kind of what the
NFL has done. Most of these people running the teams,
the coaches, and the gms understand that we're not going
to play any of these guys, So what do they
do a ton of teams throughout the league joint practice

(08:33):
multiple times, and coaches during their press conferences, and I
watch probably an unhealthy amount of press conferences, say, I
think the work we get in those situations because not
only can we contain it, we can set it up,
we can run any situation we want against an uncommon
opponent is better than the actual preseason game. And that's

(08:56):
where we're at. So when Caleb's not playing, if think
of if you're the Bears, you get a gift from
the heavens of the trade with the Panthers that leads
to the number one pick, which leads to this great
quarterback prospect. We'll see if he's a great player. And
you've never really had a good quarterback in the history
of my life, let alone most people listening to this.

(09:18):
In the first preseason game with the Hall of Fame game,
it's I mean, like August first, you're playing with a
bunch of guys trying to prove themselves taking their first
ever NFL action. You can't risk it. Now. You could
make the argument that some of these guys should get
reps in the second or third preseason game, but if

(09:38):
you tell me they don't throw them out in any
of these situations, I'd go I completely understand it, and personally,
if I was in charge, I would take the McVeigh
rout with any veteran player or with any young player
that I was just nervous could get injured in the game.
And let's face it, any player in football can get

(10:00):
injured at any moment. So to risk an injury to
a player that your franchise hinges on in a preseason game,
to have that guy go down, I don't think you
would shake that. And part of it is the way
that the world is with social media, the shit you
would take and you don't have any equity. So if
you're Eberflus, and let's face it, you're kind of coaching

(10:24):
for your job this year, you can't risk it. Like
Aaron Rodgers not playing in the preseason. Of course he's not.
He hasn't played in the preseason a long time. Preseason's
useless for him. That's why a lot of these guys
and Brady talked about it years ago, like thought the
OTAs and the offseason was worthless. Well, once you get
to a certain level, the impact it has on you

(10:45):
proving your worth and repping is not as important and
one thing Brady used to do. He's like, let's get
rid of OTAs. Meanwhile he's flying dudes out to the
Yellowstone Club and repping for weeks when no one's paying attention,
Like it was kind of cooking the books. I mean,
advantage Tom, but I think we just have to acknowledge

(11:05):
because you get so excited. And when I was cut,
when I was doing the postgame for the Raiders, Derek
Carr's rookie year, the fourth preseason game. At the time,
it looked like Matt Schaub was gonna be the starter,
and Matt sat the fourth preseason game and Derek got
the start, and they were playing Seattle Seahawks, and this

(11:25):
was in the peak of Legion of Boom. I think
they had been to back to back Super Bowls. I mean,
their team was incredible. Those guys started, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas,
cam Chancellor, Michael Bennett, Bobby Wagner, if I remember correctly.
They played two series and Derek scored touchdowns on Boat

(11:46):
led two touchdown drives, and after that game he was
named the starter. I mean, those moments will not even
exist anymore. And we are whether the eighteen game schedule
happens next year. The next couple of years, we're gonna
be down to two preseason games pretty fast. And I
go back to college, like, they have no preseason games,
they have no joint practices, They just start playing Week one.

(12:10):
And I think in a perfect world you would almost
get rid of the preseason right and listen, these preseason
games will get millions of people to watch because we're sick,
you know, crack addicts for football. But I think we
have to acknowledge. And I thought this when I worked
in football. I thought this when I did postgame shows
for preseason games, and I think this now that I

(12:31):
make my living, I'm just watching football. Preseason really sucks.
I mean it is a very very difficult watch. And
I think the faster we can get rid of it.
Because the majority of coaches don't take this shit seriously anymore.
Pete Carroll who did gone, Bill Belichick, who played starters, gone,
Bruce Arians did the same. Not coaching anymore. Andy is

(12:53):
a complete outlier in twenty twenty four. So I don't
blame any of these teams for not doing it. Obviously,
Andy has a rhyme and reason and it works. But
he at this point in time easily has more equity
than any other coach and can pull that shit off.
And if someone does knock on Wood get injured in
one of those situations, like he can handle the bullets

(13:16):
flying out him. A lot of coaches could not, because
I think we would just come back to that was
not worth it. Speaking of a guy who I think
has become the most polarizing player in the NFL, that
would be Brock Party, which is kind of crazy because
there is no other way to sum up brock Purty
than like he's good and he's gotten better since he

(13:39):
started playing. Like he's a really good player. Now, I
think you have to put it into context if you're
comparing him to He's not as good as Patrick Mahomes.
He's not as good as Josh Allen. He's not as
physically gifted as Lamar Jackson or Justin Herbert. So like,
physically he does not have what kind of that group has,

(14:00):
but he doesn't have to play those guys. Those guys
play in the AFC. I looked up today. Obviously he
has only started the last six games two years ago
in full last year beside Week eighteen when they had
already locked up the number one seed and didn't play anybody,
and Sam Darnold started. He has a three to one

(14:21):
touchdown to interception ratio. He is sixty eight point seven
percent completion percentage, so you can round up to sixty
nine percent. Now you can say sixty eight sixty nine
is like the old sixty four when guys could get
lit up. But he's very, very accurate. Here's the other
thing he has going for him. He plays at a
conference where two of the best quarterbacks are Kirk Cousins

(14:45):
and Dak Prescott. I'm sorry he's better than those guys
because he can put up the same regular season stats
and we've seen him in the playoffs. Obviously doesn't crumble
like a cookie like those two. Jared Goff, who is
like the best of that version, because like those guys,
can put up good regular season stats and has had

(15:05):
success in the playoffs. Well, Rock Purty's equally as good
as him, and you could argue Jared's bigger, might have
a better arm, but he can't move and Brock camp.
So part of this conversation this year is like, oh,
we're really gonna pay him? Well, look at the guys
that got paid. Tua tonguaai Loa just got paid. The

(15:26):
forty nine ers wouldn't trade Brock Purdy for Tua if
you put a gun to Kyle's head, zero chance. And
the Dolphins would be better with Purdy. Why is Purty's
better in Tua? And that's the thing with the NFL.
One guy was drafted fifth, the other guy was drafted
the last pick in the draft. None of that stuff
matters once you actually start playing. But one thing Perdy

(15:49):
has going for him is the conference he plays him. Now.
The wild card is Jalen Hurts in the Eagles, well
run operation, really talented team. But the thing Jay doesn't
have going for him that Brock does is as long
as parties with the forty nine ers, Kyle Shanahan's gonna
be with the forty nine ers. He's a guy that
calls the place so pretty success like, well, Kyle Shanahan,

(16:11):
well yeah, they go together. They're a team. They're not
going they're not breaking up. Let's say the Eagles have
some success this year. Guess who immediately starts interviewing for
head coaching jobs. Kellen Moore. Let's say the Eagles win
eleven twelve games and Kellen Morgan is a head coaching
job next year. What does that mean for Jalen? They
need a new offensive coordinator and we've seen before like

(16:33):
he's had success with a good, good one and clearly
it didn't go well last year when they fired the
dude after the season. And listen, you know where I
stand on the Eagles. I think they're gonna be good
this year. I think the coordinators big upgrade. Uh, following
the Eagles camp from just texting people and online and
watching Sirianni, Like, I think Jalen's look good. Should I mean,

(16:57):
they got two star wide receivers, But like, that's who
you're dealing with. You're not dealing with Burrow and Lamar
Jackson and Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. You play those
guys beside the super Bowl once every four years. Matt Stafford,
who obviously is a special talent. If you would have

(17:18):
put Matt Stafford, I've heard a lot of conversations like
and I think this goes for probably a lot of
different industries or businesses or jobs. If you go to
a bad situation, regardless how talented you are, it is
going to be hard to hit your ceiling in that environment,
especially for younger people. If you put younger people that

(17:42):
are talented in a place that can be successful, this
guy's the limit. Patrick Mahomes goes to Andy Reid. Obviously,
Patrick Mahomes probably would have been good no matter where
he went. But if I put Patrick Mahomes on the Jags,
or on the Dolphins, or on just some of the
on the Cardinals, it does not look like it's looked.

(18:04):
So where you go matters. And Party obviously benefited a
lot from going to the Niners, a really talented team. Now,
big picture, and this goes for all these quarterbacks. Once
you pay a guy, even with the cap going up,
now I can't follow, and I don't blame anyone if
they don't even know what's going on. This Sunday ticket
lawsuit could cost the league billions, could impact the cap.

(18:26):
So maybe the cap doesn't keep flying up the next
couple of years. If every team in the league has
to make a big payment, I will cross that bridge
once we know the facts. There's still a lot in limbo.
It's very fluid situation. But if the cap keeps going
up and you make a lot of money, you're not
gonna be as limited as I think historically the way

(18:50):
we talk now, you still make a large percentage of
the cap sooner than later, and you are gonna be
tasked doing more with less. That's on you, but it's
also on your organization. Then it's on your organization to draft. Well,
what did the Kannesse Chiefs do when they traded Tyreek Kill.
It's like, damn, they traded Tyrek Hills. Well, then they

(19:11):
hit on two first round picks. One they got arguably
the best dB in the league in McDuffie and Karlovskis.
So their offense isn't as highly powered as it once was,
but their defense is freaking awesome. And Patrick Mahomes in
his high level version, just has to manage the situation.
They ain't scoring thirty five points anymore and they're winning
Super Bowls. So, like it's a lot's on your organization.

(19:34):
This is what we talked about yesterday with Mahomes's money.
When you're one of these great quarterbacks, a lot of
it is out of your control. How they build the team,
who they signed, who they draft, who your play caller is.
So when you have cohesion there, like I got news
for you, party's gonna be really good again, so are
the forty nine ers, and everyone's gonna have Oh he's overrated,

(19:55):
al he's not worth it. Let's face it. This is
clear in and this will be a theme that will
never die. When you're drafted really high and you are
successful statistically and as a team, we anoint you. If
the Bears win ten games this year and Caleb throws
twenty eight touchdowns, oh my god, we knew it. The

(20:16):
hype is real. But when you're like Dak Prescott who
was drafted the fourth round, or Kirk Cousins who was
drafted in the middle round, or obviously Purty at the
end of the seventh round, it's like, this can't be real,
no chance, he can't be that good. No, actually he is,
because after a couple of years, where you're drafted is
completely irrelevant. Everyone listening to this right now, who whoever

(20:39):
your favorite team is. Some of the best players on
your team aren't just top ten picks. Some of them
are mid round guys, some of them are six seventh
round guys. Probably have some undrafted free agents that start.
This is not basketball where you look at Team USA
and basically everyone who's sweet got drafted really high. That's

(20:59):
not the way football works, and the cream usually rises,
and the better your coaches, it's easier to sustain. So
buckle up because the negativity, because of how much money
is coming down the pike with with Purdy, he's gonna
be continue to be one of the main conversations in

(21:20):
the NFL, and I just don't get it. I mean,
at this point, based on what we've seen, he's really
really good. Christian McCaffrey, I thought he was. He was
on local radio in the Bay on CANVR and called
him a cold bloody killer, Like how would he not
his experience with the guy, all they've done is kick
ass and take names, and a large reason for that

(21:40):
is is him. Listen, I'm critical of dak or Cousins,
but like we can't debate they're good players now how
much and how good they're in the playoffs, and like
they're just good players. Jared Goff really good player, and
that's the crew of the NFC with Jalen Hurts and
then you gotta got this wild card with Kyler Murray.
But I don't think his team's good enough. This is

(22:02):
not Murderer's row. Marino Elway and Jim Kelly ain't walking
through that door. That's not who you're playing. So I
think a huge part of this forever it was like
that in basketball, one conference was dramatically better than the other.
For most of my life, at least my adult life,
the Eastern Conference sucked. Lebron really benefited from this, right

(22:25):
you know, he had some weird Cleveland teams and it
didn't matter because he didn't have to go through the
better part of the conference. Now you could argue the
East better. That's a big deal. Like your conference is
who you end up playing the majority of games against.
Also your division. Obviously you played twice, So I just
I don't get it. You rarely see like a top

(22:46):
ten list with him in there, even though the players
and I'm not that big on the top one hundred,
but it does reflect what the players think about you.
And he was picked twenty eight because anyone that plays them,
I think comes away goes that guy's really good. Like
that guy's really good. No one's calling him Tom Brady
or Peyton Manning. Anyone with a fucking brain isn't comparing

(23:07):
him to Josh Allen or or Patrick Mahomes. But like
relative to the other eighty five percent. Like, let's face it,
he's every bit as good, if not better. L Way,

(23:28):
I think drafting and evaluating quarterbacks changed pretty dramatically after
like the sixteen seventeen eighteen kind of stretch, once Patrick
Mahomes and Josh Allen became the two best quarterbacks in
the NFL and John was on with Big Cat and
PFT because he plays in the American Century in Tahoe.

(23:48):
I don't know why I did the head flick, but
I guess I still thought I was in Tahoe and
that would have been the other side of the lake.
But said his biggest regret as a GM one thing
that I kind of I watched a lot of those
for like three straight years in the peak of their powers,
and I went to the Super Bowl when they won.
L Waite built an incredible team, Like he did a

(24:09):
really really good job. I don't think he gets enough
credit for how well he built the team. And let's
face it, he was a big reason that Peyton Manning
signed in Denver. Like he drafted Malik Jackson, he drafted
Derek Wolf, he drafted Key I guess he signed to
keep to leave. He drafted Bradley Roby. He I don't

(24:30):
remember if Chris Harris was an undrafted free agent or
a lay pick, but that was his guy. I mean
their defense, Brandon Marshall was Danny Trevathan. That defense for
like a three year stretch wasn't that much different in
Seattle in terms of watching them live their physicality, their speed.
Drafted a bunch of good offensive linemen CJ. Anderson who

(24:51):
Adam Peters was his right hand guy. Like that team
was really he built a really good team. Now it
ended pretty poorly right. Vic Fangio is not a head coach,
but like I don't totally blame him for passing on
Josh Allen because it's always easy to do the hindsight.
And let's face it, most guys historically that have these
physical skills but aren't accurate, don't have any success, don't

(25:13):
really turn into great players. A lot like Andy Reid
in the preseason in twenty twenty four. Josh Allen is
an all time NFL outlier. He really is, and he's
I think he's one of the more talented players I've
ever seen in any sport. I mean, he's a freak
show and I would bet on the Bills one day
to win a Super Bowl. Actually think they're gonna be
a lot better this year. But like other teams have

(25:35):
tried to follow that and it hasn't quite worked. Just
because you have the physical gifts doesn't mean it's going
to translate to being a really good player. The forty
nine Ers tried to do that with Trey Lance. He
didn't even make it to year three. The Bears did
that with Justin Fields. He was on a new team
going into whatever year five I mean, or I guess

(25:57):
this is year four. So just because you have physic gifts,
but I think it has forced teams to be aggressive
and go are we sure we want to pass on
the risk of this guy becoming a top ten quarterback?
And I was asked yesterday is Deon's kid overrated? I

(26:17):
just pulled up his box score. If you would have
said what was Shador Sanders numbers last year? I would
have been like thirty touchdowns, twelve interceptions. He threw three
picks last year. Now, as the season went on, the
team looked weird. He got sacked a bunch, but there
is no disputing one. He's more than big enough. You know,

(26:41):
you can never go off just the height and weight
on online, but just looking at him when you watch
him on TV, looks like six to two, two hundred
and ten pounds. He's not his dad athletic, but he's
more than athletic enough to scramble around like Mahomes or something.
And maybe he's faster than I thought. I remember one
time watching him run last year, going, yeah, he's it's

(27:03):
definitely not Dion, but he's more than the athletic enough
to play NFL quarterback, and he's got a really good arm.
So statistically, if he keeps putting up. Here's the thing.
When you evaluate college quarterbacks, winning and losing, I got
news for it isn't that important. It's just not. I mean,
John Elway played on a team that was like struggling
to win six games. Patrick Mahomes has never winning ten

(27:25):
games in college. I have no clue how many games
Josh Allen won, but it wasn't that many. Look at
Jordan Love is a good example. Now, Historically, guys like that,
these physical projects used to go like late first round,
early second round. Now they go top ten, top five.
And I just think Shador now part of Josh Allen

(27:46):
and Mahomes' success. For as great as their physical attributes are,
and they're elite, it's the guy. It's the teammate, it's
the focus. It's how well they're received in their locker room.
It's how coachable they are are, it's how hard they
work three sixty five. It's the intangible stuff, which, let's
face it, separates a lot of people in this world. Right,

(28:10):
some of the most talented people aren't always the most
successful people. How bad do you want it? How much
are you willing to do it every single day? I
don't care who you are, Tom Brady, Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs,
Bill Belichick. There are days when you're just not feeling it.
But like a lot of humans, I'll just tap out today.

(28:33):
I'm not gonna do it. I'm just gonna go through
the motions today. And the best of the best just don't,
or at least have the least amount of time when
they just kind of mail it in. I'm talking year round,
because anyone can get up for a big meeting, for
obviously an NFL football game, for a potential deal that's
gonna change your businesses life. What about the days when

(28:55):
there's not much going on? You're like, I can just
chill do nothing, And that's not the way these guys
are wired. Because when you're a high level NFL quarterback,
you gotta be a freak addict. And that was a
huge knock on Kyler, Right, it's like playing video games.
And listen, any people play video games, No one cares.
It's like this guy, I don't think he's even looking

(29:16):
at film. I mean, it's one of the most famous
stories of all time, JaMarcus Russell. Back before iPads and
the internet world we kind of live in now. The
way that you had guys watch film on their own
was give him a DVD. And they gave him a
blank DVD and said he watched it, and there's clearly
nothing on there. And obviously that guy's life has spiraled

(29:37):
out of control since. But he didn't work hard. So
was he talented enough? Will never quite know. But his
work ethic was a zero out of ten. And I
don't care Tom Brady, Payton Manning. If those guys didn't
work hard, they never would have been successful. So the
thing with Shador, the talent and the physical attributes like
that is not going to be the big question with him,

(29:59):
because you like he has physical attributes. To be a
high NFL pick, people are gonna have to do a
lot of digging on the guy the team. And it's
gonna be a challenge, right because if I go into
a random program Texas or Bama or Georgia or wherever
I can find someone who like will kind of give
me the skinny, give me the real that's the number

(30:21):
one job. You kind of act like a detective. I'm
not a huge murder show guy. Marie is addicted to him.
It's like, do we have to watch another person kill
seven people and then hunt this guy down for six months?
The FBI and the sheriffs. It's like but sometimes, like
even when I'm like I don't really want this in
my head, you start watching it. You kind of become glued.
It's kind of a job of the scouting community is

(30:44):
to find the information, especially with the talented guys, like
there is no hiding the top end guys, especially a
guy with this hype. But you're gonna have to find
out what makes him tick the person and it could
be a little bit of a challenge because if there
are any question marks, is anyone gonna be will willing
to say that in a program, or the dude's dad's
the head coach and fucking idolizes his son. So it's

(31:06):
gonna he's gonna be a fascinating just scout for the
league because I think the off the field stuff and
I'm not even saying there's anything there besides stuff. Listen,
people have questions. You already saw him in his but
his dad's part of it. Stock and crap to the
dude that used to play at Colorado all over social media.
That's not ideally what you want out of the guy.

(31:27):
But I don't even blame him if his dad's doing it, Like,
why wouldn't he do it too? His dad's one of
the greatest players of all time. It's gonna be fascinating
to watch. Last, but not least, there was some early
off season buzz about Zack Wilson potentially being the starter
in Denver, and I think I saw on Tuesday did he?

(31:49):
They had basically once camp started, been rotating the three
guys Jared Stidham, Zach Wilson, and Bo Nicks. Well today,
Zach Wilson got booted, so it was just Stidham and
bow Nicks taking all the reps and Sean Payton like
any coach would would do. Try to poop poo it like, ah,
no big deal, just classic rotation. No, it's pretty clear

(32:11):
like Zach Wilson was never starting, And I think the
other thing is pretty clear. Week one. You can put
it in sharpie. Bo Nix is gonna be the starting quarterback.
Bow Knicks to me feels like a one hundred percent
lock to start Week one, So it basically the rookie
quarterbacks they are gonna start that are locks are Caleb

(32:31):
Williams who is starting, Jayden Daniels, who I would have
a hard time seeing him not start, Drake may Know,
Michael Pennix no, JJ McCarthy no, and Bo Knicks is
gonna start. So three out of the six are starting,
which if you draft like a six year senior who's

(32:52):
twenty three to twenty four years old, there is no
reason to leave him on the bench. That was my
big issue with Atlanta. It's not in investing in the
quarterback position. Of course you invest in that position, you'd
be crazy not to. But if you take a project
like Jordan Love behind Aaron Rodgers, there's no rush. But
when you take Michael Pennix, who is ready made now.

(33:15):
That doesn't mean he's gonna be good, but he's He
doesn't need to sit. Dude's been playing since like twenty twelve.
Like he's he's an NFL ready to go find out
if he's good or not. He just sits on the
bench for a couple of years. It's pretty bizarre. Drake
May JJ McCarthy. Ideal sit, sit them, work on them,
improve projects. Michael Pennix is not. Bo Nix is not.

(33:40):
That's why you start them week one. Okay, Top five
NFL venues. I'm fascinated by this because I think college
the NFL gets the bad rap of the The atmospheres
aren't that great relative to Saturdays. And it's true because
there's nothing like LSU at night. There's nothing like Penn
State at night. There's nothing like one hundred and ten

(34:01):
thousand people at Michigan, you know when Bama's rocking Texas
and Oklahoma Oregon at Audsome stadium like the NFL doesn't
have that. It's a communal experience. But I've been to
a lot of NFL games. They're fun, but some are
better than others. And when you look at the top
venues like Sofi Stadium, I've never been to a stadium

(34:25):
even remotely close to that, and I've been to Dallas
that was always kind of the cream day ly krem,
but I think so Fi is lacked it. Obviously, it's branded.
It's just it's spectacular when you're inside, but it's no
one would ever say, like god Lsu at night, Sofi
Stadium at night. Clearly you're not saying that the Vegas

(34:48):
Stadium awesome atmospheres a bunch of random people flying in
all over the place. But the NFL does have some
sweet atmospheres. So I just ranked my top five NFL
atmospheres and I left a couple outs part of it,
as this team sucked for a while, but I think
Denver historically has been pretty sweet. Mile High great football town.

(35:08):
Seattle had a stretch there with the Twelves, which was
as good as it gets. I remember the Saints played
a Monday night game there and like Drew Brees, couldn't
even hear, couldn't even function, and the Saints I think
they got beat pretty bad. This might have been late
in Breeze's tenure, might have been like fifteen sixteen range,

(35:30):
but I think Seattle's come back to earth a little
bit that the game two years ago with Russell coming
back with Denver was pretty awesome. But if they ever
got good again, that place is gonna rock start again. Five.
I remember watching the game there last year when the
Niners played them, and thinking there is something special. And
I've talked about this before, like the Coliseum where the

(35:52):
Raiders used to play in Oakland, Candlestick just these old,
decrepit stadiums that are just kind of football and when
you go there, it's really just about drinking beer, getting loud,
maybe eating some crappy hot dog, but it's about football
and football only, and I think Cleveland still kind of

(36:12):
has that and part of the reason I put them.
They're good now. The team's competitive, but there's nothing like
hearing the fans hit like the I don't even know
if it's ten or something, but it echoes throughout that place.
Week one against the Cowboys is gonna be nuts. I
was listening to Rabel who was on with the part

(36:33):
of My Take Guys, and he said his dad took
him to a game in the Dog Pound. I don't
know when he was like junior high, and he was like,
that's the first time I'd ever seen weed and people
just getting blasted, and there's just something special about football
in Ohio. That stadium not great. They're clearly probably gonna

(36:55):
build a new one. I saw Andrew Berry wants to
build a dome. I got to push back on that one.
I understand why he would. Analytical guy numbers geek. You
can control a lot better if there's a dome. When
I think Cleveland, when I think Baltimore, when I think Cincinnati,
like Kansas, I think outdoor cold, I hope if they

(37:19):
ever do it, they do not do a dome, but
who knows. So I go Cleveland at five. This is
my only new stadium, but I think this place. The
best opening in the NFL is when everyone's doing skull.
That place freaking rocks and that stadium. I've never been there,

(37:41):
but it looks awesome on television. It pops on TV
day or night. And my buddies that works for the
Eagles that went there with the Super Bowl said the
place is badass. That atmosphere in Minnesota, and it's always
been good, but I think for a newer stadium that
can't be cheap to go, is just it's pretty sweet.

(38:03):
It has like a big ten vibe to it, like
it has a collegiate vibe to it. And I think
a lot of times you've seen it with Vegas, You've
seen it with the Niners, You've seen it with so Fi,
seen it with the Cowboys. You kind of lose that
with the glitz and the glamour, which is understandable because
you price out the die hard guy that's really gonna yell.
I got news for you. When I go to a

(38:24):
game and I pay a lot of money for tickets, like,
I'm not standing up all the time, I'm just kind
of sit there and enjoying it and listen. I'm not
proud to say that, but there is something about people
that used to be able to afford pretty good seats.
It just makes the place louder. The faster you get
to a wine and cheese crowd, the less likely you

(38:46):
are to have a crazy atmosphere. It's why these top
three stadium atmospheres all have something in common. They feel
old school. And number three is the Bills. I think
the Bill's Mafia, the games in November, December and January,
the Snow Games, it just feels pretty special. It feels
like something that in ten years as all these places

(39:09):
have new stadiums, including the Bills with club seeds with boxes.
And I'm not saying this place, I've I went there once.
The team was pretty crappy, but and so it wasn't
The atmosphere wasn't like what you would get with the
Josh Allen Bulls or the Jim Kelly Bulls Bills. I mean,
it's just the last of a dying breed. There's just

(39:31):
something unique about a small town city that has this
NFL team who's now good the snow. I just think
that it's just awesome. I mean, it pops on television.
You just find yourself rooting for those people who the
Bills mean so much to. It's one of those franchises

(39:55):
that you think of Chris Berman if you're my age
and growing up watching you know, breakdowns on ESPN on Sundays.
But there's just no one circles the wagons like the
Buffalo Bills number two and you could have gone one
A and one B. I think Kansas City and Arrowhead.
I've been to a bunch of games Arrowhead. I was

(40:15):
going when they weren't as good in the late two thousands.
But I think a little like Buffalo and we'll see
if they get a new stadium. It's just an old
school stadium. It ain't that nice. And when you get there,
it's just about football. And now these people are going
to the games. It's in the middle of a dynasty.
I was listening to Edelman's podcast, Part two with Ernie

(40:37):
Adams and they claimed the best game atmosphere on the
road they had played in over the dynasty was the
twenty eighteen AFC Championship game against Patrick Mahomes's first year starting.
He was the MVP, and they beat him in overtime,
and they both said that was just that was the
coolest environment as a road team that we had ever experienced.

(40:59):
And this was a team that had done it all.
So and this is Ernie Adams who has known Bill
for fifty years and was on all the Patriot teams
as the right hand man. So they're not just saying
this it's a special environment. And I do believe that
it has something to do. You just naturally lose it
when you upgrade the stadium because it prices people out,

(41:20):
even though to get to a Chiefs game now even
in the older stadium is more expensive than it would
have been pre Andy Reid. But still it's gonna be
way less affordable. When you start adding all these incredible
club seeds, you quadruple the amount of suites, it just changes.
I saw it with Candlestick and Levi Stadium. It ain't

(41:41):
the same. It doesn't mean it's not fun, it doesn't
mean it's not cool to go to a big game there.
But it's never gonna be this good. So Buffalo and
Kansas City, two places that obviously are desperate to upgrade
their stadiums, enjoy it while you can't. I mean truly,
I saw it with the Warriors when I started going
to Warriors game early on in the STEPH Clay Era

(42:02):
at Oracle, which is right next to the Coliseum, I
would argue one of the shittiest areas in all of America.
I would put that stretch sixty six and Hagenberger up
against any in America. Of just if you blew it
up tomorrow, not only would no one care, no one
would notice, and it would look very similar. But those

(42:23):
games at Oracle plays freaking rock Man, and it's not
the same at the new stadium. How can it be.
It's not the same crowd. So Kansas City and Buffalo,
and it's why there are certain places. Fenway Park is this,
Wrigley Field is this. Obviously, Lambeau is this that will

(42:48):
just battle through the test of time, and even as
the world changes, even as the economics of stadiums change,
it doesn't feel like it matters at all. And in
the next ten fifteen years, Kansas City, Buffalo, Cleveland, we'll
have some sweet new stadium more likely look like Minnesota

(43:10):
or Dallas or so far you know their versions, and
it'll be like remember when arrow Remember what Arrowhead was like.
Remember those games at Orchard Park in that old crappy stadium.
Remember those games. I mean, I listen, most people in
my life growing up are Niner people, and a lot
of their memories are a candlestick. Remember those games with
Joe Montana and Steve Young and Jerry Rice and even

(43:32):
Jim harbought candlestick. There's something nostalgic about that. So I've
never been there. I think I was supposed to advance.
I ended up going to another city and someone else went.
But they've been good for thirty plus years. The stadium
is so historic and it's just it's just an awesome place.
It's just it pops on television. Everyone knows when you

(43:55):
say the word lambeau exactly what you mean whenever you
see someone on social media or whatever. I got the
chance to go to lambeau Field and just go to
I'm not even a Packer fan and just went to
the game. Obviously, the Lambeau Leap is something that just
is very special in all of football at any level,

(44:18):
and it's just really really cool. And the Packers because
of their success. I've been to a lot of games
against them on the road. I've seen them sell out
against the Raiders. I've seen them sell out against the
forty nine Ers. A lot of you that if you've
been to a game that your team's played the Packers.
A lot of Packer fans, and this is a team
that plays kind of in the middle of nowhere and

(44:38):
it's not some big, you know, metropolis, urban major city,
and they feel like one of the star warts of
the NFL. And I think obviously a big reason is
because of the quarterbacks, because of the success, but you
could also argue it's because of the staple in lambeau Field. Okay,

(45:05):
let's uh do a little thing we call the middle
cough mail bag at John Middlecoff is the Instagram. Fire
into those dms at John Middlecoff, It's just my name.
Fire in those dms. I just saw DJ Moore got
a large extension four years, one hundred and ten million
dollars over eighty guaranteed. Uh, he's really good. Think about

(45:29):
this with the Bears, they traded with the Panthers and
ended up with DJ Moore and Caleb Williams. Just that alone,
if you just said, hey, you're gonna end up with
Caleb Williams and DJ Moore, that's obviously they ended up
getting more. They because they picked the tackle with the

(45:50):
ninth pick two years ago. Uh, in a weird way
because they were still crappy. It led him to Rome
even though that wasn't the Panthers' pick. So spirits are high.
I texted buddy in the league, I said, who would
you take Ayuk or DJ? He thought it was a
coin flip, little different player. Ayuke more of a route runner,

(46:11):
DJ a little more physical after the catch. But if
you look at DJ's stat sheet, he has been on
a lot of shitty teams with a lot of bad
quarterback play, and he has produced. I like DJ Moore
a lot I actually think he's kind of a hybrid
of like does some of the stuff I Yuke does
with some of the subdebo. He's a unique player. Easy deal.

(46:34):
This is third contract. He got his rookie contract, he
got a second contract, and now this is his third extension.
Djmore is gonna bank a lot of money in his
career if he can stay healthy. So you have to
wonder if the forty nine ers will just copy and
paste this deal and offer to Brandon Ayuk. For the mailbag,
we'll start with Patrick at Joe miniccoff Instagram firing those dms.

(46:55):
Can you describe what happens when the team has a
locker room cancer? Can you give specific examples from your
time in the front office? Caras speculate on how the
Ayuk situation may spoil the locker room as a Yuk
is shown to be extremely bitter and may want a
stat pad in preparation for his contract year. How would

(47:18):
that affect debo and speculation? Well, they're not gonna get
to the contract year because for him to play on
the Niners this year, he will have to have a
new contract. I think there are certain When I was
with the Eagles, I don't think. We had a couple situations.
The one that jumps out to me was DeShawn Jackson
really wanted a new contract. I typically didn't always go

(47:42):
out to practice, but for whatever reason, our special teams
coach or something needed help, and I went out to
a practice and DeShawn it was getting kind of contentious
and he was mad. He wanted some money. And during
practice hadn't even started, and they were like doing some
punts and it was like Macklin and Deshaun Jackson back

(48:05):
returning punts and Maclin would go jog up a little bit,
can the ball back. DeShawn got the ball kicked to
him and then he punted the ball out of the
practice area like it went over the fence onto the
street and do Staley, who's out there? They started screaming
at each other. If I remember correctly, I think deshaangat

(48:27):
kicked out of practice and I think got suspended for
a game. I think those type things over money, it
just gets difficult, right, and not everyone handles it the
same way. I think there's a big difference in the
locker room cancer of just having issues with money. That's
something very relatable. I think that happens obviously if you

(48:50):
play in the NFL, if you have a contract that
you want more money, you're talking a lot of money.
But it's no different than guy bitching a moanent in
the cubicle that's making ninety he that thinks he should
make in one to fifty, or the dude making one
to fifty thinks he should make him two seventy five.
I mean, saw money's all relative. I think the bigger issues,
which I don't remember as much, are when guys are

(49:12):
really negative and they're good players. I saw today a
headline that Matt Judon wasn't there today. Well, if you
have this guy sulking around over money and bringing down
others and when they're your best player, you got to
figure that out, and you got to figure that out fast.
I don't think it's you know, I used in the
position where it's awkward, but I don't think it's far

(49:37):
enough along. I also think you got to take everything
with a grain of salt. What you see on social media,
and no one talks the way they talk on social
media to people in real life. It's not real life.
So the way he operated a little bit, I would
say it's not how he's going to operate in fort
of Kyle John, Deebo Purdy, Christian McCaffrey. Right, but I

(49:58):
think the worst lie locker room cancers, or when a
guy is just I don't know, going nuts, right, like
Antonio Brown or what happened with Chandler Jones and the Raiders.
It's like, those situations can be difficult when one of
your best players starts just going off the reservation and

(50:19):
it gets because you kind of like, shoot, can we
figure this out? When you have good players that want
new contracts, some guys handle it better than others. But
that's that's the NFL, that's pro sports, that's that's the world,
that's the that's life. I think when you get guys
that are under contract making money and just start acting crazy.
Terrell Owens had some of those issues that those become

(50:42):
so public there's no going back. So I think most
of them contract related. It just yeah, it's tough. I
don't I don't really know what else to say. I've
gotten a lot of this. I got a text Commodore
Love the Comedy Interview, My Commodore interview. If you missed it,

(51:02):
go back and check it out. If you're not a
hockey person, highly recommend it. He's an all time guest.
Why do you think the sport meaning hockey isn't as
popular in the US like football, basketball, or baseball. It's
a high speed game with hitting and plenty of violence.
Is it because people from certain regions of the country

(51:23):
never ice skated or don't regularly and cannot relate as well?
Do it? I feel like people will always say I
went to a hockey game and loved it, but they
never become full time fans. I think this one's pretty easy.
I'll just use myself as an example. I played baseball
as a kid, little league up until like early junior high.

(51:46):
I played basketball as a kid up until like eighth grade,
and I played football in high school. So what I
want like, I've played all the sports, and I think
I speak for a lot of people in America that
even if you don't play in high school, maybe you
play in junior high or little league or some hell.
I like a lot of kids. I played soccer and

(52:06):
when I was like six, seven, eight years old, never
actually played a little roller hockey. But I think most
people throughout America never play hockey. And the reason more
people if you think about. It is based on numbers
over the last thirty years have played football in high
school than any other sport. So it's just a numbers game.

(52:28):
Even if you don't play in the game, like you're
on the team, you're on practice, like you put on pads,
you played football. Most people I know have played, if
even not, you know, in a like a high school situation,
I've played recreational basketball, pick up basketball, shot that baskets
with their friends. It's why I'm high on golf. I

(52:49):
think more people now than ever are playing golf, and
the more people that play your sport are just more
likely to watch that sport. Really think it's that simple.
So the reason hockey is so big in Canada because
a lot of people grow up playing. Even if you're terrible,
can't skate a lick, you try to play hockey when
you're ten or twelve or eight, right, That's not the

(53:13):
case here. You're much more inclined to try to play basketball,
try to play football. And you know, back in the day,
I know a lot like my dad who as he
got older, my dad never really liked playing golf. He
was more into tennis and back you know, in the
seventies and eighties, tennis was really really popular and a

(53:34):
lot of people tried to play. And now you know
the fat guy's tennis is pick a ball, which I'd
be lying. I tend to be a little anti pickaball.
I've never played, and everyone I know that plays loves it.
I never meet people that say they play pick aball
that don't rave about it. It's just one of those things.
Everyone hangs a left, sometimes I hang it right. I'm
out on pick a ball. Maybe one day I will

(53:56):
try it. I'm just a hater. I mean, I'll acknowledge that.
But the more and more people that play pickleball, like
maybe pickleball on television one day will be big because
the more people that play your sport, the more people
that watch. I know this comes up every year, but
could this year's NFC North be one of the best
divisions in NFL history? Before I keep going to your question,

(54:20):
I think it's impossible to do those statements slash questions
because we do it a lot before season starts. I
just think we can't do that. You have to let
the season play out, because we've done that so many times.
Didn't we do it? A couple of years ago. Was
it with the AFC West, and it turned out it
wasn't nearly as good as we thought. Detroit is obviously

(54:44):
good if Love can be eighty percent of his last
eight games. How is Green Bay not in the playoffs?
I feel like Minnesota has too many weapons and too
well coached to suck, and the Bears are loaded with
a ton of hype. Could we see the first time
an entire division make the playoff? I think it's impossible
for an entire division to make the playoffs, even with

(55:04):
the seventh team just given in both conferences could just
look around, right, So how would the fourth team? I
don't think nine wins is getting in in the NFC
because if you just go, how many double digit win
teams are going to be? Let's just say the Lions,
Let's say the Niners, Let's say the Eagles, and let's

(55:28):
you know, the pick the Falcons, even though I'm not
going to pick them, but it feels like a lot
of people are picking them. Let's just pick the Falcons.
That's four well more than likely. Right. The Rams are good.
Tampa made the playoffs last year. Dallas has made the
playoffs three straight years, and McCarthy's pretty credible coach, and

(55:49):
then even some of the shitty teams in those divisions, right,
you'd have to look at all the schedules, but like
the Cardinals could beat you on a random week. The Commanders,
who I think are a little overhyped, Like, I bet
they're better. Obviously they're gonna be better next year than
they are this year. But like, let's say they have
an underwhelming year. It's six wins. A couple of those

(56:11):
wins are gonna come against like some playoff teams. The
Saints are frisky. I mean, they won nine games last year.
So I think it's just very, very difficult to get
to the spot where all four teams are that good.
I think was it three years ago the Niners, the Rams,
and the Cardinals all made the playoffs. So I three

(56:34):
is an incredible season for a division. I think four.
Maybe I'm speaking out of turn. I think it's impossible
you would need terrible seasons from the other teams in
the division. Terrible good question question for the mailbag. I'm

(56:56):
a Hawks fan and I can't help but hate where
the team is. Gino isn't the answer, and he actually
makes a situation worse, He's good enough to keep us
from having a shot at a top quarterback in the draft,
but isn't good enough for us to compete in the
playoffs with higher echelon quarterbacks like Herbert Allen. Obviously, Mahomes
never becoming available, let alone make it into free agency.

(57:17):
How do you see us solving this issue? Do we
cut trade Gino or do we bottom out with Sam Howell? Well,
bottoming out is not going to be an option. That's
not what John Schneider and your new coach from Baltimore.
That's just they're not going to do that. The only
way Howl plays is if a Gino gets hurt. Now
he's gotten hurt before. I mean last year Drew Locke

(57:38):
came in and you guys won games. This is gonna
sound crazy, but maybe just got to get lucky again
in the draft, like not every guy you know you use.
Josh Allen was the seventh pick right and Buffalo traded
up to get him. Patrick Mahomes was the tenth pick

(58:00):
or twelve pick. I get him and DeShawn mixed up.
One was ten and one O was twelve, but both
those guys the other teams traded up to select, so
you can get a guy in the teens and trade
up and select, or you can strike oil pass the
first round. Right. It happened with you guys with Russell Wilson,
It happened with the Cowboys with Dak Prescott, it happened

(58:21):
with the Eagles and Jalen Hurts, it happened with the
forty nine ers and Brock Party. It doesn't have to
be you know, CJ. Stroud second overall pick, Caleb Williams
first overall pick. There are a lot of other guys
having a lot of success that were not number one
overall picks. The shitty part about that is you never know.

(58:42):
Beside TPC Scottsdale, is there another course you'll play in
the area. Yeah. I live at Greyhawk, so I bought
this little summer pass. I've played there a couple of times.
Cool course Troon. Many people think that that's one of
the better courses, public courses on the coast. It's tough Weekapa,

(59:03):
which is a very very popular thirty six hole track.
It's got a casino out there on an Indian reservation.
I played it. I've only played it once. It's when
I came here Memorial Day. Probably twenty twenty. But it
was sweet. That's the only time in my life I've
been drunk teeing off because we played thirty six holes,

(59:23):
started drinking whole one by the time we got to eighteen,
had a little delay, went in more cocktails. I could
barely stand for the last nine holes, and I was
playing good. I was like from hole nine to twenty seven.
I think I was like one over the stretch in
the middle, and then by the whole like the last
couple holes. I mean I was falling over. But wikipa

(59:45):
great experience there if you want to go a little cheaper,
but solid tracks like Whirlwind, Raven, good public tracks. Silverado
probably low, but it's right in Paradise Valley, close to downtown.
I've played it. I didn't mind it. A lot of places.
It'd be like a twenty dollars course here. Probably in

(01:00:07):
the summer, it's probably like sixty seventy. I don't think
you can really have a bad experience around here playing golf.
Mail back question. I'm a Nashville native and could be
overly optimistic of a completely rebuilt Titans team, but I
think on paper we match up nicely with anyone If

(01:00:29):
Levis can be the sixteenth best quarterback in the league.
I think we can be competitive after listening to what Callahan,
Holtz and Dinard Wilson have planned for our team, I
can't help but think they will elevate the star power
we have acquired. Indy and Houston are scary, but I'll

(01:00:50):
take us over the Jags any day of the week.
If you're ever back in Nashville, let me know. I
can get you on a private thirty six whole track
and I work twenty five minutes north of Nissan. Might've
take you up. I'll be there in late August. Little
food tasting, excited fat guys. You know who's going to

(01:01:10):
turn down food tasting, not me one of the guys
you listed. I know someone with the Titans pretty well,
one of the coaches on the staff, and I haven't
talked to him since training camp started, but he was
pretty optimistic in the spring. I'm not trying to overhype
Will Levis, but they were excited. Now, most people get

(01:01:32):
excited during the spring when you get a guy with
physical talents, who's a good guy, working hard, and they
were like going out to dinners with the quarterbacks. I
mean people were having a good Spring's great. I mean,
that's why I never understand skipping the spring to work
out on your own. You literally just go work out
what you're doing anyway, have paid for dinners by the

(01:01:54):
organization sending you to hockey and NBA games, Your coaches
take you out to sweet dinners on the organ It's
it's a very very chill time. But they do have
some talent on the team. I think the question mark
is gonna be, you had Calvin Ridley, you signed Pollard.
I saw a clip going viral of Jeffrey Simmons, who

(01:02:16):
obviously is an awesome player, screaming at this radio host
today that looked like like the radio station that hosts
the Titans games. One of the dudes on there had
tweeted something and he's calling him a pussy and it's
just screaming back and forth. Very entertaining to watch. I
I don't I'm not up to the in on the

(01:02:38):
loop of what's going on what was said, but I
love those interactions. A lot of people were commenting that
Simmons is kind of crazy. I honestly know nothing about
him besides he's a good player. Yeah, I listen every
year there's a team I had someone DM me. I
think about the Giants. If Daniel Jones plays like Alex Smith,

(01:02:59):
the win nine ten games. It's just a simple fact,
like the Alex Smith version that Andy Reid have had.
But he has to be better than he was two
years ago because two years ago it was made up
for with Saquon Barkley. So they're gonna like, they can't
compete to make the playoffs with him throwing fifteen touchdowns
even if their defense, their defensive line should be pretty good, right,

(01:03:23):
your defensive line should be pretty good too, and offensively
you have some weapons. You draft a an offensive lineman early.
You get Callahan's dad, who's one of the best offensive
line coaches. So it all hinges on, like, is levis
just solid and does he have games where he throws
three or four touchdowns and has some down games? Whatever,
but it's high end or is he just a bottom

(01:03:45):
five quarterback because obviously he's a bottom five quarterback. Team's
gonna suck. He's he's one of the great unknowns in
the NFL. You get an offensive coach, you get his
dad's the O line coach. Like there's a lot of
emphasis in that organization and on offense. Don't know how
far your connections go, but big Saints fan and wondering

(01:04:06):
what your sources are saying about Spencer Rattler. What's funny
is I maybe I'll start doing it next week. I
really haven't texted anyone I know in the NFL like
how their team's looking. I actually did it for the
first time because a buddy had reached out to me.
So I haven't really been keeping tabs beside what I
see on the internet just because it's so early. I
did see a clip on Spencer Rattler today. Hayn, who

(01:04:29):
they drafted last year, who I know friends and Steake
Guy is suspended, So Spencer Ratler is gonna be the
backup quarterback to start the season. They clearly like him
a lot. Yeah, I mean I like Haynter too, but
I think Spencer Ratler, when it's all said and done,
especially if he has a good camp because Hayn suspended,

(01:04:50):
is probably gonna be the backup. Also curious about Derek
Carr's contract and how long he has tied to us.
If he underwhelms, Rattler shines how punitive it would be
for us to move on If you guys don't make
the playoffs this year, Dennis Allen will be fired and
Derek Carr will no longer be the quarterback. So this
is They're one of those teams where like we can speculate,

(01:05:13):
like is Brian dave Ball really on the hot seat?
I only say that because John Morrow's recent history is
like he'll fire guys, but would it shock me if
they kind of underwhelm me and he gets another year? Yeah?
For sure. It's pretty clear. If the Saints do not
make the playoffs this year, they don't win the division,
but they gotta be on a wild card, they gotta
be in the playoffs. Their coach and their quarterback are done.

(01:05:36):
That's that's not an opinion. I mean, that's pretty clear.
I mean it's in you as a Saints fan kind of.
I'm sure know that as well. So I would say
Derek Carr is a massive year for his career. Question
for the Pod Steve Young got traded to the Niners
in nineteen eighty seven to replace an injured Joe Montana.

(01:05:58):
Montana recovered and remain the starter in San Francisco until
nineteen ninety one, so Young ended up starting in nineteen
say Young ended up starting in nineteen eighty seven. How
many Super Bowls does Young win and where does he
end up on the all time list? For context, Montana

(01:06:18):
won two Super Bowls from eighty seven to ninety one.
I think it's fair to say he definitely has another
one now I read aka, listen to Steve Young's book.
You know, after like year three, they started acting asking
Walsh like what is going on? Like we need you
need to let us go completely different times. Steve Young

(01:06:42):
was a little bit of a project though when they
got him, and part of the story he thought Joe's
back was shot, he would only be there for a year.
And the first practice they go out and Joe looks fantastic.
U Joe still got banged up a little bit, I
think over that time, But yeah, I don't know that's

(01:07:02):
Steve would like when was Steve truly ready to kick ass?
Because by the time they get rid of Joe, Steve's
winning MVP immediately. And those teams, you know, in the
late eighties with Charles Haley, with Ronnie Lott, obviously with
Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, I think wins a couple. So

(01:07:22):
he wins his in ninety four and wins another one
in the late eighties. But it's hard to just say
for a fact that if Steve was the quarterback and
Joe wasn't the quarterback, they win for sure because the Steve,
especially if you're my age, Steve got better as he
played more, but maybe that's because he didn't really get

(01:07:43):
he did get to play. If you go to his
it's one of the crazier stories in NFL history that
for four years their backup quarterback who they traded for
was Steve Young, who's an NFL Hall of Famer. So
he started because Joe did get banged up. So in

(01:08:03):
eighty seven he started three games that might have been
the strike year. Eighty eight started three games, eighty nine
started three games, nineteen ninety only started the one. In
ninety one he started ten games and went five and five,
seventeen touchdowns, eight picks, and then his first year starting
it was off to the races twenty five and seven.

(01:08:26):
The Niners went fourteen to two. By ninety four, he
won the MVP thirty five and ten and they won
the Super Bowl. So I think it's fair to say
with Walsh as a coach, but didn't Seaffert I think
Seffert took over. They win in eighty eight, and then
he takes over in eighty nine because people act like
Walsh has three super Bowls, sef Fort had two. Seaffert

(01:08:49):
won a Super Bowl with Montana and then won another
one with Steve Young. That's a good question, you know.
And I say this all the time about legit sports arguments.
You can read a book or you can watch youtubes.
If you don't live something, it's hard to know. I
can give you completely borderline uneducated guesses because I didn't

(01:09:12):
experience it. If you ask some fifty year old who
lived through it and was a diehard fan, they would
have a hard take. I don't have a heard take.
It's like who was better Jack Nicholas or Arnold Palmer
in their prime? I don't know Joe Namath or Terry Bradshaw,
no clue. We can look at stats all we want,

(01:09:33):
but it's like who was better Aaron Rodgers or Brett Fahr.
Like I feel pretty good arguing that one. Who was
better Steph Curry or Kobe Bryant. Like whenever you watch
people yourself, it's just so much easier to like feel
very very good about the take like I can't have

(01:09:53):
strong arguments about nineteen eighties NFL. I've met enough people
that have, like the Dan Marino ball was different than
any how awesome Elway was as an athlete, how just
under control Montana was. But it's like watching the YouTube
videos is not the same. If you want to talk

(01:10:15):
about Josh Allen and Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers and
Roethlisberger and Cam Newton and Eli Manning, like I could
do it, tell him blue in the face and give
you if there was scenarios like that, give you perfectly,
but it's hard. I guess I would guess he would
win another one because the team so good, but it's
it's hard to know. I know this till my dad's
dying days. Those Montana truthers, they like Steve as a

(01:10:41):
guy and a personality, and obviously he was a good player,
but they never forgave getting rid of Joe. It's just
it's hard. It's no different than it's different with the
Patriots because they didn't have anyone to replace him with.
But when you replace the Joe Montana and you do
it for a guy, if they would have, you know,
the Jimmy Garoppolo for Tom Brady had actually worked out.

(01:11:05):
It's very, very difficult because you've just been through so
much with the one guy and won so many championships
and you've just seen his greatness. It's just it you
never truly embraced that other person, You really don't. They
almost feel like a I don't know, the stripper girlfriend.

(01:11:25):
You know, it's it's never quite the same the love
that you had with your your wife and the mother
of your children. The volume

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