3 & Out - Rodgers out in NY, Latest with the draft, All-Star Games are dead

John is back after taking a few days off and jumps into the pod talking about the Jets cutting Aaron Rodgers, where he thinks Rodgers should go next if he's looking to make the most money and it's not actually playing the game. Next, John dives into the draft convo and how he thinks that Travis Hunter has the right decision by coming out and saying that he is entering the draft as a cornerback. After, he discusses the NBA All-Star Game and if there is anything that the NBA can do to revive the game or are all ASG's DOA.

Later, John answers your questions during this episode's mailbag segment.

4:12 - Aaron Rodgers out in NY

14:24 - Draft Convo

24:49 - NBA All-Star Game

36:07 - Mailbag

Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. #Volume #Herd

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume. What is going on everybody? John Middlecoff three
and out podcast. Hopefully everyone is having a good day

(00:22):
recording this little old show on President's Day. Gloomy day
here in Arizona. Not too gloomy. I guess sixty five
degrees and hopefully we still know how to podcast. Took
a couple of days off, time to hop back on
the saddle and start slinging some football takes. Now what
we will do today, So some thoughts from Aaron Rodgers

(00:42):
to Matt Stafford to Travis Hunter, to some takes on
the All Star Game, because everyone's like the NBA All
Star Game, the NFL All Star Game. I watched the
hockey All Star Nation thing. That was sweet. And we
also do a mail bag at John Middlecoff. We've got
a lot of new listeners over the course of the season,

(01:03):
and people ask, like, what happens during the off season?
We podcast We got combine right around the corner, then
you got free agency, then you got the draft, then
you got OTAs. There is no slowing down. We go
pedal the metal here. So we'll be podcasting just like
we did during the season. We will also though I

(01:24):
do a golf podcast a little bit of a passion project.
Also just trying to expand the business here, and we've
been doing it for a couple of years. We're going
to expand in doing videos on the course for YouTube
as well. We did a couple in the fall. Plan
is to do a lot more this year. Trying to
figure out exactly how we're going to attack that. This week,

(01:48):
so we will do go low podcasts and just on
everything golf, from gambling to the PGA Tour to just
anything that's going on. Will bs about and I also
have a golf Instagram, so we do a mail bag
as well, so you can fire in at Golo Pod.
It kind of goes dormant during football season, but I
will resuscitate that thing and bring it back to life

(02:10):
and we will utilize that moving forward. So at Golo
Pod is the Instagram account that I run as well.
It probably not much has gone on there lately, but
I will get back involved with that right now. So
if you've got any questions, want to get involved in
any of the golf mail bag, that is where you
find me. And other than that, subscribe to the podcast.

(02:35):
If you listen on Collins Feed, subscribe to the YouTube
channel appreciate everyone that has. And let's talk some football.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
They'll start with Aaron.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
Rodgers, who was officially cut I guess unofficially because the
waiver wires dead for I think another week or so.
But the Jets put out a statement and basically, I
love it. You know, in sports, I guess I follow
it so closely. Maybe it happens in other industries, but

(03:02):
it's just a it's a go to football thing when
a player or a coach is fired, like we wish
him the best in his future endeavors and whatever he
pursues in the future. Like I love that being the
final statement. It's like, no, you can't get this guy
out of your building quick enough. And this isn't just
on Aaron Rodgers. This is on anytime a coach is fired.

(03:23):
Jerry said it with Mike McCarthy. It happens with every person.
It's like I wish you the best. No, you want
this guy gone, and you hope whoever you bring in
to replace him is way better than this guy, so
you're actually not wishing him the best. But the Aaron
Rodgers situation was it's funny, you know, they went all in.

(03:43):
I don't blame them for doing it and it didn't
just backfire in their face. It was a disaster. It
was like an epic all time disaster. It was one
of those situations that's going to be talked about the
rest of my life. I mean, there was some historic
ones when I was young that I didn't witness, like hey,
remember uh Willie Mays on the Mets. It's like, no,

(04:05):
I don't, but clearly that didn't go well, and that
feels like it's going to be one of those situations,
especially if Rogers doesn't play anymore. And I never blame
a player for trying to play till his like essentially
athletic dying days, because the real world sucks compared to
getting to play football, basketball, baseball, hockey, you name it

(04:26):
for a living. It doesn't get any better than that,
and mainly it doesn't pay any better in that and
when you play quarterback, even at like a mediocre level.
I mean, Gardner Minshew got fifteen million dollars last year
from the Raiders. There weren't many W two jobs on
the open market that pay fifteen million dollars. So Aaron Rodgers,
who his days of getting forty fifty million dollars are over.

(04:50):
But when you look at Gardner Minshew getting fifteen million dollars,
it's very conceivable that someone can pay him one year
twenty twenty five million dollars. So I would not blame
him for trying to continue his career. The problem is
his options, and we've talked about this before, are not
gonna be very good. It's gonna be the Jets, it's
gonna be the Raiders, it's gonna be teams like the Giants.

(05:12):
It's gonna be teams that are all drafting really really
high for a reason. They suck. So if I was
giving advice to Aaron Rodgers, and if I was giving
advice to Amazon, doesn't this make a lot of sense? Like, listen,
Herbstreet and Al got that thing off the off the mat,
got it going, got it going in the right direction,

(05:33):
made it a valuable property. Right a lot of us
watch Thursday Night Football ten to fifteen million people. But
Al feels like he's and I'm pro al Michaels but
a couple steps away from retirement. And the Herb Street
thing was kind of filler because they got denied on
guys like John Lynch and Sean McVay. Well Aaron Rodgers

(05:53):
sitting right there for you, And doesn't it kind of
scratch Aaron's itch? Like part of staying as an NFL
quarterback if he were to sign with a bad team,
wouldn't just because of money. It would because of what
the NFL brings. Keeps you relevant, keeps you in the
public eye, helps you, you know, be in the mix
to your off the field businesses. Well, isn't that what

(06:15):
this modern day television show does? Because look at Tom Brady,
they gave him three hundred and fifty three hundred and
seventy five million dollars. He'd never call the game. I
would say Aaron Rodgers has proven to be much more
of an outgoing personality of willing to say whatever. And
that's the space he's in. Like, ultimately, the space of
calling a football game is entertainment, right, It's not like

(06:37):
you gotta just color within the lines, No, Like, be yourself,
do whatever you want to do. And I do think
Aaron Rodgers to Amazon like listen makes a lot of sense.
And if I was Amazon, I would be all over
them and the money that they were willing to pay
a couple of years ago to guys like McVeigh and
John Lynch were eye opening. Why wouldn't they be willing

(06:58):
to do that with Aaron Rodgers? I wouldn't they be
willing to? Like, Okay, it's like Fox made a big splash.
Obviously a couple years ago. ESPN made a big splash
hiring Joe Buck and Troy Aikman away from Fox. Maybe
this Amazon's time, and listen, I'm not saying he would
take it. Maybe he wants no part of this. Aaron
Rodgers doesn't seem like he's destined to be like a
coach or a GM but this feels like kind of

(07:20):
a cushy gig. You could make fifteen twenty million dollars
a year, do it for a couple of years, ease
into retirement, still get paid a premium, get to be
around football, and, let's face it, kind of keep yourself relevant.
I actually think like this is the perfect gig from
if he asked me for advice, not saying he would
and he won't. It's like, should I go to the

(07:41):
Titans or should I go to the Raiders? Or should
I be interested in Amazon? And Amazon like I'm sorry,
Like it's time to get a new booth. It's time
to blow that thing up, and I think Rogers is
the perfect individual for that spot. I think when you
look at the Jets, and I think the Falcons fall

(08:02):
under this too. Sometimes in life you have to be desperate.
Like part of the reason I'm a podcaster is because
probably about a decade ago, there were some desperate times
and it kind of led me into this profession and
it's worked out pretty well. Right, There are times in
your life, professionally and probably personally well where you have

(08:23):
to do desperate things. Because the old adage is never
make a business decision out of desperation. I think that's
a little bullshit. I would the way I would phrase
it would be never make a big business decision out
of desperation. And I think anytime that you trade or

(08:45):
pay a quarterback a lot of money when you're in
a situation like the Falcons were, when you're in a
situation like the Jets were, it's not an ideal operation
because you go, well, why are the Packers trading me
this guy? Why doesn't Kevin O connell and the Minnesota
Vikings want this player back? And currently the name that's
floating around is Matt Stafford, and it's you know, the Rams.

(09:10):
I don't know having Matt Stafford, and we've heard it
now for a couple of years. It's like something's just
a little off, And I think usually this stuff comes
back to money, and I don't blame the Rams, Like, yeah,
we're not really into giving you like one hundred million
dollars guaranteed right now at thirty seven, thirty eight years old.
We're not into getting into a position where, if this

(09:31):
does go off the rails, we feel like we're the
Atlanta Falcons or the New York Jets. We're going to
take a huge, huge cap hit for a guy that
you know, we feel is on the wrong side, probably
on whole seventeen eighteen, who were proven we can still
win with and we like playing with. But this is
a business and we're a little uncomfortable with where we're

(09:53):
at in this cycle now. We don't have many better options.
We actually don't have any other options, but we don't
plan on giving you a big contract extension. So if
you want that contract extension, you're gonna have to get
it from someone else. And when I see that, teams like, ah,
the Giants could be really interested in Matt Stafford, Like
that's got disaster written all over it. It really does it. Like, Okay,

(10:16):
the New York Giants, who have been one of the
worst operations for a decade plus, would be interested in
trading for Matt Stafford, And obviously, if you're gonna trade
for him, you're gonna give him a lot more money
on his contract. Because Sean McVay and the La Rams,
who have established themselves as clearly one of the best
operations in the league, are over it. I would not

(10:41):
be doing that. I would not be getting into business
with situations that well run franchises want out of, especially
even with you know, we saw last year with Kirk Cousins,
who is going to be released in the next couple weeks.
He was available for a reason. He was old, he
was injured, and he was going to be really, really expensive,

(11:01):
and the Falcons are like, yeah, we'll give you a
ninety million dollars guaranteed. And it was clear by halfway
through the season, like this is an epic disaster. And
part of the reason it was a disaster is like
your coaching staff do they know what they're doing? Like
Matt Stafford used to be way better. Why he was younger,
he was in the prime of his career and he

(11:23):
was around people that were over their head and they
did not win. Like, part of being a good player
in the NFL is you also need good coaches in
a good operation in the NFL. Like it's pretty clear
looking back when Tom Brady chose the Bucks, Like, yeah,
they had Bruce Arians, Jason light who's one of the
best gms, and a lot of good players around him.

(11:44):
They were actually pretty well built to handle that situation.
If you would have put Tom Brady on a team
that was not, it would have blown up in his face.
So when I see desperation when it comes to older quarterbacks,
I see a massive, massive red flag, and I see
something as an owner, like I understand why a general manager,

(12:07):
why a coach, people in the hot seat and people
that are desperate to keep their jobs would want to
do make a decision like that. But and I'm not
pro meddling. And you hear this a lot, like, you know,
the owner can't just stay out of the way. Well,
sometimes you have to get involved because you're like, this
is a moronic idea. I don't need to know our

(12:28):
entire playbook and the entire draft board to know I
don't like the way this looks, the way this smells,
or where this has a potential to go. There's way
more negative outcomes than it comes to positive outcomes when
it comes to this transaction. So I would just the
Stafford business. If LA wants out, I'm sorry, I don't

(12:49):
want in. Okay, let's go to a little draft conversation,
because there was a big story at the end of
last week that Travis Hunter. It gave the list of
guys going to the combine and Travis Hunter was listed
as a corner. And I say this all the time

(13:09):
during the draft, and I will continue to beat this drum.
Where you are drafted and how you are discussed as
a draft prospect has nothing to do with how you're
going to be as an NFL player. So your draft
value that this is an economic exercise. Right, So if
I view you as a second round pick, that has

(13:30):
nothing to do with what you're going to be once
you get to the NFL. But based on whether it
be size and measurables, speed, production, just overall talent, I
don't view you as I need to take you in
the top twenty picks to acquire your services. Right that
there are a lot of homes that go for seven

(13:51):
hundred thousand dollars. That would be a great place to
lay your head down every night. But there's a reason
that house costs seven hundred thousand dollars. If you put
it in to a different market, that house might be
two point two million dollars. And sometimes guys and players
coming out of college based on a bunch of different circumstances,
some of them out of their own control, their draft

(14:11):
value is different from what it would be if I
took this guy from Texas Tech and I put him
at Ohio State. That's part of the business warrant. No
different with positions. We say this all the time. Rights
its obvious quarterback is the number one position in the NFL.
And if you need a quarterback and you're drafting a
quarterback and the guy is viewed as an NFL starter,

(14:34):
you draft him number one. You don't even hesitate. And
then offensive and defensive linemen when it comes to tackles
and pass rushers, are both you right behind him. You
could make the argument that the third most valuable position.
So if you go quarterback, offensive a defensive linemen tackles
and ends, I would say corner would have to be

(14:55):
pretty high up there. And if you could tell me, hey,
you think both these guys are going to be an
all pro, would you take a wide receiver or would
you take a cornerback? I would one thousand percent take
a corner because it is typically easier to find good
wide receivers later in the draft than it is corners,
especially if I view the guy as a lockdown player.

(15:17):
And I think Travis Hunter, whether he made the decision,
whether Dion helped him make the decision, whether whoever in
his life helped him make this decision, it was the
correct decision because when you look at the wide receiver class,
it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. It's all size,
you know, different size requirements. Some teams need this, some
teams need that, and they're just not viewed as highly

(15:40):
in the sense of I could find guys later in
the draft. That is just not true for corners. And
at the end of the day, Travis Hunter as a
wide receiver prospect, he's really good, like he is a
first round wide receiver prospect, But I don't view him
like Jamar Chase or you know last year I had
I thought Molikue Neighbors was a better prospect than Marvin Harrison,

(16:02):
Like just some can't miss, no doubt about it, guy
you would take in the top five. But at corner,
looking back last year, how many teams regret passing on
guys like Jared Vers and Quinnion Mitchell For the Eagles. Obviously,
looking back, the defensive lineman should have gone higher. But
if you could do it over, there's no way on

(16:23):
God's green earth that Mitchell ends up to the Eagles
in the early twenties. He probably ends up going in
the top ten because getting a lockdown corner makes your
defense that much easier to run. When a guy takes
away half the field, especially a player who can chase
around number one wide receivers, And then the discussion of
can he play both ways like that, that's a bigger

(16:46):
picture discussion that will have to play out over time.
I don't think it's physically possible to play corner and
wide receiver as full time starters in the NFL. There
are seventeen games playing corner. Just think about the wide
receivers you have to go against in the NFL on
a weekly basis, especially if you are immediately the number
one you know, like the number one guy as a corner. Like,

(17:10):
if you're the top guy, you're chasing around their best guy.
It's just extremely taxing. But like, this is the easiest
way to not even make a team hesitate to take
you in the top two or three picks. Cause if
it's like I want to play wide receiver, I also
plan on doubling up as a corner. But I'm a
wide receiver. First. I don't think he goes aside. But
when he says I'm gonna play corner, that's what I

(17:31):
want to play. We will. I want to play offense
as well, but I'm a corner. That's how you go
in the top two or three. So smart move by him.
Ashton Genty, I saw a headline today A dude that
writes for The Athletic wrote that the Cowboys should take
him at number twelve of raw. Taking Ashton Genty at
twelve overall would be insane. And this gets back to

(17:52):
that conversation. I love Ashton Genty as a running back.
I think he is going to be a high end
starter in the NFL. But you can find running backs,
especially in this draft, that are gonna start between pick
forty and eighty. There are going to be a ton
of future NFL starters that are drafted on the second day.

(18:13):
And if I'm the Dallas Cowboys and I have a
lot of needs on my team, I am not taking
a running back at number twelve. That is insane. And listen, like, actually,
Genz's five eight. If he was six feet you might
be able to convince me. Hey, it could be Adrian Peterson.
He's five foot eight, But I couldn't take him at

(18:33):
number twelve overall, especially when I go, well, why can't
I just get my starter in the second or third round?
Who do you take high overall? Take a offensive or
defensive lineman? How did the Cowboys get good there for
a while? They drafted a bunch of offensive linemen. What
happened in the last couple of years, Like where's their
defensive Like where's their depth upfront? You got Micah Parsons,

(18:53):
who you know you've kind of contemplated trading. But this
is a deep draft at defensive lineman. Well, you're gonna
have the opportunity to pick one of the better ones
at twelve. So how many teams last year? Go God,
I could have used Jared Verst. Don't overthink this. Take
a defense. Look at the Eagles. How do they just
win the Super Bowl? Offensive and defensive line? Who's scoring

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Speaker 1 (20:56):
A lot of discussion about the the NBA All Star
Game falling off a cliff. And this is not a
new thing. I mean, this happened. It feels like it
happened the last I don't know, five six years. It's
it's like embarrassingly bad. It looks like the NFL did
the last couple of years of pads. But in football

(21:18):
it's somewhat understandable because if you're gonna pad up, you
either got to play one hundred percent all out where
obviously guys get injured all the time just playing the sport,
or you can't play it at all. It's why once
they kind of like took their foot off the gas pedal.
It did not work. It was like this thing's over,

(21:39):
it's done, which I understand. It's like, listen, I make
twenty million dollars a year. I Am not willing to
break my shoulder or break an arm or tear an
ACL in an All Star game. Totally get it. We're
in basketball. You can go seventy five percent, no problem,
and pick your spots and have it be a competitive game.

(21:59):
Will also when All Star Game, it was like that
for a long period of time. Most of my life.
They have completely just quit. They have raised the white
flag and said we do not care. And the moment
the talent says we do not care, the consumers out
because like think about, would you ever watch a television
show or a movie where the actors and the director

(22:22):
or just the entertainment just didn't give a shit, they
didn't even try. It would be awful. I was watching
The White Lotus last night. The one thing that's so
great about that show is like it's just one. It
parallels each other each season, how they use the different characters,
but the effort and how good the acting is. It's like,

(22:44):
this thing is just fantastic. These people sell me on
the craziness of that show, and isn't that what most
great television shows do. Those people's like, this is really believable,
this is hilarious, or this is serious, or this is
much watch TV. And that's the best part about sports
is every Sunday when we turn into tune into the NFL,

(23:05):
you're getting everyone's best effort. Right. It's like even the
shitty teams, they're playing their ass off down the stretch.
It's like, why are the Patriots winning this game? Because
it's football, and because you try and basketball, they're out.
So the consumers out, these games are over. Football game
has been over that it does not exist anymore, Like
it's they went to flag football. Now. The problem in

(23:27):
the NBA, you can't really do that. But I saw
online that I don't follow the NHL, but this hockey
thing was going on, and I had seen the story
that they had boot our anthem, so it's like, hey,
we're playing Canada and they boot our anthem. It's like,
I just probably tune this on, and within I don't know,
fifteen seconds, there were just like three all out brawls

(23:51):
and I was glued for three periods. I did not
budge and I watched America beat Canada and it was
fucking awesome because they cared. Every guy on that ice
was giving me everything they had. That's all I can
ask for as a consumer. So the moment you quit
and I understand. Listen the NBA. I think the average

(24:13):
salary in the NBA is twelve million dollars. I would
imagine the average salary in the NBA All Star Game.
It's probably over forty million dollars. So once you get
people that are that rich, they start dictating the terms.
And in the NBA, the players have been dictating the
terms for a long time. They don't even give a
shit about the regular seam. So you wonders, like, why

(24:33):
are the ratings suck? Well, it's because I tune it on,
you know, in a random January or December or February,
and like some guys aren't playing, No one gives a shit.
So the moment you don't care, I don't care, and
the moment I don't think it matters like that, that's
a problem. And I've said it forever about the NFL.
They kind of just have it built in just because

(24:54):
every game matters. There are only so many. It's just
the nature of the sport. If the NFL, if you
could play, and they would, if they could three games
a week and instead of a seventeen game schedule it
was like a fifty game schedule, it probably wouldn't be
as powerful. It definitely would not. So I think these
all star games are dead and whatever the NHL did,

(25:15):
because in an NHL game a lot like a football game,
you're either all You're either all in or or it's
gonna fail immediately and clearly with whatever they got going
on with this national kind of round robin thing, these
guys care. And maybe it's something to do with putting on,

(25:35):
you know, your country's colors, but it worked. And I'm
not even a hockey guy. I fly in for the
NHL playoffs. I enjoy hockey because there's a violence and
there's an edge to the sport that really only football
can really bring. But they're playing on ice. I mean,
it's just those guys are savages, and it was really

(25:59):
really impressive. It was cool and fun to watch, and
I also think it just brought into light like the NBA,
Like I like, your dunk contest hasn't mattered in a decade.
Your three point contest is DA, You're just done, and
that's okay. Like some things run its course, and in
the NFL, the Pro Bowl ran its course. You can't

(26:20):
even convince guys to show up. It's like, hey, we're
not we used to flag football game. You just get
to go there. You get a bonus in your contract,
you get to drink, you know, take your wife or
whatever to Miami or Vegas or used to be in Hawaii.
And for a long time that was a big deal
because if you played in the nineties, even if you
were making a couple million dollars free trip, everyone always went.

(26:40):
That's why when you go back see some of the
highlights of the nineties or the early two thousand's, like
all the famous guys were there. Now I was like, yeah,
I just I'll take my own family to Cancun. I'll
go play golf. I don't want to come. And that's
the NBA All Star Game still like forces these guys
to come, but they can't force them to play hard.
And you didn't have to do that with the NHL guys.
They just they just played. And that was a fucking brawl.

(27:03):
I mean, those two brothers that started to fight and
they showed the video of their dad fighting Claude Lemieux,
who whose daughter is married to a buddy of mine,
Hunter Bishop Uh Claude Lemieux, So uh, her name is
actually Claudia Hunter plays for the Giants and the Berry guy.

(27:25):
But man, that that that hockey game, that that that
made my weekend. Okay, let's end with this. Uh. Let's
welcome everybody to Chasing Challenges brought to you by Microsoft
and in the NFL. Just like in the business world,
overcoming obstacles is the key to success. Microsoft empowers business
decisions makers with AI solutions, simplified cloud and data management,

(27:49):
and trustworthy, responsible technology to turn challenges into opportunities. In
this segment, we explore some of the biggest challenges being
faced in the NFL and how they can be overcome.
Whatever challenge you're facing, Microsoft empowers you with the experts
to say bring it on. This week, we're discussing the
challenges faced by teams like the Eagles. When you win big,

(28:14):
and the Eagles just won the Super Bowl, you you
feel a debt of gratitude toward the guys that carried
you there. And when you watch the Eagles down the stretch,
their defensive line dominated and Josh Schwett has been a
key player for them for years. And Milton Williams was
a draft pick for them who not only came on

(28:36):
this season, was dominant down the stretch of the year.
And when you play defensive line, especially defensive tackle, and
you hit free agency, you get a lot of money.
A couple of years ago, the Eagles had led the
league in sacks the year that they lost to the
Chiefs in the Super Bowl, and when they hit free agency,
Javon Hargrave got eighty million dollars from the forty nine ers,

(28:59):
And I think with you're the Eagles, and just like
a lot of good teams in the NFL, the key
to not only next week, but the next couple weeks
leading into free agency is figuring out who can we
live without, Because when you have high level players who
are proven to be winning players and guys who can
excel at the highest level, it's hard to let him go.

(29:21):
And sometimes you think, well, we got to keep them,
we have to match that money, we got to pay
him early. And I think in this situation, for good teams,
you got to figure out, can we replace this guy
and at what cost? Will it take it take us
to find a spot to get a player to equal

(29:42):
eighty percent of his value. Can we get a guy
that equals eighty percent of his value at a tenth
of the cost. Because we saw the forty nine ers
last year. They made the Super Bowl and Ayuk was
their best wide receiver and they felt obligated to give
a bunch of money. Then he messed with them and
it was like, guys, you don't really run a pas offense.
You're gonna pay this guy thirty million dollars a year.

(30:03):
You're gonna let him hold you over the barrel. And
I think if they could do it over again, they
would have traded him before the draft. And these are
the tough decisions teams like the Eagles have to make,
not only with their free agents, with players on their roster,
like who do we have to keep so we can
continue to win, but also keep financial flexibility. And that's

(30:23):
why general managers make millions of dollars to make these decisions.
You have to balance not only your emotional tie toward
the individual. These are guys you drafted. These are guys
that you have been a huge part of developing over
the years and believed in from the jump and then
they've turned into everything you want them to turn into.
But are they worth the price which you have to

(30:46):
pay to keep them? And that's really what these next
couple weeks are in the NFL. So that's it for
this week's Chasing Challenges. Remember Microsoft's AI solutions empower you
to take bold steps and make informed decisions, marking new
ideas to help drive your business forward. With Microsoft as
your trusted partner, you can navigate your journey with confidence,

(31:07):
finding innovative solutions and reaching new possibilities. Visit Microsoft dot
com Slash challenges to learn more. Okay, let's do a

(31:29):
little thing we like to call the Middlecoff mail Bag
at John Middlecoff at John Middlecoff Instagram. Fire in those dms,
get your questions answered here on the show. Very easy
to get involved. Just fire in to those direct messages.
Start with Andrew question for the bag. A lot of
talk about the Chargers going out and bringing in a
top receiver such as Tyreek Davante or T Higgins, or

(31:53):
even drafting in one in the first round. While this
is important to address, the offensive and defensive line need
to continue to be fortified in Mike Lombardi's book Gridiron Genius.
He talks about how Bill Walsh always believed that a
wide receiver is the last position you address. This was
in relation to the Niners drafting Jerry Rice in the

(32:13):
mid eighties, feeling as though he was the last piece
and they had already won. I think they had already
won two. So you just have to look at the
guy running the show. Jim Harbaugh is not some guy
that is going to break the bank for a wide
receiver or trade a lot in terms of draft capital

(32:35):
for one of these guys. It's just not going to happen.
To me, they will continue to build the line of
scrimmage and make their defense dominant. That doesn't mean he
won't acquire offensive players. They drafted Lad McConkie, who's a
stud in the second round. Like to me, they will
be all over a starting running back on the second

(32:57):
day of the draft. That'll be something that interests them greatly.
Do I picture them getting super aggressive and trading for
Tyreek Hill. I just do not. I saw something on
the Internet of like, could they trade for Mark Andrews? Like,
I think they're gonna be smart about the skill position
guys that is not how Jim Harbaugh has played. When

(33:19):
he dominated with the Niners and when he won a
national championship with Michigan, it was kicking your ass in
the line of scrimmage. So I hear what you're saying.
Four to five the line of scrimmage. That is what
Jim Harbaugh does, believes it. So they don't need to
tackle now, but they need more defensive linemen, like you know,
Bosa is probably not gonna be on the team, and

(33:40):
Khalil Mack is a free agent. So I wouldn't be
worried about them doing something stupid when it comes to
skill guys not saying that they won't take swings, but
they're not going to operate like your typical team. Been
listening since the Bengals Super Bowl. It's in a while
now you feel about the Bengals hiring Al Golden. I

(34:02):
think he's gonna be pretty good, but it's hard to
imagine that he'll be a huge upgrade from lou An Arumo.
I had forgotten because I saw a clip of his
press conference when he was hired, or maybe it was
like an interview that he did with you know, some
Bengals employees, like in the media department was how he
had coached. He was a linebacker coach there before he

(34:24):
went to Notre Dame. So he's comfortable with Zach Taylor
the operation. He clearly is a good defensive coach, right,
I mean he was a huge, huge part of the
Notre Dame operation the last couple of years. I mean
this year, they were a defensive team. The big reason
they were in the National Championship was Al Golden. So

(34:46):
I remember him when I lived in Philly he was
the head coach at Temple. I know he's really well
thought of, but I'm with you, like it felt like,
I don't know, injuries, letting guys walk out the door. Obviously,
the defense early part of the season was atrocious in Cincinnati.
I mean, it couldn't have been much worse. I mean

(35:08):
that one game where you blew I mean, honestly, the
difference of you being in the playoffs and you not
being in the playoffs is the one loss to Baltimore
where you blew two to ten point leads in the
second in the fourth quarter. That game alone, Like, you
win that game, you win ten games. And the defense
was bad. But like a couple of years ago, everyone
thought lou was a really good defensive coach, and everyone
gives where he end up going Indy. Everyone thinks that, ah,

(35:31):
it's a great coach. That's a good hire by Shane
Syken and Chris Baaler and I agree. I don't know, man,
I think there aren't many good There are good offensive
coaches that have guys over achieve, right, Like Kevin O'Connell
can make Sam Darnold look like a pro bowler, and
maybe he is, maybe he's not. But like you get
a lot of credit as an offensive coach. We've seen

(35:51):
Kyle Shanahan do it with Garoppolo and Purdy. On defense,
like Belichick became a legend coaching Lawrence Taylor, Dick Lebo
coached all those dudes with the Steelers. Right, you usually
become a high level defense. Think about some of the
defensive guys that have been hired over the last decade.

(36:11):
I saw the Niners get two guys hired, Demiko and Sala.
Well why did they get hired? Their roster was loaded
on defense loaded. When Vrabel got hired from Houston to
the Texans, it was viewed like this guy just knows
what he's doing. Even though I think the Texans Actually
that year had a bad statistically defensive year, so that

(36:31):
might be a bad example. But my point is you
can't really be a good defensive coach unless you got dudes.
It's usually not Well, they had Middlecoff and uh this
other dude named Billy who was kind of shitty at corner,
and they just they had the best pass defense in
the league. Like, it's not usually the way it works.
Usually the best defensive coordinators have sweet defensive players. I mean,

(36:53):
look at Belichick even in New England with Flores and
Patricia and Romeo Crenell. Think how many awesome defense of
players they had over the years, from Seymour to Will
Fork to Teddy Bruce Kei to Mike Rabel to Rodney
Harrison to Junior Seau when he was older, to all
the guys they had the last decade. Like, you've got
to have good defensive personnel. You can overcome it on

(37:16):
offense with scheme, it's you. You can only go so
far with scheme on defense, Like, it is a lot
about how good the guys are. Big fan of the
show started a movie podcast a few years back. Any
suggestions to grow listeners or just overall does and don'ts
on the industry. Also, what's an underrated performance from an

(37:39):
actor or actress in a movie? Thanks? John, keep up
the phenomenal work. Somehow, I watched on YouTube recently. I
watch a lot of mob content. So there was like
this behind the scenes of the making of Goodfellas, and
you're just realizing, like, now the this isn't an underrated performance,

(38:02):
but just how good de Niro, Leota, and Peshi were
in that movie. It's like, I just don't think it
gets any better. And it turns out they all were
good friends. Like the the rapport they had on screen
wasn't just because they were elite actors and they were,
but just that they really really got along. I'd have

(38:26):
to think about I really don't, you know the sad part.
As you get older, I don't even have kids yet.
I feel like I don't even watch that many movies anymore,
and when I do, I find myself kind of disappointed.
It's very rare that I watch a new movie did
I go That was good? And sometimes you just watch
an old movie You're like, that was sweet. I just
want to I just want to relive this movie again,

(38:46):
and it you know, it used to happen more. Probably
twenty years ago. With DVD's, you would just pop in
a DVD, and I've said this the downfall of cable.
The one good part about cable is you would just
scroll and then up on random channels that I don't
end up on any more on YouTube TV. But I'm
trying to think if I I haven't really watched that

(39:08):
many movies lately.

Speaker 2 (39:11):
I watched.

Speaker 1 (39:13):
No Country for Old Men recently. I mean, that was
that was phenomenal. I think I think Josh Brolin, it's
just an incredible actor, Scario that movie. He went on
a heater there for a while. I would say, uh,
and the one this the dude Goggins who's in The
New White Lotus. He was also in The Shield, which

(39:36):
I think most people would argue is the greatest show
ever produced by FX. And I've never watched it, though
I've been thinking about, like, if I'm bored, just start
watching it, because I've heard this is a good show. Justified.
He's also in that. He's just he's just good, Like
he's in something I'm just gonna watch. But I would say, like,
I'm not doing this by myself, right, I have the

(39:58):
power of Collins just distribution channel, which it's been a
huge part of the growth of the podcast over the
last four or five years. Obviously, YouTube is one area
where you can get organic growth, right. It can just
get you in front of people in terms of a
search engine that other places cannot. I'm not on TikTok,

(40:21):
not because I don't believe in its power. It's clearly huge.
It was just I only have so much bandwidth. I'm
not even that active on social media as much anymore.
I try to stay away just for I just feel
I'm better at my job and more present in my
life when I just not stuck on the phone. But
I think like posting stuff on Twitter can only get

(40:43):
you so far, and it's been like that for a
long time now, Like you're not going to grow organically
on Twitter Instagram. I think by far the best thing
to do is everything you do as a podcast, do
it as well on YouTube, because that's an area where
you get organic growth. I don't think anything else matches that,
maybe like LinkedIn. Honestly, Twitter does not, Instagram does not.

(41:10):
I can't even sign into Facebook if I wanted to.
I've been locked out of that forever, and I can't
speak to TikTok, but I would say YouTube would be
an area where you got to get involved. The other
thing is and listen, I've done an independent podcast and
had success and made money. It is really really you

(41:31):
can only go so far. And this is one thing
I've learned as I've gotten older, Like you need help,
so like you can only do so much on your own.
So I mean, try and put as much effort and
consistency doing podcasts every day, pumping out as much content
as you can and getting new things out consistently is huge.

(41:54):
But like that, you could be good at it, and
you could be consistent at it, and you can hit
roadblocks and it can like it might not even be
your own fault. It's just because you can't get in
front of other people's eyes or their ears, and there's
nothing you can really do about that on your own.

(42:15):
You need help from someone else. So you know, can
you get even just a little known actor or people involved,
a director or anyone involved in the movie industry to
come on. That would be a recommendation. I don't know
if you don't know anyone in the movie industry, but
just start hitting them up on LinkedIn or dms on
Instagram and see if you can get them on as
a guest and maybe that leads to something. Mail back question,

(42:37):
do coaches sign NDAs? I don't know why we don't
see more coaches talk about what's going on behind the scenes.
For example, I don't think Robert Sala is a bad coach.
I think you went to a team with no quarterback
and insane cuckoo owner. Why would Sala not come into
the press and essentially in a professional manner the Jets
are insane and have terrible ownership and then maybe open

(42:59):
themself up to better job opportunities. The only thing I
can think of is that he's signed an MDA and
can't say certain things in public. Well, all these people
in the NFL are partners, right, So some owners are crazy.
Other owners are probably less crazy. But you can't be
a billionaire in running an NFL team without just, you know,

(43:23):
being some things that most humans are not going to
relate to. I mean, the only people that can relate
to each other in the little fraternity there are in
are the other owners. So if you come out and
just completely shit on Woody Johnson, Let's say Robert Sala
had come out and did a tell all, you know,
like with the athletics like Mike Silver or Diana Russini

(43:45):
or whatever, Albert Breer quote after quote after quote after quote.
Where does that help him? Because if I was another owner,
I'd go listen, like, yeah, Woody's a little nuts. But
what if I hired him and he doesn't like what
he's doing here and he starts doing that to me
and he starts outing all the dirty laundry in our building?

(44:07):
So it gets back to Robert Sala and just people
in general. And listen, I'd never signed an NDA when
I work in the NFL. I've never heard of that.
And I got buddies that are gms and not saying
it doesn't happen. I don't see what you get out
of it, right, Like what's the like we all get it,
like everyone acknowledges. And listen, I is Robert Sala a

(44:30):
good head coach or not? I think the jury would
be out. Is the Jets a tough place to function?
Does Robert Sala get the majority of the blame for
the Jets? No? Rogers gets a lot? Whatdy Johnson gets
a lot? So I would say that I just don't
even think you need to like what's to be gained
because you want to continue to do business with the

(44:52):
other people that are sitting in that guy seat. And
if they think that you might do to them what
you did to him, I'm not paying you millions of dollars.
So I think that's it's like a calculated decision. It's
just not worth it, you know. I think a lot
of people make those decisions when it comes to business

(45:13):
and you've had a scorned relationship with and this is
not even just football. I think a lot of people
listening to this can relate is it worth it to
make a stink over this or just like, I know
what happened. People in my orbit know what happens, and
we'll just move on. And I think there's a balancing
act with that. And there's so much money online. When

(45:33):
you're someone like Robert Salig, you're trying to millions of dollars.
I think the forty nine ers has made him like
the highest paid coordinator in the league or one of them.
He's making like four or five million dollars. So it's
like and he was interviewing with a bunch of other
teams to be their head coach, which I don't know
if happens, if he comes out and goes scorts to
earth on the Jets, because it would scare other owners.

(45:55):
So I really think it's more about all these guys
have some similarities that way, and if you scare them off,
like they're ultimately the ones with the money. Like this
is not like Robert Sala can't just become some entrepreneur, right,
if he wants to be a football coach, he has
to work for owners. That is the shitty part about
the business they're in, which there are a lot of

(46:16):
good things, right, the money, the fame, a lot comes
with it. But if you want to coach football, especially
in the pro level, you have to work for one
of the thirty two guys. That's your only options. True,
Like if you want to do industry X, you pick it,
you can go work for the biggest people in those industries,
or you could try to do it on your own.

(46:39):
Robert Sala cannot. So I think that's a big reason.
And listen, he's not alone. I mean a lot of
people go through crazy situations. But it's also why a
lot of these stories that leaked about the Jets like
pretty clear where they're coming from Uh, do you think
Jason Kelsey regrets retiring as early as he did and
missing out on a Super Bowl ring does it diminish

(47:01):
what impact he had for the Eagles if they were
able to win without him, well, they replaced him with
you know, Landon Dickerson got a big contract. Now he's
a guard, but he can also play center. And Cam
Jurgens was drafted. Was he drafted in the second round
or was he drafted in the third? Cam Jurgens was

(47:21):
drafted in the second round, so I mean, and was
a Pro bowler this year. I mean, the Eagles do
a good job of drafting. They're probably one of the
rare teams that could just have Fletcher Cox and Kelsey
retire and just have plug and play guys. And obviously
Jalen Carter at this point in time is better than Fletcher.

(47:44):
You know, Kelsey's still pretty damn good. Kelsey said last
year it was his body. It just didn't work. So
do I think he would have retired if he thought
his body could still function. I do not, because while
he makes a lot of money from podcasting, if you
could make fifteen twenty million dollars playing for a really
good team, you would continue to do that, But he

(48:05):
said it's just he was just in a lot of pain.
So I think the reason that that he retired had
nothing to do with like on the fence about are
we going to be good or are we going to
be bad? And just more had to do with my
body and I'm in a lot of pain and can
I play with my little kids? And I think he
talked about that last year. If you're Andrew Berry the

(48:27):
Browns GM, what's your order of importance? The number two
back draft pick? Honoring Miles trade request? What do you
do with Deshaun Watson? Second mail back question? In your opinion?
Can you rank the top three to five positions on
a football team in order? Well, it's all about the

(48:51):
draft selection Number two in the middle of February is
not as pressing of an issue as do we have
to trade Miles Garrett? Right? Will? Can we make him
an offer over the next week in front of his
agent at the Combine that he would accept, Hey, we'll
give you one hundred and fifty million dollars guaranteed, we

(49:13):
don't want to trade you. Will you accept that offer?
If he says no, I'm not gonna take any of
your money. This is not about the money. This is
I don't want to play there anymore. That has to
become your number one option. I did see some people saying,
could they package Deshaun Watson from Miles Garrett. I don't

(49:35):
think that's an option. I think you're just kind of
stuck with Deshaun Watson. I don't really think that's an issue. Like,
I just think you're stuck with him. So I think
your only issues right now is what do we do
with Miles Garrett? Do we trade him? And then if
we do, then we start focusing on the draft. But
Deshaun Watson's on our team, his Achilles doesn't work, and
we just nothing we can do. I mean I think

(49:59):
that I don't think he is a He's a movable player.
I would say quarterback. I would say tackle and edge,
But it depends like am I just getting a good
edge player or am I getting TJ. Watt or Miles Garrett?

(50:20):
Am I getting a good tackle? Or am I getting
Lane Johnson or Trent Williams? So like same thing with quarterback.
If I get Trent Williams or Lane Johnson or I
get like the eighteenth best quarterback, it's all about where
you need to pull the trigger if you're talking about
the draft, right, but I think it goes quarterback. Clear

(50:42):
number one. Two A and two B are pass, rusher
and tackle, and I would have corner number three. Question
for the mailbag, what developed your ability in understanding football?
Were you a player in high school or college? I'm
interested in your journey. Sorry if you've already answered this.
Have you thought about adding an option to join your

(51:03):
YouTube channel for a monthly fee? I think there would
be a lot of people that would support you and
your fiance. Yeah, I mean this is our monthly fee
is the people we have associated with the podcast that
pay a premium to advertise on the show. If I

(51:23):
was going to do some monthly fee, it wouldn't be
through the YouTube channel. But I hear what you're saying.
I would say my understanding of football was developed of
working in football. I mean when I worked at Fresno
State for two years, I worked in recruiting and I
worked with Pat Hill and Drew Hill. Well, Pat Hill
had been a coach forever and had worked for Bill Belichick.

(51:45):
So for a couple of years, I think three or
four years he worked in Cleveland with Bill Belichick. He
was the assistant offensive line coach. The offensive line coach
was Kirk Farns. He drew the cards every day against
Nick Say been running their defense. And then obviously when
I got there in O eight, he had ran a

(52:05):
football program which had produced a ton of NFL guys
for a decade. And Drew Hill has now been the
player personnel director at Oklahoma under Bob Stoops, Lincoln Riley
and now Bred Venables. So I got to learn football
from them, and then I took that knowledge to the NFL,
and I got to learn from all the guys I
worked with, right, I mean every day I worked with

(52:28):
Howie and Lewis Riddick and Brett Veach, Mike Bradway who's
on Veach's staff, to our coaching staff, which included guys
like Doug Peterson, Matt Naggy, Todd Bowles, Howard Mudd, Sean McDermott.
So I just got to be around all these guys
and just what do you think you're do in a

(52:50):
football Officuse you talk football, so you just and then
going into practice being around players, you kind of learn.
You just you just kind of learn. And you've watched
football your whole life, and I still watch foot so
all that stuff. It's kind of my base how I
learned football in my twenties and then over the last decade,
I've my own thoughts on it, and then I just
talk about it. So I guess that's long winded way

(53:13):
of saying I was taught. You can't learn this stuff,
you know, just by keeping your fingers crossed. I had
to learn from being around other people, and I was
lucky to be around people that knew what they were doing.
A big NFL fan here from Morocco living in Dubai.
I've always wanted to go to Dubai. I wonder if

(53:34):
I convinced Maria if we can go there for honeymoon.
I have a question regarding Kyle Shanahan. Is he on
the hot seat now that Sirianni and McVeagh won. Especially
Sirianni's team that beat the Chiefs forty nine ers lost
two Super Bowls to them. He gets tight every fourth
quarter in the Super Bowl and he lost if you

(53:54):
include the Atlanta one as well. I have struggled with
that one. He was a I've never heard of a
coordinator who gets blamed for a Super Bowl loss like
he gets blamed, like Pete Carroll gets lost, gets blamed
for Russell Wilson when he was not the offensive coordinator
in that Super Bowl, for them throwing on the goal line.
They don't blame. I don't. I don't know who's their coordinator,

(54:16):
Bevill Schottenheimer. You never hear it's just Pete Carroll, Pee Carrol,
Pee Carroll. It's somehow Dan Quinn does not get blame.
Kyle Shanahan does. But I hear what you're saying. I
do think there's gonna be tangible pressure on I don't.
I don't blame anyone if they don't have it in
front of them, and I don't even have it in
front of me. But I do know that their schedule

(54:38):
this year, I remember when it came is a joke.
We don't know like exact dates. But the teams are playing,
they have a last play schedule, they play. I think
the Division plays the AFC South, which is obviously not good.
So to me, anything less than like eleven or twelve
wins for the forty nine ers is a complete disaster.

(54:59):
And anytime you're paying a guy fifteen sixteen, seventeen million
dollars to be your head coach. There's a lot of
pressure on So I don't think he's on the hot
seat because who are you gonna fire him for? But
is there pressure on Kyle Shanahan? Fuck yeah there is
and there should be. It's like time to win. How
is bo Knicks any different from Mac Jones? I guess
he is more mobile, but doesn't he have the same

(55:21):
qualities but way more support. I think bo Knicks is
way more talented than mac Jones. Mobility, I mean he's
dramatically more mobile, and I think he's got a better arm,
you know, part of the Mac Jones I would say
package that I thought people were getting when they drafted him,

(55:44):
because his comp was like a little bit more athletic
Kirk Cousins, who's like really serious guy, and it kind
of came out like, yeah, I don't know if he's
like his character not bad, but no one's comparing him
to like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. I think that's
really what he was gonna hang his hat on. Was
like the super focused, non fuck around guy, totally coachable,

(56:06):
and like Belichick had issues with him. They couldn't stand
him toward the end. So it's like, wait, you're not
as talented and your intangibles aren't elite. Like That's one
thing with bo Nicks. His intangibles are pretty high. They're
actually through the roof, and I think he's just physically
more gifted than Mac Jones. Uh, excellent show. I listen

(56:29):
on Spotify. Can you put it out there that the
Commanders need to focus on the O line for their
team building this offseason? Most people will overlook this and
say the defense needs to improve because the offense did
so well, But there will absolutely be a regression next

(56:50):
season when other defenses adjust to the Kingsbury game plan
and discover Jalen's weaknesses, and another regression when Kingsbury. Ultimately,
if they do not shore up their O line, the
O line needs to be the priority. For God's sakes.
Do not let anyone say anything about team building with
offensive skill positions. I think I read that you guys

(57:13):
betting favorite to land Miles Garrett if he's traded. Uh yeah, listen, Uh,
think about the team they're going up against, the team
they're chasing in their division. Well, even if Sweat and
Milton Williams leave, they are still going to have Nolan Smith,

(57:33):
who's going to be a double digit sack guy. Jalen Carter,
who's one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL,
who how he probably draft this year. Probably another defensive
lineman who was one of the guys they drafted last year.
I forget his name, but he was the guy that
when Howie called him to say the Eagles were picking him,
called him big Pimpin'. I think that guy made some

(57:55):
plays in the playoffs. He's a defensive tackle. So I
hear you like, if I have the quarterback, what did
Harbad do for Justin Herbert offensive lineman and what did
he say? They're the tip of the spear. So I'm
totally with you. I would draft O lineman, O lineman
and D lineman. If you told me they only draft

(58:16):
O linemen and D lineman in this draft, I would
say it was the right move. A question for the mailbag.
How overstated is it when draft analysts say deep position
groups means some guys will fall later than their talent suggests.
It feels like corner and interior D linemen were talked
about that way last year, and there was a run

(58:38):
on both to start the second round. Feels to me
like it will happen this year with running back. I
think what they mean is is like if there was
a depth at defensive tackle, right, if there were only
three good defensive tackles, all the defensive tackles would be

(58:58):
gone in the top fifteen picks. Well, instead, people go, well,
there's going to be ten defensive tackles. I'm going to
take the offensive tackle or the offensive you know player,
or defensive end or whoever, just another position with the
eleventh pick, knowing I can get that same position, maybe
a little bit less of a player, but a guy

(59:20):
that can start for me at pick forty two, whatever
the numbers come out to be. I think that's more
when they are describing the scenario in which you are
describing what they mean. But I hear you, no one
actually knows beside the top couple picks, who and where

(59:40):
people are going to get drafted. No one has any clue,
right because it doesn't a GM or a coach doesn't
help them at all to leak out to anybody, specifically
the media, where and when they're going to take a
player if they're drafting like sixth or eighth or twelfth

(01:00:02):
or fifteenth, who they like and when we find out
who you like. Good teams take advantage of it because
they jump you in the draft and they take that
player if they want. Just an observation, But over the
last few years, it seems like defensive or CEO type
coaches who focus more on culture and leadership are succeeding
at a higher level than scheme guys and play caller types.

(01:00:25):
Sirianni Campbell, Quinn Demiico, Todd Bowles have all won playoff games,
while coaches like day Ball, Mike McDaniel, Kevin O'Connell, Arthur Smith,
Shane Stikein have zero playoff wins and are already being fired.
The NFL is full of smart coaches, and leadership seems
like the important quality in a coach. Why are these young,

(01:00:47):
hot offensive coordinator candidates always place at the top of
the list for coaching vacancies. Are teams looking for wrong qualities?
We'll think about it. How is a coordinator? Do I
judge your leadership ability? How it's It's unquantifiable. Now you
can argue you know it when I meet you or

(01:01:09):
when I'm around you, But I don't have the ability
to rank. Like go to a stats page and get
a ranking where I can go to a stats page
and go Shane Sikin led the best offense, Ben Johnson
led the best offense, so and so led the best defense,
so and so has the best passing offense. It's easy

(01:01:32):
to quantify, well, think who's interviewing them, an owner, what's
an owner's background? Typically business? Well, what are you doing? Business? Spreadsheets?
Numbers very black and white. When you're dealing with coaches,
especially CEO types, like, yeah, Mike Tomlin's got something no
one else has, But how do I quantify that? And

(01:01:55):
some people see it, some people don't. So I I
just think it's really complicated. I don't think there's I
don't know. I just don't think there's a great answer
to the reason why these guys are not hired all
the time and those guys fail as well. You know,
just because you're supposed to be the CEO head, you know,

(01:02:18):
head coach, doesn't mean you're gonna succeed. So I think
it's it's like a draft pick. It is very, very
difficult to figure out who's a good coach and who's
not a good coach when they're an assistant, right because
just because you're a great play caller, does not mean
that it's going to translate to be a head coach.

(01:02:39):
You use the example with Arthur Smith didn't translate Shane Sichin.
You know this year he was overwhelmed being a head coach.
So I don't have a great answer for you. Besides,
it's really really difficult. It is not easy. Sirianni benefits
a lot, his owner has no owner, spends more money,
and he has the GM in the league. Tyler from

(01:03:15):
West Virginia, big fan, Avid Golfer just broke eighty a
couple times last year. Congrats, big accomplishment. I think the
average golfer can't break a hundred. It's pretty obvious big
Packer fans, pretty obvious that they're a good team. But
a few players away, just wondering what you would do
if you were goody. When it comes to free agency,
in the draft, we clearly need a wide receiver, pass rusher,

(01:03:37):
maybe a corner depending on the Alexander situation. Do we
bring DeVante back draft another young wide receiver? Do we
take a big swing on Crosby or Garrett? What's you're thinking?
I would say historically, you guys have been I wouldn't
say against the big move, but it hasn't really been
your mo as a franchise. So trading for Crosby, trading

(01:04:00):
for Garrett feels like things Sean McVay, Andy Reid, Howie Roseman,
the Niners, Like I have a hard time picturing the
Green Bay Packers actually doing that. The Davante situation, Do
you want to bring him back? I don't know. Sometimes

(01:04:23):
you know, it's like you guys broke up for a reason,
and I just think sometimes it's like it's over. There's
no reason to try to take her back on him
a date, like it's it ended for the correct reasons.
You guys pivoted off Aaron off Davante, and like now
is a business? Can you get him back for cheap?
Does Davante think he's like a twenty million dollar wide receiver?

(01:04:45):
Can will he played for like five million dollars? If
I were them, would I be all over Max Crosby
or Miles Garrett one d per? Could I see them
doing that? I don't know, man, I'd be stunned. If
the Packers I think they're gonna sniff around. But do
I envision those players if they do get traded on

(01:05:06):
that team? It doesn't seem likely. So you guys do
a lot of things at the margins. You know, it's
rare beside like Reggie White. You know, even when you
got Charles Woodson, I'm pretty sure he got him for
really cheap. You know, he was coming off a weird
year with the Raiders. And like, how many big free
agents have you guys signed over the last I don't know,

(01:05:28):
twenty years, doesn't seem like that many. Maybe it changes
with Gutikins and the floor younger, a little bit more aggressive,
but that's not really the way the franchisees operated historically.
Could the tush push become a special teams package for
some teams? It's not like the Eagles surprise people with it.

(01:05:49):
Why not dedicate a big wildcat group for the guaranteed
short yardage play? Well, the Bills tried it, and they
have one of the strongest, biggest quarterbacks in the NFL,
and it didn't work. What makes the Eagles unique is
their quarterback can squat like eight million pounds and he
can get really low. No one else can do that

(01:06:11):
like they can. I don't love the play. I saw
Jim Nance say he would before them getting rid of
the play. I agree, I would get rid of the
play or I wouldn't have a problem if they outlawed
the play. But I also don't have a problem, Like
they play within a letter of the law, and they
have a unique player to run the play. No one
else has that. No one does like you think you're

(01:06:33):
gonna run that with like Bryce Young even when the
Ravens running it with Mark Andrews, he gets high. It's
just a unique thing they can do. Because of Jalen.
When evaluating college players post nil, how important is to
take into account how they spend their money. Would you

(01:06:53):
be more inclined to draft a guy who's less flashy
with the spending. I don't. I had a buddy tell
me this year that when you go into college parking lots,
they look like his NFL teams with just I mean
six figure cars everywhere, brand new. Even the average cars

(01:07:14):
are like a new Escalade or Tahoe or truck. These
guys just be because they spend Who spends their money?
Well at twenty twenty one years old, Like, how many
guys are you meeting? Like, yeah, just invested everything in
a step Ira bought three multi units. I was like

(01:07:37):
a ton of NFL guys are buying multiple Lamborghinis, it's
like and like seventeen watches. It's like, yeah, I don't
know if those are the greatest purchases. I think it
matters more his football character, how much he loves the sport,
how hard he works. You give any human being a
lot of money at nineteen twenty twenty one, twenty two

(01:07:58):
years old, college or pro, they're gonna buy some things
they regret ten years later. Ninety nine percent of men
wouldn't be like, you know, I nailed everything, just great investor.
It's like, yeah, I regret some of those. So I
don't think it matters. I really don't unless you're like
buying nefarious things, things that gets you in trouble. But

(01:08:21):
if you're just making purchases that and who who deems
that like who gets to pick and choose what's a
smart buy and what's not a smart buy, I think
you kind of get into a slippery slope that way.
As a diehards Titans fan, I'm stuck on deciding who
I want to get. If you were the Titans brand
new front office, what the hell are you gonna do

(01:08:42):
with the first pick trade down? I'd take abdual Carter, period,
point blank, end of story. Abdul Carter, here's the here's
the uh. Here you go, Roger, here's the card. Say
it out loud, abdul Carter. I believe that the gap

(01:09:02):
between Trevor Lawrence's talent and how good he actually is
is wider than any quarterback in the league. He clearly
has the potential to be better than he is. And
I know you've mentioned this before, but do you really
think it comes down to work ethic and lack of
love of the game. For me, as a football fan,
or even if I was his coach, that would drive
me nuts. I would rather root for someone or coach

(01:09:25):
someone who sucks but loves the game. That is not true. Well, one,
you can't suck and get to the NFL. But on
the talent, you know, I would say scale. If a
guy has no talent but he's like Rudy Rudiger, you

(01:09:46):
have no chance to win in college during the NFL,
So there has to be some balance. I don't know
enough about him if he truly doesn't love football. You
know Doug Peterson, who's a life time backup position coach,
head coach. I remember talking to him with the combine
last year. Loves him. I just don't think he's that good.

(01:10:06):
So that's where I kind of disagree, Like, I don't
think he's that accurate. I don't think he's that instinctive.
I think he turns the ball over at a rapid rate.
I don't know. I just think that I disagree on
the talent gap. I don't see this guy that's just
oozing with talent. It's like, God, this guy's you know,

(01:10:29):
could be Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen, Like, I don't
see that when I watched the guy. Now, could it
be better than he's playing, of course, but when you
watch him play over the last couple of years, do
you go, yeah, this is a guy that could be
a top five quarterback. I don't see that. No, I
can't speak to I don't think he's like showing up late.
But does he eat? Like does it mean everything to

(01:10:52):
him deep down to a soul? Because that's what it
means to Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson to Patrick Mahomes to
Peyton Manning to Tom Brady to Drew Brees. I got
a lot of questions here. I'm bumming the Eagles lost
Kellen Moore. But as you've said, this is the problem

(01:11:13):
with Nick Sirianni. I've seen chatter that the Eagles should
hire Frank Rich. He's not being pursued by their teams
as a head coach, but could bring stability to the
OC position for Philly. Yeah, I don't see that happening.
I think they're gonna end up elevating that dude Kevin
on the staff seems like what the buzz is. And

(01:11:35):
maybe they bring in Frank because that's Sirianni's guy. But
I don't think siriann is gonna be the offensive coordinator,
or excuse me, Frank's gonna be the offensive coordinator. I
haven't seen that anywhere, but I might not be as
deep on the Eagles message boards as you are. I

(01:11:55):
would not do that. I would not hire Frank to
be my offensive coordinator, no chance. What would the Falcons
need to give up for Miles Garrett. Cousins would be
an obvious piece to me, but what else would need
to go with him? Well, to me, Cousins, he's not

(01:12:17):
tradable player because of his contract. So the Browns are
not going to trade you Miles Garrett and take back
his contract. They would just let you cut Kirk Cousins
and then sign him for a couple of million bucks,
five million bucks, ten million bucks. I do not see
the Browns trading for Cousins. I think that would be insane.

(01:12:38):
I think to get Miles Garrett. If you're the Browns,
you cannot accept anything less that. The starting point is
two ones and a two. It's a starting point. I
would like more as well, but I do not think
you can trade him for anything less than multiple ones.
He's one of the best players in decades, Like just
talent wise, production wise, he's just an elite player at

(01:12:58):
an elite position. So I just I just think it
costs a shitload, and he's so good that even when
you're getting offered a lot, you keep saying no one
hanging up. Okay, last question. I know you're not a
big fan of the Falcons front office, but I have
a Falcons question for you. What do you think of

(01:13:20):
Obric as the defensive coordinator? The Falcons d has been
a bottom feeder since we fired Quinn. Even when we
take swings on players that are successful with other teams
judaon Simmons, etc. Their play drops off when they get
to Atlanta. The only explanation for that is coaching. Pennick
seems like he's going to be a top player and
already have a We already have a good offensive line.

(01:13:43):
They need to take a page out of the Chiefs
playbook and build a strong defense. Yeah, I mean, I
remember last year when Kyle Shanahan was looking for a
defensive coordinator, he tried to hire him and solid kept him.
I think he's always been highly thought of. Obviously, the
Jets defense was really good when he was the defensive
coordinator before Slid got fired and he was elevated to

(01:14:04):
the interim coach. I followed his career since he was
a player with the Niners and then he became an
assistant coach for Jim Mora on the UCLA staff. I've
always been impressed with the guy. But I hear you.
I mean, the one downfall the Falcons is like, have
you guys drafted that? Well, you guys just did some
weird things recently. Right, the Kyle Pitts thing blew up

(01:14:28):
in your face. He's never come close to living up
to a top five pick. The Cousin's contract last year
was a disaster. Obviously, if they could do it over again.
They just would have given all that money to defensive
players like Christian Wilkins and just drafted Pennix in the
first round and signed like a Gardner Minshew. I think
they just they've just been in an erratic organization, no way

(01:14:50):
around it. Just a very very erratic organization when it
comes to player personnel, and they've been desperate for the
quarterback situation post the end of Matt Ryan. They just
feel like an organization that's kind of lost, from my perspective,
just an organization that doesn't really know what they're doing,
a lot of different opinions, not necessarily a shared vision,

(01:15:14):
just kind of living in the moment and get a
lot of average to below average results because of it.
I mean, let's face it, this year is pretty embarrassing,
the way everyone anointed them, the way they anointed themselves,
and then the Buccaneers won the division, they didn't even
make the playoffs, so got a lot of soul searching
to do. But I hear you, they need they need
to be good on defense. You have no chance to

(01:15:36):
be a good team in the NFL if your defense
isn't solid and you can't rush the passer was the
last time. Make it rush the passer. John Abraham, it's
been a long, long time. Appreciate everyone listening. Audios, the
volume