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All right, let's bring in my buddy John Middlecoff, former NFL scout his podcasts The Football One is three and out, and we're not ready to go every week quite yet. But when we start humming, get out of the way, folks, We're like a fullback from the sixties. We're just gonna run your ass over. Yeah. So I was reading a story today and I thought of you, and I know
Steve Kyme really well. They got out and smoked a few cigars and had dinner with Steve kai In the former Arizona Cardinal GM who after you know, twenty five years working for Michael Bidwell, you know, he's he doesn't want to do it again. You know, he's like burnt out still and people only knew the stories that fans have no idea. But so I was thinking about this.
Bruce Arians was commenting about Kyder Murray and he was saying, you know, he's still in the evaluation process, and I've always backed him because my takeaway is that Jesus in a division that had Pete Carroll, Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, he had Cliff Kingsbury and took him to the playoffs, It's like and mostly pretty mediocre, ol liones. And I'm like, are you guys, this is the best coaching division in football at the top of Pete and Shanny and McVeigh
and Kyle got him in there. Kyler did. But I as I was reading that with Bruce Arians, he had real doubts on him. I mean real doubts that you know, he's more legs than pocket and he completed sixty seven percent of his throws and I can't find anybody anybody I ever asked about Kyler Murray in the league is like Noah out, and I'm like Jesus. He throws a beautiful ball. He's elusive as hell. He's a playmaker, he's accurate. People stuck with Justin fields to the last game against
Green Bay. People have bailed on Kyler and he can freaking play the position. And I have this theory. So I have a therapist friend, a lady, and she has said there's there's a little bit. It's not an epidemic, but it is an issue with men who are gamers are bad for marriages. And this person has said she has seen it repeatedly. People think, you know, guys get into porn and it ruins a marriage. She's like, no gaming gamers. She said, it's it's addictive.
Well, now it's communal because you can communicate with the people you're playing with.
And you know, and I will be honest when I hear a guy's a gamer and he's older, you know, he's out of his teen years or he's passed like twenty twenty one. You know, I tend to be like, it's time to grow up. Come on, and you know, most guys get married, have kids, even if they love that stuff, they get out of it, they move on, but a lot don't, and it's like an issue. Therapists are seeing this and they've been seeing it for years, like it's blowing up marriages, like guys that just can't stop.
It's not like getting a book John and going reading it for thirty minutes or it's well, you know.
You can play continuous for ten twelve hours, no problem.
And so I think the stigma he's accurate. He's a playmaker. He got a poorly owned franchise to the playoffs and a tough division. I think the gaming thing is a huge stigma, and I think older gms look at it and think, Jesus, grow the fop Like this guy, you can't. This guy's addicted to gaming.
Yeah, I think the gaming thing represents something that a lot of people had questioned marks how hard was he willing to work and how much did football mean to him? Because there were some question marks early on in his career. And the NFL is a lot like high school. There aren't that many people there and everyone knows everybody, and word travels fast because there is no disputing. Remember the last one of the last games of the season he played the Eagles. I mean he's single handed. He was
running around kicking their ass. He is, yes, you know, Bryce Young also a small player, can't hold a candle.
Talent wise to that, not a candle.
Daniel Jones, same thing. I mean, this guy is a This guy's a legitimate top ten talent at the position in the NFL that some people would say it's a no go with his height, but he's kind of overcoming it moments. And like you said, he's had a really good year before quarterback.
People says the best Texas high school for well player. Ever. He wins the Heisman, he gets Arizona the playoffs. The fans don't like him, the media doesn't like him. Execs don't like him. His owner doesn't like him. Like there's something I've never seen a player this talented. Nobody's saying be patient. People have bailed on him.
I always support, I mean I might criticize, but support young guys Like I'm so much different of a human than I was five years ago, let alone at twenty two years old. So guys, not everyone is Peyton Manning and Tom Brady at twenty three years old, Like Kyler is much closer, especially to people at the other position, but at quarterback there's no margin. Frere and I would say this, I haven't played video games since college. But maybe he just needs a girlfriend. Maybe he just maybe
he has one. But I'm with you. Other positions, though, I would imagine a lot of people, yeah, under thirty in pro sports are playing video games.
It doesn't bother me.
Is Mahomes spending much time on the video games during the season. Probably not, Josh Allen justin Herbert Jalen hurts. You know. That's then other thing. How much does this like to work? You know, even Jalen Right had a bump a year last year. No one ever questions his love of football and hard he's willing to work. Now. Is he gonna be good enough next couple of years. We'll find out, but no one. And I think that's
the big question mark with Kyler. And you know these gms and personnel people that's like, I'm out, Yeah, I'm out because I can't risk it. I can't bet on you that you will figure it out before it's too late.
Yeah. I guess my take on Kyler is he is the most talented quarterback in my life that has no support groupe. I've never said, I mean people have. I mean Jordan Love didn't play for three years, was terrible in September in his fourth year, and everybody was yelling give him time.
The difference, though, is Jordan Love not a highly recruited guy. Goes to Utah State. I've been their beautiful place, but it's not the first choice for many quarterbacks, sits for three and a half years, right, A lot of guys Patrick Mahomes, he has to go to Texas Tech. Josh Allen Kung a scholarship offer. This guy didn't lose a freaking game in high school. Like you said, a five to nine player in the history of that state is
widely considered the best player. Then goes to Texas A and M and at the time they were recruiting with Kevin someblon just like Alabama or Georgia. Doesn't work out there, goes immediately to Lincoln Riley, kicks everyone's ass, and then goes to Arizona, who just drafted a quarterback. They're like, get the hell out of here, we're going with this, and then three years in they gave him a max contract.
It has a little NBA feel to it, and a lot of NBA guys never snipped their potential because they were given everything everything, and Arizona did. It never made sense to me to pay him without like, hey, Kyler, let's just see another year, and it backfired. I do think the guys like I know a lot of Philly guys that know Jonathan Gannon really well. They have a young staff. I think both of his coordinators are under thirty five. They do like him because they're coming in
fresh and he's been good. So people change. But you have to spend so much time as a quarterback. The difference. You hear all these stories about these coaches working twenty hours, and it's true. Quarterbacks aren't far behind, you know, the wide receiver not even close, right, The dB doesn't have to spend that time the quarterback is working. They're hours
the Saint Banker hours. You're not checking in the union nine to five here, I mean, these are long you're working for Steve Cohen on Wall Street up all night. These guys are up at five am and they're not going to bed, turning the you know the telegon. He doesn't have kids or anything yet. So yeah, this is a big year for him, but he's under contract. He got paid like he won Colin, he won financially, now proving whether he can hang. It's tough division. We know
Seattle's gonna be tough. And the Niners and Rams, I mean, are those two twelve win teams.
Yeah, it's it really jumps fast.
I enjoy watching him like I don't want to watch Daniel Jones. Right, Derek doesn't do much for me anymore in New Orleans. Like, yes, boy, Kyler is an entertaining watch.
Oh, no question? Yeah, the you know, you know, it's funny about I got into this conversation about quarterbacks that the last twelve years, only two quarterbacks have won Super Bowls stars Peyton, Brady Mahomes or guys who are talented but yet to be paid. Russell Wilson and Flacco were on the last year of their non their first year contract, and then the Wentz Nick Foles team where those guys
weren't making any money. So essentially like that, that's it, you know, Tua Dak good quarterbacks, big money, no chance. And so I looked at all the teams. I came up with twelve quarterbacks who were either I considered like throw the ball, elite fashion, and it was Stafford and Mahomes and Allen. I put Aaron Rodgers on there. I put Lamar Jackson because I think he's elite, and Joe Burrow. Those are the six, so they're in the Super Bowl bubble. And then there were six other guys who I consider
really talented and inexpensive, all under twenty million dollars. A cap hit Herbert. I think it was Jalen Hurtz, Jordan love, brock Purty, I'm missing somebody else, but it was that group.
Would you throw GoF in there?
That's interesting? So Goff was the one quarterback on the one team I didn't. He is not great and he's too damn expensive. So over the last twelve years, there are no Jared Goffs. There are no aus B plus quarterbacks and with no history. I mean, Peyton Manning was older in Denver, but his brain was functioning. It's Peyton Manning. He could still play. There are no golf winners. And it was interesting because I came away and I said,
I actually liked this bubble. It was you know, Ravens, Bengals, it was all the teams we like, you know Texans. I think we both agree, and Packers are young, but you wouldn't be shocked if they end up at a conference championship and Detroit was my takeaway. And I also love Dan Campbell's ability to build a culture. I don't know if you get him in a game with a Shanahan or Nany Reid if I feel so great about highly emotional Dan Campbell. So here's a franchise. I love
a quarterback. I've been higher on Goff. You and I have, I think than almost anybody in the media. Love their roster. It's a younger version of the Niners, but there are no examples of Jared Goff winning a Super Bowl that kind of pay and quarterback. And you know, it wouldn't shock you if I said in five years they didn't win a Super Bowl.
No, I mean, well, they're the Lions. But I do think they have a unique window because of the trade they met made with Stafford and how well they drafted their team roster wise, feels more like a Ravens, right. They always toe to toe with the Niners, and they didn't have to lose any of those guys to sign this contract. That's right now when the bill comes due
and his number starts hitting whatever. On a yearly basis, twenty percent of the calf it's a little different, but right now, on a man demand basis, I would say they easily have a top five roster because the other thing they have. I was talking to our guy, Jeff Schwartz, who Oregon Duck. He's like, do you realize that Piney Sewell is like twenty three to twenty four years old?
You know the players their young talent. That Jamier Gibbs, the wide receiver, meets running back like he's a Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, we saw Laporta. I'mon Saint Brown. They do have a question mark at defensive back. Yeah, if you have question marks at defensive back in twenty twenty four, it can be a problem. But they did add in
the draft. They added Carlton Davis from Tampa Bay. So if they're just the other thing, Colin is a lot of times when you're a team that sucks and then a couple of years later has success, people steal your coaches for whatever reason. Ben Johnson doesn't want to be a head coach. I mean he's turning down Josh Harris as they're flying to see him. It's a unique situation
with him. So yeah, Dan is not mister schematic right, he's not calling the place, but he didn't lose his start coordinator and now they're defense just personnel wise, like, I think they got a chance this year. They got a real chance because there's a ton of pressure in San Francisco. I have to see how this IU thing plays out. Jordan Loves got to do it for seventeen games, right, So you look around Philly, we still got question marks with Siriani. Now the roster is good, but I think
the lot it's this year now. Over the course of the next three or four years, it gets more difficult if you're not the fourth best quarterback, if you're closer to eleven and you're making huge money. But I do think you've you've seen if you can protect the guy he's he's mentally tough. He's like a better version. He's a different type player, but a lot like Alex Smith, but I think better. Yeah, mentally tough, and that matters in these playoff games. Alex is just so physically limited.
When Andy would get him to the playoffs, Jared has more physical cap He can't run like that. But he can throw and if you can protect him the NFC, I mean, they should have won that game, and like you said, it was a I thought it was pretty reckless by Dan Campbell with the kick of the field goals. But yeah, I think this year they got a legit chance. If you tell me the Lions, is it inconceivable? They're the number one seed? Their division's hard, But I mean,
why couldn't they win. I don't know if San Francisco is gonna win thirteen fourteen again, maybe they win eleven because them in the Rams both eleven. What if the Lions get to twelve or thirteen, have the one seed and then they get to everything's in a dome.
I would argue the two best rosters in the NFL are San Francisco and Detroit. The best teams are almost all in the AFC. It's like when USC dominated the Pac twelve. The conference was just awful, but USC was the best program and basically they got every California recruit they wanted. I think the Niners. If I said this before last year, if you took the Niners and the Lions and just we're gonna make a Pro Bowl team
out of these two teams it could compete with. I mean literally the offensive line Trent Williams one side, Pinasal the other. You literally, yeah, they would have hurt people. So you know, it's I had Tom Brady on this week. I saw that Tommy was good. He was good and and.
He's really.
I found people like Tom because everybody wants a piece of Tom, Like when you get to that big and and I know somebody that has that knows, uh, you know President Barack Obama, former president pretty well, and it's the same trait. They both have the same trait is that you know, everybody wants a picture, everybody wants to say hi, I remember this game.
And is he the most famous NFL player ever? Pretty by a wide margin, you think at this point in time.
I think so, yeah, Yeah. Tom is really very very normal and it's it's really interesting how efficient he is in social situations, Like he like he meets you, it's eye to eye. He responds, very cordial, very human, very personable, and then you know he he's Escordon didn't come with a big entourage, but it was really interesting to watch him. Tom is a highly functional, very normal, really incredibly thoughtful guy. And as I sat there for the interview. He has
a personality trait that I've always admired in people. Anything you asked Tom about football anything, I was throwing these goofy theories I have. Oh, he's thought about it. And I've said this before in my life. One of the people a couple of the people that are involved with a volume and one of the reasons I was always impressed with people that I included in this company is when you ask somebody about, you know, media, and they
have an answer. Because I'm obsessed by not just sports, but by the business of sports, and so I think about stuff all the time that I don't talk about, but I just think about it. And it was really impressive to me that Brady I'm throwing zany theory at him, and Tom's literally he's thought of everything. And I think he'll be a very good broadcaster like a player. I think he'll just get better and better and better and
better because he's very hard on himself. Did you take anything away from the interview that was kind of my take that Tom's just literally thought of everything.
Well, it's about one hundred and twenty degrees here, So I was in the pool a couple hours ago, and you have a lot of time in the pool. You're just kind of thinking. I was think about the most famous athletes. I would say the last twenty five years. You obviously Michael would probably be number one. Tiger be right up there. And I think both those even what Lebron is now, they do struggle when they're just in a situation like that to feel relatable. I mean, Michael
never has Tiger's gotten a little better. I think with his child he can be a little calmer. Lebron is just in his own little world, just because that's the way it's been for twenty plus years. I would put Peyton in this category. Two. Both those two guys can be in a situation like that and you go have a beer with that guy. Yeah, and l and they are. You would never say that about Michael Jackson or Leonardo DiCaprio. Like the level of fame and Tom's higher than Peyton,
But I is it crazy? And I've always said that Tom and Peyton were the Magic and Larry of my generation what they meant for the NFL. And Tom's just a very very unique person. If just to sit like that, I looked at some of the YouTube comments because I watched the interview on YouTube and everyone's like, how likable is this guy? And I think it gets back to
the sport. How one he went to whatever the highest level of education is in America, he went to the equivalent in New England for twenty years with Bill.
Yeah.
I mean, is it should any ls to be shocked that all those former Patriots when you hear them talk football can do it at a really high level, from Matt like to Edelman to even Gronk when he's not screwing around. I mean, yeah, they've just been inundated with this, but they were all held in the same level, and there's a there's a humility because you didn't have a choice, right and most of their teams were not super stacked. The teams that were didn't win the Super Bowl, like
I mean, their core. Now, Julian Edelman was their best wide receiver. Like Julian Edelman. I love the guy, but he's never going to Canton or anything. And I just think Tom it gets back to his family, how he was grown up. This is what people are looking for. Obviously, his success, you're not looking for that when you draft a player, but his love of football, how good he
is with other people, how much he cares. Like these traits that he displays and Peyton does this too, is like everything you look for when you draft a player. I mean, he's the highest level. He's like the mensa whatever it becomes. But I just find him very easy to listen to. And let's face it, most people that are like Michael Jordan is not like that, right because usually how could Tom relate to anybody? But he is able to do that. He transitioned to Tampa, It's like
everyone loved him. It was like the practice squad guys like he's taking pictures with kid. The star players are like, He's the coolest guy we've ever been around. It's just a trait that not many people have. I think Mahomes clearly has that. They have that going in Kansas City right now, where everyone obviously some people make more money, some people have more fame. Travis Kelsey has it. I know he does. I mean the way that they view him, and it's just.
Think about think about Mahomes's life. He's got a brother that makes the news, he's got a wife, he's got yeah, he's got young kids. He's the best football player on the planet. He's the face of a franchise, he's got thirty eight endorsements, and he is just in a good mood. I mean, you watch him on that Netflix thing. He is able to compartmentalize shit like I've never seen in my life. Some people, John, some people just have it.
Mahomes has got wackiness and neediness and maintenance around him. None of it bothers him.
You know. The other thing is, you know college football, once you get to like Ohio State this year over under in their regular season, how many tight games are gonna be in when you put it in, Probably two, like they're gonna be so much better, Or Georgia they might be in two or three big games in the NFL, And Thomas been saying this for twenty five years, and every player, does you better come correct every single week, like I don't get to just mail it in. Obviously
with that franchise, how hard Bill was on everybody. But you will get beat by a four win team beats a couple of playoff teams. Right. So when Tom was
talking about how serious he prepared, he never knew. He never take an opponent lightly, He never took a series off like you gotta be careful, and the preparation that you were ready for in the first quarter might not show till late in the game, and all of a sudden you're tied against a four win team, and it's it might be on Monday night football, it might be their super Bowl. And I think that's what the NFL has that the other sports don't like. I'm playing the
Lakers in February, winna, lose, whatever. Who cares you know? In fairness that they got eighty two games? Or baseball? Every baseball game tonight, we're recording this on Thursday. Does any do any of them matter? Do any of them actually matter? Today's games? They just don't, But every Sunday it does because it could be the difference of winning your division not making a wild card. Is it getting fired keeping your job?
Well, think about this, Think about the parody in the NFL. There's there's there's about ten awful teams in baseball, ten awful teams in the NBA. Take out New England. It's a bad football team, awful And I imagine the Giants are not going to be pretty bad. Carolina, I do think will be much improved. And their schedule, boy, it's it's it's got some potential wins. There. You got about two teams that I think feel kind of hopeless. I think the Raiders are talented. I just don't know rookie
coach Gardner Minshew. So let's say three teams that it could be pretty scrappy. But I mean, if Minnesota is a fourth place team, I think they have one of the best young coaches, one of the best left tackles, the best wide receiver, a top back, a top tight end, edge rusher is better than you think. That's a fourth place team. A fourth fifth place team in baseball or the NBA, like Detroit is not even shit. They can't score. Nobody can shoot. They have no shooters.
I think the thing people forget about Minnesota. They also they added an edge rusher. They also drafted one. Remember they had two first round picks, JJ and the kid from Alabama. So yeah, I just think anytime you've been around football your whole life, it's unlike any of these other sports, and to do it over a long period of time, you've just been humbled so many times. Even if you're Tom. I mean Tom's had some of the most historic losses in league history, right lost to the
Giants twice. I mean those are that he had an undefeated team in the Super Bowl. So for all his twenty eight to three they did not lose a game, and a lot of those were not close. And then Eli got him again, and then the Eagles with Nick freaking fools beat him when he threw five hundred yards. So yeah, I just think he's a unique character in the communication, which clearly you know, resonates and comes through when he sits down with you. I just think it's cool.
Obviously got a lot of money, but he's got a lot of money already. It's pretty cool that he wants to do this. I just think that we don't get very often, Like is Lebron ever calling a game on
one of these networks one day? No chance, right, So it's just is Patrick Mahomes probably not, you know, So I think it's it's gonna be a very very cool experience and like everything, and it comes through when he's talking to you, he takes his shit very seriously because he takes on everything very seriously.
Yeah, you know, I was bouncing around. I wanted to ask you a Niners question because you're so tied into them that you used to live there and did radio in the Bay Area. At you know, I was thinking about Brandon Ayuk and I like Brandon Ayuk a lot. I think. I think he's a top five six receiver talent in the league. But it's really interesting because I always say this a lot of what you make in life. You know, I I how valuable forget your talent and productivity,
How valuable you are to a company. That's your leverage. You can be talented companies. I mean, you know, Joe Buck and Troigman are fantastic. You know in Fox at some point made a decision, and so talent alone is not getting you paid. It's your value. There's a lot of great tight ends who have never made great money. There's a lot of great running backs. Sae Kwon Barkley is a stud and you know there's not a huge market for that. But if I look at the Niners,
here's my knock on Brandon Ayuk. The most important person with the Niners is the brain of Kyle Shanahan, then the of Christian McCaffrey, the pass rush of Bosa, I would say, the versatility of Debo, and then the protection of Trent Williams. I also think Kittle is a culture center his physical style of play. So I'm at like six people and they drafted two receivers I don't think and Purdy's not a big deep ball thrower, nor do really good teams allow a lot of deep balls when you play them.
They're just not throwing go routes like most teams.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, How valuable is he?
Well? I think it's they're in a tough spot. Let's use this example. Let's say you're Kyle Shanahan and someone wrote an article that at the volume John Middlecoff is making more money than Shannon Sharp, you might have a problem on your hands, right, Shannon might be on the horn with you and Logan Well, Trent Williams makes twenty million dollars a year. He is widely considered one of the most talented left tackles in the history of the sport,
and he's dominating right now. Christian McCaffrey got a raise, but it was twenty million dollars. Fred Warner doesn't make anywhere close to twenty million dollars. Brandy ACK's a really good player, scheduled to make almost fifteen million dollars, but they're offering him twenty five, twenty six. He's like, no, I'm thirty one. Well you make thirty one in that locker room. What you're double the value of Fred Warner if you're Trent Williams, Like, we're all human beings, Like
I understand the market. Ever, I played left tackle and this guy's making nine million dollars more than me. You just you got potential problems. I think it's a tough spot. Obviously, in a perfect world, I think what you would do now, with the emergence of Christian McCaffrey last year and a half, you would just get rid of debo. But deals have already in, contracts have already been signed, so you're kind
of stuck right now. And his value on the open market, given that he's so Kyle Shanahan dependent, Brandon Aate's a really good player, He's a winning player. I would struggle given the way they play, given the way they're built. They also have some big picture question marks. We just saw Trevor Lawrence. He got two hundred million dollars guaranteed, has been objectively better. And I know Doug I talked
to him at the combine. Doug Love Trevor so Doug was pushing that Kyle likes Purdy more than Doug likes Trevor Lawrence, and Doug likes Trevor Lawrence a lot. You know, he's Kyle's in love with Broug Purdy here, So that number is gonna be huge, Trent Williams is getting You're gonna have to figure out this left tackle thing. They do not come cheap, whether you trade for a guy, whether you mortgage a lot in the draft. I think
they're just in a weird spot right now. They have a lot of really good players under contract making a lot of money, and then they got this situation. A couple of years ago. He was in the doghouse and he's proven he's a winning player. But the way they play, he's never catching ninety five balls get you never, Never, you get paid for production. There's a reason, guys, whether you're a winning player or losing player. You scored thirty
points in the NBA, you're getting a max contract. Right Saint Brown is catching one hundred and twenty balls a year, Like, give me my eighty million dollars. It's part of the deal. So he catches seventy five Now he has a lot of yards and he's a really really good player. Is is he ever a top seven wide receiver in the NFL.
So because they paid premiums for Williams best left tackle, Fred Warner, best linebacker, Kittle second or first tight end, McCaffrey, best running back, so it's like they are comfortable doing that, Deebo. They were in a tough spot. Yeah, I think they kind of got pushed against the wall. He had just carried them with Jimmy Garoppolo being terrible to the NFC chair.
And I think I do think his versatility is unique.
But then they six months later they got to trade for Christian McCaffrey. If they would have known McCaffrey was coming, they probably just would have unloaded him that offseason, but it hadn't happened yet. I don't know. I could see a scenario where they play this out, which they're not gonna want to do because the drama that comes with that. I could definitely see a trade. And I could definitely just see because sometimes a coach just get it done.
Let's over quote unquote pay. But then you have to worry about the locker room dynamics. And I think the forty nine ers one thing they've really had and Kyle does a great job of this. He's been around his whole life with his dad, New England. Everyone's pretty tight. Everyone's rowing in the same way. They don't do a lot of bs, you know, and when it comes, it just doesn't they get rid of it fast. So I this is a weird spot because he's now vlogging his
off season. You know, Kashi Andhan might be young, but he's an old soul. He's not really into all that crap and it's probably a headache to him right now.
Yeah, I think so too. So I want you to pick a team that is considered a bad team. And you know I've done this every year. A couple of years ago, I beat on this drum, I swear for six months. The Minnesota Vikings. I'm like, this is a this is a ten eleven, twelve win team, and they were like they were undervalued.
They were headed to the playoffs last year until Cousins ripped his achilles.
Yeah, so I am. I think I'm in the minority here. I want you to think I'll go first of a team you thinks undervalued. I think it's Denver. So they drafted a edge rusher that is an area of need. If you go back to last year, the defense was the issue. They got the most you could get if you go really look at Russell Wilson's stats. Now, Russell doesn't see the field particularly well, but they've got a number one receiver in Courtland Sutton. The offensive line was
rated seven. I like their backs capable at tight end again, a number one receiver. I think the old lines better than people think. One of the smartest play designers and callers in the sport. The Raiders are not going to be great. The Chargers will probably take a while to get where they want to get. They're not going to be terribly explosive vertically. The Chargers can beat teams, but they're a little bit like Kansas City last year. They're not blowing people out.
He's going to try to play in twenty to seventeen type games.
Oh, every week. They're going to be in games with Kansas City. Kansas City doesn't blow people out anymore, or she Rice is a bit of a mess. They have a rookie. Chargers won't blow people out. They could absolutely beat both of those team once. They could beat the Raiders twice. They're over unders five and a half, if the kid they drafted, if the edge rusher works. By the way, Mems last year became a really nice piece. That's why they moved off Jerry Judy. They went and
got another receiver. I it's hard when I when you say smart coach, good offensive line, automatic wins in division. Bo Nicks had sixty one starts. If he's capable, if he's Russell Wilson capable, I think they're like an eight win team. I'm not saying playoffs, but five Jesus John five and twelve is Carolina. It's unwatchable. I don't think Denver's gonna be unwatchable.
Yeah, I think bo Nicks. I remember watching him right after the draft. He kind of had some like Jimmy Garoppolo Derek Carr coming out of college, and when those guys were young, they would have been perfect for Sean Payton when he was transitioning away from Drew Brees. You know, this team win loss wise. They've been in the mix, but no one really took them that seriously. Seattle's offensive personnel is pretty awesome. I mean, Dk Metcalf's like Terrell Owens,
Jackson Walker. They've improved the offensive line. Their defense for a team that's drafted defense that's traded for defense has been a kneemick these last two years, which is crazy because you remove the last like three year stretch. Pete Carroll's easily one of the best defensive minds over the last thirty plus years, right, but it it fell apart at the end. Gino Smith, I'm not the biggest believer, but he has not really been their issue of just
being competed. It's their defense. They couldn't stop the soul. Well, they get the boy genius from Baltimore who easily had the best defense in the league last year. Listen, Stafford's already kind of bitching and moaning and I need a little more money. And Stafford was awesome last year, but that elbow goes. We've seen what happens. If he's on the shelf. It's one thing. If he misses one game, it's another thing. If he misses a month and a half.
You know, he's the lynchpin of the whole operation. If if something were to have happened to Stafford, I could see Seattle being right there because you can already tell like are the rams, Like do you really want to double down on this. It was an awesome season. Can we just play out the contract? To me, Seattle is a quarterback away in the next couple of years. I'm sure Schneider is going to be all over him in the draft this year. I think that they are a very
unique spot equipped in the future. If they could ever find just even get their Brock purty 'or just a guy that's really good, cheap contract, they would be a problem. Because what Mike McDaniel or Mike McDonald did these last two years, and specifically last year, I mean they Colin he embarrassed Kyle Shanahan. On Christmas night, I had a buddy on the Baltimore Ravens staff. They were all calling him boy genius around the room like he is a
special defensive schematic guy, and he listened. We questioned that that side of the ball running a team, but he does inherit players everywhere on offense and we'll see. I mean, Ryan Grubb a lot of success coaching now going to the NFL is a little bit different. But what he just did in Washington, a lot of NFL people are watching. I'm not shocked to John, you know, and uh, they
hired him to be the offensive coordinator. So they're a team I would say this year is going to be interesting, but they're they're a bo Knicks whoever their guy is over the next couple of years away from being like they could be a problem.
All right, let's flip it. Let's find a team that we think is a bit overvalued. I want to pull back on Houston so badly, but Jesus, I just love everything they're doing, every move they make, every draft pick.
I love what well run, and they got a good coach, and what their quarterback does is sustainable. He's a pocket quarterback.
So you know, I think, I think about this. I really do wonder if Aaron Rodgers is upright. The Miami Dolphins concerned me. Basically, it's a It's a three headed team. It's Jalen Wan Tyreek Hill and Tua. Tua was healthy last year, one of the only healthy years of his life. The Jets, if Aaron's upright, are going to be much better. New England's bad. Those are two wins. Buffalo's Buffalo. Their schedule is not easy. The AFC. Here comes Burrow, Deshaun
Watson's coming back. Aaron Rodgers is coming back. Shit man, last year was the year the getting was good. If you're an AFC team like it was, it was everybody's banged up. Trevor Lawrence wasn't healthy, Anthony Richardson got hurt. CJ. Stroud's a baby, didn't a Dolphins have.
Like a four game lead after Thanksgiving? I mean, how the hell did they blow that division?
And I look at Miami and I'm like, I could see them just I could just see this thing with a little injury to too early, I could see it nose diving. I think Miami's the team that I think, to myself, God, last year was I mean, they're literally weather affected when they go north and later in this season, Miami's the team that everybody's high on. I could see it being a bit of a mess with yours.
I don't take them seriously at all. I don't care what their record is in September. Go four and zero in September, seeing that then they've done that. The best teams in their conference all playing freezing cold weather, not like cold weather, frigid weather, so they have no shot. I think the coult Are team that I'm high on. Their coaches stud your guy Ballard has done a really good job. I think their roster's really good. They were a bad Gardner Minshew swing route from beating the Houston
Texans and winning the division. Yeah, but their quarterback has played. He's much more physically gifted and much more talented. But a little Trey Lancy, he just hasn't played much football over several years now, So you're you're very dependent on this guy. It's like, well, if he's awesome, well yeah, I mean I haven't really seen him on the field. And then last year it's one thing to get hit by Ray Lewis writer John Lynch in their prime and
get a broken shoulder or whatever. He had some injuries where you're like, I didn't even think that hit was that violent. And the thing about football is some guys are just durable. They just this guy, this guy never missed a game and fifteen years. Yeah, yeah, look at Jerry Rice's career, sixteen for sixteen. So it just goes on forever. The occasional you break a leg or whatever, but like you start having concussions shoulder issues, that concerns me.
I'm probably gonna pick them to make the playoffs, but I can't feel good. I mean, their quarterback has played a combined I don't know how many games he played last year, three or four, and then before coming out of college he had played thirteen career games. That's the thing with this class, right. Henks has been playing for six years. Bo Nick's sixty one career starts. Caleb Williams started every game after Oklahoma told Spencer Rattler to go,
you know, to the pine. JJ McCarthy like, you've seen these guys be on the field for a long time. People get very like you with Kyler, Murray lazy, not into it, terrifies teams. Half the leaks is out. The injury stuff is tough because you're like, well, what if it's just a weird couple of years stretch and then he plays seven straight years, or what if it's just something that snowballs. You really don't know. You're just completely taking in an educated guess. Half the times the doctors
tell you we can't draft this guy. This guy goes on Navin eight your career and the doctor tells you to draft this guy. He's got a degenerate knee. So it's just it's tough. But that is going to concern me picking them. But if I picked the Bengals. Isn't Joe Burrow's wrist injury that I don't know if you read about it, Yea, It's not like a broken leg or an ACL that's basically feels like one hundred percent recovery.
It's a much smaller percentage. Not arthritis, but pain and just the throbbing as you're working back from it is unavoidable. He's a quarterback, so he kind of needs to use it. I love watching the guy play, and he's the only guy in the AFC that went toe to toe with Mahmes and took him down on the road. Yeah, but like that, that injury is has a little baseball feel to it, where you're like that picture was never the same, right. I hope that's not the case, but it's it's it's scary.
All right. I gotta ask you a golf question, go lo Is John's podcast. John is first of all, not only a great golf analyst, a good golf better. But I'm a huge Rory McElroy fan and I was just I was really pulling for him. I think Bryson to Shamba has done a really good job to pivot and he's become incredibly likable, and especially when Rory peeled out and left early, I guarantee it. Deshambo heard that and decided I'm saying here for three hours signing every autograph.
I just to Shambo's personality is Oh, Rory split and didn't dodge anybody. I'm beer all night. So these guys are all competitive, if they're all alphas, it's interesting. So in defense of Rory, golf is so strange. I think it's the USGA. They put a tournament right before a major and right after a major in the summer sun Like, It's just that's not like these guys. So he skips out on the Hartford, and I'm thinking to myself, you know after a major, the intensity in the summer of
a major. These guys are worn out fans. I don't think understand Sometimes maybe they do a golf major in the summer. That shit, you're losing weight. I mean you are, it is, Oh it is You're losing eight pounds over the course of four days. It is a grind in that heat. So I kind of understood saying, guys, I need rest, But I also in a weird way, he is the face of the PGA. Better or worse now is kind of.
Of all of golf. I would include Live. I mean, he's the most famous golfer right now that's not named Tiger or Phil.
I didn't love him bailing without congratulations. The Hartford I get, missing the Hartford I get. I think that's some of the structural bizarreness of golf, and some of their schedule is weird. But in the golf community, how was that viewed him? Just basically I'm out of here peeling off well.
I think the unique thing about golf is when the forty nine ers right guard blows it against Chris Jones and the Niners lose a Super Bowl, no one can relate to that. No one could block them, no one could play guard. You can make fun of Luke all you want, not playing defense, no one can do that. But anyone can go to Pinehurst for like four hundred dollars and play the golf course, and a lot of people have. They play golf and it's extremely hard, and
that putt was really hard. He's not the first and he won't be the last to have an incredible moment of just the worst moment of his career. It's happening before happen again in that sport. Because of the pace of the sport, right, there's a lot of time between shots. There's a lot of build up to every shot, especially on Sunday. You become one reason Bryson d Chambeau has become very sympathetic. He lost his dad a couple of
years ago and he talks about it a lot. A lot of people have lost their dad and it's just whether you think he's kind of weird quirky. It's a very relatable trait. The most relatable thing in golf is when you fuck up, have a bad moment, blow a tournament. Most people suck at golf. The average handycat's like eighteen. Everyone can relate to missing that putt because ninety nine
percent of people miss it. When Phil Mickelson and I think in six at wingfoot pumped it out of bounds when he was gonna win, that was his best chance ever. He faced the music and he became a very sympathetic figure because it's a very relatable thing. Now everyone's like, well, we know what they're gonna ask him. Yeah, him saying this is awful, this sucks. I obviously wanted to make that putt maybe even cries. I actually think it would
have drawn on even more people to him. I think he's a kind of polarizing guy because he went all in on Anti Live and now he's saying we should get together, which he's right, I mean, they need to get back. But I think a lot of people think he can be full of shit. And yeah, that was a moment I think would have really ingratiated himself with everybody because it's the most relatable thing ever. He missed a three foot downhill. Every human being does it seven
times around, and Bryson has really embraced this. Bryson lost the PGA Championship by a shot, and war like, you know, stood up there, took the questions at the Masters, he was winning I think after two days, and then kind of fell apart at the weekend. Bryson's kind of really embraced this whole entertaining entertainer thing. You know what, you know what he does And I was thinking about this the other day. It's a very novel concept, he smiles.
Think about the funnest player you could argue, beside Michael Jordan of my life, just most fun Steph. What does he do a lot smiles. Why did everyone like Brett Farr looked like he was having fun? You know, Tiger's unique. He could be an asshole and not talk to everybody. I mean, he was a rocket ship of dominance.
Michael Jordan also was not terribly likable. It didn't matter.
Those guys are all time outliers. Most homes might end up with like five super Bowls. Have a lot of fun. He's enjoyable. Bryson's just smiling a lot. We don't lose. He easily could have lost that, and I think Rory kind of if he could have that back, it would have been a real easy moment to just say what everyone has experience that plays the sport and it's watching missed the putt. It sucks. I'm devastated, you know, And I he avoided Greg Norman talked after ninety six, which
was way worse. He had a six shot lead. Rory only had a lead of the back nine with like five holes to go, and Bryson was behind him, So it was really it wasn't like a true five holes to go because Bryson had the extra hole. But I thought, I think he'd like to have that one back. But it's also golf. Right in the NBA, the MAVs, they lost, it's win or loose. Rory did beat everybody else, and he has been really good these last couple of years.
He's beating literally everybody else. But part of golf is like you gotta beat that one last guy or else. We all kind of go.
Yeah, golf, golf. Golf kicks everybody's ass at one point, even Tiger. I mean, Tiger had the greatest run ever. It it will eventually, I mean you can barely operate. Yeah, So it's you know, you know the funny part about Tiger. I remember this just as an aside. It's it's always laughed when Tiger was in his kind of that eight to ten year just it was different. I said this today on FS one. This happens infrequently, but occasionally you
will see an athlete. Michael qualified it as this Lebron did in his prime that and Tiger didn't golf that. Even amongst all stars, John Jones UFC does this, even among the toughest guys in UFC, John is different. John is tougher than all of them that take the toughest guys and John Jones like literally just is faster and more violent. And I when Tiger was in his prime. One of the things I always because I love golf, I'll play it. I'm going on vacation, I'll play it
three or four times. I love golf, but just just Northeast golfer, No northern California. But I hit enough shots that I'm proud of that it brings me back every time.
Have a Vodkasoda out there, kick your feet up and.
Oh more than one yeah, and you know how they'll do a slow mow of the golf swing and the analysts will break it down. Tiger was coming out of his shoes.
It was.
If he wasn't named Tiger Woods, if he was Bob Woods and Tapeka, you'd be like, holy crap, this.
Is a mess.
He's over swinging. Tiger was the level of the torque in his swing. In his prime. He broke rules, but he was Tiger and it was like, okay, it was. It was different. And I always think about that when I think of greatness. Is I mean mahomes is doing behind the back stuff, left handed stuff, the stuff stuff took shots in his prime you would have been benched for ten years earlier.
Well, part of golf too, is equipment. The equipment over the last I'd say twelve plus years has gotten so extreme. All these guys can hit it three hundred and forty yards. I mean Bryson's hit at three to eighty. Tiger was hitting it three hundred and thirty, three hundred and forty yards with clubs that had no business going over two hundred and ninety yards. So what he was able to do with his power, his velocity, and as he got
a little older, that linebacker strength. It's like if you could play eighty two games ten straight years in the seventies when you were wearing those little shitty shoes and no tape on your ankle, like that is remarkable accomplishment. What Tiger did with his equipment, like what Bryson's doing with his equipment, is impressive, but he's specifically training for it. He specifically made these clubs like it is Taylor made
to do that. That did not exist in nineteen ninety seven or two thousand, even up through Tiger's like prime probably four five six. Now, the reason Tiger at forty five could win the Masters in twenty nineteen is equipment. You know, if he had the old equipment, he wouldn't probably wouldn't been able to won at that age. But yeah, I mean I think he he's a lot. You know,
you hear these stories of Stevie Williams. I'll fall into it on YouTube on the algorithm and he'll be like, yeah, we won the Arnold Palmer and Tiger had to hit a twenty five foot putt to make it. And after we got all the hooplau and he except at the trophy, he looked at me. He said, I'm so fucking pissed. I should have been three feet, not twenty feet. So we flew right back to Orlando. The next morning at seven am, he's practicing that shot for three hours in
the dead of summer sweating. Is that you know that that drive that you hear to talk? No one has that? And I do actually think Bryson. If Bryson was a football player, he would have been the number one pick in the draft. This guy, him, Jack and Tiger are the only guys to win the US Amateur and multiple US Opens. Three guys, Jack Nicholas, Tiger was Bryson d Champeau. He also won the national championship in college. I mean, this guy's a blue Chipper in the sport of golf.
It's different. He's quirky, but I think we talk about maturity. He's kind of just come into his own the YouTube stuff Live allows him to do that. He's having a blast. He's popular, but he's really good. I mean he's really good, and I feel like he's more likely to win five majors when his career is over than stick at the two. Like he ain't going away.
Yeah, what's his world golf ranking right now?
Well, it doesn't exist because he'll not live behind Scottie Scheffler and Rory Like he's there's no difference of those three guys.
I don't get it.
Well, the Olympics, he can't go to the Olympics because he doesn't get any points. It's like, what are we doing?
I Gulfs of Barnyard musical? But God, Major, I love majors so much, John, I'm gonna be for I've never taken a two week vacation while I'm on the air. This is the first. My bosses have been incredibly accommodating, and I told both of them. I just said, I'm a little burned out and I just need two weeks with my family, and thank god people at Fox. Literally they came to me and said, take the month off. I'm like, I can't take a month off. I'm not
built that way. I gotta work, so I'll be infrequent, but I will be posting stuff on the volume and we will connect soon.
Buddy, keep on rock and enjoy the summer the Volume.
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