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Speaker 1: The volume. It's the Three and Out Podcast presented by fan Duel. The NBA season is kicking into gear and there's no better place to get into the action than Fan Duel. Awesome new and existing user promotions, America's number one sports book, very easy to use, safe and secure. You get your winnings fast. I cannot recommend it enough. Love gambling with FanDuel. If you are a new just download the fan Duel sports Book app to get started now side up with promo code Colin so they know we sent you. What is going on everybody? John Middlecoff Three and Out Podcast? How are we doing? Beautiful? Actually it's not as freezing cold? But Thursday afternoon got Tiger Woods on in the background. I got some football thoughts. I'm about to fire out and uh, here's here's the schedule for about the next week. We're gonna this podcast Friday. Then we will have I think I'm gonna do a go low podcast on Sunday night after riv especially if Tiger does well. Uh for Monday, then I'm gonna do a mailbag only probably unless there's some breaking news podcast for Tuesday. You guys have fired in the d MS at John middlecoff Is, the Instagram firing those d m s, and then I'll just have probably a normal podcast come Friday. I got my brother, his family, my mom running an airbnb there in town. So you know, sometimes you gotta spend a little time with a fami, be a good guy. Can't just be like you know, I got a podcast, can't make it. But we're playing a little golf having a good time. So hopefully everyone's uh doing well and we will keep the content flowing. Obviously free agency the draft right around the corner, so I can't stop. Won't stop at John Middlecoffs and Instagram firing those d ms. You guys know the drill. If you listen on Collins Feed, make sure you subscribe to three and outfeed appreciate everyone it has. If you like the golf content, that's where the Golf show, Go Low, Go Low goes. I also have the Go Low at Goal pod is the Instagram if you want to get into that mail bag trying to separate it. Uh So we just don't have the d m s be too crazy. And yeah, other than that, I don't think there's any housekeeping. The Volumes YouTube page, you can listen to us on amp start putting pushing merch. I think I gotta I gotta dive into that. We got some merch. I'm gonna start. I'm gonna start shoving down that down your guys throats. But let let's have into the pod before we dive into football. And there's a lot going on football wise in the National Football League. Can I tell you about my friends at game time? Here's what I need you to do. Go to your smartphone. We all have one. Go to your app store download the game Time app. It's the fastest growing ticket website in America. And when you do, and you want to go to a game, baseball game, basketball game, a concert, use the promo code John, that's j O h N, and get twenty dollars off your first pair of tickets. 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Let's start with Nick Sirianni and the Philadelphia Eagles, who I got a little stat for you, became the first team to lose both coordinators since the Night Teamino San Fransco forty. My personal favorite team of all time. Mike Shanahan, Ray Rhodes, Mike Shanahan went to the Denver Broncos, Railroads went to the Eagles, and it was kind of that was the end a little bit of the Niners dynasty. They kept going to the playoffs, but they obviously never won a Super Bowl on that Walsh Seafort run. So it's not very often that a team loses both coordinators. When I saw that, it was like that. It's been almost three decades for that to happens. Pretty crazy. And listen, Nick Sirianni through two years has been wildly successful when the Eagles hired him, And listen, the most overrated thing in any industry, regardless what your industry is. Here's what I know. If you judge a coach based on their press conference, it's it's overall pretty irrelevant. Right. We have seen guys have bad press conferences be great coaches, and guys great at the podium be terrible. Just because you're opening press conference is good does not mean you're gonna be a good head coach. And Syrianni has proved just because your press conference is god awful does not mean you're gonna be a bad head coach. But here's the thing. Sirianni did not call the offense or the defense. Obviously he's an offensive head coach, but even last year his play calling was stripped or he gave it away. I don't know the details. They've been, you know, a little bit cloak and dagger over the last period of time how that actually happened. But Shane Stiken took the took the reins and they had a lot of success with Jalen over the last year and a half, especially this season. When you look at the NFC, unlike the the NFC stacked right, I mean, you got Hall of fame quarterbacks. Patrick Mahomes already a Hall of Famer, He's twenty seven years old. How is Joe Burrow not going to be a Hall of famer? Josh Allen and Justin Herbert, their ceilings are so freaking high. Would anyone be stunned if Trevor Lawrence and Doug Peterson don't just start going to the playoffs every single year. We're not even accounting for Aaron Rodgers probably being traded within the division and the Patriots, while they lack offensive firepower, they're clearly a pretty feisty team because of defense and special teams. And if the Miami Dolphins could ever just figure out the quarterback position, their team is pretty good. They have season a completely different world. I haven't even talked about a guy that got two hundreds thirty million dollars who once was really good and then he had some massage therapist issues. Last year was pretty terrible, and I give him a little bit of a pass. If he bounces back to Browns, could be really good. So when you look at the NFC, it stinks. There are three teams that sitting here right now February Thursday afternoon. If they were to not make the playoffs at the end of the two thousand twenty three season, it would be an utter royal disaster. The Philadelphia Eagles, the Serasco forty Niners, and the Dallas Cowboys. I don't think you can say that about any of the other teams. Now, for the most part, McCarthy little turnover right. Obviously, Kyle Shanahan lost his defensive coordinator. But when you lose both your offensive and defensive court, nator puts a lot of pressure on Nick Sirianni. And let's look at the other two teams. Kyle Shanahan now has lost multiple coordinators and been fine, got to the NFC Championship game with different guys calling his defense. Mike McCarthy, I've been very critical of him, but the last two years won twenty four games, and he has a long resume as a coach of being a successful guy. Now we could argue how good he is, and I think that is wildly up for debate, but like his resume kind of speaks for itself. If his team is relatively healthy, they're gonna go in the playoffs. Now, are they gonna do anything in the playoffs? Probably not. You know, that's not what the Dallas Cowboys do. They don't have success in the playoffs. But with Nick Sirianni, I actually think there's tangible pressure now on him to kind of prove, like, Okay, this is the first I wouldn't just say adversity because last year they had an up and down year and they got bounced in the first round. But you lose a pretty devastating super Bowl where you had a ten point lead and then it ends with you losing both of your coordinators. And I you know, I don't know him personally. I know all the guys in Philly really like them. Sometimes doing the bash brother thing in the middle of the Super Bowl. It's like, come on, bro, like you're not even calling the place. You just challenge and say when to go for two? And really are you saying when to go for two? Is someone your ears saying it? But I think it's like, now we're gonna find out because regardless of some of these free agents they have, They still have the tenth overall pick. They still have a nucleus of guys who are really freaking good. And like I said, like the Cowboys and the Niners are playing, are minimum playoffs or bus next season. You can't say that about the Giants. They we don't even know who their quarterback is. You can't say that about Think about the other playoff teams, right, you can't say that about Tampa. I mean Tampa, Sorry, bye bye Tom Brady, bye bye the playoffs. You know, the Packers, Aaron Rodgers not gonna be there anymore. The Lions, who are? They can't say that. So the Minnesota Vikings, their defense is horrendous. If you tell me next year they lose all those one point games and there are a nine win team again, I think that's very believable. So I'm very fascinated to watch this Nick Sirianni situation, just with some legit pressure now on him, the bulls eye on his back, how he handles it because they got to be a little bit of I wouldn't say the underdog, because as the season went on it was clear they were one of the better teams. But now there's like tangible pressure like can you wrat off another thirteen win season? Can you do this? Can you just replace your two coordinators and not skip a beat? We're about to find out one story I saw this week and listen. Sometimes depending on where the story comes from, we judge the merit of that story, and that's that's fine. And I understand every one of us have different relationships with different people in the media quote unquote reporters, right if they have put things out there that piss you off about your team or they've been wrong, it's part of the business. But Jason lockinfora you know, you can say as a checket history with some of the things that he throws out there, said that there are gms in the league who believe the Chicago Bears are going to trade justin fields. One thing that bothers me a lot in pro sports is when a story comes out that so and so team or so and so free agent is having talks with whoever right that they have met with these three teams, Like bullshit, They already have a quarterback, why would they talk to him. The business these people are in are talking to everyone and uncovering everything. That is their job as a GM, especially when you're on a terrible team and right now the Chicago Bears. And let me preface it by saying this, I am not anti Justin Fields. I love Justin Fields. Coming out, I thought he was clearly the second best prospect in his draft, behind Trevor Lawrence. I thought he was in a different universe than Mac, Trey Lance, and Zach Wilson. Somehow, Trey Lance and Zack Wilson went above them. I think that's crazy, But here's a reality. What you think about someone coming out of college and then what you think about them a couple of years later, it should change. I never understand on the internet why people like that take age poorly. Well, yeah, I said it six months ago. Things have changed. I have eighty grand into a couple of stocks that are now worth about twenty You think I would like to invest my money in different places if I knew where I was going, of course, I would like Welcome to life. These things are fluid now. I'm not anti Justin Fields because I always bet on big, strong guys with big arms. Who when I know? Because I don't know these guys, but I lean on my scouting buddies. Ago high character guy, hard worker. I heard positive things, so I think I bet on those guys to improve. But not everyone is just on a They're gonna turn into Josh Allen, like I'm intrigued by Will Levis. But part of what made Josh Allen was these interesting intrinsic characteristics of dry determination work ethic, that he just keeps chopping wood. He just keeps swinging when you're not looking, like right now he's working out or throwing. I don't actually know if he is, but the only way you improved the levels in which he improved the first couple of years. We're doing the dirty work, right The reason Patrick Mahomes keeps getting better is because he works right now, well, not actually right now. He's probably hungover because they had their parade yesterday, but when you're not looking, when we don't have the TV cameras on them, when the season is not going, like the reason Brady and Manning. So part of why I bet on Justin Fields because I thought he could become a top you know, fifteen ish passer. And then when you have that level of arms, Frank and you have that athleticism, you can become a top ten player. But so far through a couple of years. I think that's very much up for debate now. In fairness to him, the Bears made a horrific trade this year. They traded their second round pick for trip Chase Claypool. That that that's awful business and the easiest trade the Pittsburgh Steelers will ever make. But I do not fault Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus. I got you Bears fans for doing their due diligence because part of their job when you suck is to look at every single avenue of what are our options? That that's the business there in. This isn't about feelings. This is about doing what's best for the team. Now, is there a quarterback in this draft who you believe is going to be better than Justin Fields? Because if there is trade him because right now Justin Fields, because he's on his rookie contract and his value because of all these moving parts, What if Lamar Jackson is traded, wouldn't he make immediately a lot of sense for the Ravens immediately? What if other gms that just took over, let's say, or other gms that have but you know, opportunity at quarterback Seattle. The Giants once upon a time love Justin Fields. What if Brian and day Ball was like, I've always been very, very intrigued. What if they would trade you a first round pick, maybe two twos and a three? Like, you're not getting multiple ones for a guy who has questions throwing the ball, But let's even reverse it. When the season ended, they asked Ryan Polst, what does Justin Fields need to work on? He said throwing? Like I'm sorry, Like, after that comment, I take it that trading him once they have the number one overall pick is definitely on the table. So get ready these rumors, whether they actually have merrit this specific one, like GMS believe he's gonna get traded, it's coming. They are going to have conversations. One, they wouldn't be doing their job like that. He's not Trevor Lawrence or Andrew Luck Right, how how many quarterbacks? Truly? If someone's like, hey, I'm interested in Dak Prescott, I'm interested in Kyler Murray, I'm interested in Kurt Cousins. You don't think those teams are just gonna have a conversation now if you called me and say, hey, I'm interested in Mahomes, Alan Herbert, you know Trevor Lawrence. It's an immediate hang up, right, Jalen hurts, Hang up because I'm not upgrading. But most quarterbacks after seven eight, you're having the conversation, especially with a guy who just was a quarterback who you can say what you want about his offense and listen, it was more than questionable. But his GM doesn't think he's good at throwing. So regardless of what me or you think, the guy that runs the team who did not drafting draft him thinks that scenario that he needs to improve. Just keep an eye on that. I'm sorry that that is. If I was a betting man, I would bet on him getting traded. I would put it that he would get traded if there were better quarterbacks in this draft. I'd put it in like if Caleb Williams and Drake May if it was next year's class, would be a lock. You trade him. You could argue, like, you know Bryce Young small in Chicago, he's a better player than justin fields, Like I like Bryce Young coming out of college more than justin fields. I don't even think it's close, but I like justin field size and athleticism and speed more. But ultimately, if speed and power is your best attribute at quarterback, not ideal? Right, Ultimately, why Lamar Jackson? You know we thought we kind of started buying into him after he won the NBB started throwing it much better. Something to keep an eye on. Looking to get more out of the NBA season, Well, now is the perfect time to download Fan Duel, America's number one sports book. Right now, new customers get a no sweat first bet up to a thousand dollars. That's free bets back if your first bet doesn't win. The promo code is always Colin. Fan Duel has tons of betting options. 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Gambling problem on dred next step or text next step to five three three four two Arizona one eight seven seven seven or visit CCPG dot org, slash chat Connecticut on dred Gambler or visit FanDuel dot com slash RG in Colorado, Indiana, Jersey, and Virginia eight seven seven seven seven zero stop in Louisiana one hundred two seven O seven one one seven for confidential help. In Michigan on eight seven seven h O P E n Y. Or text h O P E n Y for six seven three six nine In New York, tennessee Redline eight nine Tennessee visit one eight how gamble dot net in West Virginia. I saw this tweet. I don't usually do this, but it kind of got me worked up because we saw Jonathan Gannon got the Arizona Cardinals job and Shane Stike in the the two thousand two Sacramento b High School Player of the Year. I always root for guys from northern California. Though, when you google Shane Stikeen or you just look at his introductory press conference, I am older than I was born in nineteen four. He was born in nineteen but he's kind of got this like two thousand ten Nick Cage. Look where his hair is receding. Looks like he hasn't seen that much sun lately. He definitely doesn't eat that much. Tall, skinny. He looks much closer to fifty than he does thirty seven. Looks very old for thirty seven. Jonathan Gannon, on the other hand, looks his age. He's forty, you know, good looking, also receding airline, but looks much younger now. Shane Steiken, from a head coaching perspective, was the play caller and definitely the guy that helped Jalen Hurts become an m v P candidate. Not debatable. When you're the offensive coordinator for a guy who sucks two years ago and then becomes an m VP candidate by the end of your run, you get a lot of credit, and rightfully so. Jonathan Gannon, on the other hand, just got absolutely clowned in the Super Bowl. Oh, I don't even judge him for that. A lot of great coaches have had devastating moments, especially young ones in the Super Bowl as a coordinator verse coordinator right, Kyle Shanahan and has had it. Sean McVeigh had it against Bill Belichick. Of course, Andy Reid is gonna work Jonathan gannon like. That's not surprising to me, but overall and I people in Philly love Jonathan Gan. Great guy, great leader, like he has the characteristics you're looking for in a coach. And this leads me to the tweet that I saw from this guy, coach Lampkin. Google's bioways just the smallest school coach. But his tweets pretty interesting because this is the conversation that's had a lot. Why isn't that in the football world, we're under the impression that calling prop calling plays is a prerequisite to be coming a head coach. The roles are all caps completely different and almost unrelated. While there is some truth to that, being the head coach is about much more than calling plays. Find me a lot of high, high end head coaches were guys that we consider top five head coaches who aren't masters of their domain. The two best coaches of my adult life Bill Belichick, Andy Reid, Bill Belichick's the greatest defensive coordinator in the history of the league. His defensive game plan against the mid eighties Bill Walsh, Joe Montana fort is literally in the Hall of Fame. Bill Belichick, who has his hands all over that defense. They have been consistently sweet on defense for twenty years. And Andy Reid, who has gone back and forth calling plays over his career. We can't really argue is kind of the modern day Bill Walsh or Mike Holmgren, right, And Mike Holmgren was obviously Andy's mentor. Now you can go to the next run of guys, especially younger coaches. Think about some of the better younger coaches, because it's not arguable. To be a head coach, you have to have leadership skills. You have to be able to handle everything. You don't just have to worry about third down offense or defense. You have to worry about when you're backup special team or gets a d u I when you know the star tight end has a pregnancy issue with his wife, the star linebackers having contractual issues, that's on you. But as I talked to a buddy earlier this season, we talked about Urban Meyer and ultimately the reason urban Meyer failed. Now, you could argue his leadership style did not translate to the NFL like it did college, because you have guys on your team one who are as accomplished as you and to make as much money as you. That Urban was not a schematic guy, and having been in an NFL office Monday through Saturday, well, that stuff handles In the coaching. The head coach's office deals with some of the bullshit that's going on with your team or just craziness or things out of everyone's control. He's also working with his coaches to devise a game plan. We often say that the NFL is chess, because it is it's me thinking against you. We all got good players. Some obviously some teams have better players than others, but for the most part in the league has relatively equal talent. It's a thinking man sport. And think about the better young coaches Sean McVeigh Kyle Shanahan both have a direct impact on their game because they're the play caller. Both have proven to be very good leaders. Think about some of the older coaches. Pete Carroll seventy one years old, the guy Cree aided a defense that everyone copied when they became head coaches under his umbrella. So you have being a being a leader and being as the head coach, whether it's high level college or the NFL is it's a prerequisite, like that's the price of admission. But if you are not a very, very talented schematic guy on your side of the ball, you don't have to understand the whole landscape. Right, most offensive coaches aren't great defensive coaches. Is why they put a lot of effort in hiring the right defensive coach and vice versa. I hear a lot of people tweeted at me because I reacted to this Mike Comlin, Well, think about this, since he's been the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a defensive guy. Now, you could argue he went to a defensive organization. They're always good on defense, you know. Well they had Dick Laba. Well, they've been good on defense since I couldn't even tell you. I mean, I know, if you're a Steeler fan, you know who it is. I don't know at the top of my head who their defensive coordinator is. But over the last several years, when I watch the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are good on defense. So you get credit for that. Why because you set the tone for the organization, and clearly the tone in that organization from a defensive head coach is high level defense. Now do I think during every single week he is dialing up third down defenses or second down pressures? Of course not. But his team reflects him. John Harbaugh, same thing they have. Both those two guys benefit from good organizations, but their teams, for the most part, reflect those two guys. So when I see Jonathan Gannon like, ultimately get why the Colts hire Shane Syken. I'm betting on his qualities, but he's also he can impact the game. He better be calling places. That's why I hired him. When I see Jonathan Gannon, good leader, but his defense, Like, if you're an Eagles fan listening to this every single time, did I talk to someone who's like, the defense isn't good enough? Now I know they're front four is really good, Well, let's face it me or you could coach Hassan Reddick, Hardgraves, Sweat Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham like defense, especially the front, Like if I got Aaron Donald, Myles, Garrett, Nick Bosa, Joey Bosa, Michael Parsons. I'm going to create pressure the back end, the most complicated part of the sport by a mile. Whether you're an evaluator, whether you're a coach, coverage matching up coverages against Andy Reid, Kyle Shanahan, Sean Payton weekend week out. These offensive coordinators are fucking working twenty hours a week or twenty hours a day, and they have the advantage because they know the play called. You do not your guys are reacting, so having the ability to dial up coverages and adapt all game long in the second half, he just wouldn't do anything like, Bro, you gotta throw a blitz, you gotta have some different pitches. So yeah, he might be a really good leader, but watching him from a schematic standpoint, wasn't that impressed. And this gets back to the tweet like, I can't hire a coach just because he's a good leader or just because he's a good Mattic guy. I need you to be both. This is the NFL. Like Andy Reid, great leader, great scheme guy, Bill Belichick, great leader, great scheme guy. Mike Vrabel clearly a great scheme guy. His defenses are always sweet great leader Kyle Shanna and Sean McVeigh, Like, let's just go around. You gotta be able to do both, hologe you can get away with it, right if you're an elite recruiter, you don't have to be a great scheme guy in the NFL, you cannot avoid it. Like ultimately, if the Lions are going to take a step and go from that kind of that threshold there at right now to be an eleven win team, they're a good example because Dan Campbell is a guy that I'm rooting for. But if he's gonna be Mike Vrabel of the NFC, schematically is where they're gonna have to separate. They're gonna have to be better on defense. They're gonna have to maintain on offense. Can he do that? Can he do that? We're gonna We're gonna find out. And next year if they do and they lose Ben Johnson the offensive coordinator, can they sustain? Because I watched good coaches lose coach after coach. Any Ree's been losing coaches for twenty years, never skips a beat, wins every year. Belichick loses coaches in their heyday all the time. It's like whatever, like part of the deal. Walsh all the time, Pete Carroll like can you maintain it? That's why when I hire a head coach, that's what I'm looking for, the total package. Just like a quarterback. I can't have a slaptick quarterback. It doesn't play. Look at all the top quarterbacks, all high level guys and high level players. When when you've got some questionable character, you know, you create problems immediately. Look at the guys who have asked the Arizona Cardinals in Cleveland Browns they feel great about their guy right now, I got news for you, they don't. The Super Bowl had a hundred at one point in time. I think a hundred nineteen million people watching. That might have been during the halftime, think average like a million people. Third most watch program in the history of America. I think a lot of like, you know, people around the business side of it have been saying forever it's the greatest, you know, it's the most made for television sport we've ever had and will ever have. And I and I agree, but I've said for years. One of it's because now like football doesn't have anything in common with basketball or baseball, absolutely nothing like the NBA Finals was struggling to get thirteen million people to watch. That's when it was the Warriors in the Celtics Flag Football Pro Bowl got six million people. The World Series ratings have been really down for the last decade. Now. I like both those two sports, especially in the playoffs, but the overall masses don't anymore. It's not a debatable topic, that's a fact now. Thirteen million people, ten million people is still more than the majority of program But when it comes to football, it's not. They're not they have nothing in common. A random good NFL game on a given weekend Sunday, Thursday, Monday night football is doing fifteen to twenty million people watching. So like the Amazon which is still I guess somewhat niche because you had to stream it, I think average like ten million people watching. So when you look at the Super Bowl football, I've said forever, this is not gonna last all my life, right because when I was a kid, or I'm not even a kid, when I was born in the mid eighties, the number one sport in America was baseball and had been for a long period of time, and then society changed and they kind of got left behind the NBA in the nineties, it couldn't have been bigger. Michael Jordan's had the NBA as big as the NFL, it was fucking massive. Twenty years later, no one plays clearly, some political stuff, a lot of different variables. It's not even close to his popular Under Adam Silver's watch, since two thousand fourteen, they've lost half their audience In the NFL, one of its greatest attributes. When you can all the bs on the on the outside of just talking about sports, it's once a week. It's the easiest thing to consume, right. Baseball is every single day. There's gonna be a game in early June. Whether you're a Yankee fan, whether you're a Cardinal fan, or you're a Dodger fan, I got news for you. It does not matter. In the NBA, star players literally skip just ten fifteen games because I feel like it's kind of tired. The sports scientists said, like, take it off, be good for you. I feel fine, but they say just take time. In football, the best player of his generation now it was a playoff game, screamed at his head coach. I'm not leaving. And think about this as a football fan, whether you like the Texans, whether you like the Vikings or whether you like the forty Niners. When you pay for a ticket to a regular season game, and every game in football matters, you know for a fact that if a guy can play, if he's he's playned, and if he's not playing that given week, you're never mad because you know, yeah, he's really hurt. Man, can't walk, can't move shoulder wouldn't work. You go to these other sports like, well, I just needed a day off. They played seventeen straight days in baseball. We had to give him a day Very understandable. He's a catcher, he's tired. In basketball, you're like, I bought tickets to watch Steph Curry play, you honest, Like, oh, they're both sitting at night. Not your honest. He actually plays a lot, but the Warriors. And then Steve Kurr will be like, you know, it's the shitty part of the business. She part of the business. You mean you guys not playing your guys. For the consumer, and football is the most consumer friendly sport by a country mile. It's the easiest to consume. It only takes if if you just want to watch your team three hours a week and two from a standpoint of you know that your team and your coaches. Now, they might not be good, and your coaches might not be a high level coach, but he truly cares and they're doing everything humanly possible every single week to play. Think about that, just to play part of baseball. I actually think they do play pretty hard. It's just too much. I can't watch every game. What's crazy is, at thirty eight years old, I used to watch in my twenties and probably even my early thirties, the amount of basketball and baseball games as well as the same amount of football I watched. Now it's just humanly impossible. Moment you get to your mid thirties, your fourties, you have kids, you have other responsibilities, You can't consume that much. And then the moment you realize that it's not even worth it, like what am I watching this for? And then the curveball is the gambling. There is no sport to gamble like football. So I think football, listen, is this gonna last for thirty more years? I don't know. I can't tell you that, but I think this next decade, you know, the two thousand twenties is going to be continue to be massive. So I would bet in the short term the next five to seven years, just maintain these numbers. Now, I don't ever think these other sports are gonna get booms, but I think football is going to continue to separate from them because I actually think they're gonna keep struggling to get people to watch because it just doesn't matter when you turn on Thursday night football. You know that game Week six against the Giants of the Eagles matters, Hell it Texans and the Jags, it matters the Niners in the everything, there's not a matchup. You can't convince yourself that it doesn't matter. Even at the end of the season that Bears game, that Texans game, they mattered for draft position. The other sports is do not have that. You can't. Most people don't even know, Like do you know how Major League Baseball the drafting works. It's it's not it's based on record, not actually, like I remember the Giants one year made the playoffs, but they still drafted a little higher. Now I'm confused. I don't want to screw this up, but it's it's just confusing. You know, nothing's confusing about the NFL. Every game matters, you know, every team when the season starts, them feel like they have a chance to make the playoffs. And uh, and yeah, football has got a really really good thing going. A couple other quick things. I read a story that Greg Olson because a lot of people have been saying, you know, Greg Olson was pretty outspoken about how he wanted to keep the number one overall seat. And you know there's a shortlist of guys, right, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan's, uh, Tom Brady that if they wanted a role in the media, whoever had that seat immediately gets fired and or immediately gets you know, demoted, and Tom Brady is just at that level. It's Tom Brady gonna be good at calling football. I got no clue. I don't I was. I knew for a fact Drew Brees was not gonna be good, no chance, absolutely none. I got a pretty good feel for this. I shorted that stock immediately lasted a year. Tom Brady, I don't have a great feel because he's so competitive, clearly being a great teammate, Like he could be a guy's guy, but sometimes when the camera's on, he could be kind of stiff. I would probably lean hill under deliver, but I'm not gonna make a living betting against tom Brady. But if I ran the network under no circumstances, great, you can say whatever you want and I get you got, You're you're good, You're you're fall you're solid. But you're getting demoted for tom Brady. But the reason Greg Olson has been so outspoken is his salary is the number one overall guy is ten million dollars. Rightfully, so number one guy Fox doing million people watching all of your games during the regular season, let alone playoff games. It goes down if he goes to number two. Still good living Still you know a number that nine nine percent of people in this world but alone America, would gladly take the job to three million dollars. So the difference of them hiring tom Brady is going to cost Greg Olsen seven million dollars. I get it, I do, but it's it's the easiest move they'll ever make. Now. Is tom Brady just sitting in the seat forever if he sucks? Of course not, but he's definitely sitting in the seat. You know. It's just welcome to the reality of Tom Brady being one of the most famous people of my life. Uh. Another guy that I would have guessed would have been a good on TV. Yet whenever I watched him was terrible. Now, I'm not a big pregame show guy. They don't really do anything for me. Uh. I like College Game Day, but I don't watch for the analysis. I watched more for the entertainment. On Sunday morning, you know, I try to get a workout or whatever because I'm gonna sit on the couch for the next twelve hour. So like, I'm not one to watch. I don't need you breaking down the games, and I just don't really care. And I just don't find the shows that good. Too many people, too many people talking. Whenever I saw Rex Ryan on TV, I always thought to myself, God, he kind of sucks because he was his massive personality. We talk a lot of ship, but I just I didn't see it. Now he's been out of the game for a while on television, rumors are based on the Interweb that he is a could very well be the next defensive coordinator for Sean Payton in the Denver Broncos. That would be cool because I think some guys like Sean Payton was good on TV. The NFL is better with Sean Payton in football coach, just like Sean McVeigh, which Sean mcmabe good on TV, probably, but the NFL is better off with Sean McVeigh coaching in the league, especially if his team is good. One thing, watching Rex Ryan, the NFL would be better with Rex in the NFL, not on some studio show that a million people are watching, and he never says anything that matters. So I hope Rex Ryan is the next defensive coordinator. I think that would be exciting, and that would be a lot of ego in one operation. You know, buckle up, Russ because you no longer are the big dog. You know, there's some big names and I don't think they're gonna give a shit about your feelings. Vance Joseph also talked to the Broncos about the defensive coordinator. Uh. The Eagles have reached out to Vance Joseph about being the defensive coordinator. I'm pretty fascinated. I think he'll definitely get a defensive coordinator job. He's well respected, well liked around the league, and I've said it forever, a guy like him the best part about the NFL. It is a great spot to be a number two because a lot like walst Eat and venture capital. If you're the number two in some industries pays a hunter grand pays two hund grant. In football, defensive coordinators are now making a guy like fans Joseph three million dollars. Do you know what Vic Fangio just signed for my guests would be five million dollars a year. Five and a half million dollars a year. Depends what these type guys are making. Remember Josh McDaniels years ago, when you stay with the Colts was making four to four and a half million dollars a year. It's not a bad gig to be the number two. Pays very very well. You don't have to talk to the media as much, you don't have to take the take the hits. You just kind of get the right shotgun and make a lot of coin. Last, but not least, Calvin Ridley. One thing to keep an eye on the Jacksonville jackson is because clearly they need to improve some of the up and offensive weaponry. Chris and Kirk that had a really good season. Calvin Ridley has just I think filed for a reinstatement. Um be probably the first I would I wouldn't say last but the last for a while, guy involved in gambling to get suspended, and you know, if you're gonna get suspend, did getting suspended for a parlay? That that sucks because there's no chance that he won that parlay, especially his was like an eleven team parlay. Uh so he's gonna come back well rested. Remember a couple of years ago, not only was he really good, when there were talks about, like, you know, the Falcons could be interested the Eagles before they got a d Brown offered a first round pick for Calvin Ridley. Like, people, this guy is very, very talented. I think he could be a huge boost. And uh, let it be a life lesson to you if you're in the NFL, if you're gonna go out, don't do an eleven team parlay. Just bet the house on. Patrick Mahomes appreciate everyone listening. Uh, talk to you guys soon. The volume
Speaker 1: The volume. It's the Three and Out Podcast presented by fan Duel. The NBA season is kicking into gear and there's no better place to get into the action than Fan Duel. Awesome new and existing user promotions, America's number one sports book, very easy to use, safe and secure. You get your winnings fast. I cannot recommend it enough. Love gambling with FanDuel. If you are a new just download the fan Duel sports Book app to get started now side up with promo code Colin so they know we sent you. What is going on everybody? John Middlecoff Three and Out Podcast? How are we doing? Beautiful? Actually it's not as freezing cold? But Thursday afternoon got Tiger Woods on in the background. I got some football thoughts. I'm about to fire out and uh, here's here's the schedule for about the next week. We're gonna this podcast Friday. Then we will have I think I'm gonna do a go low podcast on Sunday night after riv especially if Tiger does well. 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Let's start with Nick Sirianni and the Philadelphia Eagles, who I got a little stat for you, became the first team to lose both coordinators since the Night Teamino San Fransco forty. My personal favorite team of all time. Mike Shanahan, Ray Rhodes, Mike Shanahan went to the Denver Broncos, Railroads went to the Eagles, and it was kind of that was the end a little bit of the Niners dynasty. They kept going to the playoffs, but they obviously never won a Super Bowl on that Walsh Seafort run. So it's not very often that a team loses both coordinators. When I saw that, it was like that. It's been almost three decades for that to happens. Pretty crazy. And listen, Nick Sirianni through two years has been wildly successful when the Eagles hired him, And listen, the most overrated thing in any industry, regardless what your industry is. Here's what I know. If you judge a coach based on their press conference, it's it's overall pretty irrelevant. Right. We have seen guys have bad press conferences be great coaches, and guys great at the podium be terrible. Just because you're opening press conference is good does not mean you're gonna be a good head coach. And Syrianni has proved just because your press conference is god awful does not mean you're gonna be a bad head coach. But here's the thing. Sirianni did not call the offense or the defense. Obviously he's an offensive head coach, but even last year his play calling was stripped or he gave it away. I don't know the details. They've been, you know, a little bit cloak and dagger over the last period of time how that actually happened. But Shane Stiken took the took the reins and they had a lot of success with Jalen over the last year and a half, especially this season. When you look at the NFC, unlike the the NFC stacked right, I mean, you got Hall of fame quarterbacks. Patrick Mahomes already a Hall of Famer, He's twenty seven years old. How is Joe Burrow not going to be a Hall of famer? Josh Allen and Justin Herbert, their ceilings are so freaking high. Would anyone be stunned if Trevor Lawrence and Doug Peterson don't just start going to the playoffs every single year. We're not even accounting for Aaron Rodgers probably being traded within the division and the Patriots, while they lack offensive firepower, they're clearly a pretty feisty team because of defense and special teams. And if the Miami Dolphins could ever just figure out the quarterback position, their team is pretty good. They have season a completely different world. I haven't even talked about a guy that got two hundreds thirty million dollars who once was really good and then he had some massage therapist issues. Last year was pretty terrible, and I give him a little bit of a pass. If he bounces back to Browns, could be really good. So when you look at the NFC, it stinks. There are three teams that sitting here right now February Thursday afternoon. If they were to not make the playoffs at the end of the two thousand twenty three season, it would be an utter royal disaster. The Philadelphia Eagles, the Serasco forty Niners, and the Dallas Cowboys. I don't think you can say that about any of the other teams. Now, for the most part, McCarthy little turnover right. Obviously, Kyle Shanahan lost his defensive coordinator. But when you lose both your offensive and defensive court, nator puts a lot of pressure on Nick Sirianni. And let's look at the other two teams. Kyle Shanahan now has lost multiple coordinators and been fine, got to the NFC Championship game with different guys calling his defense. Mike McCarthy, I've been very critical of him, but the last two years won twenty four games, and he has a long resume as a coach of being a successful guy. Now we could argue how good he is, and I think that is wildly up for debate, but like his resume kind of speaks for itself. If his team is relatively healthy, they're gonna go in the playoffs. Now, are they gonna do anything in the playoffs? Probably not. You know, that's not what the Dallas Cowboys do. They don't have success in the playoffs. But with Nick Sirianni, I actually think there's tangible pressure now on him to kind of prove, like, Okay, this is the first I wouldn't just say adversity because last year they had an up and down year and they got bounced in the first round. But you lose a pretty devastating super Bowl where you had a ten point lead and then it ends with you losing both of your coordinators. And I you know, I don't know him personally. I know all the guys in Philly really like them. Sometimes doing the bash brother thing in the middle of the Super Bowl. It's like, come on, bro, like you're not even calling the place. You just challenge and say when to go for two? And really are you saying when to go for two? Is someone your ears saying it? But I think it's like, now we're gonna find out because regardless of some of these free agents they have, They still have the tenth overall pick. They still have a nucleus of guys who are really freaking good. And like I said, like the Cowboys and the Niners are playing, are minimum playoffs or bus next season. You can't say that about the Giants. They we don't even know who their quarterback is. You can't say that about Think about the other playoff teams, right, you can't say that about Tampa. I mean Tampa, Sorry, bye bye Tom Brady, bye bye the playoffs. You know, the Packers, Aaron Rodgers not gonna be there anymore. The Lions, who are? They can't say that. So the Minnesota Vikings, their defense is horrendous. If you tell me next year they lose all those one point games and there are a nine win team again, I think that's very believable. So I'm very fascinated to watch this Nick Sirianni situation, just with some legit pressure now on him, the bulls eye on his back, how he handles it because they got to be a little bit of I wouldn't say the underdog, because as the season went on it was clear they were one of the better teams. But now there's like tangible pressure like can you wrat off another thirteen win season? Can you do this? Can you just replace your two coordinators and not skip a beat? We're about to find out one story I saw this week and listen. Sometimes depending on where the story comes from, we judge the merit of that story, and that's that's fine. And I understand every one of us have different relationships with different people in the media quote unquote reporters, right if they have put things out there that piss you off about your team or they've been wrong, it's part of the business. But Jason lockinfora you know, you can say as a checket history with some of the things that he throws out there, said that there are gms in the league who believe the Chicago Bears are going to trade justin fields. One thing that bothers me a lot in pro sports is when a story comes out that so and so team or so and so free agent is having talks with whoever right that they have met with these three teams, Like bullshit, They already have a quarterback, why would they talk to him. The business these people are in are talking to everyone and uncovering everything. That is their job as a GM, especially when you're on a terrible team and right now the Chicago Bears. And let me preface it by saying this, I am not anti Justin Fields. I love Justin Fields. Coming out, I thought he was clearly the second best prospect in his draft, behind Trevor Lawrence. I thought he was in a different universe than Mac, Trey Lance, and Zach Wilson. Somehow, Trey Lance and Zack Wilson went above them. I think that's crazy, But here's a reality. What you think about someone coming out of college and then what you think about them a couple of years later, it should change. I never understand on the internet why people like that take age poorly. Well, yeah, I said it six months ago. Things have changed. I have eighty grand into a couple of stocks that are now worth about twenty You think I would like to invest my money in different places if I knew where I was going, of course, I would like Welcome to life. These things are fluid now. I'm not anti Justin Fields because I always bet on big, strong guys with big arms. Who when I know? Because I don't know these guys, but I lean on my scouting buddies. Ago high character guy, hard worker. I heard positive things, so I think I bet on those guys to improve. But not everyone is just on a They're gonna turn into Josh Allen, like I'm intrigued by Will Levis. But part of what made Josh Allen was these interesting intrinsic characteristics of dry determination work ethic, that he just keeps chopping wood. He just keeps swinging when you're not looking, like right now he's working out or throwing. I don't actually know if he is, but the only way you improved the levels in which he improved the first couple of years. We're doing the dirty work, right The reason Patrick Mahomes keeps getting better is because he works right now, well, not actually right now. He's probably hungover because they had their parade yesterday, but when you're not looking, when we don't have the TV cameras on them, when the season is not going, like the reason Brady and Manning. So part of why I bet on Justin Fields because I thought he could become a top you know, fifteen ish passer. And then when you have that level of arms, Frank and you have that athleticism, you can become a top ten player. But so far through a couple of years. I think that's very much up for debate now. In fairness to him, the Bears made a horrific trade this year. They traded their second round pick for trip Chase Claypool. That that that's awful business and the easiest trade the Pittsburgh Steelers will ever make. But I do not fault Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus. I got you Bears fans for doing their due diligence because part of their job when you suck is to look at every single avenue of what are our options? That that's the business there in. This isn't about feelings. This is about doing what's best for the team. Now, is there a quarterback in this draft who you believe is going to be better than Justin Fields? Because if there is trade him because right now Justin Fields, because he's on his rookie contract and his value because of all these moving parts, What if Lamar Jackson is traded, wouldn't he make immediately a lot of sense for the Ravens immediately? What if other gms that just took over, let's say, or other gms that have but you know, opportunity at quarterback Seattle. The Giants once upon a time love Justin Fields. What if Brian and day Ball was like, I've always been very, very intrigued. What if they would trade you a first round pick, maybe two twos and a three? Like, you're not getting multiple ones for a guy who has questions throwing the ball, But let's even reverse it. When the season ended, they asked Ryan Polst, what does Justin Fields need to work on? He said throwing? Like I'm sorry, Like, after that comment, I take it that trading him once they have the number one overall pick is definitely on the table. So get ready these rumors, whether they actually have merrit this specific one, like GMS believe he's gonna get traded, it's coming. They are going to have conversations. One, they wouldn't be doing their job like that. He's not Trevor Lawrence or Andrew Luck Right, how how many quarterbacks? Truly? If someone's like, hey, I'm interested in Dak Prescott, I'm interested in Kyler Murray, I'm interested in Kurt Cousins. You don't think those teams are just gonna have a conversation now if you called me and say, hey, I'm interested in Mahomes, Alan Herbert, you know Trevor Lawrence. It's an immediate hang up, right, Jalen hurts, Hang up because I'm not upgrading. But most quarterbacks after seven eight, you're having the conversation, especially with a guy who just was a quarterback who you can say what you want about his offense and listen, it was more than questionable. But his GM doesn't think he's good at throwing. So regardless of what me or you think, the guy that runs the team who did not drafting draft him thinks that scenario that he needs to improve. Just keep an eye on that. I'm sorry that that is. If I was a betting man, I would bet on him getting traded. I would put it that he would get traded if there were better quarterbacks in this draft. I'd put it in like if Caleb Williams and Drake May if it was next year's class, would be a lock. You trade him. You could argue, like, you know Bryce Young small in Chicago, he's a better player than justin fields, Like I like Bryce Young coming out of college more than justin fields. I don't even think it's close, but I like justin field size and athleticism and speed more. But ultimately, if speed and power is your best attribute at quarterback, not ideal? Right, Ultimately, why Lamar Jackson? You know we thought we kind of started buying into him after he won the NBB started throwing it much better. Something to keep an eye on. Looking to get more out of the NBA season, Well, now is the perfect time to download Fan Duel, America's number one sports book. Right now, new customers get a no sweat first bet up to a thousand dollars. That's free bets back if your first bet doesn't win. The promo code is always Colin. Fan Duel has tons of betting options. 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Gambling problem on dred next step or text next step to five three three four two Arizona one eight seven seven seven or visit CCPG dot org, slash chat Connecticut on dred Gambler or visit FanDuel dot com slash RG in Colorado, Indiana, Jersey, and Virginia eight seven seven seven seven zero stop in Louisiana one hundred two seven O seven one one seven for confidential help. In Michigan on eight seven seven h O P E n Y. Or text h O P E n Y for six seven three six nine In New York, tennessee Redline eight nine Tennessee visit one eight how gamble dot net in West Virginia. I saw this tweet. I don't usually do this, but it kind of got me worked up because we saw Jonathan Gannon got the Arizona Cardinals job and Shane Stike in the the two thousand two Sacramento b High School Player of the Year. I always root for guys from northern California. Though, when you google Shane Stikeen or you just look at his introductory press conference, I am older than I was born in nineteen four. He was born in nineteen but he's kind of got this like two thousand ten Nick Cage. Look where his hair is receding. Looks like he hasn't seen that much sun lately. He definitely doesn't eat that much. Tall, skinny. He looks much closer to fifty than he does thirty seven. Looks very old for thirty seven. Jonathan Gannon, on the other hand, looks his age. He's forty, you know, good looking, also receding airline, but looks much younger now. Shane Steiken, from a head coaching perspective, was the play caller and definitely the guy that helped Jalen Hurts become an m v P candidate. Not debatable. When you're the offensive coordinator for a guy who sucks two years ago and then becomes an m VP candidate by the end of your run, you get a lot of credit, and rightfully so. Jonathan Gannon, on the other hand, just got absolutely clowned in the Super Bowl. Oh, I don't even judge him for that. A lot of great coaches have had devastating moments, especially young ones in the Super Bowl as a coordinator verse coordinator right, Kyle Shanahan and has had it. Sean McVeigh had it against Bill Belichick. Of course, Andy Reid is gonna work Jonathan gannon like. That's not surprising to me, but overall and I people in Philly love Jonathan Gan. Great guy, great leader, like he has the characteristics you're looking for in a coach. And this leads me to the tweet that I saw from this guy, coach Lampkin. Google's bioways just the smallest school coach. But his tweets pretty interesting because this is the conversation that's had a lot. Why isn't that in the football world, we're under the impression that calling prop calling plays is a prerequisite to be coming a head coach. The roles are all caps completely different and almost unrelated. While there is some truth to that, being the head coach is about much more than calling plays. Find me a lot of high, high end head coaches were guys that we consider top five head coaches who aren't masters of their domain. The two best coaches of my adult life Bill Belichick, Andy Reid, Bill Belichick's the greatest defensive coordinator in the history of the league. His defensive game plan against the mid eighties Bill Walsh, Joe Montana fort is literally in the Hall of Fame. Bill Belichick, who has his hands all over that defense. They have been consistently sweet on defense for twenty years. And Andy Reid, who has gone back and forth calling plays over his career. We can't really argue is kind of the modern day Bill Walsh or Mike Holmgren, right, And Mike Holmgren was obviously Andy's mentor. Now you can go to the next run of guys, especially younger coaches. Think about some of the better younger coaches, because it's not arguable. To be a head coach, you have to have leadership skills. You have to be able to handle everything. You don't just have to worry about third down offense or defense. You have to worry about when you're backup special team or gets a d u I when you know the star tight end has a pregnancy issue with his wife, the star linebackers having contractual issues, that's on you. But as I talked to a buddy earlier this season, we talked about Urban Meyer and ultimately the reason urban Meyer failed. Now, you could argue his leadership style did not translate to the NFL like it did college, because you have guys on your team one who are as accomplished as you and to make as much money as you. That Urban was not a schematic guy, and having been in an NFL office Monday through Saturday, well, that stuff handles In the coaching. The head coach's office deals with some of the bullshit that's going on with your team or just craziness or things out of everyone's control. He's also working with his coaches to devise a game plan. We often say that the NFL is chess, because it is it's me thinking against you. We all got good players. Some obviously some teams have better players than others, but for the most part in the league has relatively equal talent. It's a thinking man sport. And think about the better young coaches Sean McVeigh Kyle Shanahan both have a direct impact on their game because they're the play caller. Both have proven to be very good leaders. Think about some of the older coaches. Pete Carroll seventy one years old, the guy Cree aided a defense that everyone copied when they became head coaches under his umbrella. So you have being a being a leader and being as the head coach, whether it's high level college or the NFL is it's a prerequisite, like that's the price of admission. But if you are not a very, very talented schematic guy on your side of the ball, you don't have to understand the whole landscape. Right, most offensive coaches aren't great defensive coaches. Is why they put a lot of effort in hiring the right defensive coach and vice versa. I hear a lot of people tweeted at me because I reacted to this Mike Comlin, Well, think about this, since he's been the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, a defensive guy. Now, you could argue he went to a defensive organization. They're always good on defense, you know. Well they had Dick Laba. Well, they've been good on defense since I couldn't even tell you. I mean, I know, if you're a Steeler fan, you know who it is. I don't know at the top of my head who their defensive coordinator is. But over the last several years, when I watch the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are good on defense. So you get credit for that. Why because you set the tone for the organization, and clearly the tone in that organization from a defensive head coach is high level defense. Now do I think during every single week he is dialing up third down defenses or second down pressures? Of course not. But his team reflects him. John Harbaugh, same thing they have. Both those two guys benefit from good organizations, but their teams, for the most part, reflect those two guys. So when I see Jonathan Gannon like, ultimately get why the Colts hire Shane Syken. I'm betting on his qualities, but he's also he can impact the game. He better be calling places. That's why I hired him. When I see Jonathan Gannon, good leader, but his defense, Like, if you're an Eagles fan listening to this every single time, did I talk to someone who's like, the defense isn't good enough? Now I know they're front four is really good, Well, let's face it me or you could coach Hassan Reddick, Hardgraves, Sweat Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham like defense, especially the front, Like if I got Aaron Donald, Myles, Garrett, Nick Bosa, Joey Bosa, Michael Parsons. I'm going to create pressure the back end, the most complicated part of the sport by a mile. Whether you're an evaluator, whether you're a coach, coverage matching up coverages against Andy Reid, Kyle Shanahan, Sean Payton weekend week out. These offensive coordinators are fucking working twenty hours a week or twenty hours a day, and they have the advantage because they know the play called. You do not your guys are reacting, so having the ability to dial up coverages and adapt all game long in the second half, he just wouldn't do anything like, Bro, you gotta throw a blitz, you gotta have some different pitches. So yeah, he might be a really good leader, but watching him from a schematic standpoint, wasn't that impressed. And this gets back to the tweet like, I can't hire a coach just because he's a good leader or just because he's a good Mattic guy. I need you to be both. This is the NFL. Like Andy Reid, great leader, great scheme guy, Bill Belichick, great leader, great scheme guy. Mike Vrabel clearly a great scheme guy. His defenses are always sweet great leader Kyle Shanna and Sean McVeigh, Like, let's just go around. You gotta be able to do both, hologe you can get away with it, right if you're an elite recruiter, you don't have to be a great scheme guy in the NFL, you cannot avoid it. Like ultimately, if the Lions are going to take a step and go from that kind of that threshold there at right now to be an eleven win team, they're a good example because Dan Campbell is a guy that I'm rooting for. But if he's gonna be Mike Vrabel of the NFC, schematically is where they're gonna have to separate. They're gonna have to be better on defense. They're gonna have to maintain on offense. Can he do that? Can he do that? We're gonna We're gonna find out. And next year if they do and they lose Ben Johnson the offensive coordinator, can they sustain? Because I watched good coaches lose coach after coach. Any Ree's been losing coaches for twenty years, never skips a beat, wins every year. Belichick loses coaches in their heyday all the time. It's like whatever, like part of the deal. Walsh all the time, Pete Carroll like can you maintain it? That's why when I hire a head coach, that's what I'm looking for, the total package. Just like a quarterback. I can't have a slaptick quarterback. It doesn't play. Look at all the top quarterbacks, all high level guys and high level players. When when you've got some questionable character, you know, you create problems immediately. Look at the guys who have asked the Arizona Cardinals in Cleveland Browns they feel great about their guy right now, I got news for you, they don't. The Super Bowl had a hundred at one point in time. I think a hundred nineteen million people watching. That might have been during the halftime, think average like a million people. Third most watch program in the history of America. I think a lot of like, you know, people around the business side of it have been saying forever it's the greatest, you know, it's the most made for television sport we've ever had and will ever have. And I and I agree, but I've said for years. One of it's because now like football doesn't have anything in common with basketball or baseball, absolutely nothing like the NBA Finals was struggling to get thirteen million people to watch. That's when it was the Warriors in the Celtics Flag Football Pro Bowl got six million people. The World Series ratings have been really down for the last decade. Now. I like both those two sports, especially in the playoffs, but the overall masses don't anymore. It's not a debatable topic, that's a fact now. Thirteen million people, ten million people is still more than the majority of program But when it comes to football, it's not. They're not they have nothing in common. A random good NFL game on a given weekend Sunday, Thursday, Monday night football is doing fifteen to twenty million people watching. So like the Amazon which is still I guess somewhat niche because you had to stream it, I think average like ten million people watching. So when you look at the Super Bowl football, I've said forever, this is not gonna last all my life, right because when I was a kid, or I'm not even a kid, when I was born in the mid eighties, the number one sport in America was baseball and had been for a long period of time, and then society changed and they kind of got left behind the NBA in the nineties, it couldn't have been bigger. Michael Jordan's had the NBA as big as the NFL, it was fucking massive. Twenty years later, no one plays clearly, some political stuff, a lot of different variables. It's not even close to his popular Under Adam Silver's watch, since two thousand fourteen, they've lost half their audience In the NFL, one of its greatest attributes. When you can all the bs on the on the outside of just talking about sports, it's once a week. It's the easiest thing to consume, right. Baseball is every single day. There's gonna be a game in early June. Whether you're a Yankee fan, whether you're a Cardinal fan, or you're a Dodger fan, I got news for you. It does not matter. In the NBA, star players literally skip just ten fifteen games because I feel like it's kind of tired. The sports scientists said, like, take it off, be good for you. I feel fine, but they say just take time. In football, the best player of his generation now it was a playoff game, screamed at his head coach. I'm not leaving. And think about this as a football fan, whether you like the Texans, whether you like the Vikings or whether you like the forty Niners. When you pay for a ticket to a regular season game, and every game in football matters, you know for a fact that if a guy can play, if he's he's playned, and if he's not playing that given week, you're never mad because you know, yeah, he's really hurt. Man, can't walk, can't move shoulder wouldn't work. You go to these other sports like, well, I just needed a day off. They played seventeen straight days in baseball. We had to give him a day Very understandable. He's a catcher, he's tired. In basketball, you're like, I bought tickets to watch Steph Curry play, you honest, Like, oh, they're both sitting at night. Not your honest. He actually plays a lot, but the Warriors. And then Steve Kurr will be like, you know, it's the shitty part of the business. She part of the business. You mean you guys not playing your guys. For the consumer, and football is the most consumer friendly sport by a country mile. It's the easiest to consume. It only takes if if you just want to watch your team three hours a week and two from a standpoint of you know that your team and your coaches. Now, they might not be good, and your coaches might not be a high level coach, but he truly cares and they're doing everything humanly possible every single week to play. Think about that, just to play part of baseball. I actually think they do play pretty hard. It's just too much. I can't watch every game. What's crazy is, at thirty eight years old, I used to watch in my twenties and probably even my early thirties, the amount of basketball and baseball games as well as the same amount of football I watched. Now it's just humanly impossible. Moment you get to your mid thirties, your fourties, you have kids, you have other responsibilities, You can't consume that much. And then the moment you realize that it's not even worth it, like what am I watching this for? And then the curveball is the gambling. There is no sport to gamble like football. So I think football, listen, is this gonna last for thirty more years? I don't know. I can't tell you that, but I think this next decade, you know, the two thousand twenties is going to be continue to be massive. So I would bet in the short term the next five to seven years, just maintain these numbers. Now, I don't ever think these other sports are gonna get booms, but I think football is going to continue to separate from them because I actually think they're gonna keep struggling to get people to watch because it just doesn't matter when you turn on Thursday night football. You know that game Week six against the Giants of the Eagles matters, Hell it Texans and the Jags, it matters the Niners in the everything, there's not a matchup. You can't convince yourself that it doesn't matter. Even at the end of the season that Bears game, that Texans game, they mattered for draft position. The other sports is do not have that. You can't. Most people don't even know, Like do you know how Major League Baseball the drafting works. It's it's not it's based on record, not actually, like I remember the Giants one year made the playoffs, but they still drafted a little higher. Now I'm confused. I don't want to screw this up, but it's it's just confusing. You know, nothing's confusing about the NFL. Every game matters, you know, every team when the season starts, them feel like they have a chance to make the playoffs. And uh, and yeah, football has got a really really good thing going. A couple other quick things. I read a story that Greg Olson because a lot of people have been saying, you know, Greg Olson was pretty outspoken about how he wanted to keep the number one overall seat. And you know there's a shortlist of guys, right, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan's, uh, Tom Brady that if they wanted a role in the media, whoever had that seat immediately gets fired and or immediately gets you know, demoted, and Tom Brady is just at that level. It's Tom Brady gonna be good at calling football. I got no clue. I don't I was. I knew for a fact Drew Brees was not gonna be good, no chance, absolutely none. I got a pretty good feel for this. I shorted that stock immediately lasted a year. Tom Brady, I don't have a great feel because he's so competitive, clearly being a great teammate, Like he could be a guy's guy, but sometimes when the camera's on, he could be kind of stiff. I would probably lean hill under deliver, but I'm not gonna make a living betting against tom Brady. But if I ran the network under no circumstances, great, you can say whatever you want and I get you got, You're you're good, You're you're fall you're solid. But you're getting demoted for tom Brady. But the reason Greg Olson has been so outspoken is his salary is the number one overall guy is ten million dollars. Rightfully, so number one guy Fox doing million people watching all of your games during the regular season, let alone playoff games. It goes down if he goes to number two. Still good living Still you know a number that nine nine percent of people in this world but alone America, would gladly take the job to three million dollars. So the difference of them hiring tom Brady is going to cost Greg Olsen seven million dollars. I get it, I do, but it's it's the easiest move they'll ever make. Now. Is tom Brady just sitting in the seat forever if he sucks? Of course not, but he's definitely sitting in the seat. You know. It's just welcome to the reality of Tom Brady being one of the most famous people of my life. Uh. Another guy that I would have guessed would have been a good on TV. Yet whenever I watched him was terrible. Now, I'm not a big pregame show guy. They don't really do anything for me. Uh. I like College Game Day, but I don't watch for the analysis. I watched more for the entertainment. On Sunday morning, you know, I try to get a workout or whatever because I'm gonna sit on the couch for the next twelve hour. So like, I'm not one to watch. I don't need you breaking down the games, and I just don't really care. And I just don't find the shows that good. Too many people, too many people talking. Whenever I saw Rex Ryan on TV, I always thought to myself, God, he kind of sucks because he was his massive personality. We talk a lot of ship, but I just I didn't see it. Now he's been out of the game for a while on television, rumors are based on the Interweb that he is a could very well be the next defensive coordinator for Sean Payton in the Denver Broncos. That would be cool because I think some guys like Sean Payton was good on TV. The NFL is better with Sean Payton in football coach, just like Sean McVeigh, which Sean mcmabe good on TV, probably, but the NFL is better off with Sean McVeigh coaching in the league, especially if his team is good. One thing, watching Rex Ryan, the NFL would be better with Rex in the NFL, not on some studio show that a million people are watching, and he never says anything that matters. So I hope Rex Ryan is the next defensive coordinator. I think that would be exciting, and that would be a lot of ego in one operation. You know, buckle up, Russ because you no longer are the big dog. You know, there's some big names and I don't think they're gonna give a shit about your feelings. Vance Joseph also talked to the Broncos about the defensive coordinator. Uh. The Eagles have reached out to Vance Joseph about being the defensive coordinator. I'm pretty fascinated. I think he'll definitely get a defensive coordinator job. He's well respected, well liked around the league, and I've said it forever, a guy like him the best part about the NFL. It is a great spot to be a number two because a lot like walst Eat and venture capital. If you're the number two in some industries pays a hunter grand pays two hund grant. In football, defensive coordinators are now making a guy like fans Joseph three million dollars. Do you know what Vic Fangio just signed for my guests would be five million dollars a year. Five and a half million dollars a year. Depends what these type guys are making. Remember Josh McDaniels years ago, when you stay with the Colts was making four to four and a half million dollars a year. It's not a bad gig to be the number two. Pays very very well. You don't have to talk to the media as much, you don't have to take the take the hits. You just kind of get the right shotgun and make a lot of coin. Last, but not least, Calvin Ridley. One thing to keep an eye on the Jacksonville jackson is because clearly they need to improve some of the up and offensive weaponry. Chris and Kirk that had a really good season. Calvin Ridley has just I think filed for a reinstatement. Um be probably the first I would I wouldn't say last but the last for a while, guy involved in gambling to get suspended, and you know, if you're gonna get suspend, did getting suspended for a parlay? That that sucks because there's no chance that he won that parlay, especially his was like an eleven team parlay. Uh so he's gonna come back well rested. Remember a couple of years ago, not only was he really good, when there were talks about, like, you know, the Falcons could be interested the Eagles before they got a d Brown offered a first round pick for Calvin Ridley. Like, people, this guy is very, very talented. I think he could be a huge boost. And uh, let it be a life lesson to you if you're in the NFL, if you're gonna go out, don't do an eleven team parlay. Just bet the house on. Patrick Mahomes appreciate everyone listening. Uh, talk to you guys soon. The volume
