The Herd with Colin Cowherd

3 & Out - Aaron Rodgers’ Final Season, Brock Bowers is a STAR & NFL International Games

57 min
May 21, 202610 days ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

John Middlekoff discusses Aaron Rodgers' final NFL season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, analyzes breakout tight end Brock Bowers as a generational talent, and critiques the NFL's expansion of international games scheduled for early morning slots that disadvantage American viewers.

Insights
  • Rodgers' age and injury history make staying healthy the primary determinant of success; physical appearance doesn't guarantee athletic performance at 42 years old
  • Brock Bowers exemplifies how elite instincts and football intelligence can overcome lack of prototypical physical traits—he's a case study in intangible talent evaluation
  • NFL's international game strategy prioritizes league revenue over fan experience, creating the first major scheduling decision that could genuinely alienate the core audience
  • Patrick Mahomes' recent decline and ACL recovery suggest even generational talents need organizational support and balanced offensive schemes as they age
  • Corporate workplace culture rewards mediocrity through mandatory gift-giving and false appreciation, creating resentment among higher-performing employees
Trends
Aging quarterback performance increasingly dependent on supporting cast and run-heavy schemes rather than individual heroicsNFL scheduling optimization shifting from competitive balance to revenue maximization, potentially fragmenting prime viewing windowsGenerational talent evaluation moving away from measurables toward film study and situational intelligence metricsPlayer health and longevity improvements driven by peptides, GLP-1 drugs, and advanced nutrition science rather than traditional trainingInternational sports expansion creating scheduling conflicts that disadvantage domestic audiences and season ticket holdersWorkplace culture tension between compensation equity and performance accountability in corporate environmentsTight end position becoming increasingly valuable in modern NFL offenses, with elite prospects commanding premium draft capital
Topics
Companies
Netflix
Mentioned as platform where podcast subscribers can access content via alert button
Amazon
Currently holds Thursday Night Football broadcasting rights and will retain the package
YouTube
Hosts separate podcast content and Sunday Ticket package distribution
DirectTV
Previously held NFL Sunday Ticket package, now on YouTube with diminished inventory value
Fox
Broadcasts afternoon NFL games with updated broadcast crews including Tom Brady and Greg Olsen
CBS
Implied broadcaster of NFL games with Tony Romo and Jim Nantz as announcers
People
Aaron Rodgers
Announced final NFL season; discussed press conference demeanor and injury recovery from broken hand and wrist
Brock Bowers
Praised as generational talent with 112 catches as rookie; called 'football robot sent from heaven' by Clint Kubiak
Clint Kubiak
Made notable comment about Brock Bowers being a generational tight end prospect
Patrick Mahomes
Discussed recent performance decline, ACL recovery, and need for organizational support as he ages
Jerry Jones
Made comments about international games being less taxing than nighttime outings; criticized for justifying schedulin...
Bill Belichick
Currently on media tour; discussed difficulty translating coaching expertise to broadcast commentary
Lane Kiffin
Contrasted with Belichick as naturally gifted at media commentary and bullshitting
James Harden
Criticized for lack of defensive effort in playoffs despite high regular season scoring; compared unfavorably to Jayl...
Jaylen Brunson
Praised as playoff performer who delivers when it matters, contrasted with James Harden's inconsistency
Kirby Smart
Discussed regarding 25+ off-field incidents involving speeding, DUI, reckless driving among players since 2023
John Middlekoff
Podcast host discussing NFL trends, player evaluations, and workplace culture observations
Tom Brady
Mentioned as part of updated Fox afternoon broadcast crew for NFL games
Tony Romo
Mentioned as part of CBS broadcast team for NFL afternoon games
Peyton Manning
Referenced as generational quarterback from late 90s/early 2000s cohort; won MVP at age 37
Steve Young
Discussed as host's favorite player; compared to Aaron Rodgers in terms of accuracy and arm talent
Jerry Rice
Mentioned as host's favorite player from 49ers dynasty era
Mark Davis
Discussed as billionaire who will soon own Raiders franchise; expected to improve organization financially
Jim Harbaugh
Discussed as implementing run-heavy, ground-and-pound offense with rookie QB Jackson Morrow
Darryl Morey
Referenced for historically overstating James Harden's abilities compared to Michael Jordan
Quotes
"Some people just got it. You know clearly he it's not like he's five eight. But I would by no means call him like the most physically gifted guy from the terms of an offensive skill position."
John Middlekoff~25:00 (Brock Bowers discussion)
"I just think that this team's ceiling is if Aaron Rodgers makes the playoffs again and wins a playoff game. That would be a raving fucking success."
John Middlekoff~15:00 (Steelers expectations)
"Just because you look better, if I grab some random guy that's 45 and if he's like, I'm in the best shape of my life, it doesn't mean athletically he's in the best shape of his life."
John Middlekoff~12:00 (Rodgers age discussion)
"I have a hard time seeing an older player stay healthy. And especially the way his game, you know, was predicated. Most of his career was movement, right?"
John Middlekoff~13:00 (Rodgers injury risk)
"This is the first time where I'm like they're getting a little aggressive on this. International morning games are gonna be the first time where I think we're all gonna say this is much."
John Middlekoff~55:00 (International games criticism)
Full Transcript
This is an I Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. The volume. What is going on, everybody? John Middlkoff, three and out podcast. How are we doing? Hopefully everyone is doing well. And today we're going to talk some football because Aaron Rodgers said this is it. This is Aaron Rodgers last season. So the last of a generation of the guys that were drafted in the late 90s and early 2000s, Payton Manning's Tom Brady's and Ben Rothesburgers and Drew Breezes have been along gone. Now, Aaron will join them. We'll get to see one more season. So we'll get some thoughts there. Clint Kubiak had a comment on Brock Bowers. Found kind of interesting. International games. Jerry tried to act like it's easier than getting wasted at night and how that relates to what we, you know, us, the fans in terms of the timing of those games. We'll also do a mail bag at John Middlkoff. At John Middlkoff is the Instagram fire in the DMs. Get your questions answered here on the show. You guys know the drill. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast if you listen on Collins feed. Make sure you check out Netflix. Just hit the subscribe button or the alert button. You'll never miss an episode as well as a check out the YouTube channel. We have a separate content up there. Haven't done something a couple of days because I've had crazy like kids stuff going on, but we've been putting some, you know, stuff that doesn't make it on the podcast up there. So you can check that out. But yeah, let's just let's just dive into some football. But I do want to start with Rogers, who I watched his press conference today. I wouldn't exactly call him Jovial. He wasn't Mr. Fun today. I wouldn't say he was miserable, but he was just, you know, kind of classic Aaron, they ask him like, what did he been doing around town? Could he because he's been in town for a month, several weeks before he signed. He refused to say what he would do on his personal time. It's like, Aaron, this is not New York or Philly. These people, this media is not coming for your throat here. There's a lot like Green Bay, but he wouldn't play the game. He is pretty good with the football questions, but God damn. And listen, I, I'm as guilty. I can be really grouchy in the morning. Sometimes if I'm not in the mood, I really struggle socializing. As my wife says, when your social battery gets low, you just, you don't have much. And some of you guys in certain roles and sales that are out and about, like it can wear you out being on. It's a pretty easy environment. But Aaron just, you know, yeah, I don't know if it's going back several years ago when he became nationally polarizing for his immune in, I was immunized, which again, I support them like fuck. I mean, he wasn't alone. I think if you could redo that one, the participation rate in the NFL and society might be changed a little bit. But I think when you look at Aaron Rodgers, let's just look forward. Like this Pittsburgh's dealer team, what are the expectations? What would be a successful season? Because I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer here, but you're looking at a 42 year old guy over the course of the last several seasons, as most older players historically do. Now, 40 is kind of the new 34, 35, 36 because of training, because of health. So guys, you know, Aaron physically has never looked better. Right. I bet in terms of body fat, I bet strength wise. But I see a lot of people now that look fantastic. It's called GLP once. It's called peptides. Right. It's called our understanding of caloric intake. It's called understanding the power of not consuming sugars. We know more now in 2026 than we did 20, 30, 40 years ago. I mean, there's some famous pictures of Kenny Stabler and Len Doss and sucking down heaters drinking Coca-Cola's. I saw Wayne Gretzky once on a halftime with biz and the boys on TNT say that he used to drink Coca-Cola during during breaks, you know, in hockey between the periods. So I would imagine if you went to all the NHL, you know, arenas during the playoffs, you wouldn't see many guys slamming, you know, a Coke. But things change. People treated their body better. But just because you look better, if I grab some random guy that's 45 and if he's like, I'm in the best shape of my life, it doesn't mean athletically he's in the best shape of his life. It doesn't mean from a situation of movement that he's less likely to rip ACLs, terror killings, you know, get injured if he's doing serious physical activities against other people. And we saw Rogers last year, he broke his hand and he mentioned today he broke bones in his wrist and bones in his arm. And I have nothing but respect for him that like he needed to prove nothing and he battled through it with a fucking cast on his hand. Like I respect the shit out of Justin Herbert too, but he got a lot to prove. So battling through that injury is like he's kind of in the proving ground point of his career. Like Aaron's got all the MVPs. He's got a title. Like his resume was full before he ever showed up to Pittsburgh. Now in a perfect world, we like to add a title, of course, doesn't need to. Like he's a champion and he banged it out early on in his career. So if I was going to bet how this thing's going to go, I would just have a hard time seeing an older player stay healthy. And especially the way his game, you know, was predicated. Most of his career was movement, right? He's one of the greatest throwers in the history of the league. For my money, he's throwing the best ball. Like I can YouTube Marino, I can YouTube Primell way. I would say ironically him and Farve, that ball just came out different. And the difference with Rogers is he's the most like Steve Young and Drew Brees. He's just like most accurate quarterbacks of all that. Drew Brees did not have a great arm. So it was all about timing and rhythm. Steve had a better arm than Drew, but I wouldn't say he had a hose. Like Aaron was throwing 100 miles an hour and like pinpoint Joe Montana accuracy. But at this point in time, I would just bet against this guy being able to stay on the field. Where Achilles, broken arm, he can't get away from sacks as much as he could be, could once upon a time. And like that's just how he's used to playing. And I think it's a tough transition when you've been used to doing something one way and trying to transition out of it. Whether you're a player or a coach. Like why do you think Belichick is going on this media tour right now? Because he was getting skewered for a year plus and he's finally like I'll take this something back into my own hand. The problem is Bill's not that good. Right? He just in terms of like you put a camera in front of his face. It's like it's it's not where he's comfortable. He can talk football, but like Lane Kiffin, I watched some of the clips today with with big cat and those guys like he can just He's a bullshitter. He's good at it. He put Bill. It's like Bill. It's just this does not come off right. It's like Bill. You can't answer. No one would blame you if you were pissed off. You didn't get into the hall fame. It was bullshit. Anyone with the brain agrees with you, but he like can't answer the question because he's not really a bullshitter. It's not his personality. He's an old school northeastern asshole. I mean, that's just that's who he is. A lot of great coaches have fallen under that umbrella, you know? And I look at Aaron Rodgers like his personality is is pretty well set. The problem is his game is dramatically different. And their team and it was he made this clear. He was monitoring clearly wanted to raise But he was monitoring like do I think we're going to be better? They add Pittman. They add another wide receiver in the second round. They take an offensive lineman in the first round Clue that wanted to add mcchile lemon like they were going to add offensive You know pieces to the team that they already had DK who you know is it is not a one But he's a very unique player, especially with Rodgers is arm Uh, you know, I I just think that this team's ceiling is if Aaron Rodgers makes the playoffs again and wins a playoff game That would be uh, uh, I mean Pittsburgh Steeler fans should be doing cartwheels down the hallway. That would be a raving fucking success I'd argue if he makes the playoffs again, that's an extremely successful season and a very commendable way to go out Uh, I listen I I understand like he doesn't have to keep playing but Even if you're crushing in the market and you have some money saved away, there aren't many gigs paying 25 million dollars That's that's not usually the way it works in the real world Unless you want to start your own company and build it up. What's going to take some time? So like I understand coming back for 25 million dollars to play for this iconic brand and You know a coach that he knows and comfortable with but as he talked about today the offense is different Right anytime that if you got back with someone that you dated eight years ago, you're you're going to be different people I'm a dramatically different person at 40 than I was at 35. I remember when I got to 35 I'm like, I don't even relate that much to the guy that I was 25 Definitely not to the guy that I was 18 like people change people develop new thoughts new ways new things Now maybe our core philosophies of how we treat people and if you're in football your philosophical beliefs When it comes to doing stuff don't necessarily change But as a human being you change dramatically and maybe with rogers his ego is You know in terms of dealing with a coach is a lot different Seven eight years later than the way he dealt with McCarthy the last time and McCarthy's had You know the cowboy experience to humble him. I wouldn't say humble him because he had some success, but then he got fired um Maybe they're just different people but I I would bet on this being pretty clunky Because I just have a hard time seeing him stay healthy if he does that that's pretty incredible I mean that that really is uh, I feel like their ceiling is probably what it's been the last couple years Sneak into the playoffs and get rolled in the first round Uh, and listen, there's there's something to be said like do you know what the Jets would do to do that? Do you know what erin glenn erin glenn would give you like his his left peeky toe this year to make the playoffs I mean, are you kidding me? So I I just think pittsburgh sealer fans are just tired of the same thing over and over Uh, but this also puts now a light they're gonna have to figure something out because You know unless will howard is just like, you know, they're Brock Purdy on their roster Uh, they're just gonna have a massive massive hole at quarterback and they're just never gonna suck Enough to be drafting super high. I mean they just I can't even remember the last time they sniffed the top 10 Right. They're always worst case scenario like 15 16 and sometimes like 22 23 And it's really hard to get a quarterback even in a good quarterback class When you're that far down and there's clearly gonna be a lot of teams sniffing around so Um, it's a big year at least if you're gonna be a one and done situation with rogers You know making the playoffs and hopefully competing in that game because that's another part That they've been in that first round now under tommelin The last couple years and they didn't have a shot. I mean last year they got Thoroughly embarrassed by the Texans in that playoff game. Was it monday night playoff game Remember stroud had a couple turnovers to and what was the final score like 33 to 9 The previous two years against the ravens and the bills was not close um Clearly two years ago. I know I know the bangles got off to that slow start But they by the end of the season the bangles were better Uh, so yeah, it's gonna be it's gonna be fascinating to watch and You know, he's he's clearly kind of the last of a dying breed of his generation He's younger than manning and breeze and rivers and brady, obviously But like he was their contemporary, right? He came in the league at 05 Manning breeze and all those guys have already been there and all those other guys Beside brady had to quit because their body let him down rothasburger breeze manning Cam I mean those guys shoulders stopped working. They could not throw brady was clearly like what am I doing this for? And it'll it'll be fascinating truly to see how this ends this year with erin rogers You know click kubiak who? The new coach of the los vegas raiders Called brock bowers a football robot sent from heaven And you know what's funny? Anyone that's seen a picture of brock bowers just in his human clothes like just looking like as a civilian Or just standing there and shorts and a t-shirt Goes this is one of the most talented tight ends to come into the league in a long long time if you put brock bowers next to in a similar age George kiddle travis kelsey Pick some of the other high-end tight ends over the years like fernan davis back in the day He would not get chosen above any of these guys ever just based on the looks But you know the great part about sports. It's like the great part about life. You ever meet that guy and go You know this guy's got an eight figure business. You're like, oh, where'd you go to school? Like harvard or pan or ucla or something. It's like no. I went chico state He's just a fucking killer. He's just he just has a great feel for what he's doing made some great moves It's like god, this guy's great at investing. It's like, where'd he learn that? You know, uh, cal berkeley. It's like, no, he went to indigo state He just he's a killer on that computer. He can fucking wheel and deal. He's made millions It's like this guy was just born to do this. He's got great instincts And we all know those people in life, right who are just very very successful But if you look at like where they went to school or how they got there It's like god, this guy probably shouldn't be in this position But he just he's just incredible at what he does and he's kind of mastered it throughout the course of his career And then you get to the point where you just your instincts kind of carry you in life, right? I would imagine any of you guys that work in sales typically the most successful salespeople Are just great with other people And you kind of have that it's not like it's a skill you definitely can't improve on to be more comfortable in those settings But you kind of have it or you don't And you kind of I I look back and see some of the people that I went to college with that have done exceptionally well in life financially They're they were kind of like that in college in terms of their ability to socialize And sales a large part of it is socializing getting people to like you and then they do business with you And it's just it's like an instinctive quality That you can't teach others and there's something to bowers like If you just see george kittle if you go to a practice He looks like artel sorts nager in a football player's body that can run like a wide receiver He's something you would develop in a video game Travis kelsey is like six five 250 pounds and in his prime like his play speed was probably like four five oh sub four five like his play speed was elite with the ball in his hands. Yeah, you look at bowers. You're like Yeah, six three two forty kind of knock need kind of weird But it's like he showed up at georgia from napa, which I wouldn't exactly call a recruiting hotbed And most people thought he was georgia's best player immediately on a team full of guys That all went to the nfl especially on defense all drafted high he played From the jump and dominated and then he gets the nfl. It's like is this really gonna work His first year he had 112 catches on a dog shit team last year. He was injured and had seven touchdowns Some people just got it You know clearly he it's not like he's five eight But I would by no means call him like the most physically gifted guy From uh from the terms of an offensive skill position Like you look at bjohn robinson You're like size strength speed like the physical characteristics or a guy like seikwan barkley They're elite prospects, right? And then their play matches what they look like I would argue brock bowers play does not match the guy if you just google image him But he's fucking incredible and some guys in football basketball is like this You're just a natural And we all know those people in high school and then your dad will be like well I know he's scoring 40 points right now, but he's five foot 10 and he shoots the ball too low It'll never translate and you're like dad. No, look at this guys and then it turns out he was right Couldn't even play d2 basketball, right? And then there's these guys. You're just like, I don't know man This guy can play. I remember being a fresno state We had guys that would go in the late rounds or undrafted free agents to have a 10 year career Why because they just understood how to play the game of football And it's really complicated right especially a tight end run routes leverage timing with your quarterback What you do with the ball in your hand? And it's like god put this guy on earth to play football. So I I've heard similar from coaches on the staff and and scouts on the staff This guy is Just a free show doesn't look like one plays like one, which is always the most important thing Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor hard rock bet florida's sports book We obviously talk a lot of pigskin on this show But the second round of the nba playoffs is here now And you better believe we're gambling because any single night wendy can go for a triple double How about a little same game parlay? You like ant to score over 30 points? 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I do think the football culture drinking is still pretty uh heavily correlated With the uh with the individuals involved That being said No one said the international games were that hard on the players They get a charter jet And if you're going far away a lot of these teams go four five six days before I would guess when the Rams and 49ers go to australia to play that game on friday morning. They're all there by I would say Tuesday at the latest and even I I would guess that they they try to land sometimes on monday australian time To give themselves multiple days to acclimate practice and just get over the jet lag So in terms of the travel while it's not as ideal Of the rams flying to seattle or the niners flying to arizona They do make it as easy as possible from a meal standpoint from a hydration standpoint from anything you need they will provide And jerry trying to justify the international games. I don't think coaches are just complaining because coaches complain It's what they do You don't often hear players complain that much if anything like could we get an extra buy? I rarely hear players thursday night games. They complain sometimes which is understandable because late in the game You know a lot of players will say they don't even feel like themselves to like wednesday afternoon But international games that get a full week of prep I I don't remember the last time that I heard a player that's like this isn't kind of cool Or just they just approach it like a normal game. You know, who's complaining are the fans the people that Are the season ticket holders the people that want to travel to these games Those of us are the ones losing out The international and he's trying to justify it because they're going to sell this package The nfl just allowed or disallowed. I guess before I didn't even know this but it makes sense If you have a schedule, right if you're the eagles You would and you had to play an international home game You would definitely not want that to be the cowboys Because the cowboys home game at linked financial is kind of a big deal Just like if you were the 49ers, you wouldn't want to give up the home game against seattle or seattle against the niners You would want you are not allowed to designate any games. So what does that tell you? The bears and the packers the niners and seattle and the rams The eagles and the cowboys if the giants get good the eagles and the giants Obviously the the ravens and the stealers They are going to treat. I think this is pretty clear That thursday night football has become a big deal. That's going to get sold for way more than amazon's already paying and amazon will keep the game I'm sure Monday night football historic brand going nowhere will continue to be taken very seriously sunday night football biggest television show in america It's a it's a little It's hard to compare apples to apples just because television is dramatically changed But there is no disputing that sunday night football is the most watched television show for a many years running That thing is going to sell for a lot of money But if I can sell you an international package And this is what I hope they don't do if if every game is 6 30 in the morning for us on the west coast And they make those games good. I kind of like it because sometimes if like I had I was out late Watching a bunch of college football. I want to go to the gym before I start watching football day I don't even need to pay attention to a lot of those games. It'll be like colts jags, right or cardinals Commanders or whatever. It's not going to lead the show monday morning but if that game becomes packers bears or eagles cowboys or bills pats you know Everyone's gonna have to pay attention because that would be one of the biggest games of the day Now, I guess what could happen is the international games could become more of a 10 a.m. Kickoff I think it's a little hard with the timing Especially if it's over in london But that is also going to dramatically diminish the sunday slate And what you know the I expensive I guess but the Direct TV package, you know the I guess now it's on youtube the sunday ticket Is not as important because the inventory sucks And the inventory is going to be diminished with another game gone and as you get into the season as teams have buys Uh, you just don't have as many games on sunday morning and sunday afternoon And I do wonder if they don't care as much for a long time The fox afternoon game with you know They've changed the crews. It used to be bucket aceman forever. Now it's it's brady and berghardt And the afternoon game with tony romo and gym nance Those games on a given week could be incredible chiefs bills eagles cowboys Seattle rams whatever right packers bears That was a prime time slot raving steelers. You name it. It was a sweet a fc at nfc game I wonder if they're looking at it and be like Yet those are no longer going to be guaranteed sweet games But you're gonna have to pay more just for the access of the games on sunday And we're going all in to to really dramatically improve our revenue on the prime time games Which include it while it's a morning game. It's a prime time international game That's what it feels like and that's where we get fucked like I think the average person Who loves football? I would just had a golf tournament the other day It with a bunch of dudes, right? I mean a lot of these guys work in finance The hell there was a couple former major league baseball players there just guys from the ages probably 30 to Early 60s all in the private sector all working. Do you know what they all had in common? They liked to booze They wanted to win this golf tournament because there was some cash on the line And they all could talk football. I had football conversations with countless people because it's kind of a a consistent Common ground that a lot of us men share in america And I think if I polled every single one of them Would you rather have every single week a morning game like an early morning game? Or that game not exist and just be part of the slate? I think it would be universal 100 percent We do not need it Now that's they don't care because it's revenue for the league, which I understand if I was in their shoes I would do it too But this is the first thing that is not really debatable. That's gonna be pretty like I I think this is a little much And this is one of those where it's like I don't even have a problem with international games Like I get the logic behind it to me. It's more of the timing I despise these morning games. I remember a couple years ago It was like the shitty bell check team against garter minchew colts. It's like this game I you could throw this in a pow camp and that everyone would you know sing like canary They'd be like, I'll get me and turn this thing off. What do you need to know? And that that's what it feels like a little bit. So these guys are all cocky football's king because it is but This international morning thing is gonna be the first time where I think we're all gonna this is much I never had an issue with Thursday night game Everyone was watching about everyone was watching it when your team played it and it was really fun This feels like Sunday morning like people like kind of sleep in, you know, this it's the one day where the majority of people Don't really do much right beside go to church hang out their family Lounge around right you can't even say that about Saturday Like I'm sure a lot of people listening work on Saturday most people. I mean depending on what you do for a living Sunday would be a day where most sharing comments like we're not doing much and that's where football has you in the fall But do you want to watch it before you even get out of bed? I don't think so Grab the unrivaled samsung galaxy s26 ultra with an incredible privacy display on ee the uk's best network You can save 20 pounds per month plus claim a samsung galaxy tab s10 like now We're talking so get yours today offer ends 28th of may Saving on minimum 24 month 125 gigabyte airtime plan eligibility credit check in terms of buy credit by ee limited claim from samsung within 30 days of purchase Verify best network at ee.co.uk Let's do some mailbag questions. We're not going to a crazy day on the mailbag probably do a big mailbag leading in a moral day weekend At John middle cop at John middle cop is the instagram fire in those dms questions answered here on the show This from Sean Can we please get a pulse check? On my homes It is mid 20s here in multiple MVPs He won three super balls and a lot of people were thinking he was going to end up the goat next to tom But now he will be 31 in september He has seemed to have lost some explosion in the last couple years and now he's coming off an acl How do you see the latter half of his career going? Will he still go down as one of the greats? Or will we just view a six eight year prime as one of the greatest runs we've ever seen for context? Rogers won MVPs at 37 and 38 brady won one at 40 and manning at 37 his run From what was it 18 to a year ago? He did not play well last year So let's remove last year up until the eagle super bowl Was spoke for itself Because those couple years his stats weren't as great as his early dominance right when uh, who won the mvp Josh won it last year Lamar won at the previous year The Mahomes won it two years ago or me. I forget I have to look but His early years when he's throwing like 50 touchdowns were undeniable But to me his playoff performances those couple years were the chiefs after they traded tyreek were like icing on his cake That by itself Hall of Fame career first ballot. You're one of the greatest runs in the history of the league But if you're going to be compared to brady or manning Or rogers in terms of like the longevity of your career. I'm with you He was not good last year. He just he didn't play that well Right. I think he would tell you that uh I think if You know coach reed was not on a microphone. He would probably tell you that too Right. Cheese fans would tell you that like it was it was a down season for everyone involved. They were just off Maybe they were out of gas However, it was I think he is going to be highly motivated. I would expect him to play a lot better in the next couple years I think the easiest way to help him out Is because they're going to need to replace kelsey over the course the next couple years Who knows with rishi rice who's just can't get a shit together But I think running the football is why they signed kenneth walker. They drafted Uh I forget who they they I want to say the Nebraska running back In the mid rounds I do think they're going to emphasize that more next year And their defense they went heavy on defense and just make it a little bit easier on them because you got to get away like You can't just be carried or you carry A team throwing 40 50 times a game for 15 straight years They're going to be individual games, but as you age you're going to need some help So If he is going to be truly considered Like as good, you know john elway went to super balls when he was young and then again when he was old Right now the thing he's got going for him. He has a great organization. He has a great coach great defensive coordinator um I would bet I don't know what exactly this will look like this season, but I do think we will see good mohomes in his 30s I can see it being a little up and down and he's gonna have to learn to trust his acl He's out playing golf the other day. So I mean he he's clearly healthy enough to do that movement I think he's recovered pretty well. One thing he's shown is Uh from a recovery standpoint even going back to when he dislocated his knee. He comes back fucking fast Is there a known wemby type player in next year's draft? Could you ever see an owner deliberately tank? Well, we discussed this yesterday like the thing that makes victor wimby nyama or lebron james or andrew luck or john elway or Peyton Manning When you have a guy that like not all drafts are created equal Like this draft let's say all four of these guys become all stars in the nba draft It is not as good as the wimby nyama draft because if you got victor wimby nyama, there's no chance any of these guys are as good as him Right no different than lebron james draft This draft could never even if dewayne wade those other guys hadn't existed If all four of these guys become All stars none of them will be as good as lebron james right so I think a draft in the nfl do have a victor wemby nyama type player He has to be a quarterback Because miles garret was an elite prospect Became an elite nfl player number one overall pick and it doesn't matter this team sucks Right if miles garret was the equivalent of a quarterback the browns would be incredible So I would say as we sit here right now there there is not a victor wimby nyama And I would say the last victor wimby nyama in football was andrew luck I didn't Agree with the trevor lorenz comps and clearly that hasn't lived up to the hype Uh If kaleb had been six five Uh, I would say he was a pretty special prospect. He would have been i mean his comp would have just been josh a better version of josh allen uh, not that like Caleb's height is a detriment, but it's like Gotta move sometimes to see And he's inaccurate to as of right now I'm hopefully that improves if you're a bearish fan But I would say as of right now there are no victor wimby nyama Players because the quarterbacks aren't good enough now jeremiah smith some of these other players at other positions could emerge Who could be you know the next erin donnell the next richard sherman the next? travis calisly whoever But those guys in football don't guarantee you anything They don't guarantee you you know in basketball if you get the elite player the all-time great all-star You're guaranteed to win You're just guaranteed to be good now how good The spurs had to draft other to multiple other players right? but The number one thing that changed their franchise was the guy that's like eight feet two inches tall who could shoot and move I wasn't really paying attention to the next game And I had it on the background. We were kind of running late. We didn't eat till like 7 30 at night put him put him to bed early and uh It was like how they're getting their ass kicked Then all of a sudden I look over and they're just fucking coming Oh my god, just three after three after three Jaylin brunson is everything darryl morrie Told me james harden was in the playoffs Because forever darryl morrie called james harden better than michael jordan has a score It's like that can't even be remotely true if he every single time he plays in a playoff game. It looks terrible No one gives a shit when you score 50 against sacramento kings in 2018 Or how many points you scored against the phoenix sons in a random january game in 2017? No one cares, you know, I mean bam autobio scored 85 points But I don't think there's ever been a player in my lifetime Who was as dominant his you know throughout his career in the regular season has accomplished as much Who's is terrible in the playoffs for for as long as this is gone now And let's be real like If you are considered in back like in football some people just have deficiencies right the andre hopkins could never run past people You know drew breeze was never gonna have the strongest arm They were just gonna be richard sherman could never run like neon sanders. So you had to play around your strengths Certain guys in basketball are not gonna be great defensive players But if you don't anyone that's played pick up basketball high school basketball college If you literally do not try on defense That's a reflection of you Like I mean you can try a little Yet no one's asking you to be you know gary patin here But steve curry is physically not gifted enough to be a dominant defender, but he tries I mean That has to be one of the biggest like black marks on harton's career. It's like he literally Try on defense like doesn't try at all. No like doesn't he just let you go. It's like oh, hey You know sometimes like an offensive lineman like uh A lookout or watch out block like watch out He might have got smoked, but he's probably trying he just couldn't touch the guy because he's too fast like von miller bent the edge I just can't imagine being like a 50 million dollar player And never trying on defense in the nba It's like you you don't try no, I just don't even try You just don't even like move your feet at all. No. No, I just kind of stand there This was crazy about nba like no one even said like no one even says anything I saw I was listening to wind horse today, too. I guess kenny akins is set after the game The james harden was one of their best defenders last night. It's like kenny. You don't need to kiss his ass, bro He's like 38 years old He's not like just let this guy walk Friday idea uh fugazi friday idea for you my boss is resigning now mind you This is someone who made six figures to not be very good at their job and is leaving for another position in which He will be making remotely uh She will be working remotely with a friend of hers. My workplace started A sign-up genius for everyone who signed up to give her a farewell gift I will not participate people leave all the time and we never give them anything Why do we have to kiss the ass of someone who makes more than we do? And take money out of our pockets to buy them stupid gifts Yeah, there's no chance I would buy it if you don't like her And she makes a bunch of money and like you said you think she's bad at her job I'd be like see you Some people are just kiss asses. It's why I was never a great fit for corporate america I just it's why it'd be an awful politician. I guess maybe in this day and age. I'd be better I just couldn't bullshit. It's why sometimes socializing can be hard for me if i'm not in the mood like I just I I can't fake it I can only have a conversation with someone I have nothing in common with And like a social event for a small period of time before it's like I got I got nothing. I mean I I can't Uh, I I hate I hate being fake. I fucking despise it. I hate fake people And that's a huge part of corporate america Especially people that suck at their job. It's like wait, you're my superior like part of it is like You know, I I worked in football sometimes you just You had to be on your best behavior. It's it's one thing and I was lucky I mean I worked for people that were very capable at their job Even if I disagreed with them at times you just kind of kept your mouth shut I couldn't imagine when I went to radio. It was one thing like You know, it's like you want to say something to how he's kind of have to keep your mouth shut, right? It's it's part of life But at least I knew like this guy's really good at his job or when I was at Fresno State for pat hill When I went to radio I worked for these people i'm like I If if roles were reversed, I don't think I'd hire any of these people. I would literally fire the whole fucking building That's why I didn't last long. I'd like come in and out. I didn't have any relationships. I didn't respect 90% of the people I was ever around. I'm like, this is such a low-level group So I I have a lot of sympathy for those of you that work at places Especially if a successful company or whatever and you're like, they're like 10 people here that just suck And especially once you know what they're making like this this person's making 300 grand and doesn't do shit That creates a lot of resentment Um, yeah, just it's I feel you dog. I would not get anything You were talking about international games compared to tnf And how the thursday games used to be bad and now they're great I wonder if putting really good games in international slate could be backfire a bit Viewers are annoyed that a great game is starting early in the morning Fans are mad their team is being forced to have another important game so far away lose a home field advantage, etc Works on thursday because it's still local and people are already home watching tv So why not make it good international? You're moving a good game sunday game to a worse spot. Listen, we just hit on it earlier couldn't agree more I this is the first time where i'm like They're getting a little aggressive on this And and what is the outcome going to be if you tell me in 20 years? You know football has expanded dramatically financially and all these different markets Is that guaranteed? I don't know It's hard to grab people's attention now Why does Kirby smart get a pass for the numerous off the field incidents with george bulldogs I believe there have been 25 plus incidents of speeding dui reckless driving since 23 and Kirby appears to take no accountability Well, this is what happens when you get an al I pay you 500 grand 800 grand a million dollars. You get a fucking dui or you get speeding like You bought the car with your own money, you know 20 years ago I might have been able to through the program get you a car But that would have been like a jeep Cherokee now these dudes are driving like Ferraris So I say it all the time. I'm not a huge car guy. I've had a Chevy Tahoe for a decade. We got Maria new car. It was Tahoe, you know I I'm not I got friends that I know I play golf with a guy older guy got a corvette Uh, see a bunch of Ferraris around town and shit like that that doesn't interest me at all But I do know this because I've been in a few fast cars in my day to give an 18 19 year old kid the Access I mean they have the access through the money You should have to take a fucking class It's one thing if the kid's driving a suburban or a truck and even those now Like you seen the the Ford Raptor my buddy Jeff Fong bought one within the last year It's got like 800 horsepower. Hell. I remember when I uh When I turroed the Tesla I was like this thing hauls ass So if I would have been an 18 year old kid and you just gave me the Tesla I I could easily get into a wreck Easily it's just it would go so fast. I mean I drove a 94 Ford Explorer that by the time you got over 60 miles an hour The whole thing shook I feel like most of the cars that I grew up on like in my generation Especially a bigger car if you got over like 70 miles an hour. It felt like an earthquake Now you get into a Tahoe you can go to 100 miles an hour pretty easily and it's pretty smooth Let alone the car these guys are driving because all my friends that scout these schools They go into these programs are like their parking lot is nicer than our parking lot in the NFL So I I guess in a roundabout way like what's Kirby supposed to do don't drive fast Tell that to an 18 19 year old kid. They don't give a shit I think it happens in a lot of other programs. You just don't find out. I mean Ruben Bain was involved in something like young boys in fast cars are going to drive fast It feels uh Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. It feels like two X's getting back together. They both know Uh, even though they both know better on one hand I know it will be a crash and burn But on the other the Packers fan didn't mean once see Rodgers hold up the Lombardi one last time also growing up Who are some of your favorite players and did you ever consider rooting for deraidas as a kid? I would say no We'll start with the latter when I was a kid the 49ers were in the middle of their dynasty Montana had just been traded and I remember I started watching Steve Young was my favorite player jerry rice my favorite player They drafted Bryant young from Notre Dame ricky waters. I'm like this fucking team is it was like watching the 27 Yankees going up against the cowboys who were also like 27 Yankees The raiders weren't even raiders weren't even in northern california when I was a kid. They came back in the mid 90s so When you're nomadic, it's hard to pick up fans and the other team was becoming the biggest brand in football. So, uh I never did but when I did do radio and was around them. I I had a huge appreciation for like, uh You know, I I do think they live by this the once a raider always a raider There's like a collegiate. It kind of has like USC or University of texas You know, they're their former players were just always around on the payroll. It just felt kind of, uh He probably just the Steelers are probably like that a lot And it's a lot because the same family had owned it forever And now I saw mark. I mean this guy this billionaire guy is gonna end up owning it all very very soon Which if you're a raider fan, you should be pretty excited about because I do think it'll take the franchise to another level in terms of financially Uh, what were your other questions? My favorite players as a kid were steve young jerry rice for sure Um, well probably like most people in the mid 90s berry sanders and brett farve were probably non 49ers my favorite players I love chris carter, you know, his ability to like keep his feet and bounds and catch the ball on the sideline I like those those mid to late 90s minnesota teams robert smith the running back from ohio state jake He wore 86. I forget his last name and obviously when they added randy and randall cunningham that that team was pretty fun Oh, you know michael jordan berry bonds Like most kids. I just like the superstars Just Recently got into trout national Don't sleep on mad here and would love to bring you out sometime I'd love to come or is that in jersey? Is jacks a dart top 10 quarterback? I get Uh, I get it. He's got a slide But what he did with the talent around him last year and the dumpster fire of an organization was one of the better rookie seasons I've seen in a while I think before he's got a long way to go to be a top 10 quarterback I think I saw a headline today. All right. I saw it on roderworld. He like gave a quote. He's like, yeah, we're gonna be a running team Harbaugh told him like we're gonna fucking run the ball. They're gonna run the ball and I think the play action game. I think it's gonna be like old school flacco type offense They're gonna try to be good on defense And have like a ground and pound offense. He's not really a ground and pound quarterback You know, he's a make shit happen with his legs Spread quarterback from lame kiffin It'll be interesting to see jackson and And naggy coming from andy that likes to throw the ball with with harbaugh who probably has wet dreams about You know running power on third and one um I think the giants are gonna be fascinating this year. I'm not as high They're definitely a lot better than last year But this notion they're just some lock playoff team like let's let's see how it comes together We got a lot of unknowns a lot of unknowns Like they got a lot of pass rushers who are sweet. I think abdull Carter his talent as a player is He could become a version of mike parson's brian burns is fucking awesome now and rvell Reese is ceiling as high as the moon but like Can these guys stop the run? abdull Carter plays a run. He did in college Sitting outside my kids daycare and heard your take on going out with a four month old for dinner Do it now I have a three and five year old and it's way worse going out to dinner now Than it was when they were confined as a newborn. Sadly it gets worse before it gets better I refuse to go out and eat I kind of do too honestly. We'll just make dinner or I'll go pick up something It's just newborn three year olds I Listen, I got married a little later in life, you know, I'm 39 I had a lot of years where I could eat whatever I wanted and I ate whatever I wanted and I've been to restaurants from Fucking carls jr. To the nicest steakhouse like I I can just eat at home press a button get you delivered It kids involved until they get to be like can sit there and have normal conversation and and be a normal Contributing member of the table. I I I'm not trying to force little kids a dinner. I'm good with it, you know I I'm good with it. So I We get out of the house. We'll just go on a walk or something But the dinner with a four year month old or a three and five year old None of that sounds fun to me and I'm not even trying to be Debbie Downer But it's like I listen. I've been fortunate enough. I've eaten out enough to I ate out, you know way more than I ever did when I was a kid It's crazy people eat out a lot more now Than when I did when I was young. I was telling someone the other day Maybe like prom but if I remember correctly a prom, I think we went to like a Italian restaurant I don't think I ever went to like a true high-end steakhouse My entire life growing up until I got to college And we went to some like when parents would come visit, but I don't think I ever went to a steakhouse Not that I would have liked that when I was young but like in my teens I don't I don't ever remember going to now granted. I grew up in Davis all we had was Sacramento But there was Morton's which was like the nice steakhouse that was relatively close. I never went there Buckhorn I guess would be would be one that would kind of be considered it That being said, so yeah, I've been probably some leftovers tonight That being said huge Rams fan st. Louis days it breaks my heart to watch the home games in LA knowing they basically have no home field advantage I know it wasn't money grabbed to leave st. Louis, but they had a great fan base and Great fan base there almost immediately thoughts But didn't you guys steal the team from LA? That's my thing I would feel terrible. Like if you just told me the bears The bears moved to North Dakota That's a bad example because it's a small, you know small place, but let's say the bears had moved to Los Angeles I'd be like That is fucked up Or the Eagles just moved to Florida Right or North Carolina or just pick a Pick a Pick a place I would feel a lot of empathy For the fan base. It's like the team has been here forever But you got the Rams In whatever year you got them because you stole them from Southern California The Rams when I was a kid like really really young Used to be in Los Angeles, you know with Eric Dickerson and then you took them so I don't disagree with you that it's like I don't know how many people in Los Angeles Like it's cool when they're good like people are paying attention But it ain't the Dodgers and not the Lakers it never will be it's not even possible, right? But I have a hard time. I remember Joe Buck when they moved back out really really mad, you know, he's a big st. Louis guy It's like you guys stole the fucking team This is not like stealing the st. Louis cardinals If you stole the st. Louis cardinals to Los Angeles, I'd be like that that is insane It's like yeah, they just moved them back to where they're from now Cronkey didn't he go to the University of Missouri? Isn't he kind of from that area? I could see one of your own guys who's such a whore because he loves his money so much takes him to the bigger market Which financially was the smartest thing he's ever did but again, he took a team that had already been there back You know like I feel some sympathy for the Raider fans that lost their team to Oakland even though like Oakland would be the last place any major league would put a team in 2026 like they would have no chance to get a team. I mean, I saw three teams move in like five years basketball team immediately moved across the bridge baseball team did everything humanly possible to leave And mark davis tried to move for years But like the Raiders started there Then they moved like they're a little they're nomadic. So I I do understand it But it's not like the bears the eagles the Yankees. Yes the cowboys like these teams move The 49ers like 49ers my entire life been been in northern california The 49ers have moved four times like I have left less sympathy Like the red Sox ain't moving if you're a team that moves like that's more of a reflection of the franchise And there's just how many friends how many major franchises move a lot Think about the the marquee brands in america dowes cowboys cream a packers pittsburgh steelers Los angeles lakers new york nicks new york yankees los angeles dodgers And all those teams have been where they've been for Some forever some of the entire the bears some the entire time the cubs And most for 50 60 years Like the Dodgers did move but what year they move 50s Like the giants moved but The san Francisco giants were the you know came from new york, but they've also been in san francisco now since went With willy mays and willy maccuffing like the late 50s early 60s. I forget the exact day But how many generations is that three? four of humans that you know have grown up on the team like once you get multiple generations They were in st. Louis, you know, let me When did the rams Rams Is there a wikipedia los angeles rams? So they were the cleveland rams kind of seems moved a lot They were the cleveland rams 36 to 42 44 to 45 then they moved to los angeles in 1946 Just wrapping up a little world war So they were in los angeles from 46 to 94 and then came back in 2016 you stole them for 20 years I I just I have I don't have much sympathy for you. Honestly But if it's like You know, you leave your wife for a stripper And you think the stripper loves you and then the stripper cheats on you and leaves you for somebody like that's kind of on you Like I understand you grew up on the rams in st. Louis. So you liked them but They were there because you stole them And then kronki kind of backstabbed you because you you thought he was one of your own it turns out No, he likes uh, he likes the pacific. Don't blame him. Uh, we'll end on that adios. Have a great day. See you later The volume Oh bad traffic Great news, isn't it more time in the car joy Maybe you don't feel it Maybe you don't drive a lexus nx Yet, but when you do you'll see the positive of picar the delight in aditur the love of the long way The lexus nx plug-in hybrid Experience amazing before you arrive This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human