The MMQB NFL Podcast

Conor has made the mad dash back from the NFL combine in Indianapolis, and he joins Gary to breathlessly recap all the most important things that he heard over the course of the week.First, is the era of QB empowerment already over? A discussion of the Seahawks’ stance with Russell Wilson and whether or not it makes sense for player or team to run it back again. Also, why Aaron Rodgers is very, very, very likely to return to Green Bay after all (and he did get some stuff along the way!).Then, what in the world is going on in Arizona? The bewilderment over the Cardinals making long-term commitments to their head coach and GM after the utter collapse that ended last season.And finally, Conor has found the man who will forever end the feud between football guys and analytics folks.Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The first stunner of the NFL offseason came in the broadcast booth, as Troy Aikman is set to leave FOX for Monday Night Football. Thus, Conor and Gary brought in friend of the show Jimmy Traina, host of the SI Media Podcast, to tell us what it all means.A discussion of some of the forces outside of simply what ESPN wanted that made the deal happen, plus Joe Buck’s contract situation and the chances that the Buck-Aikman team will reunite on MNF. Also, with FOX now staring down a gaping hole on their broadcast roster in a Super Bowl year for the network, a look at who could replace the duo in 2022.Plus, Sean Payton’s broadcast future, the potential of Sean McVay leaving the sidelines for the booth, Jimmy on why FOX should write Tom Brady a blank check and why he’ll be first in line for the upcoming Brady-Sally Field film.Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It’s the end of February, which means opening day for NFL Offseason Takes is right around the corner. Conor and Gary spent an afternoon trying out their newest material surrounding the combine, draft season, free agency and more.Then, the first-ever Free Agency Preview… Preview! Gary unveils the preliminary Sports Illustrated free agent rankings to Conor, who gives his reactions in real-time, live (but on a podcast, so recorded).Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As the 2021 NFL season and Super Bowl LVI become but a faint memory in our collective consciousness, Conor and Gary take one last trip through the biggest developments of the season past and spin them forward to project how they’ll affect football in 2022.For a second straight year, a veteran quarterback found his way to a new home and immediately won the Super Bowl—was Russell Wilson paying attention? Does the Packers’ success in 2021 all but guarantee Aaron Rodgers is coming back for (at least) one more run? With the Rams punting their draft capital in order to bring in proven veterans, will other teams consider taking a similar route? And will the NFL, always too-late to react on these matters, find a proper way to handle its coaching diversity crisis?Plus, why the new approach to defending superstar quarterbacks will make edge rushers as valuable as ever. And—did you hear?—running backs running the ball is cool again!Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It was a slog. It was a battle of attrition. There were a half-dozen players on the field who probably shouldn’t be playing in a Super Bowl. But in the end, three superstars carried the night and led the Rams to a Super Bowl title.Conor and Gary break it all down, from the near-impossible Stafford-to-Kupp game-winning drive, to the impact of the Odell Beckham Jr. injury, to Raheem Morris and the L.A. defense figuring things out then shutting the Bengals down. But also, where do the aggressive Rams go from here? What does the future hold for the Burrow Bengals? And what does it mean that the longest season in NFL history ended up with two injury-ravaged teams crawling to the finish line?Plus, a look at the week’s non–Super Bowl news: The Colts’ reported breakup with Carson Wentz, and more fractures in the Kyler Murray-Cardinals relationship.Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This weekend, Super Bowl LVI descends on Inglewood, Calif., and gleaming SoFi Stadium. For NFL fans with money to burn, this is the party of a lifetime. For the residents who never got a vote on this stadium, they’re left to deal with the aftermath. In conversations with residents, business owners, the mayor and more, John Gonzalez went to Inglewood to learn first-hand what’s happening to the people who live, work and worship there as so much in their city changes.Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The strangest coaching cycle in recent memory came to a close this week. Conor and Gary break down a bad organization hiring a good coach—the Dolphins nab Mike McDaniel as they look for a way to make it work with Tua Tagovailoa; a strange organization does the weirdest thing possible as the Texans promote Lovie Smith after firing David Culley; and the Saints go the continuity route with Dennis Allen as they (might, maybe) be looking to win a very weak NFC South in 2022.Then, friend of the show Mitch Goldich stops by to talk Super Bowl prop bets. Conor and Gary alternately praise and berate his picks—as well as Mitch himself. Will Mitch make money with his bets? Rather than waiting to see what happens in the game, we calculate his finances in real time.Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Rams are—rightfully—the favorites in Super Bowl XLVI. Most of the scenarios that have them losing involve Joe Burrow’s superpowers. On this show, Conor and Gary look past that, and discuss how *else* L.A. could suffer an upset loss. In other words: a talk about how the Rams suck.First, their struggle to tackle (sometimes) and how they can be out-physicaled by a Bengals offensive line that has some issues in pass protection but is sometimes pretty O.K. in the run game. And what are the chances the Bengals’ pass rush can take over this game against a Rams offensive line that’s had some ups and downs?Of course, the biggest mismatch in this game is the Rams’ front four going against a really porous right side of the Cincinnati O-line. How can the Bengals handle Aaron Donald, Von Miller, Leonard Floyd and Greg Gaines on Sunday?Plus, a discussion of two more head-coaching hires. The Vikings pluck from the Sean McVay coaching tree to get Kevin O’Connell; what does that mean for Kirk Cousins in the short- and long-term? And the Jaguars settle on a professional football coach this time around; a look at the long process that led to Doug Pederson.Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Tuesday’s revelation that former Dolphins coach Brian Flores is suing the NFL for racial discrimination rocked the football world. Conor and Gary are joined by special guest John Gonzalez to discuss, among other things: The impact of the suit from a big-picture standpoint, the fact that it’s Flores sticking his neck out, why the Rooney Rule isn’t working, and the potential fallout for both Flores, minority coaching candidates and the NFL as a whole—will the league take a long look at the hiring process, or will it be more of the same? Also, the role tanking plays in all of this, and the Bill Belichick texts (and the theories of how he mixed up two of his former assistants). Plus, a discussion of the newly-named Washington Commanders, and the underwhelmed feelings it sparks.Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Super Bowl LVI is set, and Conor and Gary break down everything that happened in the conference title games. In the NFC, how Raheem Morris dialed up the right blitz at the right time—again—to put away the 49ers on an otherwise off-night for the Rams. Plus, the likely end of the Jimmy Garoppolo era, and how Kyle Shanahan basically maxed out this team.In the AFC, never pick against the Bengals again. How the Cincy defense foiled Patrick Mahomes with three- and four-man rushes, and how Joe Burrow had enough magic to pull out another unlikely win.Plus, a look at the post-Tom Brady Bucs in light of retirement reports, and a run down of the coaching hires: Josh McDaniels to the Raiders, Brian Daboll to the Giants, Matt Eberflus to the Bears, and Nathaniel Hackett in Denver.Have a comment, critique or question for a future mailbag? Email themmqb@gmail.com or tweet at @GGramling_SI or @ConorOrr Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy