Peter King, The Mmqb Podcast

Peter King talks to Rich Eisen on the NFL/anthem flap dragging into a second season, on the future of football in Los Angeles, and some early thoughts on the 2018 season.Then, Matt Barrows on the compelling story of the meteoric rise of Jimmy Garoppolo, on whether the national love for the franchise is too much too soon, and on the problems areas he sees for the team in 2018.Also, Peter shares his take on the comeback of Dallas linebacker Jaylon Smith.

Stafford, a Texan, on his love of his adopted city, Detroit; on why he's enthused about new coach Matt Patricia, on a memorable and painful game he won as a rookie, on baseball memories growing up on the same team with Clayton Kershaw, and on the pain of never having won a playoff game, and on how bizarre it is that he's now in his 10th season.Luck, on the state of his surgically repaired shoulder 19 months after labrum surgery, on his daily mindset after months of frustration over the slow progress of his rehab, on the dark place he lived in when he wondered if he'd ever play football again, on how "The Way of Zen" helped him get his mind right, and on the democratic process of new coach Frank Reich.

Haden, the former Cleveland Brown, on what makes playing in Pittsburgh special, on the difference between going to training camp with a losing program versus a winning program, on why he loves LeBron James, and his 2018 NBA highlight (spoiler: it involves LeBron).Clark on the highlights of his current training-camp trip (Buffalo, Cleveland, Philadelphia), on the joys of driving through the United States on the trip (a joy he and I share), and on a story he's writing about the importance in the NFL of the first two seconds of every offensive play.Cox on surviving the constant double-teams by the Patriots in the Super Bowl, on what motivation the Eagles still have after winning the Super Bowl, and on who he learns from when studying other NFL defensive linemen.

Wyche, previewing the 2018 NFL preseason, on the football futures of Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid, on the fate of the NFL's anthem policy, on the budding rivalry between the young Rams and Niners out west, and why he's got a prove-it sense about Jon Gruden and the Raiders.Hernandez, from his broadcast perch with the Mets at Citi Field in Queens, on his new memoir "I am Keith Hernandez,'' on how self-doubt and trying so hard to prove himself fueled much of his career, on love of Strat-O-Matic, and how in the world he wound up on "Seinfeld" for the famous double-episode as Elaine Benes' boyfriend.

Pfeiffer on his hot-off-the-presses book "Yes We (Still) Can," on the universal lessons he learned in six years in the grind of the Obama White House that can help people in any business, on the challenges of new journalism, on how conflicted Barack Obama is about being a football fan, and on how he thinks Obama would have handled the NFL's National Anthem conundrum.Sanders on the immense conflict he felt as the best two-sports athlete of the last quarter-century, on how hard he had to work to be a good baseball player when playing football came so easy to him, on his feeling about the term "cover corner," and on the state of the game today.

Russo on his longevity in the dog-eat-dog world (no pun intended) of sports radio, on what got him fired up about sports talk when he was a kid, on how he lasted 19 years with the bombastic Mike Francesa, on his secret to good radio, and on how in the world he can have so many strong opinions about so many things in the world of sports.

Conversations with three sportswriters: Judy Battista and Jenny Vrentas on women covering the NFL, and with Jonathan Jones on the ownership change with the Carolina Panthers. Judy Battista of NFL.com, a veteran of 18 years covering the NFL, and Jenny Vrentas of The MMQB, who has covered the league for 11 years, on the state of women covering the NFL, on the advice they have for aspiring female journalists and female sportswriters, on how they have dealt with harassment in locker rooms, and on whether women are making healthy-enough strides in denting the male fraternity of NFL media.Jonathan Jones of The MMQB on hedge-fund billionaire David Tepper, likely to buy the Carolina Panthers from franchise founder Jerry Richardson for $2.2-billion, on why Richardson picked him, on how Tepper made his money, on the team he wants to emulate as he puts his ownership stamp on the Panthers, and on the virtual certainty that owners will approve Tepper's bid.

Veteran NFL reporter Dan Pompei on the latest Monster of the Midway middle linebacker in Chicago, on the best offseason of any team in the league, on why the Colts stuck at six and picked a guard, and on his new book due in August--Doug Pederson’s memoir “Fearless”--about the everyman Eagles coach ... Former NFL center LeCharles Bentley, an adviser to the NFL’s committee on taking the helmet out of the game, on whether it’s possible to create a reasonable game of football with the new rule, on Jets coach Todd Bowles’ biggest concern (and the concern of several coaches) with the rule about preventing both defensive and offensive players from lowering their heads and using the helmet to strike the opponent, and on what is at stake with the parents of America with this new and revolutionary restriction to the game.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Baker Mayfield being in play for the Browns at number one, on his over-under-overall-pick (15) where Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson is drafted in round one, and on the two teams he feels are most likely to trade out of the first round. The MMQB’s Albert Breer whips through the top 12 of the draft with me, and what his surprise of the first round would be. Greg Cosell, executive producer and on-air analyst for The NFL Matchup show on ESPN, on the quarterback he likes best in this draft, the quarterback he sees as the “young, wild stallion” in this draft, on who he’d take if he were Giants GM Dave Gettleman with the second pick, on whether he thinks a running back is worth being picked first overall, and the one defensive player he is in love with in this draft. NFL Network reporter Mike Garofolo, embedded with the Jets for the draft, on his gut feeling who they’ll pick if it comes down to Josh Rosen and Baker Mayfield, on the fate of star-crossed Christian Hackenberg, and on the b

On the eve of the most important quarterback draft in years ...Former NFL general manager Ernie Accorsi with a living history of two of the most historically significant drafts ever: the 1983 draft, when Accorsi, as a rookie GM of the Baltimore Colts, drafted John Elway ... and the 2004 draft, when he set his sights as GM of the Giants on Eli Manning, and how he made that happen.

At the league meetings, Peter asked 10 NFL head coaches to answer the same question: What would you tell a mother who is trying to decide if she should let her child play football? And Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel on getting the Titans job despite having a poor statistical year in his only season as a coordinator in Houston in 2017, on the type of team he wants to field in Tennessee, on how he doesn’t want to treat Marcus Mariota different than his other 52 players, and on what he takes from mentor Bill Belichick into his head-coaching shot.

Rams GM Les Snead on why the young general managers in the game are trading so much more than than their predecessors did, on why the Rams have been so aggressive in this off-season, on how much he has learned from GMs in other sports, and, with the Odell Beckham trade rumors swirling, whether he thinks the Rams still might have a big move left in them this off-season.Former NFL quarterback turned quarterback analyst Dan Orlovsky predicts the order that this year's QBs will be drafted and explains why he's not sold on Josh Allen or Baker Mayfield based on what he's seen on film, and why it doesn't make sense that Josh Rosen's intellect is being framed as a downside.

Giants coach Pat Shurmur on his real feelings about whether he wants Odell Beckham Jr., to be a Giant, on how he kept the injury-riddled Vikings offensive on course for a deep playoff run in 2017, on on the league's adoption of a new rule governing what is a legal catch.FOX NFL reporter and "Good Morning Football" host Peter Schrager on whether he thinks Odell Beckham Jr., will be traded, on what he thinks the trade value might be, on where he thinks Beckham could be going, and on the possible reason for UCLA coach Jim Mora to say his player (Josh Rosen) should be picked after his arch rival's quarterback (USC's Sam Darnold).

Bears coach Matt Nagy on his strange path to the job--from unhappy Pennsylvania realtor eight years ago to NFL head coach today, on what he thought of Mitch Trubisky before the 2017 draft, on what he thinks of Trubisky now, on his plans for making Trubisky great, and on the awesome responsibility that comes with sitting in the chair George Halas and Mike Ditka once occupied.Quarterback mentor/tutor Jordan Palmer, the personal coach for Sam Darnold and Josh Allen, on which NFL quarterback Darnold reminds him of (it’s a vivid picture), on the business of making good college quarterbacks better (it’s part mental, part physical, part emotional), on why he thinks Allen is going to be a great NFL problem-solver, and where he thinks they’re going in the draft.

Gotham Chopra, the creator of the documentary series, "Tom vs. Time", on whether he thinks family or team-related reasons will cause Tom Brady to cut his career shorter than he ideally would like, on how he convinced Brady to give him the access to do the six-part documentary, and on his takeaway about the reported tension between Brady and coach Bill Belichick.Broncos beatwriter Nicki Jhabvala on the reasons why the Broncos didn’t wait for Kirk Cousins and instead jumped into signing Case Keenum before free-agency began, on the future of once-prized rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch, and on the importance of former coach Gary Kubiak in the decision to go with Cousins.Former Philadelphia and Cleveland exec Joe Banner on whether the Browns finally have their franchise architect in John Dorsey and whether owner Jimmy Haslam will finally have the patience he’s never had with a franchise executive, on the meaning of the spate of three-year free-agent contracts, and on how Howie Roseman solidified his power post-Chi

Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia on his long and winding road to an NFL head-coaching job (including turning down a lucrative job as a nuclear engineer for a $5,000 small-college job coaching the defensive line), on just what is up with the ever-present number two pencil behind his right ear, on the confusion/missed-call on the winning Eagles' touchdown in the Super Bowl, and on what he takes from Bill Belichick into his new job.Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen on the adjustment from mid-level-college quarterback to the mayhem of being a top prospect in the NFL draft, on why he thinks he won't be a 56-percent passer (his college completion percentage) in the NFL, and the lessons he takes from growing up on a family farm--and doing farm work--in California.Cleveland Plain Dealer Browns beat reporter, Mary Kay Cabot on 28 long and mostly losing years covering the Browns, on how she deals with covering a losing team in such an intensely rabid football town, and on the fired coach who took his fate the hardest of

NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, on the eve of the NFL Scouting Combine, on his quarterback pick in a murky quarterback crop (hint: Mark Sanchez U.), on why he would ignore the recent spate of top running backs taken on days two and three of the draft and take Saquon Barkley of Penn State in the top five, and, in general, giving an educated primer to the 2018 Draft class.ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay on the NFL skepticism on UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen, on the way Baker Mayfield reminds him of Brett Favre, on his belief this quarterback crop has been bashed too much in the wake of some mediocre 2017 season by the passers in the draft, and on the quarterback this year who makes some throws “that’ll make you want to puke.”

Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich on the process of putting a game plan together (which he did for Eagles coach Doug Pederson the past two years), on the research that goes into finding new plays and keeping what you call fresh, and on the future of offensive football—where it is headed, and what kind of imagination it will take to stay ahead of the defense.NFL Network analyst David Carr—the first overall pick in the 2002 draft, and the older brother of Oakland quarterback Derek Carr—on how he thinks Derek will mesh with new coach Jon Gruden, on whether he ever looks back at his career and wonders what if he didn’t get picked by an expansion team and thrown into the fire immediately with the Houston Texans, and the secrets to doing TV analysis of such a complicated game.

Eagles defensive lineman Brandon Graham on the thrill of strip-sacking fellow former Michigan star Tom Brady for the clinching play of the Super Bowl, on coming so far from a rough high school in Detroit to the pinnacle of football, and what the key to the Eagles success was this year.NFL Films' Bob Angelo on his 43-year career on the front lines of shooting some of the biggest games and biggest names in NFL history, on helping birth the "Hard Knocks" franchise, and on his favorite moments as he heads into retirement.

Peter King talks to Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, owner Jeff Lurie, and tight end Trey Burton about the city's first Super Bowl win. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels talks about his experience coaching Tom Brady. Plus, a Hall of Fame discussion and a catch rule argument from Bill Polian.