Gridiron Gut Check

There’s one game left in the NFL season, and one final episode of Gridiron Gut Check so we’re going out with a bang! Shek and Shazier are talking all things Super Bowl and getting right into the matchup between the young GOAT, Patrick Mahomes, and Mr. Irrelevant himself, Brock Purdy. The guys also chat about former linebacker Zach Orr replacing Mike MacDonald as the Ravens’ new DC, how we feel abo...

On his way to setting the ALL TIME post season receptions record, America’s sweetheart Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are going back to the Super Bowl to play the Niners in a rematch of their 2019 showdown. But who has more to prove, Mahomes or Purdy? Shek and Shazier are jumping into all the post-Championship weekend takes like: What really caused the Lions to blow their first half lead?...

It’s conference championship week but all people still want to talk about is Jason Kelce slamming beers, shirtless in 22-degree weather. But Shek and Shazier are ready to talk ball! What does Buffalo’s latest heartbreak really mean for Josh Allen and the Bills’ chances as legit SB contenders? Are the lovable Lions really America’s team? Does the Super Bowl really go through San Fran? Plus, the guy...

Oh the joy and pain of the NFL playoffs! Shek and Shazier are ready to tackle every inch of Wildcard Weekend and beyond including the latest Dallas debacle and what this really means for Dak’s future, if Coach Tomlin is really staying in Pittsburgh, and if this is really the year Josh Allen slays the Patrick Mahomes dragon. Plus, Shazier cuts through the hype of CJ Stroud and Jordan Love’s dominan...

And the award goes to…. With the NFL season wrapping up, it’s time for Shek and Shazier to pick their favs for all the end of season hardware! Is Lamar the runaway MVP? Is anyone else even in the convo? Plus, the guys weigh in on which QBs playing this weekend should scare the Ravens the most, why people aren’t afraid of the Chiefs, and if Mike McCarthy is coaching for his job if the Cowboys don’t...

The Wolverines are one win away from the natty and Shazier doesn’t wanna talk about it! Shek’s grabbed all the most ridiculous hot takes from around the NFL and CFB this week and Shazier is ready to call them like he sees them! Is the whole country really rooting for the Huskies after the show Penix put on against Texas? Are the Eagles really completely cooked after the Cardinals hung 35 points on...

Win, place, and show, we’ve got a best takes and worst takes of 2023 episode coming your way! Shek and Shazier are throwing it back to when they predicted Tyreek Hill would top 2,000 receiving yards and that the Cowboys would take the East. They’re also covering some of their WORST takes like when they predicted Deion Sanders and Colorado would take over college football and that Ohio State would...

Another week, another shakeup atop the NFL. Shek’s got the hottest takes from around the internet and Shazier’s ready to either co-sign or call bs on all of them including: Can the Cowboys really contend if they can’t win on the road? Have Jalen Hurts and the Eagles really become the most predictable team in the NFL or did CMC get lucky with his call on the Manning cast? Plus, Shazier’s gut reacti...

Dak Prescott might be playing some of the best football of his career but Shek and Shazier are ready to chew on all things Tommy Cutlets! Shek gathered all the hottest takes flying around the Giants and beyond in the NFL this week and Shazier can’t wait to tackle each of them like: Has the Philly hype train REALLY gone completely off the track? Is Travis Kelce REALLY washed? Would the Bears REALLY...

The College Football Playoff Committee has made their decisions and WOW, the guys are fired up! Shek’s got all the hottest takes ready to fire at Shazier including why FSU and OSU didn’t make the cut, if Brock Purdy really has a shot at NFL MVP or if his supporting cast of CMC, Deebo, and Kittle have more to do with his success, if Jordan Love is really the next generational QB in Green Bay, the t...

Thanksgiving week in the NFL is in the books and Shek is bursting at the seams with hot takes to throw at Shazier including if the OC change in Pittsburgh really led to the 400 yard explosion of offense by Pickett and the gang, if the Buckeyes third straight loss to rival Michigan really means Ryan Day’s days are numbered at OSU, if Jalen Hurts’ overtime heroics vs. the Bills really locked up his...

The Gridiron Gang is back! Shek’s firing all the hottest NFL takes by Shazier to get his unguarded, gut check on which ones are BS and which ones are facts. Are Josh Allen and the Bills really in a free fall? Does CJ Stroud really have a chance at winning MVP as a rookie quarterback? And is winning ugly really just part of the plan in Pittsburgh? Plus Shek & Shazier dive deep into what has to...

It’s the first episode of Gridiron Gut Check and Dave Dameshek is gathering all the most talked about, bandwagon NFL narratives blowing up our group chats and running them past former All Pro linebacker, Ryan Shazier to see which ones are complete BS and which ones might actually be true. This week, Shek & Shazier tackle how much playing overseas in Germany really affected Tua’s performance ag...

We’ve got TWO comeback stories AND some HUGE news to share! First Olympic medalist Gabby Thomas on her long road back from injury and her goal of a triumphant return at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Then Shek and Shazier welcome Virginia state wrestling champion, Adonis Lattimore, who is changing everything we thought was possible on the mat. Adonis was born without a right leg, and a left leg that end...

We’re hitting the slopes with Mikaela Shiffrin! The ski superstar joins Shek and Shazier to navigate all the twists and turns that led her back from family tragedy and career threatening injury to reclaim her spot as a slope GOAT and the all-time winningest skier in FIS World Cup competition. Plus the guys tackle the Michigan sign stealing scandal and Shek breaks down his biggest takeaways fr...

All aboard the Mo Hasan rollercoaster ride! This week Shek & Shazier go under center with quarterback Mo Hasan whose college playing career had more twists and turns than Space Mountain. From D1 to JUCO and back plus flashes of greatness, injuries, transfers, NFL tryouts and more comebacks than you can throw a football at, Hasan shares every up and down with the guys. Plus Shek & Shazier d...

Pacman’s back! But not on the field, this time he’s a standout in the game of life. Pacman Jones joins Shek & Shazier for a candid conversation about his extraordinary post-football life including the role he’s had in the life of Chris Henry Jr, who is one of the top receivers in the ’26 class, a future Ohio State Buckeye, and the son of Jones’ former Bengals teammate and close friend, the lat...

Move over multi-million-dollar athletes ‘cause coaches are hogging all the spotlight lately. ESPN’s Marty Smith joins Shek & Shazier to dive into his new book,  Sideline CEO: Leadership Principles from Championship Coaches . From what Deion Sanders does so well that sets him apart from other coaches; to whether Saban might hang it up after this season; to how sustainable the SEC’s dominan...

MLB Playoff SZN is right around the corner and with it an ASTRONOMICAL comeback story. 10 years after being drafted, Jon Singleton is finally making an impact for the Astros, leading Houston in their fight for a wild card playoff spot. He joins Shek & Shazier to talk about the pressure of being the first player to sign a multiyear, multimillion dollar contract before his major-league debut, st...

Is Colorado for real?? After the double OT thriller last week versus Colorado State, the Buffalo are the most talked about team in college football! Shek and Shazier are joined by renowned sportswriter and Colorado native, Pat Forde to dive into how Coach Prime has brought Colorado football back to life and changed the face of college football. Forde weighs in on how long the boys in Boulder can k...

Expectations are always high for the Steelers after 17 straight winning seasons. But last year, the streak was almost broken after Pittsburgh eked out a 9-8 record. Enter Patrick Peterson, the longtime highlight reel cornerback brought in to sure up the Steel City secondary. Shek and Shazier catch up with the former All Pro, who bounced back in a big way last season after an injury-riddled first y...

Football is back! With the NFL season kicking off this week Shek and Shazier called in the big guns! Jason Kelce has manned the middle of the Eagles’ offensive line since 2011 reaching sure-fire future HOF status as one of the best centers to ever snap a football. Now, going into his 13th – and possibly final - season, after last year’s crushing defeat in the Super Bowl, can the Eagles’ iron man,...

Football is back baby! Shek and Shazier are joined by Amazon’s Thursday Night Football correspondent Michael Smith, talking all things Fantasy football. The guys are diving into who should go number one in your drafts? If WRs should go before RBs? Which QBs are worth grabbing this year? And then Shek and Shazier pick Michael’s brain on if Russell Wilson can bounce back from his nightmare first sea...

Hot Dog! This week Shek & Shazier sink their teeth into a frank conversation with women’s competitive eating champion Miki Sudo about her recent dominance at the Nathan’s Famous 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. Has she bitten off more than she can chew coming for Joey Chestnut’s record of most hot dog eating competitions without a loss? What foods does she refuse to eat competitively? And w...

Wow! A Pittsburgh story on Don’t Call it a Comeback? Shocker! But Drew Maggi’s climb to the major leagues is truly so incredible it defies all hometown bias! The inspirational infielder joins Shek and Shazier this week to tell them how he FINALLY got his shot to show the MLB what he can do as a 34-year-old rookie. Originally drafted way back in 2008, Maggi bounced around college and the minor leag...