Crunching Tackles

In many ways, NFL head coaches operate like military generals. They delegate to subordinates, scheme and create tactical plans, and motivate the players they lead. So who are some of the NFL head coaches that resemble specific generals? This week, we discuss: 1:30 — Tom Brady retired from the NFL again, so we say anything that we want to add from the last time we discussed this retirement...exactl...

January has been filled with headlines about domestic violence allegations against prominent sports figures. Why do we keep seeing more stories like this? Do sports have a domestic violence problem? And how should leagues and organizations punish people with these allegations? This week, we discuss: 2:30 — Netflix has released a new show about tennis, Break Point , as well as the trailer for an up...

Damar Hamlin suffered a severe and scary injury during Monday Night Football. He suffered cardiac arrest and had CPR performed on him. We are examining this story, the reaction, and the wider conversation of player health in football. This week, we discuss: 0:56: BIG STORY — Damar Hamlin's injury was scary in the moment, and in the aftermath the NFL postponed Monday Night Football. There was an ou...

On Sunday, France and Argentina will face off in the World Cup Final. The knockout rounds of the tournament were filmed with drama, and controversy, and we look back on the previous week's games, and then project forward to the upcoming final. This week, we discuss: 4:54: Brittany Griner has returned to America as part of a prisoner exchange. We discuss Griner's return to the states, who America l...

It wasn't easy, and it certainly wasn't stress-free, but the USA have advanced to the knockout rounds of the World Cup. Chad and John discuss what we can be confident about the team, and where we should be nervous. This week, we discuss: 4:05: The USA navigated their group stage and advanced. We look at the best games, the standout players, and how we match up against our next opponent: the Nether...

The 2022 World Cup starts in just a few short days, and Chad and John are here to prepare you for the biggest event in the world. Before talking about the games themselves, we first look at the controversies surrounding this World Cup, and the issues fans might face in Qatar. This week, we discuss: 2:40: Reacting to Brittany Griner and the beginning of her prison sentence in a Russian penal colony...

Kyrie Irving posted a dangerous, antisemitic "documentary" on his Twitter account, and defiantly stood behind his decision for several days. When punishment finally came, he offered an apology, but the damage was already done. What should the Brooklyn Nets do about this situation, and has player empowerment finally gone too far? This week, we discuss: 4:20: Recap of the first four games of the Wor...

The NFL season is only seven weeks in, but there have already been plenty of drama and controversy. Three teams have risen to the top of the power rankings, while both teams from New York have exceeded expectations. But speaking of expectations, both the Packers and the Buccaneers have underperformed so far. This week, we discuss: 3:45: Chad previews the 2022 World Series between the Astros and th...

The National Women's Soccer League published a 300-page investigation into sexual abuse allegations throughout the league. The document accuses owners, managers, and coaches or abusing or enabling the abuse of soccer players for a decade. This week, we discuss: 4:14: We open with a conversation about why the NFL's primetime games aren't living up to the hype, and speak again about the league's con...

Aaron Judge recently tied Roger Maris for fifth on the MLB single-season home run record. But his accomplishment has sparked a wider debate about how we should view this record? Should we think of Judge as fighting for fifth, or fighting for first? This week, we discuss: 2:20: Tua Tagovailoa suffered a scary injury on Thursday Night Football, which brought into question the health and safety proto...

After a year-long investigation into racist, sexist, and toxic workplace behavior, the NBA has suspended Phoenix Suns' owner Robert Sarver for one year and have fined him $10 million. But for many people inside and outside of the league, this punishment hasn't gone far enough. This week, we discuss: 3:02: Roger Federer has retired from men's tennis. We reflect on his career and the timing of his d...

VAR, or Video Assistant Referee, has been a controversial subject since its introduction to world football, and other sports have a version of video replay as well. Why is video replay such a controversial thing? What does it make better? And is there anything video replay makes worse? This week, we discuss: The US Open has been an amazing tennis tournament, and Chad and John catch up on all the h...

After some technical difficulties, we are finally able to release what was supposed to be our 100th episode of Crunching Tackles. To celebrate, we are talking about the most entertaining athletes in sports—the ones you should be watching every chance you get.  We begin with a reaction to the Deshaun Watson settlement (2:45), that will force him to miss 11 games of the 2022 regular season. Was this...

Serena's legendary tennis career has come to an end. Chad and John recorded an episode before Williams' third-round loss (please forgive Chad for predicting she would make it to the semi-finals), but there still are a lot of insights to be gained from the way she went out and competed in this final US Open of her career. On today's show: John talks a bit about the new face of world soccer, and why...

In the buildup to the U.S. Open this year, Serena Williams announced that her career is soon coming to an end. That gives us an opportunity to reflect on her life and legacy, and discuss if she has the chance to leave the sport with a final triumphant win. This week, we discuss: Chad recommends Light & Magic , the documentary telling the story of the visual effects team behind Star Wars and ot...

On Monday, the independent arbiter for the NFL suspended Deshaun Watson for 6 games for violating the league's personal conduct policy. The NFL has appealed, demanding he get a much more severe punishment. This week, we discuss: First up, John recently watched the hit Netflix film Hustle on Chad's recommendation (2:00). Starring Adam Sandler, Hustle is one of the more pure and delightful films of...

Several months ago, video streams starting appearing online of a seemingly authentic professional cricket league, and hundreds of people started betting on the outcomes. But the truth, we have since learned, was much more complicated. First up, Chad saw Nope and also saw a teaser trailer for Oppenheimer, which has since been released online (4:12). He thinks both of those things are worth your tim...

Major League Baseball hit their midseason point last week and paused for the All-Star game and Home Run Derby. Chad and John are here to talk about why All Star Games exist and which one is the best. First up, Christopher Nolan revealed the first poster for his upcoming movie Oppenheimer, and we discuss why we are excited about the film and why Nolan is such a successful movie director (2:50). We...

The two biggest programs in the PAC 12, UCLA and USC, announced that they will be joining the Big 10. This follows in the wake of the SEC taking Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12. John and Chad are here to discuss this topic and more on today's show. First up, the guys react to an amazing commercial by Coors Light starring Patrick Mahomes, and why this commercial is so important as a cultural mom...

Last week, FINA, the governing body for international swimming, ruled that transgender women who underwent male puberty are barred from competing in elite swimming competitions. This ruling will apply to both the world championships and the Olympics. On today's podcast, we discuss this story (2:19), the backlash to the decision, and the precedent this may set for other sports. Following the big st...

It has been three months since the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and Ukrainians have settled into their new "normal." How have sports begun to lift their spirits? And how can we advocate for a U.S. citizen who has been wrongfully detained in Russia? We start with another update about the LIV golf tour, and answer some questions we didn't get to on last week's podcast (1:15). Then we recap...

After an incredibly controversial announcement, the LIV Golf Tour, funded by the Saudi Arabian government is now officially underway. But how should we view the golfers who left the PGA Tour to join this new endeavor? There's plenty of blame to go around, and Chad and John are here to break it all down. Rafael Nadal secured his 22nd Grand Slam title, and Chad officially declares him the GOAT of hi...

Kickoff for the Champions League final was delayed by 30 minutes to allow Liverpool fans to enter the stadium. Why was there a problem with crowd control, and how has the government of France been caught in a deliberate lie? Chad and John are here to break it all down. Disney+ has blessed us with the first three episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and we discuss all the major and minor elements of the new...

Earlier this season, soccer player Idrissa Gueye chose not to play in a game that was branded and colored in support of LGBTQ+ issues. When the France Football Federation and activist groups found out about his decision, Gueye has now come under investigation and has faced calls to resign. Is this an example of activism in sports going too far? Chad and John are here to break it all down. First up...

In the aftermath of the tragic death of super-agent Mino Raiola, what is the power of sports agents in today's sports? What are some unseen ways they impact the headlines you come across, and how has their power increased over time? Chad and John look at sports agents and much more! First up is a Spark-notes breakdown of the Champions League semifinals, as we now know who will be playing for the t...