The MMQB NFL Podcast

Every draft season, humans who can block other humans are at a premium. But are there certain teams and certain quarterbacks who need great offensive linemen, while others simply need “good enough” up front? How do you separate the lineman from the QB and the system? And what might we learn from watching Austin Corbett in 2022? Conor and Gary get existential in the offensive line draft preview, bu...

Derek Carr signed a new contract that is in some ways big, in some ways not so much, in some ways team-friendly, and in some ways a really neat win for the quarterback. Conor and Gary discuss one of the most underappreciated quarterbacks in the NFL. It starts with a discussion of the contract and what it means as far as how the Raiders view Carr, and how Carr is now set up in the event of a divorc...

It’s a draft show, but before Conor and Gary get to the prospects themselves, a draft-adjacent discussion surrounding the very strange wide receiver market. It was setting up to be another down market for wideouts, even after the Christian Kirk deal happened. But then, Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill brought it not only big-money deals but were acquired for significant draft capital. Will that trend...

Due to an absurd second wave of free-agency news, NFL draft season was delayed. It officially starts… now. Conor and Gary dive into the biggest storylines of the draft. That starts with examining the claim that it’s not a particularly good draft, and what effects that could have on the teams (most of them) that wouldn’t mind getting the heck out of Round 1. As always, any first-round shuffling wil...

Conor Orr and special guest co-host John Gonzalez of the Sports Illustrated Weekly Podcast dig into the stunning retirement of Bruce Arians, what kind of legacy he leaves behind in the coaching world, and whether the timing was strange or suspicious. Conor also tries to navigate a long-winded Office analogy involving the show's famous "Pretzel Day" episode. article: Bruce Arians Left t...

We’re doing another Deshaun Watson episode because it’s an incredibly important story that goes beyond football. And, we’re doing it now because, on Friday, Watson was formally introduced as the Browns’ new quarterback, in a press conference that provided few direct answers. That made this show the perfect time to bring New York Times reporter, former MMQB podcaster and all-around wonderful person...

With Terron Armstead signed and Tyreek Hill acquired via trade, all eyes are on the Dolphins. That’s why Conor and Gary welcomed a very special guest to this show: NBA writer, podcaster, esteemed colleague, friend of the show, and expert in all things Miami: Rohan Nadkarni. The three-man booth discusses, among other things: Was the Hill trade worth it? Does it make sense considering the quarterbac...

Conor and Gary start things off with a discussion of the Browns, from their stunning decision to pursue Deshaun Watson while the quarterback is under the cloud of 22 civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct, to their stunning decision to award him an unprecedented contract, to their off-putting decision to build the contract around a likely suspension. Then, the Davante Adams trade to the Raiders...

At the time of taping this episode, a Deshaun Watson decision was imminent. While it was unclear who Watson would pick, there was one interested team Conor and Gary knew was already out of the running: Cleveland. The Browns lowered themselves into the sewer that was the Watson sweepstakes surely knowing that, if they missed out, there was no way they could turn back to Baker Mayfield. Assuming the...

Conor and Gary planned on a good, ol' fashioned free agency preview show, but Tom Brady was having none of it. Sizing up the 2022 Bucs with Brady under center. But also a discussion of why Brady announced his retirement in the first place, the timing of his return announcement, and what the deal is if he really wasn’t interested in returning to Tampa for another season. Then, a breakdown of th...

Tuesday ended up being all the most interesting news of the NFL offseason crammed into a three-hour span. Conor and Gary got together in the dead of night to discuss Russell Wilson: traded, Aaron Rodgers: staying, and how the moves (or, move and non-move) affect the quarterback landscape. First, a look at the Broncos, who get a franchise QB for the first time since Peyton Manning retired, and wher...

In Part 1 of the two-part free agency epic, Conor and Gary run through which will be the biggest (or, at least most interesting) teams when free agency opens. The Dolphins are the team with the most effective cap space, the most drastic change at head coach and the most glaring holes on the roster. The Bengals’ window is wide-open and, suddenly, they’re a draw coming off a run to the Super Bowl. T...

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, v...

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 chanc...

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, liv...

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 atte...

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...

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 peop...

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 All...

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...

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,...

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 agai...

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This week’s news that Sean Payton would be stepping down as head coach of the Saints came with a fair amount of shockwaves. Conor (the man who predicted it) and Gary break down what it all means for the Saints, for Payton, and for a handful of coaches who will likely enter 2023 on the hot seat (sorry Mike McCarthy, but we’re looking in your direction). Then, a preview of Conference Championship Su...

After about 40 minutes to compose themselves, Conor and Gary eventually get to the quartet of mind-melting games we just witnessed this weekend. First, the spectacular display in Kansas City between the Chiefs and Bills, and what the Mahomes-Josh Allen rivalry means for the near- to medium-future of the NFL. On Buffalo’s late-game inefficiencies, but also how the two quarterbacks and Tyreek Hill t...