Peter King, The Mmqb Podcast

Diving deep into some revolutionary changes about helmet technology, including a trip to Seattle to tour a new helmet manufacturer, VIcis. Peter King learns how Vicis, just six years old, has made the safest helmet in the space three years running with its CEO Dave Marver, and converses with Vicis investors Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin about what distinguishes the Vicis model. Also: conversations with NFL officials and 49ers tackle Joe Staley about the state of the helmet today, as the NFL tries to make a violent game safer for the head.

Gangster Capitalism is available now!

Kingsbury on the genesis of his seven-year relationship with Kyler Murray, on offering the 5-foot-5 Murray a scholarship as a sophomore in high school, on his hopes for Murray as an NFL quarterback, and whether he feels bad that Josh Rosen had to twist in the wind because of the Cardinals drafting Murray.Keim on when he knew Murray would be the team's pick, on navigating the Murray/Rosen/NFL-needing-drama-as-a-TV-show entering the draft, and how he kept the Murray pick a secret.Fangio on committing to Joe Flacco as his quarterback in Denver, on committing to making the first-round trade that netted the Broncos tight end Noah Fant, and on being a defensive head coach in a league now dominated by offensive minds running teams.

Schrager on why the Chiefs went all-in on pass-rusher Frank Clark and made the huge deal for him with Seattle, on where he thinks the Cardinals will go at number one, on the dynamic in Oakland between Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock and what it will mean with the three first-round picks, and on where the top quarterbacks will go.Legwold, author of a highly respected (by NFL coaches and scouts) top 100 players entering the NFL Draft, on three of his compelling rankings: Alabama tackle Jonah Williams (5), Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray (20) and Duke quarterback Daniel Jones (45) ... and on the risky draft principle too many teams will use In this draft. 

An in-depth look at how the NFL schedule got made, from inside the small bunker on the fifth floor of league offices where the 256-game schedule was finalized on Wednesday. Interviews with the five-member NFL scheduling team--Howard Katz, Mike North, Onnie Bose, Blake Jone and Charlotte Carey--on what went into the strange rubic. And much on the TV networks hungering after the new NFL darlings: the Cleveland Browns.

Dunne, on the aftermath of his explosive story about the problems in Green Bay that led to a mediocre record since mid-2015 and the firing of coach Mike McCarthy, on how new coach Matt LaFleur will work with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and on how the new Packers will proceed after the firings of GM Ted Thompson and McCarthy in successive years.Lombardi, on what he learned from working with Bill Walsh and Bill Belichick over his 35-year career around the NFL, on how he'd approach this draft if he were scouting 5-10 Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, and the new vocation he's beginning--hosting a new podcast (with co-host Adnan Virk) called "The GM Shuffle" for Cadence 13.

Throughout his three-decade long career with the NFL, Mike Lombardi worked as an NFL executive with the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, and Oakland Raiders alongside NFL legends including Bill Belichick, Bill Walsh and Al Davis.   On The GM Shuffle, Lombardi and co-host Adnan Virk will tackle a wide range of topics weekly within the world of the NFL and break down everything listeners and fans need to know about players, coaches, organizations, the draft, free agency, and all the NFL storylines in a way that only they could with the success and credibility they bring to the podcast audience.  Weekly episodes every Wednesday starting April 10th.  Subscribe now!

Schrager on a surprise quarterback for the Giants in this draft, and taking a wide-angle view of the NFL post-free agency and pre-draft, including all things Kyler Murray.Ketover on the NFL’s media plans for the 100th season in league history, and one program in particular—a Peyton Manning series touching and feeling the history of the NFL.

Coaches Kyle Shanahan (Niners), Andy Reid (Chiefs), Sean Payton (Saints) and Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston.Shanahan on the status of rehabbing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and his relationship with GM John Lynch.Payton on the international empathy of Saints fans and non-Saints fans after the botched call in the NFC title game.Reid on the status of Tyreek Hill on the 2019 Chiefs.Curran, the veteran Patriots reporter, on all things Gronkowski, and on the futures of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.

Battista, veteran of many NFL annual meetings, previews the meetings, starting this weekend in Phoenix—including the proposed rules change designed to eliminate gigantic errors such as one that influenced the outcome of the NFC title game in New Orleans. She also discusses the aftermath of Pittsburgh’s tumultuous offseason.Garofolo on how he broke the Odell Beckham Jr. trade story, on why the Giants made the deal with Cleveland, on lessons for journalism students in his reporting, and on who Kahzin Daniels is, and why he matters in the lead-up to the NFL draft this year.

Rosenhaus on the story behind the story of his client Antonio Brown-to-the-Bills story that never happened, on the inside story of how Brown went to Oakland, on how the Sammy Watkins contract affected the Brown market, on how the Brown talks with Oakland were at an impasse at midday last Friday, on what broke the impasse, and on the future another client—New England tight end Rob Gronkowski. McShay on the Kyler Murray factor in the 2019 draft heading into Murray’s Pro Day, on why he loves defensive lineman Quinnen Williams more than any defensive player in this draft, on what he sees the Patriots doing with their huge haul of picks (six between the 32nd and 101st overall selection in the draft), and whether he thinks one day he might pull a Mike Mayock and go to work for an NFL team.  

Riddick on the greatest game of his NFL life, on the influence of Bill Belichick and Nick Sabin on his TV career, on who would be the first person he’d call if he got an NFL GM job, and on wanting to be in the Monday Night Football booth.Flores, the former Patriots defensive play-caller, on the ingenious Super Bowl gameplan, on what his relationship with Bill Belichick will be now that they’re coaching in the same division, and on his significance as one of a very few minority coaches in the NFL.

Jeremiah on the overall strength of the draft headed into the annual Scouting Combine, on his order of the quarterbacks in the first round, and on replacing Mike Mayock as the voice of the draft for NFL Network.Miller on how defense should dominate the top of the draft, on his no-doubt number one pick in the draft, and on the where he thinks the bargains can be found this year.

Jenkins on how his career has changed since moving from New Orleans to Philadelphia, on the rise in activism among players in the league, on the money he and the Players Coalition have been able to donate in grants to six social-justice organizations in 2019, and on what the movement has meant to the players in the NFL.Jones on the stunning health issue that popped up out of nowhere and nearly took her life in November, on what being perfectly healthy one day and being told her life was in danger the next has done to her psyche, on her appreciation at the reaction to her health scare, and on how her life has changed by the event.

Edelman on the winding path he took from being an option quarterback at Kent State 10 years ago to catching 10 passes in the Super Bowl, on why the Patriots are different than the other 31 teams in the league, on being suspended for the first month of this season for testing positive for a PED, and on being convinced the Patriots’ run of excellence is not over.

Silver, at halftime of the Patriots' 13-3 victory over the Rams, on the struggles of a man he knows well, Los Angeles quarterback Jared Goff.Gilmore on his big interception in the fourth quarter that foiled the Rams' comeback and ensured the Patriots' sixth Super Bowl title.Kraft on putting the Patriots' dynasty into perspective, and on how difficult it will be for any team to do what the Patriots have done again.Gosselin, explaining the meaning of the defense-heavy class of 2019 ... and how the Hall of Fame voters have wised up about trying to bring equity to the honor of making the Hall.

Snead on his surprise at the Rams making it to the Super Bowl after being in dregs two years ago, on what Jared Goff did to be better than Drew Brees in the NFC title game, and what it feels like to be the architect of a team trying to beat Belichick and Brady in the Super Bowl. Hanson on the success of the NFL's RedZone channel, why people have flocked to RedZone at the expense of their own team's game on Sunday, and his pick for the Super Bowl.Lombardi on learning that Sean McVay, in the week before the Super Bowl, is listening to his book on the way to work, on what his former boss Bill Walsh would think of McVay and his offense, and on knowing Belichick so well and trying to figure out how Belichick will defend McVay's Sunday.

Dungy on his ideas to improve NFL officiating, on full-time officials, on how to improve the numbers of minority coaches, on the fate of Antonio Brown with his old team the Steelers, on his new book “The Soul of a Team” (Tyndale House), and on the most important elements to build a good team in sports and in life.Werder, who worked the controversial NFC title game as a sideline reporter for Westwood One Radio, on what he witnessed on no-call pass-interference from the vantage point of the Saints bench, on how Jared Goff overcame early problems to outplay Drew Brees, and on his own future. He will be free to work for another media entity in September, when his ESPN contract expires.McCourty, from the postgame locker room in Kansas City Sunday night, on the thrill of making the Super Bowl with the Patriots after a career of playing for lesser teams, and on the difference for a teammate in playing with Tom Brady.

Barnwell, one of the most respected writers cover the league, on NFL Championship Weekend being possibly the best Sunday of title games ever, on how hard it is for him to pick against the Patriots, on who he likes in the two games.Banner, who ran the Eagles’ front office for 12 years, on the quandary the Eagles are in with Nick Foles, on what the most pragmatic approach the team can take with Foles, and how eventually he believes the team is likely to move on without Foles in 2019.

James on how the Chargers' odd defensive alignment in Baltimore helped them win a Wild Card game, on why he has been so dominant in his rookie year, and how he feels "honored" to play against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in the divisional playoff game Sunday in Foxboro.Kinkwabhala, who has covered the Steelers extensively, with a view into the dysfunctional Steelers locker room, on who is right and who is wrong in the Antonio Brown controversy, and what she thinks needs to happen for Mike Tomlin to take back control of his locker room.Orlovsky on the magic of Nick Foles, on how a backup quarterback like Foles (Orlovsky was a longtime NFL backup) can prepare himself to win the big games that Foles has won, and on the playoff weekend to come--including the shaky quarterback of the Rams, Jared Goff, who was in camp with the Rams (and Orlovsky) in 2017.