Peter King, The Mmqb Podcast

Simms, previewing the first round of the NFL playoffs, and also on what went wrong for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, and on the day on the field 12 years ago as a Tampa Bay quarterback when he suffered a life-endagering injury.Schrager on the NFL's eight coaching openings, on whether he thinks Mike McCarthy will coach for anyone in 2019, on the Cleveland Browns' coaching search and what it might mean for Baker Mayfield, and on the surprise names you might hear this month as desperate teams look for new coaches.

Burleson on being a teammate and sharing the receivers' room with Randy Moss in Minnesota, on how he morphed from being an NFL wideout to a broadcast career, on the best career advice he got from a Hall of Fame player, and on balancing a family with a professional career.Feinstein, the author of 40 books, on his most famous one: "Season on the Brink," following the volatile coach of the Indiana Hoosiers in the eighties, Knight, who did not like the book. "Season on the Brink" spent 16 weeks as the top-selling book on the New York Times bestseller list. I asked Feinstein: "What would happen if you and Knight passed each other on the street today?"

Kremer and Storm on the meaning of being the first all-woman team in an NFL booth in 99 years, on the reaction of players and coaches to their presence in a male-dominated field, on the winding path each took to this moment, and what they'd say to a 12-year-old girl in American watching them and wondering if she, too, can follow her dreams in a business populated almost exclusively by men.Halpin, recently promoted to a huge future-of-the-game job by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, on the biggest challenges the leagues faces, on how how he went from a business and financial background to the NFL, and on the audiences the NFL must serve to remain the dominant America sports league.

Feinstein, author of 40 books including the new one "Quarterback: Inside the Most Important Position in the National Football League," on playing the toughest job in sports, and on how racism still may exist in the evaluation of quarterback by the NFL.Glauber, author of "Guts and Genius: The Story of Three Unlikely Coaches Who Came To Dominate the NFL in the '80s," on how Bill Walsh, Bill Parcells and Joe Gibbs all were in job jeopardy in their first NFL seasons, on the odd and tempestuous relationships between the three of them, and on how every coach in the NFL today is on the coaching tree of one of those men.Gilden, author of "Collision of Wills: Johnny Unitas, Don Shula and the Rise of the Modern NFL," in a fascinating and living-history look at the NFL of the sixties, with an incredible passage from his book on Vince Lombardi and concussions, and on how Unitas and Shula really felt about the other and the game.

Millen, who is awaiting a heart transplant at New Jersey hospital, on his prospects for getting a new heart, on his pragmatic and optimistic approach to the transplant process, on his appreciation of the life he's led in his 60 years, and where this mental approach comes from.Hicks, one of the keys to the strong Chicago defense, on his long and winding road to the top of the NFL, on playing college football in Canada, on working in a DirecTV call center trying to get people to sign up for the NFL package while his own football dream seemed to be dying, and on playing the Rams in the game of the week this week in the NFL.

Lindsay on his incredible story--his record-breaking high school career in Denver, his explosive career in college at Colorado, being snubbed from the NFL Scouting Combine, going undrafted, being overly bitter, then having 15 minutes to choose a team (Denver or Baltimore) as an undrafted free agent. And then what it feels like to run for 100 yards against Oakland and Pittsburgh as a rookie who wasn't supposed to make it.Smith on his road from being someone who never thought he'd play in the NFL to becoming a star in the league, on the science of reading keys and studying opponents, on his interesting relationship with Saints coach Sean Payton, on what makes playing Aaron Rodgers so fun and challenging, and difficult it is to play great defense in the NFL with all the rules favoring offenses.

A unique episode from Peter King's time embedding with the New Orleans Saints during their Saturday night meetings at the Ritz-Carlton in the French Quarter of New Orleans. King frames the evening with three passages, and coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees contribute.Payton on the imagination he uses to form the complex gameplan every week, on what goes into his process of coming up with new idea each week, on how far the weekly plan has come since he and Brees came to the Saints in 2006, and why Brees' play has improved significantly at 39.Brees on the trust he has to have with Payton the play-caller, on the imagination throughout the NFL in 2018, on the difference between the Saints of 2006 and 2018, and on why he is playing better in 2018 than he ever has.

Reid on the taking 9-1 Kansas City in Los Angeles to face the 9-1 Rams, on the maturity of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and on the specter of catching an idol, Chuck Noll, on the all-time coaching wins list.Allegre, the former NFL kicker and Mexico native, on the embarrassment of having such a high-profile sports event moved out of Mexico, on why the country is such an NFL hotbed, and on what the people in his home city in central Mexico will think of the country losing this big gameWaller on the NFL's international future, on how ready London is for a full-time NFL franchise, and on the league's logistics plan if/when a team relocates to England in the near future.

Rivers, who became the fourth quarterback ever to start 200 NFL games on Sunday, on the secret to his staying power, on the influence of his high-school-coach father on his life and his football career, on how he's been able to stay sane with the 80-mile daily commute between his San Diego home and his Orange County Charger workplace, and on the chances of the Chargers finally beating the Chiefs in the AFC West.O'Connor on how he was able to write a substantive biography on the note Patriots coach without ever speaking to Belichick, on the most interesting things he found out that the world doesn't know about Belichick, on how much longer he thinks Belichick will coach the Patriots, and on what he learned from talking to 300 of the closest people in the world to Belichick.

Thomas, the former left tackle of the Browns and current host of "The Tomahawk Show" podcast, on how the Browns implosion was not Hue Jackson's fault, on how football is about talent first and coaching second, on how he trusts GM John Dorsey to pick a coach to "lead the Browns to the promised land," and the unexpected coach he thinks would be the best candidate to be Cleveland's next head coach.Spielman, from northeast Ohio, on why Hue Jackson failed as Browns coach, on why he thinks Bruce Arians would be a good candidate to be the Browns next coach, and on his advice to owner Jimmy Haslam on the best move for the Browns future.My thoughts on the five trades made at the trading deadline this week, on why the Rams made a smart and aggressive deal acquiring Dane Fowler Jr., of the Jaguars, why this deadline pales in comparison to last year, when Jimmy Garoppolo stunningly got dealt, and why teams and GMs are trading more this year than they have in the past.

Fouts, the CBS analyst, on what makes Brady Brady, on a radical suggestion for putting balance back into an offense-dominated game, on his love for his adopted state Oregon, and on the remnants he carries with him from playing in the coldest game ever in 1982.Rohan on his new podcast series “Fall of a Titan,” on the life and death and sketchy circumstances of the death of Stave McNair, including a trailer about the nine-episode McNair series beginning this month.

Farmer with a swell Donald Trump golf story, on the future of football in Los Angeles (which surprised me), and why Todd Gurley is a more valuable Ram than Jared Goff.Staley on the rise of unstoppable offenses in the NFL, on the fairness of the rules favoring offenses, and how much the game has changed since he entered the league in 2007.Hightower on the Patriots' 43-40 Sunday night victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, on the difficulty of facing an Andy Reid offense, on how often he's asked about his tackle of Marshawn Lynch that helped save the Patriots victory in the New England-Seattle Super Bowl, and on why the Patriots annually improve so much as the regular season goes on.

Tucker on how he has succeeded in the Bermuda Triangle of kickers, Pittsburgh (making his last 17 field-goal attempts there), on his mental approach to kicking, on the huge role continuity has made in his success, and on his grandfather's advice to him as a kicker in high school which he still leans on today. (It's pretty basic.)Myers on what possible meat is left on the well-covered Cowboy bone and what he found new on the most valuable in American sports in his book "How 'Bout Them Cowboys?", on the divorce between Jerry Jones and Tom Landry that wasn't quite as messy as we might have remembered, on the relationship between Roger Goodell and Jones, and on why America is so fascinated with this team.

Goff on how far he's come since a shaky rookie year in 2016, on the difference Sean McVay has made in his life, on what he's learned to make some of the deep-ball throws that have been the trademark of early success this year, and how much help his dad and former major-league catcher Jerry Goff has been to him on and off the field.Butt, 23, who suffered his third ACL tear last week, on the heartbreak of this injury followed by the one that wrecked his rookie year in 2017, on his positive outlook and where it comes from, and his determination that he'll still have a standout NFL career.McFarland, the former Tampa Bay first-round pick, on the very unlikely road to network sideline reporter, on what led to him taking a perch 10 feet above the field for every Monday night game, and on impressions of Patrick Mahomes after watching him up-close and personal Monday night in Denver. Plus ... a glimpse into my Sunday night regimen with a phone call with Bears coach Matt Nagy.

Leibovich, who reads a passage on the NFL trying to own the sports media landscape all year, on whether unpopular commissioner Roger Goodell can survive in the short or long term, on the snarky tone of his tome, on whether another NFL owner after Jerry Richardson will be caught in the #MeToo movement, and on the similarities of covering politics (Leibovich's full-time job for the New York Times) and covering the NFL.Werder on being part of the massive ESPN buyouts a couple of years ago, on what it feels like to be in his prime and being paid to NOT work, and on the future of the Dallas Cowboys, Jason Garrett and Dak Prescott.

McAulay, who retired this year after 17 years as an NFL referee, on the concerns he has about the new rules and interpretations of rules in the NFL this season, on his disdain for some of the roughing-the-passer calls in week two, and on his adjustment to TV after a life as an on-field official.Pearlman on why we should care today about the USFL, which died in the eighties, on the craziest Steve Young story you've ever heard, on what Donald Trump was like as a football team owner, and on the USFL owner who wrote to Trump about wanting to punch him in the face.

Millman on the future of gambling and its effect on the NFL, on how easy it is to place a bet on an NFL game even in the vast majority of states where sports gambling is not legal, and on how much money the NFL and TV networks can hope to make when gambling is legalized throughout the country.Starr with an update on the health of his father after his major stroke in 2014, on what it was like grow up as a child in 1960s Green Bay (and walking across a wide field from the family home to Lambeau Field before Green Bay had been developed), and on the close relationship between Bart Starr and Aaron Rodgers, despite the 50-year age difference.

A live game podcast--from the parking lot, the field, the press box and the locker rooms--from the Eagles' 18-12 season-opening win over Atlanta. Also: Philadelphia defensive end Chris Long and Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins.Long on how the Eagles got so much pressure on Matt Ryan, on how he handled it when the Eagle acquired another great defensive lineman to potentially take his playing time, and how the pressure to perform makes everyone on the Eagles defense better.Cousins on what lessons he learned from the long and winding negotiations in Washington and Minnesota that led him to a fully guaranteed three-year contract with the Vikings, on one the causes he's going to help fun with his newfound riches, and on the pressure to perform with such a strong team around him.

King, emptying his training-camp notebook after five weeks on the road, on the most compelling quarterbacks of the 2018 season--Andrew Luck, Jimmy Garoppolo, Kirk Cousins--and on the saga of Jon Gruden returning to Oakland, on the vengeance of Joe Flacco, and on a chance meeting with a baseball star on his camp trip.Horrigan on the future of Hall of Fame voting, on the impact of Terrell Owens' boycott of the recent Hall induction, on whether there should be term limits for selectors, and on the touching stories he saw from this year's enshrinements.

Nelson on how strange it feels to be in the Oakland silver and black, not Packer green and gold, on his good fortune to be able to say he's played for two such historic franchises, on his feeling that the Packers never offered him a competitive contract, and on what he thinks he has left as a 33-year-old wide receiver.Collins on the tragic situation that forced him to go undrafted instead of being a first-round pick three years ago, on how good it's been for him to join the Cowboys and play on one of the best offensive lines in football, and what the moral of his zig-zagging NFL story is.Klein, with me, on the saga of Aaron Donald and whether he thinks the best defensive tackle in football will hold out in the season, on hat the Rams can do for an encore, and on the future of this rising offense and star coach Sean McVay.