The Bill Simmons Podcast

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to discuss the NFL facing off against Trump (6:00), Big Ben's struggles (13:00), Tom Brady's mastery in the two-minute drill (19:00), Deshaun Watson's statement game (26:00), Bears-Packers (29:30), Saints-Dolphins in London (34:00), 49ers-Cardinals (39:00), Steelers-Ravens (43:00), updated odds on the first coach fired (49:00), Cam Newton's lack of explosiveness (55:00), Rams-Cowboys (1:01:00), and another riveting edition of "Parent Corner" (1:07:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by comedian Andy Samberg to discuss the Oakland sports scene (6:00), producing the first digital shorts on 'SNL' (10:00), the best casts ever on 'SNL' (15:00), impersonating Nicolas Cage (22:00), making mockumentaries with HBO Sports (28:00), selecting the essential 'Rocky' movies (36:00), preparing to host awards shows (44:00), and finding the right roles on TV (55:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by comedian Nathan Fielder to discuss the return of 'Nathan for You' (6:00), Michael Phelps racing an animated shark (15:00), David Blaine's magic special (18:00), how to talk about the Spurs (32:00), living life as the original millennial (38:00), developing YouTube videos (48:00), and growing up with Seth Rogen (58:00). Then, The Ringer's Mike Lombardi joins to give his thoughts on Sean Payton's sloppy start (1:09:00), the Falcons' impressive start (1:18:00), and Malcolm Butler trade ideas (1:30:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to discuss Sunday night's Emmys (5:00), Triple G vs. Canelo (8:00), the stout NFC South (16:00), Jay Cutler's first win with the Dolphins (22:00), Trevor Siemian impressing in Denver (27:00), Buccaneers-Vikings (34:00), Marshal Yanda's injury (38:00), Texans-Pats (44:00), Romo's rapport with Jim Nantz (48:00), Steelers-Bears (53:00), Marshawn Lynch's impressive return to form (1:01:00), Eli Manning's struggles (1:06:00), and Jerry Jones turning on Roger Goodell (1:10:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Cleveland Cavaliers forward and NBA champion Richard Jefferson to discuss training with the Walton family (8:00), Tim Duncan as a teammate (15:00), Jason Kidd's dominance (23:00), the 2002 Eastern Conference finals (28:00), Kyrie's scoring ability (33:00), the missed opportunities in the 2017 Finals (38:00), the more offensive-minded NBA (44:00), the 2004 Olympic debacle (52:00), Kevin Love's room to improve (58:00), social media in the NBA (1:03:00), and living in Cleveland post-championship (1:10:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by renowned restaurateur David Chang and fellow DMV native Joe House to discuss the struggles of the Washington professional football team (12:00), Dan Snyder's dysfunctional stadium setup (18:00), the best kinds of bacon (24:00), the best salads to pair with bacon (30:00), food at last weekend's U.S. Open (33:00), and hotdogs as the next food frontier (44:10). Then, Bill's dad calls in to address the state of Boston sports scene (53:30), the problems with the Pats (1:01:00), and belief in Brady and Belichick (1:12:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons brings on Cousin Sal to recap all the NFL action from Week 1, including the QB panic meter (6:00), Russell Wilson's woeful protection (14:00), Carson Wentz's impressive debut (18:00), fantasy football standouts (24:00), and Tony Romo's budding TV career (30:00). Then, Bill and Sal run through all of the Week 2 matchups and give out their best bets for the week (35:30). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Joe House to discuss the Patriots' deflating opening loss (6:00), Kareem Hunt's rookie breakout (11:00), Gronk vs. Eric Berry (16:00), the downside of Tom Savage (22:00), Kyrie's thoughts on the Celtics (31:00), and way-too-early NBA odds (36:00). Then, The Ringer's Mallory Rubin joins to break down the lack of offseason NFL story lines (43:00), Antonio Brown's 'Dancing With the Stars' gimmick (49:00), player movement in the NFL (55:00), the spiritual element of enjoying fish (1:01:00), the best bacon (1:12:00), and final thoughts on 'Game of Thrones' (1:20:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by staff writer Shea Serrano, a Houston resident, to discuss the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts and his grassroots social media campaign to raise funds (7:00). Then, JackO joins to give his thoughts on the Boston Red Sox stealing signs from the Yankees (23:30) and Trump's latest tirade (46:00). Finally, rookie Los Angeles Chargers kicker Younghoe Koo comes on to discuss his journey from South Korea to the NFL (54:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to continue the age-old tradition of guessing the NFL lines before each weekend's slate of games. Topics include: NFL futures (6:00), Philip Rivers's number of touchdown passes (16:00), MVP odds (21:00), odds for first coach fired (27:00), Pats-Chiefs (35:00), Packers-Seahawks (40:00), Andrew Luck's over-under games played (47:00), Steelers-Browns (51:00), Bengals-Ravens (57:00), Cowboys-Giants (1:05:00), Saints-Vikings (1:12:00), and the top-tier teams heading into Week 1 (1:16:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons gives his thoughts and theories on the bizarre Kyrie/Isaiah trade saga and why he still believes Kyrie Irving's ceiling is underrated (5:05), then brings on The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor to discuss Friday's press conference in Boston and the league's reaction to the deal (26:05). Then, The Ringer's Mallory Rubin previews the 2017 college football season and September's MLB pennant race before indulging Bill's primitive Game of Thrones thoughts (while longing for her days with The Maester, Jason Concepcion) (55:18). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by former Patriots Super Bowl champion linebacker Willie McGinest to discuss the differences between Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick (8:00), the rudderless Patriots of the ’90s (16:00), pushing the USC Trojans to hire Pete Carroll (26:00), O.J.'s superstar status at USC (31:00), Snoop Dogg's days playing quarterback (35:00), Dr. Dre's creative genius (43:00), the Michael Vick experience (56:00), the 2001 Super Bowl win (1:04:00), and where Willie keeps all of his Super Bowl rings (1:19:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by 2017 Finals MVP Kevin Durant for the second installment of a two-part series to discuss the outlook for the NBA's new-look teams and to continue answering listeners' most pressing mailbag questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by 2017 Finals MVP Kevin Durant for the first installment of a two-part series to discuss the shocking Kyrie Irving trade and to answer listeners' most pressing mailbag questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons assembles all of The Ringer's NBA experts to dissect the decision to trade Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics and discuss whether the Cavaliers became better heading into the 2017-18 NBA season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons brings on Ringer editor-at-large Bryan Curtis and Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Gay to discuss Mayweather-McGregor media hype (5:00), politics playing a role in every sports conversation (18:00), the NFL's desire to control everything (25:00), LeBron's power in the NBA (34:00), writers weighing having a platform and getting paid (40:00), the problem with the "pivot to video" (50:00), Boston potentially renaming Yawkey Way after David Ortiz (1:01:00), and Peter Vecsey's beef with Magic Johnson (1:12:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to discuss his famous steal against the Yankees (5:00), the depth on the Dodgers this season (11:00), the sense of urgency to win a World Series in L.A. (17:00), the influence of analytics in baseball (23:00), the conundrum of balancing rest with chasing history in the regular season (30:00), Yu Darvish's arrival (40:00), and the best advice he's gotten from Magic Johnson (44:00). Then, The Ringer's Mallory Rubin joins to discuss the best-case trade scenarios for Giancarlo Stanton (57:40). Finally, Bill's dad hops on the line to pitch his best Stanton trades (1:14:00) and give his thoughts on 'Game of Thrones' (1:21:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Kevin O'Connor to discuss Kyrie's limited trade market (6:00), Josh Jackson's trade value (10:00), the Knicks' best shot to get Kyrie (17:00), Cleveland's interest in Jamal Murray (23:30), Jabari Parker's trade potential before his injury (30:00), the Lakers trading for LeBron (38:00), and Kyrie's chances to be a Cavalier this season (44:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by The Ringer's Mike Lombardi, Tate Frazier, and Joe House to discuss the most ridiculous NFL offseason talking points, including Andrew Luck being overhyped (14:00), Odell Beckham Jr. being overrated (26:10), Richard Sherman and Russell Wilson's relationship (32:32), Kirk Cousins's contract (37:00), and Cam Newton's scrambling style (45:30). Then, they make a few sleeper predictions for the 2017 NFL season (56:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by fellow Boston diehard Kevin Hench to discuss the birth of the Brady-Belichick dynasty, the duo's best Super Bowl victory, the best team the Pats beat during their run together, the most important pass of Brady's career, the most improbable comebacks, and the most rewarding moments for Patriots fans since 2001. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices