Episodes

  • Tom Telesco: Inside the NFL Draft Room w/ Former Chargers & Raiders GM

    Tom Telesco: Inside the NFL Draft Room w/ Former Chargers & Raiders GM
    Jun 5 2025
    Former NFL GM Tom Telesco Joins Check the Mic! What really happens inside an NFL draft room? Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson talk with former Chargers & Raiders General Manager Tom Telesco for a behind-the-scenes look at the decision-making process that shapes NFL teams. From the Colts’ thought-process behind Ricky Williams vs. Edgerinn James in the 1999 Draft, to Herbert vs. Tua for the Chargers in 2020, to the Raiders’ evaluation of Michael Penix Jr. in 2024, Telesco shares rare insights into the world of NFL front offices. He also breaks down how coaches, scouts, and analytics all work together in the war room. Plus, he gives Steve some much-needed advice for his next GM interview. After the interview with Tom Telesco, Steve & Sam also cover Frank Ragnow's retirement from the NFL after 7 seasons with the Detroit Lions, and the current contract disputes surrounding players like Trey Hendrickson, T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons and more. 00:00 Intro 1:00 Tom Telesco joins 2:54 Bill Polian 5:30 NFL Teams getting smarter 7:30 1999 NFL Draft - Edgerinn James vs. Ricky Williams 13:40 Behind-the-scenes on draft nights 16:00 2020 Chargers Draft - Justin Herbert vs. Tua Tagovailoa 21:05 Pre-draft intel 22:35 Balancing scouting evaluations with coaching opinions 26:00 Drafting by scheme fit 28:23 2024 Raiders Draft 34:10 Arm length importance for OTs 39:40 Tom’s tips for Steve’s GM interviews 43:00 Interview recap 57:20 Frank Ragnow Retires 1:03:08 Edge Rusher Contract Disputes Contact harrison@the33rdteam.com for sponsorship opportunities. Get your Check the Mic mugs & merch: https://athletelogos.com/collections/check-the-mic ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Check the Mic on Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our Discord server!⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hang out & enjoy free voice and text chat. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Check the Mic on X.⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Sam Monson ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Steve Palazzolo⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 22 mins
  • Top 5 Best & Worst Rosters in the NFL

    Top 5 Best & Worst Rosters in the NFL
    Jun 2 2025
    Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson rank their top 5 best & worst rosters in the NFL. 00:00 Intro 1:00 Top 5 Best Rosters 2:44 Denver Broncos 6:25 Kansas City Chiefs 11:14 Buffalo Bills 16:13 Baltimore Ravens 23:25 Philadelphia Eagles 39:37 Detroit Lions 50:25 Top 5 Worst Rosters 52:57 Miami Dolphins 55:18 New England Patriots 59:59 Cleveland Browns 1:04:25 New York Giants 1:08:12 New York Jets 1:12:30 Tennessee Titans 1:16:10 New Orleans Saints 1:23:45 Sam’s Top 5 Best NFL Rosters 1:24:06 Steve’s Top 5 Best NFL Rosters 1:25:27 Sam’s Top 5 Worst NFL Rosters 1:26:30 Steve’s Top 5 Worst NFL Rosters 1:28:00 Honorable Mentions Let us know in the comments: Did Steve & Sam get it right? We want to hear YOUR Top 5 lists. Contact harrison@the33rdteam.com for sponsorship opportunities. Get your Check the Mic mugs & merch: https://athletelogos.com/collections/check-the-mic ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Check the Mic on Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our Discord server!⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hang out & enjoy free voice and text chat. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Check the Mic on X.⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Sam Monson ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Steve Palazzolo⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 36 mins
  • Breakout Player for ALL 32 NFL Teams 2025

    Breakout Player for ALL 32 NFL Teams 2025
    May 29 2025
    Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson go team by team across the entire NFL to spotlight their top breakout player candidates for 2025. 00:00 Intro 2:00 What is a Breakout Player? 4:40 Buffalo Bills 8:10 Miami Dolphins 10:43 New England Patriots 13:43 New York Jets 16:50 Dallas Cowboys 21:50 New York Giants 23:53 Philadelphia Eagles 28:10 Washington Commanders 32:00 Baltimore Ravens 34:32 Cincinnati Bengals 40:29 Cleveland Browns 43:26 Pittsburgh Steelers 47:20 Detroit Lions 51:30 Chicago Bears 53:44 Green Bay Packers 56:56 Minnesota Vikings 1:01:40 Houston Texans 1:04:45 Indianapolis Colts 1:09:57 Jacksonville Jaguars 1:13:55 Tennessee Titans 1:16:50 Atlanta Falcons 1:19:40 Carolina Panthers 1:22:49 New Orleans Saints 1:25:40 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:30:50 Denver Broncos 1:33:52 Kansas City Chiefs 1:37:20 Las Vegas Raiders 1:39:40 Los Angeles Chargers 1:42:00 Arizona Cardinals 1:46:16 Los Angeles Rams 1:49:30 San Francisco 49ers 1:52:00 Seattle Seahawks 1:57:00 The Taste of Cincinnati Contact harrison@the33rdteam.com for sponsorship opportunities. Get your Check the Mic mugs & merch: https://athletelogos.com/collections/check-the-mic ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Check the Mic on Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our Discord server!⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hang out & enjoy free voice and text chat. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Check the Mic on X.⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Sam Monson ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Steve Palazzolo⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 12 mins
  • Falcons OC Zac Robinson on Penix, Cousins & Bringing PFF Analysis to the NFL

    Falcons OC Zac Robinson on Penix, Cousins & Bringing PFF Analysis to the NFL
    May 26 2025
    Atlanta Falcons Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson joins the show to break down his vision for Year 2, how rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. compares to veteran Kirk Cousins, and how his background as an analyst with Steve & Sam at PFF is shaping the Falcons’ offense. He also dives into draft picks Jalon Walker & James Pearce, play calling strategy, and tells a story about a throw to Steve that Sam doesn't want to hear. 00:00 Intro 0:54 Sponsor: SKIMS 2:10 Zac Robinson joins 2:52 Offseason 3:32 Plans for Year 2 4:31 Michael Penix Jr. 6:50 Penix vs. Cousins 10:16 Drafting Jalon Walker and James Pearce 14:47 Play calling 18:58 PFF background 20:48 4th down decisions 23:37 Zac’s throw to Steve 26:25 Big Time Throw Cast 27:41 Interview recap 40:02 Steve’s big announcement Thanks to our sponsor - SKIMS! Check out the Fits Everybody Collection at https://www.skims.com/ctm #skimspartner Contact harrison@the33rdteam.com for sponsorship opportunities. Get your Check the Mic mugs & merch: https://athletelogos.com/collections/check-the-mic ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Check the Mic on Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our Discord server!⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hang out & enjoy free voice and text chat. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Check the Mic on X.⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Sam Monson ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Steve Palazzolo⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    48 mins
  • Predicting Every AFC Team's 2025 Win Totals

    Predicting Every AFC Team's 2025 Win Totals
    May 22 2025
    Now that the 2025 NFL Season schedule has been released, Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson give their win total predictions for every team in the AFC. They reference ⁠Cynthia Frelund's NFL.com article⁠, giving their over/under picks based on the current lines. 00:00 Intro 2:46 Denver Broncos 7:09 Kansas City Chiefs 12:25 Las Vegas Raiders 18:15 Los Angeles Chargers 24:14 Buffalo Bills 33:42 Miami Dolphins 38:52 New England Patriots 47:17 New York Jets 56:52 Sponsor: Skims 59:25 Baltimore Ravens 1:05:45 Cincinnati Bengals 1:10:44 Cleveland Browns 1:17:33 Pittsburgh Steelers 1:25:25 Houston Texans 1:31:24 Indianapolis Colts 1:39:33 Jacksonville Jaguars 1:49:15 Tennessee Titans 1:58:05 Tush Push Thanks to our sponsor - SKIMS! Check out the Fits Everybody Collection at https://www.skims.com/ctm #skimspartner Contact harrison@the33rdteam.com for sponsorship opportunities. Get your Check the Mic mugs & merch: https://athletelogos.com/collections/check-the-mic Check The Mic is your exclusive home for all things Steve & Sam with broadcasts every Monday & Thursday during the offseason. Join the Check The Mic Podcast Discord Server: https://discord.gg/7JCRFJDtYX Contact harrison@the33rdteam.com for sponsorship opportunities. Get your Check the Mic mugs & merch: https://athletelogos.com/collections/check-the-mic ⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Check the Mic on Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our Discord server!⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hang out & enjoy free voice and text chat. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Check the Mic on X.⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Sam Monson ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Steve Palazzolo⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 8 mins
  • Predicting Every NFC Team's 2025 Win Totals

    Predicting Every NFC Team's 2025 Win Totals
    May 19 2025
    Now that the 2025 NFL Season schedule has been released, Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson give their win total predictions for every team in the NFC. They reference ⁠Cynthia Frelund's NFL.com article⁠, giving their over/under picks based on the current lines. 00:00 Intro 1:40 Brock Purdy extension 16:48 NFC Win Totals 17:05 Detroit Lions 21:06 Minnesota Vikings 27:20 Chicago Bears 35:44 Green Bay Packers 42:25 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48:30 Atlanta Falcons 53:31 Carolina Panthers 57:35 New Orleans Saints 1:00:03 Sponsor: Skims 1:01:30 Dallas Cowboys 1:07:20 New York Giants 1:11:50 Philadelphia Eagles 1:16:35 Washington Commanders 1:23:50 Arizona Cardinals 1:29:18 Los Angeles Rams 1:35:01 San Francisco 49ers 1:40:09 Seattle Seahawks 1:45:25 Mug Check Thanks to our sponsor - SKIMS! Check out the Fits Everybody Collection at https://www.skims.com/ctm #skimspartner Contact harrison@the33rdteam.com for sponsorship opportunities. Get your Check the Mic mugs & merch: https://athletelogos.com/collections/check-the-mic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 52 mins
  • Reasons for Concern for All 32 NFL Teams

    Reasons for Concern for All 32 NFL Teams
    May 15 2025
    Steve Palazzolo & Sam Monson share their reasons for concern about every single NFL team heading into the 2025 season. They already shared their reasons for optimism, now it's time to get pessimistic. 00:00 Intro 2:00 2025 NFL Schedule Release 3:18 Buffalo Bills 6:41 Miami Dolphins 10:10 New England Patriots 14:04 New York Jets 18:09 Dallas Cowboys 23:05 New York Giants 27:05 Philadelphia Eagles 31:31 Washington Commanders 35:55 Baltimore Ravens 40:27 Cincinnati Bengals 49:40 Pittsburgh Steelers 53:32 Detroit Lions 57:10 Green Bay Packers 1:00:45 Chicago Bears 1:02:59 Minnesota Vikings 1:05:35 Denver Broncos 1:08:08 Kansas City Chiefs 1:11:37 Los Angeles Chargers 1:14:04 Las Vegas Raiders 1:17:37 Arizona Cardinals 1:21:14 Los Angeles Rams 1:25:25 San Francisco 49ers 1:29:05 Seattle Seahawks 1:33:13 Houston Texans 1:35:53 Indianapolis Colts 1:39:43 Jacksonville Jaguars 1:45:08 Tennessee Titans 1:48:24 Atlanta Falcons 1:51:56 Carolina Panthers 1:56:49 New Orleans Saints 2:00:12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Contact harrison@the33rdteam.com for sponsorship opportunities. Get your Check the Mic mugs & merch: https://athletelogos.com/collections/check-the-mic Check The Mic is your exclusive home for all things Steve & Sam with broadcasts every Monday & Thursday during the offseason. Join the Check The Mic Podcast Discord Server: https://discord.gg/7JCRFJDtYX ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our Discord server!⁠⁠⁠⁠ Hang out & enjoy free voice and text chat. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Check the Mic on X.⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Sam Monson ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Steve Palazzolo⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 15 mins
  • Reasons for Optimism for All 32 NFL Teams

    Reasons for Optimism for All 32 NFL Teams
    May 12 2025
    Steve Palazzolo & Sam Monson share their reasons to be optimistic about every single NFL team heading into the 2025 season. Why will your team win the Super Bowl? Listen to find out! 00:00 Intro 1:45 Buffalo Bills 5:05 Miami Dolphins 8:15 New England Patriots 11:50 New York Jets 15:15 Dallas Cowboys 21:22 New York Giants 25:32 Philadelphia Eagles 28:05 Washington Commanders 32:30 Baltimore Ravens 37:26 Cincinnati Bengals 40:56 Cleveland Browns 45:45 Pittsburgh Steelers 49:15 Detroit Lions 53:15 Green Bay Packers 57:22 Chicago Bears 59:48 Minnesota Vikings 1:03:28 Denver Broncos 1:06:16 Kansas City Chiefs 1:10:15 Los Angeles Chargers 1:13:26 Las Vegas Raiders 1:17:32 Arizona Cardinals 1:21:07 Los Angeles Rams 1:24:44 San Francisco 49ers 1:29:01 Seattle Seahawks 1:35:30 Houston Texans 1:41:00 Indianapolis Colts 1:47:28 Jacksonville Jaguars 1:50:57 Tennessee Titans 1:53:58 Atlanta Falcons 1:56:56 Carolina Panthers 2:02:10 New Orleans Saints 2:07:05 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2:13:00 Sam’s Pull-Up Story Contact harrison@the33rdteam.com for sponsorship opportunities. Get your Check the Mic mugs & merch: https://athletelogos.com/collections/check-the-mic ⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to Check the Mic on Youtube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Join our Discord server!⁠⁠⁠ Hang out & enjoy free voice and text chat. ⁠⁠⁠Follow Check the Mic on X.⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Follow Sam Monson ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Follow Steve Palazzolo⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 23 mins
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