Silver linings for the NFL's bad teams

We at The Athletic Football Show like to think that we've established our thoughtful, incisive bona fides. But we aren't above a Taco Bell meal and a slapstick comedy every now and again. We, too, have our guilty pleasures. How does that translate to the football world? Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen let you in and indulge in their guilty pleasure NFL storylines on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. Hosts: Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen Executive Producer: Michael Beller Producer: Michael Beller Subscribe to The Athletic Football Show... ⁠Apple⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠ Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @robertmays Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our fine listeners once again did not disappoint when we opened the mail over the weekend. Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen tackle questions on evaluating play callers based on the talent at their disposal, the worst QB rooms of the past decade, the new Protector of the Year Award, current players becoming coaches, low-expectations teams that can make the playoffs, and a whole lot more on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. Hosts: Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen With: Michael Beller Executive Producer: Michael Beller Producer: Michael Beller Subscribe to The Athletic Football Show... ⁠Apple⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠ Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Beller on Bluesky: @mbeller.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @robertmays Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If this is indeed the end of the Lingering Questions line this offseason, then we definitely got to indulge our intellectual curiosities. On this fourth, and potentially final, edition of Lingering Questions, Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen ask, and attempt to answer, the following questions: Have the Steelers been held back in recent seasons by only their quarterback situation? How good are the players on the Bears' defense, actually? Are the Falcons simply a pass rush away from being a competitive defense? Hosts: Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen Executive Producer: Michael Beller Producer: Michael Beller Subscribe to The Athletic Football Show... ⁠Apple⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠ Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @robertmays Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even the most plugged-in, tunnel-visioned, 99th percentile football fan can turn into an ineffectual puddle of nothingness when trying to explain the salary cap. And yet, we all understand that the cap plays a huge part in how teams are build and championships are won. So how can we untangle the complexities of the cap? Well, we can start by talking to an expert. Former agent and current CBS Sports contributor Joel Corry, who's major negotiations include John Randle's deal in 1998 and Patrick Surtain's deal in 2005, joins Robert Mays to uncap the mysteries of the salary cap on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. Hosts: Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen With: Joel Corry Executive Producer: Michael Beller Producer: Michael Beller Subscribe to The Athletic Football Show... ⁠Apple⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠ Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @robertmays Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass Follow Joel on X: @corryjoel Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If the AFC is defined by the league's superstar quarterbacks, then the NFC is where the meticulously constructed offenses and elite playcallers can be found. That means the exercise of ranking the supporting casts in the NFC is not for the faint of heart. Luckily, we've got Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen at our disposal. The pair ranks the NFC's supporting casts from worst to first on this episode of The Athletic Football Show. Hosts: Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen Executive Producer: Michael Beller Producer: Michael Beller Subscribe to The Athletic Football Show... ⁠Apple⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠ Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social Follow Robert on X: @robertmays Follow Derrik on X: @QBKlass Theme song: Haunted Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.