Gridiron Gut Check

Latest Episodes:

Pat Pete’s Steel City Second Act | 38 Sep 14, 2023

Show notes

Expectations are always high for the Steelers after 17 straight winning seasons. But last year, the streak was almost broken after Pittsburgh eked out a 9-8 record. Enter Patrick Peterson, the longtime highlight reel cornerback brought in to sure up the Steel City secondary. Shek and Shazier catch up with the former All Pro, who bounced back in a big way last season after an injury-riddled first year with Minnesota. The guys tackle how Pat Pete’s style meshes with Coach Tomlin’s defensive philosophy, how his experience can help the young DB’s on the team, just how high the Steeler’s ceiling is this season and if Super Bowl expectations are realistic. Plus Peterson’s POV on being a part of the greatest comeback in NFL history as a Viking last season. Then, Shek and Shazier weigh in on if the Jets D can carry Zach Wilson to a title and if Jalen Milroe is the right guy to lead Bama back to the CFB playoffs this season.

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Jason Kelce is the Center of Attention | 37 Sep 07, 2023

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Football is back! With the NFL season kicking off this week Shek and Shazier called in the big guns! Jason Kelce has manned the middle of the Eagles’ offensive line since 2011 reaching sure-fire future HOF status as one of the best centers to ever snap a football. Now, going into his 13th – and possibly final - season, after last year’s crushing defeat in the Super Bowl, can the Eagles’ iron man, lead his team on one more championship run? The guys dive into Kelce’s take on Jalen Hurts’ success, what it’s like as an O-lineman playing in a QB-driven league, and how the Eagles stay motivated heading into the season as heavy favorites to win it all. Plus, Shek and Shazier unpack Ronald Acuna Jr’s dramatic comeback season for the Braves and if Burning Man is truly the worst place in the world to be stranded?

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Fantasy Forecasting Quarterbacks, Running Backs and Comebacks with Michael Smith | 36 Aug 31, 2023

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Football is back baby! Shek and Shazier are joined by Amazon’s Thursday Night Football correspondent Michael Smith, talking all things Fantasy football. The guys are diving into who should go number one in your drafts? If WRs should go before RBs? Which QBs are worth grabbing this year? And then Shek and Shazier pick Michael’s brain on if Russell Wilson can bounce back from his nightmare first season in Denver, what it means for the 49ers now that Brock Purdy has the starting QB job locked up, and if Lamar Jackson and OBJ can recapture their old magic as fantasy superstars on the Ravens this year. Plus with Shek and Shazier’s alma maters Indiana and Ohio State duking it out this weekend in their season opener… they engage in some gentlemanly trash talk about if the Hoosiers can pull off the upset.

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Miki Sudo Spills the Beans on Chasing Chestnut – With Miki Sudo | 35 Jun 29, 2023

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Hot Dog! This week Shek & Shazier sink their teeth into a frank conversation with women’s competitive eating champion Miki Sudo about her recent dominance at the Nathan’s Famous 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. Has she bitten off more than she can chew coming for Joey Chestnut’s record of most hot dog eating competitions without a loss? What foods does she refuse to eat competitively? And what’s it like dating a fellow competitive eater? They get into all the juicy details of Miki’s life as a competitive eater. Plus in a special edition of “The Check Down” the guys look into their comeback crystal ball and try to predict the biggest comebacks that haven’t taken place yet including whether the Eagles can get back to the Super Bowl, if a Pac-12 team can make the CFB Playoffs and if the Sid the Kid and the Penguins have one more run left in them.

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A Hollywood Ending for the Magnificent Mr. Maggi – With Drew Maggi | 34 Jun 22, 2023

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Wow! A Pittsburgh story on Don’t Call it a Comeback? Shocker! But Drew Maggi’s climb to the major leagues is truly so incredible it defies all hometown bias! The inspirational infielder joins Shek and Shazier this week to tell them how he FINALLY got his shot to show the MLB what he can do as a 34-year-old rookie. Originally drafted way back in 2008, Maggi bounced around college and the minor leagues for 13 grueling seasons before finally getting the call in April – a call btw that went super viral and touched the hearts of baseball fans everywhere. And he didn’t disappoint! Plus, the guys dive into the wild NBA offseason including the blockbuster deal that sent Bradley Beal to Phoenix and if Wemby-mania can sweep the Spurs to one more Finals before Pop retires.

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From NFL to XFL and Back – With Ben DiNucci | 33 Jun 15, 2023

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Ben DiNucci is BACK in the NFL after crushing it in the XFL, and now he’s on the pod! Shek and Shazier chat with Ben about his crazy 2020 season, going from the Cowboys’ 3rd string QB to starter and the roller coaster that led the XFL Seattle Sea Dragons to come calling in 2023. The former Cowboys’ QB set the league on fire, throwing for a league high 2,671 yards leading Seattle to the playoffs. This offseason, DiNucci turned his XFL success into a tryout at the Denver Broncos’ rookie minicamp and earned himself an NFL contract backing up Russell Wilson for the 2023 NFL season. The guys also offer some advice to the entire NBA on how to try to stop Jokic next year, handicap if Connor McGregor will ever fight professionally again and shout out Florida as the comeback capital of the sports world right now,

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The Comeback Vibes are Strong This NFL Offseason – With John Gonzales | 32 Jun 08, 2023

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Just because it’s the NFL offseason doesn’t mean there’s any shortage of comeback stories to talk about! Wondery’s own John Gonzales from the Lead: Starting Five is in the house talking all the mini-comebacks coming out of NFL mini-camps! Gonzo, Shek and Shazier whiz through Philly’s chances of staking another Super Bowl run, how much of an impact Aaron Rodgers will make for the Jets this season, which free agents might have the biggest impact on their new teams, and if the Steelers can make a playoff run. Plus, the guys go in on the PGA’s decision to take LIV’s money and Shazier drops his list of must-see summer concerts.

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Totally Blind Jake Olson Goes From Long Shot to Long Snapper – With Jake Olson | 31 Jun 01, 2023

Show notes

There are miracle comebacks and then there’s the story of Jake Olson! He’s a blind cancer survivor who played long snapper for the USC Trojans and he joins Shek & Shazier this week to tell his amazing story. From losing his sight completely in high school to returning to the field despite his predicament his junior year, to walking on to the Trojans as a D-1 college athlete, and later becoming a US National Blind Golf Champion, the former Pac-12 special teams player of the week is a walking “against all odds” story. Plus, the guys dive into the Heat vs Nuggets NBA Finals matchup, weigh in on a possible Le’Veon Bell return to the Steelers, and if there’s another comeback up Tom Brady’s sleeve.

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Wemby-Mania Running Wild in San Antonio – With Michelle Beadle | 30 May 25, 2023

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Did lightning just strike twice in San Antonio? The Spurs have gone through a bit of a rough patch since their dynasty ended, but that’s what happens when Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili retire and Kawhi Leonard decides to leave town… BUT with Wemby on the way, the comeback has to be right around the corner, right?! Shek & Shazier welcome NBA expert and lifelong Spurs superfan Michelle Beadle to the pod to discuss if the Spurs can take back the West now that they’ve won the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, who stacks up as their chief rival these days, and if it’s time to move on from Coach Pop. Plus, the guys chat about Jamal Murray’s incredible comeback from a torn ACL to tearing up the playoffs, if the Nuggets can secure the chip this year, and whether the right Batman is returning to the big screen.

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A Soccer Star’s 7 Minutes of Redemption – With Lynn Williams | 29 May 18, 2023

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The star forward at the center of the women’s soccer comeback story of the year is in the house! Lynn Williams joins Shek and Shazier for a deep dive into the horrific hamstring injury that left her career in the NWSL and the USWNT in doubt. From the blood curdling pop she heard while chasing the ball down the line during a Challenge Cup game in 2022 to finding out that her hamstring had been torn completely off the bone, to 10 months of grueling rehab and training, it all leads up to the pitch perfect story of her return a year later where 7 seconds into her first game back, Williams bent one past the keeper for a goal! Plus, the guys marvel at Jason Tatum’s game 7 performance lifting the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals, debate if the Lakers’ bubble championship actually counts, and weigh in on which Disney musical has the greatest soundtrack of all time.

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