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How NFL Coaches Rank The League’s QBs Aug 17, 2021

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Nothing determines an NFL team's success more than the guy who lines up under center. But one of the trickiest things in the sport is figuring out which guys can really move the needle. For the past eight years, The Athletic's Mike Sando has polled coaches, general managers, and other decision makers from around the league to rank the NFL's best (and worst) quarterbacks. He joins us today to share some of the insights he gained from talking to these people and gives us his best guess as to which one of the incoming rookie quarterbacks could be a difference maker for his team in year one.

Read Mike Sando's Quarterback Tiers story here: https://theathletic.com/2727336/2021/07/28/2021-nfl-quarterback-tiers-50-coaches-and-evaluators-rank-the-leagues-starters/

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'Your Brother Needs You': The Bond That Lifted A Rising NFL Star Aug 16, 2021

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The Carolina Panthers are hoping to make some noise in the NFC South this season, and one key component to their success is their dynamic young defensive end, Brian Burns. As it turns out, Burns’s development has been fueled in part by his older brother, Stanley McClover, who endured a difficult stretch after his own NFL career ended. Today, The Athletic’s Joe Person has the story of how McClover helped his brother make it to the NFL, and found new purpose for himself along the way.

Follow Joe Person’s coverage of the Panthers: https://theathletic.com/author/joseph-person/?source=theleadpodcast

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The Real-Life Coach Who Inspired Ted Lasso (Rebroadcast) Aug 13, 2021

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The second season of Ted Lasso is now underway, and that means we’re all being treated to more hilarious scenes of Jason Sudeikis’s signature coaching character and his unyielding positivity. Earlier this year, The Athletic’s Rustin Dodd tracked down the real life coach who inspired Sudeikis's Lasso character, at least in part, and he joined us to talk about the coach and the impact he had on Sudeikis's life. (This episode first aired on March 18, 2021.)

Read Rustin Dodd's full story about Ted Lasso:

https://theathletic.com/2430910/2021/03/15/ted-lasso-jason-sudeikis-coach-kansas/

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Allyson Felix's Awakening After The Nike Fallout (Rebroadcast) Aug 12, 2021

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At the Tokyo Olympics last week, U.S. track and field star Allyson Felix won gold in the women’s 4 x 400 meter relay, making her the most decorated American track and field athlete ever. Today, we’re replaying an episode that aired in the buildup to the Games. Tiffany spoke with The Athletic’s Kavitha Davidson (our very own former co-host!) about how Allyson Felix experienced an awakening through her high-profile fallout with Nike two years ago, going from an eyes-on-the-prize athletes to an advocate for mothers, and where she hopes to go next with her career.

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How Trey Lance’s Hometown Celebrated His Big Day (Rebroadcast) Aug 11, 2021

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The word out of the San Francisco 49ers training camp is that rookie quarterback Trey Lance has been looking good, and head coach Kyle Shanahan recently said that the former North Dakota State star will definitely be getting minutes this year. So, today, we’re replaying an episode that first aired back in May, shortly after Lance was, somewhat surprisingly, drafted 3rd overall by the 49ers. The Athletic’s Dan Hayes traveled to Trey’s hometown of Marshall, Minnesota, and he joined us to talk about the town that a frozen food company built, why Trey’s talents were overlooked for so long in high school and college, and what his joining the 49ers meant to people back home.

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Messi And Neymar Reunite. Is It Time To Stop Hating The Brazilian Star? Aug 10, 2021

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Over the weekend, a tearful Lionel Messi stood at a podium and announced that he would, in fact, be leaving Barcelona -- the team and city that have been his home for the past 21 years. But one of the silver linings of this sad saga is that Messi could very well be reunited with his good friend and former Barcelona teammate, Neymar, at Paris St. Germain. The Athletic’s Jack Lang joined us to back in May to talk about why the Brazilian striker both delights and enrages soccer fans, the role that Messi played in his development, and why it might be time to stop hating the sublimely talented star. (Note: This episode originally aired on May 6, 2021.)

Read Jack Lang's original story about Neymar:

https://theathletic.com/2518636/2021/04/14/seriously-what-is-it-that-makes-you-hate-neymar/

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Trey Mancini's Struggle and Strength (Rebroadcast) Aug 09, 2021

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Trey Mancini's incredible comeback story continues. In March of last year, the Baltimore Orioles first baseman was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer, and began undergoing cancer treatment -- right around the time the world was shutting down because of the pandemic. Today, the O's slugger is once again putting up solid numbers, and he even advanced to the final of the home run derby a few weeks ago. The Athletic's Dan Connolly had in-depth conversations with both Mancini and his girlfriend, Sara Perlman, about what life was like before, during, and after the diagnosis, and he joins us today to describe the slugger's strength and struggles along the path to recovery. (Note: This story first aired on March 4th, 2021).

Read Dan Connolly's full story about Trey Mancini:

https://theathletic.com/2413122/2021/03/01/orioles-trey-mancini-cancer-recovery/

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The Best Olympic Stories You Might Have Missed Aug 06, 2021

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You probably know that Simone Biles withdrew from several gymnastics events at the Olympics last week and then returned this week to win a bronze medal in the balance beam. But did you know that a statue of a sumo wrestler has been terrifying horses at equestrian events? Today on the show, we recap some of the most unforgettable stories of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics -- from Italian announcers absolutely losing it while calling the men's 100-meter finals to a teenage skateboarder accidentally bowling over a cameraman to NBA legend Bill Walton making a perplexing appearance on NBC's Tokyo Tonight. And, you know, some incredible athletic achievements.

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The 101-Year-Old American Who Made Judo An Olympic Sport Aug 05, 2021

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At the Tokyo Olympics, Japan has more or less dominated the competition in a martial art that originated in Japan -- judo. But it turns out, it was actually an American who is responsible for judo becoming an Olympic sport in the first place. The Athletic's Daniel Brown recently sat down with the now 101-year-old Californian, Yoshihiro "Yosh" Uchida, to talk about his incredible life journey -- from growing up on a tomato farm to becoming a judo pioneer and now an Olympic legend (with a whole lot of challenges along the way) -- and why he doesn't plan to let the pandemic stop him from getting back onto the mat or continuing to grow the sport for future generations. Plus, the untold story of Uchida's impact on an NFL coaching legend.

Read Dan Brown's full story about Yosh Uchida's incredible life:

https://theathletic.com/2716391/2021/07/26/2021-olympics-judo-yosh-uchida/

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Inside The Olympic Bubble: Will The U.S. Men's Basketball Reign Continue? Aug 04, 2021

Show notes

We have reached the semifinals of the men’s Olympic basketball tournament, and one of the teams still standing is the three-time defending gold medalist United States. Today, we’re joined by The Athletic’s Joe Vardon — who’s in Tokyo — for the latest on Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Team USA, their biggest challengers for gold (including Luka Doncic and Slovenia), and what life is like inside the Olympic bubble.

Follow Joe Vardon’s coverage from the Tokyo Olympics: https://theathletic.com/author/joe-vardon/?source=theleadpodcast

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