Early Kickoff Problems, Bears Stadium Debate, Tanking & Backup QB Development | Mailbag
3 and Out with John Middlekauff
iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
4.8 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 22 May 2026
⏱️ 69 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of 3 & Out, John Middlekauff opens up the mailbag to tackle some of the biggest conversations around the NFL.
John discusses the ongoing issues with early NFL kickoffs and why players, teams, and fans continue to debate the impact of scheduling on performance and viewership. He also dives into the Bears’ new stadium discussion and what the future could look like for one of the league’s iconic franchises.
Plus, a closer look at international travel in the NFL and how overseas games affect teams, preparation, and player recovery throughout the season.
John also breaks down the reality of tanking in the NFL—why it’s harder to pull off in football compared to other sports and whether teams actually benefit from trying to lose.
And with home-field advantage still playing a major role across the league, John explains why certain environments continue to matter more than others. He also discusses the importance of developing backup quarterbacks and why organizations that consistently build depth at the position give themselves a major edge.
Follow John on Twitter, and Instagram for the latest.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.5 | Guaranteed human. |
| 0:05.2 | The volume. |
| 0:19.5 | What is going on, my people? How are we doing? I'm John, this Therina podcast. Happy Fugazi Friday. Happy Memorial Day weekend. I said, you know what? Let's just do a big, big mailbag. At John Middlecough, at John Middlecough. Is the Instagram firing those DMs? |
| 0:38.7 | We will, uh, we're going to be off for a couple days. |
| 0:41.0 | Spend some time with the family. |
| 0:43.4 | I owe it to her after taking off last week for three days, play golf. |
| 0:47.5 | And, uh, just lounge around with my family. |
| 0:49.7 | So we're going to have nothing on Monday or Tuesday. |
| 0:53.3 | And we'll be back at it on Wednesday. |
| 0:56.0 | So enjoy your long weekend, have a few cocktails, have fun with your family, maybe some |
| 1:02.4 | barbecue. |
| 1:03.5 | Do whatever you do. |
| 1:04.6 | But I'm going to take a couple days, and I will be back in the middle of next week, at |
| 1:09.3 | least as a game plan, something could always change if something gets crazy because |
| 1:12.7 | kind of the business we're in. |
| 1:14.0 | But that is not the plan is to take a couple days and refresh and mainly help around the |
| 1:20.7 | house with the baby. |
| 1:22.6 | But other than that, you guys know the drill. |
| 1:25.0 | Subscribe to the podcast wherever you may listen. |
| 1:28.1 | And if you listen on Collins' feed, |
| 1:29.1 | make sure you subscribe to Three and Out podcast at her feed. |
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