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Weight checks, trash talk and playoff dreams collide on Episode 14 of The Inner Circle Podcast for an hour that feels like hanging in the locker room after a win.

The guys open with the scale – literally. AD reveals he’s back near his playing weight on a one-meal-a-day routine, triggering a hilarious deep dive into NFL weigh-ins, “golden gobbler” Thanksgiving awards, weight clauses, fines, and the very real mind games players have with that number on Tuesday mornings. Matt explains how veterans earn the right to play at “their” weight, while Todd breaks down how contracts and guarantees quietly shape those decisions behind the scenes.

From there, they pivot to the field: Dak’s Cowboys, statement wins over the Eagles and Chiefs, and whether momentum is real or just talk. Matt and AD take listeners inside a short week in the NFL — the walkthrough pace, IVs, cold tubs, late-night installs and why Thursday nights feel so different when the lights finally come on.

The crew then dives into Adam Thielen’s late-career bid to chase a ring after being waived by the Vikings: where loyalty ends, business begins, and how vets quietly line up landing spots before asking out. That leads seamlessly into “the art of trash talking” — from Spitgate, “I’ll take your mom to seafood dinner,” and Jeffrey Simmons’ fury, to what really happens at the bottom of piles and why the best chirps never leave the field.

They close on playoff positioning, why nobody’s terrified of the No. 1-seed Bears just yet, AD’s bold Micah Parsons Defensive Player of the Year call, a Chicago vs. New York pizza fight, and a running bit about everyone’s “official” show weigh-in. Football, ego, pain and comedy — all in one episode. Thanks for the love and we appreciate your support!

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Super Bowl–winning head coach Jon Gruden jumps into the Inner Circle for a no-BS masterclass in real football. At 62, he’s still living like an NFL coach.. in the office early, two servers full of tape, grading quarterbacks on feet, decisions and every throw. and he’s not shy about what’s gone wrong with today’s game.

Gruden and Matt go deep on what truly separates great quarterbacks from the rest: protections, communication and timing. They tie Rich Gannon’s late-career breakout in Oakland to what we’re seeing now from Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones — and why fit, coaching and system can either bury a QB or unlock him. Gruden breaks down his famous R-C-E mantra (Recognize, Communicate, Execute), trashes lazy pass protection, and explains why he hates wristband quarterbacks and RPOs being labeled “play-action.”

Then it’s Aaron Donald time. Gruden calls AD’s Senior Bowl “the greatest I’ve ever seen,” compares him to Reggie White and Warren Sapp, and jokes teams should call him “Burger King” because “he has it his way” with offensive guards. AD answers with how he studied formations, exploited tendencies, handled double and triple teams, and why the game slowed down once he mastered film.

AD also pulls back the curtain on Sean McVay’s arrival in L.A. — accountability, every detail buttoned up, the standard for stars and rookies exactly the same. Matt counters with how switching his footwork in Atlanta helped fuel his MVP season and why learning the pass game under center still matters in a shotgun world.

Plus: leadership, healthy friction between great QBs and demanding coaches, and an instant-classic Bill Cowher beer story from a military trip to Iraq. Football junkies will live in this episode.

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From Pittsburgh to pure chaos across the NFL, this episode of The Inner Circle is a ride.

We open with Aaron Donald going home: Pitt rolls out the red carpet, his jersey hits the rafters, he jumps on College GameDay, and yes… the shirt comes off. AD gets real about being overlooked in high school — only three offers, Pitt, Toledo and Akron — and what it felt like seeing that banner drop: “I never dreamed that big… it all came from just working my ass off.”

Then we pivot hard to the moment lighting up the league: Jamar Chase spitting at Jalen Ramsey. The crew doesn’t sugarcoat it. “You don’t spit on anybody,” and “that’s the ultimate disrespect,” AD says, while Todd breaks down how a one-game suspension plus per-game active bonuses turns that loogie into hundreds of thousands of dollars lost.

Matt and AD take listeners onto the field with a brutally honest grass vs. turf debate, reacting to the futuristic hybrid surface in Madrid and explaining why Mondays hurt a lot more after turf games.

We hit Lane Johnson’s injury and what losing an elite right tackle really does to an offense. Matt ranks O-line positions, explains why tackles are king, and how game plans quietly shift to protect a weak link.

Plus: Shador Sanders’ zero reps with the ones, why that’s actually normal in today’s NFL, the accountability message behind benching CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, AD’s “I’ll tell you when you’re bad and when you’re good” apology to the Dallas defense, and his Defensive Player of the Week love — including an ode to Rams punter Ethan Evans as a secret weapon.

As always, please comment, share, 'like' and tell a friend. Much love and thanks for your support... The Inner Circle