Episode Details

Coach and Company is back with a loaded Friday show as Simply The Coach, Mikey P, and Soupy dive headfirst into the 2026 NFL season countdown with a full breakdown of the AFC East. The guys open with their thoughts on the return of college football, a wild week of NFL preseason action, and the return of betting segments to the show. Coach also shares his three best bets for Round 2 of the Tour Championship at East Lake.

The conversation heats up with a deep dive into the Las Vegas Raiders' quarterback situation, where rookie Fernando Mendoza continues to push veteran Kirk Cousins for the starting job. The crew debates whether head coach Klint Kubiak is playing games with the media or if there's a genuine competition brewing. Then it's on to Pittsburgh, where Mike McCarthy made headlines by suggesting all four Steelers quarterbacks — Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Drew Allar — could make the roster. The guys break down why that might actually make sense for a team preparing for life after Rodgers.

The show also covers the Rams' surprising trade to bring back Tutu Atwell from the Dolphins in exchange for Jarquez Hunter, and what it means for a Los Angeles team with Super Bowl aspirations but questions behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. Plus, the ACC becomes the final Power Four conference to ban former professional athletes from returning to college sports, closing a loophole that had the college football world buzzing.

Finally, the main event: a full AFC East preview. The Patriots enter 2026 as the hunted for the first time in the post-Belichick era after their surprising run to the AFC Championship. Can Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel repeat, or will Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills finally get over the hump? The guys also discuss whether the New York Jets, with Aaron Glenn and Geno Smith, can be frisky enough to hit their over, and why the Miami Dolphins — now led by Malik Willis — might be in for a brutal season. The show wraps with a hilarious look at a fantasy football league that determined its draft order by testosterone levels.

Timestamps

•[00:00] Show intro, weekend preview, and college football Week Zero excitement

•[05:22] Coach's three best bets for Round 2 of the Tour Championship

•[07:09] Fernando Mendoza and the Raiders' QB competition with Kirk Cousins

•[10:24] Mike McCarthy says all four Steelers quarterbacks could make the roster —

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