The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL

Sure, you learn something new every day. But today? Today you're learning ELEVEN new things...straight from the NFL's best offenses from the 2025-26 season. What do we know now about tight end usage? What role does play action serve in an efficient offense? And what should you actually do on first downs? Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen, and old friend Nate Tice dig into all of the best lessons from last season on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

0:00 Welcome to the show

4:18 Twin tight ends

8:40 Adding layers to your offense

15:44 Creativity in motion players

23:34 “You can’t take penalties!”

28:18 Holding the quarterback’s hand

36:29 Play action is f***ing back, baby

38:39 Giving defense information pre-snap

47:00 Utilizing first downs

57:01 “Get back on track” situations

1:00:59 Respecting the deep throw

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Host: Derrik Klassen

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thank you, TAFS fans, for once again bringing the goods for another mailbag episode. You all are truly on an all-time run. And speaking of that, what are the best Linsanity-style runs in NFL history? What sorts of trades from yesteryear—think Champ Bailey and a second-round pick for Clinton Portis—would you never see in today's NFL? Where do offensive line coaches develop? Robert Mays and Dave Helman answer those questions, and more, on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Host: Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays

Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The FTN Football Almanac is as close as we have to religious text in the NFL analytics world. The 2026 version is set to drop shortly, so Robert Mays welcomed the founder of the Almanac, FTN's director of analytics Aaron Schatz, to this episode of The Athletic Football Show to highlight the most surprising nuggets from this year's edition.

0:00 Welcome to the show

2:01 Texans Super Bowl threat

12:30 2026 Super Bowl was almost impossible

18:50 Gap between Bears offense and defense

25:38 Patriots ease of schedule

32:10 Bengals, Cowboys playoff chances

38:34 Rams 13 personnel

41:36 Best/worst overside coverage corners

46:20 Jets defensive improvement

49:35 Steelers offense oddity

54:03 Jordan Love with vs without pressure

Host: Robert Mays

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nine questions answered, six more to go. On this edition of our Lingering Questions series, Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman dig into the following: The Lions are the betting favorite to win the NFC North...should they be? Can the Colts' second-half woes be explained away by Daniel Jones' injuries? Do the Chiefs really still deserve the benefit of the doubt?

0:00 Welcome to the show

2:01 Lions release Terrion Arnold

3:55 Are the Lions deserving of the optimism they're getting?

26:46 Can the Colts' woes be blamed on Daniel Jones' injury?

44:05 Do the Chiefs deserve the benefit of the doubt?

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays

Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first time in three years, Canton Court is back in session. Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman each picked two players and made Hall of Fame cases on their behalves. Who, if any, of them made it in? Find out on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

0:00 Welcome to the show

3:00 Reggie Wayne

12:07 Steve Smith Sr

24:26 Darren Woodson

34:29 Eric Berry

42:55 Marshal Yanda

51:33 Fred Taylor

1:01:19 Russell Wilson

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays

Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You read that right, TAFS listener, we’re talking special teams on today’s episode. Also, running back age vs wear and tear, what we would do as NFL Commissioner for a day, our favorite teams with losing records, the “Kyle Orton” tier of quarterbacks, and much more. Dave Helman and Derrik Klassen dive into the mailbag again on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social

Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the immortal words of John C. McGinley, “What would you say you do here?” We judge general managers and executives on free agency signings, contract negotiations, and draft classes…but what are they actually doing behind the scenes? Former Philadelphia Eagles executive Jake Rosenberg sits down with Robert Mays to discuss what a GM candidate should look like, the role of analytics in front offices, and what some NFL organizations are doing wrong with their executive structures.

0:00 Welcome to the show

1:46 Jake Rosenberg joins

4:30 What GM candidates should look like

8:48 Role of ownership

13:41 What does a GM do?

18:32 Ideal NFL team structure 

24:19 GM/owner involvement in game plans

26:11 Where should you find new GMs/execs?

30:13 How to figure out a candidate’s experience

34:50 What do you ask candidates?

40:50 Most important hires for a GM

46:50 Process of hiring coaches

50:54 Analytics vs scouting background

Host: Robert Mays

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Giants have spent a ton of resources along the defensive line in recent years, and made a splash this offseason by bringing in head coach John Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson. So, what exactly is this defense? The Texans had a Super Bowl caliber defense last season, but were ultimately let down by their previously up-and-coming quarterback. So, what happened to C.J. Stroud in 2025? The Jaguars had one of the best offenses in the NFL in the second half of last season. Was that real? Can they carry that over to 2026? Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman dive deep on those three questions on this Lingering Questions episode of The Athletic Football Show.

0:00 Welcome to the show

7:09 What is the New York Giants defense?

25:32 Wtf happened to CJ Stroud?

54:19 Was the Jacksonville Jaguars offensive ascension for real?

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays

Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're firmly in the Remember Some Guys period of the NFL calendar, and what better way to do so than with the Hall of Very Good? You kinda-sorta know a Hall of Very Good player when you see one, but we followed two loose rules when putting this episode together. First, if a player ever advanced to the semifinalist stage in Hall of Fame voting, he was too good to be in the Hall of Very Good. Second, he had to immediately conjure memories of legitimate peaks. Check both those boxes, and you're a Hall of Very Good candidate. So who made the 2026 class? Allow Robert Mays, Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman to walk you down memory lane on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

0:00 Welcome to the show

6:29 Ryan Kerrigan

11:39 Tamba Hali

16:02 Matt Forte

19:19 Warrick Dunn

24:43 Thomas Davis

29:38 Michael Bennett

35:16 Stephen Davis

40:28 Mike Iupati

43:27 Snacks Harrison

48:03 D'Brickashaw Ferguson

51:12 Sean Lee

57:35 Jordy Nelson

1:03:07 Reggie Nelson

1:04:49 Rapid fire additions

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Hosts: Derrik Klassen and Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Derrik on Bluesky: @qbklass.bsky.social

Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays

Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some topics are evergreen in the NFL. And some are so perfect for mid-June that it would be a crime not to discuss them. That’s where this week’s Mailbag Monday episode takes us…what are the best 3-year player peaks you’ve ever seen? What are the best single-season teams to never win a Super Bowl? What aspects of player performance still can’t be measured by stats? Robert Mays and Dave Helman discuss that and much more on this episode of The Athletic Football Show.

0:00 Welcome to the show

2:56 Teams with the best weak link

7:58 Value of mythically elite kicker/punter

13:29 Defensive players that scheme relies on

19:45 Best 3-year player peaks

31:29 Best teams not to win a Super Bowl

36:42 Value of veteran qb vs churn of new ones

44:12 Myles Garrett vs Jared Verse

49:32 Statistics we still need

54:46 Choosing OC over head coach

Host: Robert Mays

Co-Host: Dave Helman

Executive Producer: Michael Beller

Senior Producer: Katy Duffy

Social Producer: Scott Krinch

Follow Robert on Bluesky: @robertmays.bsky.social

Follow Dave on Bluesky: @davehelman.bsky.social

Follow Robert on X: @RobertMays

Follow Dave on X: @DaveHelman_

Theme song: Haunted

Written by Dylan Slocum, Trevor Dietrich, Ruben Duarte, Kyle McAulay, and Meredith VanWoert / Performed by Spanish Love Songs

Courtesy of Pure Noise / By arrangement with Bank Robber Music, LLC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.