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The Inner Circle is back for the first show of 2026 — and it’s loaded.

It's a wide-ranging, behind-the-curtain episode that hits the two biggest engines in football right now: the NFL postseason grind and the chaos of modern college “free agency.” First, AD breaks down the debate every contender faces in Week 18: rest vs. rust. Using the Eagles as the jumping-off point, he explains how players feel when coaches sit starters, why veteran teams handle it differently than young rosters, and what matters more once you’re “in the dance” — seedings, travel, or simply being healthy and ready to roll.

From there, the conversation turns to incentives and the uncomfortable reality that business decisions can clash with personal milestones. Todd details how those conversations actually happen when a player is sitting just short of a bonus, and AD adds a blunt, hilarious perspective on what changes when the incentive is truly life-changing.

Then it’s time for flowers: AD gives major respect to Myles Garrett’s monster sack season, including the nuance of doing it on a team that wasn’t winning, the “asterisk” talk around 17 games, and why he believes production is production in today’s NFL.

Finally, Todd takes listeners inside his wildest season: NIL + the transfer portal. He explains what it’s like getting flooded with calls from GMs, coaches, and staffers, why “NIL” has basically become college free agency, and how many reported deals are structured in ways fans don’t realize. Zach and Todd even play a rapid-fire “cost of doing business” game by position — from quarterbacks to edge rushers to offensive tackles — and Todd makes it clear: the real numbers can be jaw-dropping.

Plus, a fascinating look ahead at the NFL Draft pipeline: training facilities, combine prep, speed work, interview prep, and what prospects don’t know until they live it.

Appreciate you being part of the Inner Circle family and thanks for listening!

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ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit (“Herbie”) joins The Inner Circle for a wide-ranging, funny, and surprisingly personal conversation about what it really takes to stay elite in sports media for three decades and why preparation is still his “superpower.”

We open with a full-circle moment: Aaron Donald brings up the Herbie trophy Kirk sent him after AD’s monster 2013 season at Pitt, and the guys have some fun reliving it—before Matt Ryan jumps in with a classic gripe: “Hold on… when did these Herbies start? Because I never got one.”

Kirk breaks down his non-stop grind—Saturday night ABC primetime, quick turnaround into Thursday Night Football prep, then back to College GameDay and another ESPN/ABC marquee game. It’s Zooms with coaches, film study, producers asking for tape, and a constant mental switch between NFL and college—because if he’s awake, he’s preparing.

Matt digs into the craft: studio analyst vs. game analyst, how you compartmentalize prep, and why there’s an art to being critical without being malicious. Kirk gets real about the direction of sports TV—how loud, clickbait culture has changed the industry—and draws a hard line: he’ll never tear people down just to go viral. Instead, he explains how to critique a QB who threw picks by telling the truth through the lens of what the defense did.

We also get college-football-tour gold: Kirk compares NFL vs. college energy, shouts out towns like Athens and Oxford, and shares some favorite “off-the-beaten-path” GameDay stops (hello, Fargo). The episode closes on a warm note with Matt sharing why Kirk’s support during his twins’ birth meant so much—plus a holiday sign-off from the whole crew.

Happy holidays and much love from the Inner Circle!

https://www.youtube.com/@TheInnerCirclePod

https://open.spotify.com/show/2HYa5USGooRmeXxKKGyT0l?si=4a20e67b0b864b8b

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-inner-circle/id1837695806

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This week on The Inner Circle Podcast, the crew hits on the real stuff that defines an NFL season: timing, health, and the thin line between “next man up” and “everything just changed.”

We open with the brutal injury news rocking the league — headlined by Patrick Mahomes’ torn ACL and Micah Parsons going down at the worst possible time. Aaron Donald and Matt Ryan break down what those losses do beyond the stat sheet: the immediate hit to a locker room’s confidence, the ripple effect on coaches trying to adjust a game plan overnight, and the pressure it puts on everyone else to “do a little bit more.” Todd France adds the roster-building reality from a GM/agent lens — how depth gets tested, how teams actually evaluate medical timelines now, and why a clean ACL today is viewed differently than it was a decade ago.

Then the conversation turns into a fascinating “could he really?” debate: Philip Rivers coming off the couch to play — 1,800 days after his last start — and what that says about relationships, terminology, and having the right plan. That sparks Todd’s question for Matt: could he do it for one game? Matt gives an honest, hilarious, and surprisingly human answer about the difference between being in shape and being game-ready.

We also dig into the league-wide rash of major injuries — ACLs, Achilles, calf issues — and whether it’s just football being football or something bigger. From cleats to surfaces to data tracking, the guys pull back the curtain on what teams are actually doing to keep players healthy (and why the sport still demands a physical price).

Plus: a funny, relatable detour into memorabilia and family life, where game balls and helmets somehow end up as kids’ toys — and AD tells the story of the “touchdown” that got taken away… even though the ball still lives in his house.

Tap in, hit like and subscribe, and join the Inner Circle fam. Thanks as always for the live and taking the time to listen

https://www.youtube.com/@TheInnerCirclePod

https://open.spotify.com/show/2HYa5USGooRmeXxKKGyT0l?si=4a20e67b0b864b8b

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-inner-circle/id1837695806