Sep 1, 2026 · 1h 42m
Taurasi and McShay test football futures and the WNBA’s next era
Make-or-Break NFL QBs, a CFB Preview, and the WNBA Renaissance With Todd McShay and Diana Taurasi
The episode connects high-stakes quarterback evaluations with a firsthand account of how women’s basketball has changed on court and off it.
- 1McShay and Simmons frame C.J. Stroud, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., and Bryce Young as quarterbacks facing defining seasons.
- 2The Rams and Seahawks emerge as NFC favorites while a deep college quarterback and receiver class raises the stakes for the next draft.
- 3Diana Taurasi links the WNBA’s faster, more visible present to playoff strategy, elite preparation, coaching culture, and retirement.
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The brief
Todd McShay and Bill Simmons begin with the NFL’s contender map, weighing roster depth, coaching, schedules, and quarterback play from New England to Los Angeles.
The central football tension is uncertainty at quarterback: C.J. Stroud, Drake Maye, Michael Penix Jr., and Bryce Young all face seasons that could redefine their trajectories.
McShay then turns to a loaded college class, highlighting Dante Moore, Arch Manning, Nico Iamaleava, Jeremiah Smith, and Cam Coleman as draft-shaping talents.
Diana Taurasi describes the WNBA’s evolution from a physical, center-led league into a faster guard-driven game with more threes, scoring, and visibility.
Her reflections on Kobe Bryant, retirement, Pat Summitt, and demanding coaching make the episode’s broader argument: growth changes the game, not the cost of mastery.
Featuring
Diana Taurasi
Joe Burrow
C. J. Stroud
National Football League
A'ja Wilson
Nico IamaleavaListen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.