Remember the angry sun in “Super Mario Bros. 3,” swooping out of the sky and attacking you in the desert? That was pretty much the weather report in the midwest that day.
Chase Daniel, the Luigi to my Mario, was melting. He’d worn a white collared shirt, classy and professional when we arrived. But with showtime minutes away after a long wait on the sizzling red carpet, he was drenched in sweat, his look more suited for a spring break wet t-shirt contest circa 1998.
It was ring ceremony night for the Kansas City Chiefs and their biggest stars were there for the celebration, from Patrick Mahomes to Andy Reid to Taylor Swift’s boyfriend. We had been granted a couple exclusive sitdowns for “Scoop City,” our new podcast. As the players and coaches began making their way toward our cameras and microphones, Chase repeatedly asked me (not unlike the way my 2-year-old, Mikey, asks me to watch him play with a toy garbage truck): “Look! Look! Look! Does it look that bad?”
I started to panic, concerned that my podcast co-host wasn’t going to be able to lock in when the red light came on. Chase played 14 NFL seasons as a backup quarterback for seven different teams, including Reid’s Chiefs, and has more football knowledge in his pinky than the average person will ever contain — but maybe we were about to learn that the other side of the microphone wasn’t for him.
Spoiler alert: I was wrong.
That’s the thing about professional athletes, they aren’t like you and me. They are performers at the highest levels. They thrive under pressure. They have an insatiable thirst for achievement and success. Our interviews with players from every position, along with coaches like Reid, Steve Spagnuolo, and Matt Nagy, and even owner Clark Hunt and his wife Tavia, were genuinely enlightening. Chase was the driver, and each person was drawn not only to his intellect, which provided us with a wealth of unique insights into the people who play the game, but his spirit.
At one point, Reid pulled me aside to tell me that Chase was not only one of the smartest players in the game but a kind professional and dedicated teammate, adding “You are going to learn from him.”
I already am, and you will too.
“Scoop City,” hosted by Chase and me, will drop a new episode every Tuesday and Friday, starting July 16. Each show will be packed with information about the NFL delivered via fun, free-wheeling conversation. We want to tell fans what people inside the NFL are talking about — we’ll often have them on the show to provide you with insights directly. As the senior NFL Insider, I collect information and relay the freshest news. On the show we’ll take that intel and move the conversation forward with the help of Chase’s unique experience and obsessive upkeep with the game.
While we are both passionate about football, Chase is a father to three kids under the age of 6, and I’m a mother to a 1- and 2-year-old. Like you, we face real-life challenges that have nothing to do with our jobs. We want to take you into our lives and share how we (try to) balance it all, while enjoying the ride.
Have you ever been to Scoop City? We promise you’ll love your new NFL podcast home.
You can listen to Scoop City for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you usually get your podcasts. Don’t forget to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.
(Illustration by James Clapham for The Athletic)