The Bill Simmons Podcast

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to discuss the up-and-down wild-card weekend (5:00), the Falcons' big upset (10:00), Blake Bortles's unmatched badness (14:00), Cam Newton's comeback effort (18:00), Jon Gruden's goodbye (24:00), Titans-Pats (29:00), Falcons-Eagles (35:00), Jaguars-Steelers (39:00), Saints-Vikings (42:00), House's defense of taking the Chiefs moneyline (46:30), and another edition of "Parent Corner" (1:01:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by New York radio legend Mike Francesa to discuss the leaked news regarding the New England Patriots trading away Jimmy Garoppolo (2:10), evaluate Jon Gruden’s imminent return to the NFL (18:45), debate the likelihood of Bill Belichick taking another job (23:30), and give their NFL picks for this weekend (36:33). Then, Bill calls his dad to get a Boston resident’s perspective on the Patriots story (48:10) and the Celtics’ dominant season thus far (61:45). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by comedian and star of HBO's 'Crashing,' Pete Holmes, to discuss his start in comedy, his favorite conspiracy theories (11:00), why roasts are therapeutic (22:00), the art vs. the person (28:00), the premise behind 'Crashing' (33:00), New York's stand-up scene (46:00), recording with Garry Shandling (55:00), Aaron Rodgers's UFO obsession (1:03:00), the power of boredom (1:12:00), and finding the weirdness with podcasts (1:20:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to discuss the battle for the 6-seed in the AFC (5:00), Andy Dalton's clutch TD for the Bills (9:00), the terrible Titans (13:00), Jon Gruden's potential new gig (16:00), the best teams against the spread in the regular season (28:00), Titans-Chiefs (34:00), Falcons-Rams (41:00), Bills-Jaguars (47:00), Panthers-Saints (51:00), and another edition of "Parent Corner" (1:05:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined again by New York radio legend Mike Francesa to recap last week’s NFL picks (2:23) and offer up picks for Week 17 (19:06). Then, The Ringer's Kevin O’Connor joins to discuss precocious NBA rookies (28:17) and the Oklahoma City Thunder trending upwards (31:28); former NFL linebacker Chris Borland and The Ringer’s Kevin Clark come on to debate the factors that hinder player safety in football (35:33); and The Ringer’s Mark Titus and Tate Frazier sit down to consider a hypothetical college basketball rivalry (43:39). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson and Ringer editor-in-chief Sean Fennessey to discuss the changing landscape of selling movies (10:00), dropping out of college to pursue filmmaking dreams (20:00), working with Burt Reynolds (35:00), the art form of DVD commentary (45:00), the comedic genius of Adam Sandler (54:00), the intense setting while shooting 'The Master' (1:07:00), and writing scripts on Microsoft Word (1:18:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to discuss the end of the Cowboys’ playoff hopes after their loss to the Seahawks (2:40), Jimmy Garoppolo’s continuing success as a 49er (5:40), and the gambling implications of the Eagles’ fourth-quarter field goal (11:00). Then they guess Week 17 lines (37:20) and share a very special Christmas edition of Parent Corner (1:06:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by legendary New York sports radio host Mike Francesa to discuss Jimmy Garoppolo's setup in San Francisco (5:00), Eli Manning's offensive line problem (12:00), Matt Ryan's down year (19:00), picks for Week 16 (32:00), Detroit's quiet season (40:00), and Super Bowl odds (45:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by The Ringer's editor-at-large, Bryan Curtis, to discuss John Skipper's decision to step down at ESPN and Skipper's lasting legacy at the company. Then, Stratechery's Ben Thompson joins (32:00) to give his thoughts on Disney's most recent acquisition and who's competing in the tech space with Netflix. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to discuss the crazy Pats-Steelers finish (6:00), Todd Gurley's dominant performance in Seattle (15:00), Jimmy G's new groove with the Niners (21:00), the Ravens' playoff chances (36:00), the top NFC contenders (44:00), the Seahawks' struggles (57:00), the NFL games on Christmas Day (1:01:00), and another edition of "Parent Corner" (1:05:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by his dad for his first full podcast, to talk the best and worst of Boston sports (2:50). Then, The Ringer's Kevin Clark stops by to talk Jimmy G, the AFC playoffs, and growing up a tortured Orlando Magic fan (22:50). Finally, The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor calls in to discuss some of the trades that shaped this NBA season, Russell Westbrook's off-ball play, the trade deadline, and way-too early NBA Finals talk (54:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by his old buddy JackO to discuss the Yankees trading for slugger Giancarlo Stanton (5:00), Derek Jeter's secret agent status (12:00), the state of the Miami Marlins (17:00), the renewal of the Red Sox–Yankees rivalry (21:00), Shohei Ohtani signing with the Angels (27:00), Mike Francesa's farewell (35:00), and the chance Holy Cross changes its mascot's name (42:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to discuss their fantasy football showdown (5:00), Carson Wentz's injury (11:00), Derek Carr's struggles (21:00), the holiday shopping showdown (33:00), Keenan Allen's comeback (39:00), Ravens-Browns (47:00), Winston vs. Mariota (54:00), Raiders-Cowboys (59:00), and another edition of "Parent Corner" (1:02:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Bryan Curtis and The Wall Street Journal's Jason Gay to talk podcasts and journalism in 2017 (2:08), reinventing studio sports shows (27:15), the 2018 World Cup and Winter Olympics (55:55), and how millennials can break into sports media today (66:40). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Bryan Cranston to discuss his first big break (5:00), Erik Estrada's ego during 'Chips' (12:00), Larry David's comedy bootcamp (23:30), playing a TV dad on 'Malcolm in the Middle' (32:00), dealing with fame (43:00), the importance of streaming with 'Breaking Bad' (54:00), and working with Richard Linklater (1:04:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to discuss Gronk's cheap shot (4:15), the Music City Miracle 2.0, (8:20), feeling sorry for Eli Manning (23:30), Jimmy Garoppolo and Bill’s new favorite NFC team (27:05), the goofy playoff picture (33:55), Week 14 lines (39:40), and another edition of Parent Corner (67:12). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr to discuss Draymond's chances of winning 'Survivor' (6:00), the one-and-done rule (15:00), the art of taking plays from other coaches (30:30), and the difference between winning a title as a player and as a coach (44:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr to discuss the modern NBA player (6:00), deciding against taking the Knicks job (15:00), Jordan's competitiveness in practice (20:00), getting rid of excessive replay reviews (27:00), Jordan's flu game (35:00), and Jeff Van Gundy's two-knucklehead theory (42:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to discuss the struggles of the Cowboys and "The Clapper" (5:00), Carson Wentz vs. Tom Brady MVP odds (14:00), the playoff picture (19:00), Alvin Kamara's ROY campaign (26:00), the chances the Cowboys bring back Tony Romo (33:00), the number of bad coaches in the NFL (40:00), the Blake Bortles gambit (48:00), the Rams' dominant offense (54:00), and another edition of "Parent Corner" (1:03:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal dish out potentially problematic parenting advice and share stories from their times as dads. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices