Cohen's Corner

Michael is joined by San Francisco 49ers kicker Robbie Gould, who is now the longest-tenured kicker in the National Football League at 38 years old. A former walk-on at Penn State, Robbie entered the league as an undrafted free agent before catching on with the Chicago Bears in 2005. Over the next 11 years, Robbie entrenched himself as one of the best kickers in the league by making the Pro Bowl, being named an All-Pro, guiding the Bears to a Super Bowl appearance and finishing his time in Chicago as the franchise's all-time leading scorer. Robbie has continued to find success in San Francisco, where he made a career-high 39 field goals in 2017 and was named second-team All-Pro by Pro Football Focus. In total, Robbie has had 13 seasons with five or fewer missed field goals and ranks 11th all time in field goals made. Off the field, Robbie has raised more than $3 million for charitable causes through his foundation, The Goulden Touch.

Michael is joined by former Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions defensive end Cliff Avril, who developed into one of the better pass rushers in the league before a neck injury cut his career short in 2017. A former third-round pick by the Lions, Avril endured the ultimate high and ultimate low of life in the NFL: He won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks in 2013; and he endured an 0-16 season with the Lions during his rookie season in 2008. Along the way, Avril earned the reputation of a ball-hawking defensive end who finished with 74 career sacks and 30 forced fumbles across 10 seasons. Now retired, Avril and his family remained in Seattle where they spend much of their time giving back to the community through the Cliff Avril Family Foundation.

Michael is joined by former Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Tamba Hali, whose story ventures far beyond the confines of his sport. In football, Hali was an All-American defensive end at Penn State and a first-round pick by the Chiefs in 2006. He spent his entire career in Kansas City and developed into one of the best pass rushers in the league, evidenced by six consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl (2010-15) and two seasons in which he was named second-team All-Pro (2011, 2013). Off the field, Hali has focused his philanthropic efforts toward his native Liberia, where he helped create a clinic during the Ebola crisis and is now working toward the construction of a school. Hali also has his own record label, Relumae Records, where he showcases his own songs and also works with prominent artists and producers from Africa. 

Michael is joined by longtime offensive coordinator Norm Chow, whose remarkable career began as a high school coach in Hawaii and has spanned some 50 years. Regarded as an elite offensive mind, Chow won three national titles at the collegiate level (BYU, USC x2) and in 2002 he received the prestigious Broyles Award given to the country's top assistant coach. Chow has tutored three Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks — Ty Detmer, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart — and also coached a handful more of the game's greatest QBs: Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Philip Rivers, Steve McNair and Vince Young, to name a few. His career featured stops at BYU, N.C. State, USC, the Tennessee Titans, UCLA, Utah, Hawaii (head coach) and, most recently, the XFL prior to the pandemic. Tune in for a rollicking conversation.

Michael is joined by ESPN and CBS play-by-play broadcaster Beth Mowins, who became the first woman to call a national NFL broadcast when she was part of the Monday Night Football season opener in 2017. Mowins earned her master's degree in communications from Syracuse University in 1990 and joined ESPN four years later. Her work at ESPN has included broadcasts of college basketball, college football, softball, soccer, volleyball and the NFL. A terrific athlete in her own right, Mowins was a D-1 point guard and 1,000-point scorer at Lafayette College.

Michael is joined by Heisman Trophy winner and former New York Knicks point guard Charlie Ward, who is regarded as one of the best all-around athletes of his generation. Ward starred at Florida State in the early 1990s and led the Seminoles to a national championship on the football field and the Elite Eight on the basketball court. He was also drafted by both the Milwaukee Brewers and the New York Yankees despite not playing baseball in college. The Knicks selected Ward with the 26th pick in the 1994 NBA Draft, and he helped guide them to seven consecutive postseason appearances and one trip to the NBA Finals.

Michael is joined by former Miami Dolphins and Auburn Tigers running back Ronnie Brown. A native of Georgia, Brown was a two-time All-SEC performer at Auburn and helped lead the Tigers to a perfect 13-0 season in 2004. Brown was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft and would go on to play 10 years in the league for the Dolphins, Eagles, Chargers and Texans. He rushed for a career-high 1,008 yards in 2006 and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2008 when he rushed for 916 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. Brown also served as the Dolphins' wildcat quarterback alongside fellow running back Ricky Williams as that formation took the league by storm in '08. 

Michael is joined by Arkansas men's basketball coach Eric Musselman, who guided the Razorbacks to a 20-12 record in his first year with the program last season. Musselman, 55, is the former head coach of the Golden State Warriors (2002-04), the Sacramento Kings (2006-07) and the University of Nevada (2015-19). He also worked as an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic (1998-2000), the Atlanta Hawks (2000-02) and the Memphis Grizzlies (2004-06). His international basketball resume includes stints as head coach of the Dominican Republic and Venezuelan national teams. Eric is the son of former Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Bill Musselman.

Michael is joined by Packers digital reporter Wes Hodkiewicz for a behind-the-scenes look at what's happening inside Lambeau Field during a time when access to the building is restricted due to COVID-19. Having previously covered the Packers for the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Hodkiewicz offers terrific insight into how the organization prepared for the 2020 season and what daily life looks like for players, coaches and staff in this unprecedented NFL campaign.

Michael is joined by sports broadcaster and play-by-play man Kevin Harlan, the son of former Green Bay Packers president and CEO Bob Harlan. From his calls of the NFL and college basketball on CBS to his radio broadcasts of Monday Night Football on Westwood One to his coverage of the NBA for TNT, Kevin's voice and energy have become ubiquitous with some of sports biggest moments. Join Michael and Kevin for behind-the-scenes stories from the NFL and NBA, a deep dive into the art of broadcasting and some tremendous insight into the modern rebirth of the Packers.

Michael is joined by Bleacher Report's NFL features writer Tyler Dunne, whose longform stories have become must-read material for football fans around the country. Michael and Tyler went to college together at Syracuse University and both covered the Green Bay Packers for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where Michael followed in Tyler's footsteps. Join them for a discussion about reporting methods, the fate of this year's NFL season and Tyler's recent stories on Jameis Winston, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Marquise "Hollywood" Brown.

Michael is joined by former Bills and Jets defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman, who worked alongside head coach Rex Ryan with both franchises from 2008-16. Thurman, who starred at safety for Southern California, played nine seasons at cornerback for the Cowboys and Cardinals before entering coaching in 1988. He developed a terrific reputation for mentoring defensive backs during his years as a secondary coach in both college football (USC) and the NFL (Ravens and Jets) prior to becoming a coordinator. His pupils have included Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, Chris McAlister, Samari Rolle, Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, among others. Thurman appeared in one Super Bowl as a player and reached a total of six conference championship games during his career.

Michael is joined by basketball trainer Rob McClanaghan, whose private workout business with some of the sports's biggest stars has made him one of the more influential people in NBA circles. A former walk-on at Syracuse, Rob's client list now includes Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love. He's also worked with Anthony Davis, James Harden, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and many more of the league's elite. Tune in for a discussion about player development, star power and what makes some of the NBA's best truly great.

Michael is joined by former heavyweight boxing champion Lou Savarese, who fought some of the biggest names in the sport: Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Buster Douglas and Riddick Bowe. A two-time New York Golden Gloves champion as an amateur, Savarese reeled off 36 consecutive victories to begin his professional career and went on to win both the WBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight title and the IBA Heavyweight title. Savarese, who also dabbled in acting and made a cameo appearance on The Sopranos, retired from fighting in 2007 with a record of 46 wins (38 KOs) and 7 losses. 

Michael is joined by former New York Giants offensive lineman Chris Snee, a two-time Super Bowl champion and the son-in-law of coach Tom Coughlin. Snee entrenched himself at right guard for the duration of his career (2004-13), all of which was spent with the Giants, and developed into one of the best players in the league at his position. He earned four trips to the Pro Bowl (2008-10, 2012) and was named to three All-Pro teams (2008-10), including a first-team All-Pro honor in 2008. Revered for his toughness, Snee made 101 consecutive starts from 2005-11 and anchored a unit responsible for protecting quarterback Eli Manning.

Michael is joined by former Carolina Panthers safety Mike Minter, who is now the head coach at FCS Campbell University in North Carolina. A former second-round pick out of Nebraska, Minter was an ironman for the Panthers who retired as the franchise leader in tackles, starts and consecutive starts following a 10-year career from 1997-2006. After football, Minter considered running for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2009 before turning his attention to coaching. Minter has been the head coach at Campbell since 2012 and has put together three consecutive winning seasons. He organized the school's first-ever Pro Day in 2016 that attracted 19 NFL scouts.

Michael is joined by Packers legend LeRoy Butler, who was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this year. A second-round pick in 1990, Butler developed into one of the best safeties in the league and would later be named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the '90s. Butler made the Pro Bowl four times during his 12 years in Green Bay (1990-2001) and was also named first-team All-Pro in each of those seasons. Tune in for some incredible stories about Butler's journey from the projects of Jacksonville to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

Michael is joined by legendary defensive mastermind Wade Phillips, whose career in the NFL has spanned five decades. Phillips, 73, served most recently as defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams (2017-19) but his resume includes stints with the Houston Oilers, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos (twice), Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans. He compiled a head coaching record of 82-64 (.562) and reached the playoffs in five of his nine seasons as a head coach for the Broncos, Bills and Cowboys. Phillips was the architect for one of the best defenses in NFL history when the Broncos won the Super Bowl in 2015. 

Michael is joined by former Chicago Bulls small forward Scott Burrell, who was a role player alongside Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen during the 1997-98 season chronicled in the documentary The Last Dance. Burrell, who starred at the University of Connecticut, remains the only athlete to be drafted in the first round for multiple professional sports leagues: as a pitcher by the Seattle Mariners in 1989 and as a wing player for the Charlotte Hornets in 1993. Burrell is now the head men's basketball coach at Southern Connecticut State University.