The “Necessary Roughness Podcast” airs weekly on lastwordradio.podbean.com, and other LastWordRadio outlets.
|| Current Season (2025-26)|| 2024-25|| 2023-24|| 2022-23 ||
|| 2021-22 || 2020-21 || 2019-2020 || 2018-19 || 2017-18 ||
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 53): Super Bowl 53 Recap! Plus, Why Debating the NFL’s G.O.A.T is Tricky
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic breaks down Super Bowl LIII. He also weighs in on which team would be the best fit for Nick Foles, talks about why he thinks the Rams will be back next year, and admits he is at least curious about the Alliance of American Football, or AAF. Enjoy the show and join us on March 16th for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 52): Super Bowl LIII Preview! Plus, Why this Super Bowl is Poised to be a Memorable One
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic previews Super Bowl LIII. He also gives his picks for the NFL’s seasonal awards, touches on how this Rams postseason run evokes memories of the beginning of the Patriots dynasty, and wonders how Tom Brady was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXVI with under 200 passing yards. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 51): NFL Championship Weekend Breakdown! Plus, Why the Saints Need to Stop Complaining
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic breaks down the NFC and AFC Championship games and starts to look ahead towards Super Bowl LIII. He also discusses how a penalty challenge system sounds promising but may not work, touches on why the Chiefs made the right move hiring Steve Spagnuolo over Rex Ryan, and wonders if it’s even possible to make the NFL Pro Bowl more successful. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 50): NFL Championship Weekend Preview! Plus, Why the Patriots Dominated the Chargers
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL Championship Round matchups. He also breaks down the Patriots “brilliant” offense, debates Nick Foles’s NFL future, and wonders why the Jaguars decided to void Leonard Fournette’s guaranteed money. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 49): NFL Divisional Round Preview! Plus, Why the Colts May Walk into Arrowhead and Upset the Kansas City Chiefs
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL Divisional Round matchups. He also breaks down how the Chargers neutralized the “dynamic” Ravens running game, weighs in on some questionable calls from the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend, and sets the stage for next week’s AFC and NFC Championship games. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 48): NFL Wild Card Weekend Preview! Plus, Why Nik Thinks the Saints are Going to Win Super Bowl 53
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL Wild Card weekend matchups. He also gives his take on the Antonio Brown drama in Pittsburgh, re-ranks the NFC and AFC teams by what teams are hottest right now, and tells you why he thinks the New Orleans Saints are going to win Super Bowl 53. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 47): NFL Week 17 Preview! Plus, Why Browns-Ravens is Cleveland’s Biggest Game in a Decade
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL regular season’s Week 17 matchups. He also provides an in-depth breakdown of the NFL Playoff Picture, touches on why he thinks it’s shaping up to be a memorable playoff run, and dives into why this week features the biggest game the Browns have played in a decade. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 46): NFL Week 16 Preview! Plus, We Celebrate Nathan Peterman’s Return to the NFL
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL regular season’s Week 16 matchups. He also breaks down how the Colts win over the Cowboys complicated the playoff picture, touches on reports that the Ravens are looking to extend Head Coach John Harbaugh, and welcomes Nathan Peterman back to the NFL. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 45): NFL Week 15 Preview! Plus, How the Browns Could Still Win the AFC North
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL regular season’s Week 15 matchups. He also breaks down the Thursday night Chargers-Chiefs game, touches on the streaking Dallas Cowboys, dives into why the Bears-Rams game showed him more about Chicago’s offense than its defense, and gets excited about the Cleveland Browns having a chance to win the AFC North. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 44): NFL Week 14 Preview! Plus, Why the Chargers May Shock the AFC
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL regular season’s Week 14 matchups. He also breaks down the slumping Carolina Panthers, touches on the firing of Mike McCarthy, and takes a look at the updated wild card races. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 43): NFL Week 12 Preview! Plus, a Closer Look at the Crowded AFC Wild Card Race
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL regular season’s Week 12 matchups. He also breaks down how the injury to Alex Smith may dramatically alter the NFC playoff picture, touches on the legendary Monday Night Football game between the Chiefs and Rams, and wonders if the Bears would be better with Chase Daniel at the helm. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 42): NFL Week 11 Preview! Plus, Why it Might Be Time for the Ravens to Hand the Reins to Lamar Jackson
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL regular season’s Week 11 matchups. He also breaks down how the Jaguars let their season slip away, touches on the reports that the Jets are considering firing Todd Bowles, and wonders how Hue Jackson found a way to get another job within a month of being fired. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 41): NFL Week 10 Preview and Midseason Recap! Plus, Why it is Finally Time to End the Nathan Peterman Experience
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL regular season’s Week 10 matchups. He also announces his picks for the midseason awards, discusses why the Texans could find themselves fighting for a first-round bye, and touches on the Dez Bryant injury. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 40): NFL Week 9 Preview! Plus, a Closer Look at the AFC North Race
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL regular season’s Week 9 matchups. He also weighs in on the fading Jaguars, discusses how the Saints-Vikings game demonstrated each team’s NFC title chances, and celebrates another Sunday of Fitzmagic. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 39): NFL Week 8 Preview! Plus, Why Benching Blake Bortles May be Too Little Too Late for the Jags
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL regular season’s Week 8 matchups. He also discusses the crowded NFC East race, weighs in on if the Chiefs are better than the Rams, and touches on the flurry of trades from the past week. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 38): NFL Week 7 Preview! Plus, Why Nathan Peterman May Go Down in NFL History
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL regular season’s Week 7 matchups. He also discusses the crazy endings to the Bucs-Falcons and Steelers-Bengals games, breaks down the huge week that was for NFL running backs, and dives into the race for the #1 pick by weighing in on which team has truly been the league’s worst thus far. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 37): NFL Week 6 Preview! Plus, a Deeper Look at the Dysfunctional New York Giants
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL regular season’s Week 6 matchups. He also touches on the OBJ interview and its aftermath, breaks down how the Browns could make their mark on this season’s playoffs, and discusses why it’s “put up or shut up” time for the Raiders and Falcons. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 36): NFL Week 5 Preview! Plus, Why the NFL Should Consider Extending Overtime Back to 15 Minutes
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL regular season’s Week 5 matchups. He also breaks down the Raiders disappointing start to the season, touches on if the Bears and Bengals could find ways to sneak into the postseason, and wonders if NFL statistics might need to have a Live Ball/Dead Ball era divide, similar to Major League Baseball’s. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 35): NFL Week 4 Preview! Plus, Why New England’s Rough Start May be More Than a Blip on the Radar
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL regular season’s Week 4 matchups. He also breaks down the Lions upset win over the Patriots, weighs in on the Fitzpatrick v. Winston debate in Tampa, and touches on why the Giants benching of Ereck Flowers is actually a big deal. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 34): NFL Week 3 Preview! Plus, We Were Right, the Cleveland Browns Actually Won!
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL regular season’s Week 3 matchups. He also breaks down how the Vikings tie against Green Bay was huge, gloats about correctly picking the Browns to win, and examines how broken the New York Giants offense truly is. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 33): NFL Week 2 Preview! Plus, Why the Cleveland Browns will Finally Win a Game
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL regular season’s Week 2 matchups. He also breaks down how the Raiders were simply outclassed by the Rams, why the narrative around Aaron Rodgers’s “legendary comeback” is kind of overblown, and rants about Thursday Night Football. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 32): NFL Week 1 Preview! Plus, Why the Changes to the Catch Rule Have Already Disappointed
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic dives into the NFL regular season’s Week 1 matchups. He also breaks down the Falcons dreadful red zone offense, touches on the litany of penalties during the Falcons vs. Eagles season opener, and discusses the comments Steelers offensive linemen made about Le’Veon Bell. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 31): 2019-20 Playoff Predictions! Plus, Why the NFL MVP Doesn’t Always Go to the Most Valuable Player
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic breaks down his playoff predictions for the upcoming season. He also dives into why the AFC South could have three playoff teams, touches on why the Eagles could have a solid chance at repeating as champions, and discusses how the NFL end-of-year awards don’t always go to the most deserving player(s). Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 30): 2019-20 AFC Preview! Plus, Why the Raiders Might Surprise People this Season
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic breaks down each division in the AFC. He also dives into why this season could finally be the end of the Ryan Tannehill era in Miami, touches on why it’s hard to pick Houston to win its division, and discusses how Andrew Luck’s career in Indianapolis has been a bit of a disappointment. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 29): 2019-20 NFC Preview! Plus, Why the Rams Might Be the Next NFC Powerhouse
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic breaks down each division in the NFC. He also dives into how this season could determine whether Seattle starts over, discusses the crowded NFC South, and touches on the chances of the Philadelphia Eagles repeating as NFC champions. Enjoy the show and join us next Saturday afternoon for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 28): Should the Hall of Fame Still Honor Terrell Owens? Plus, a Closer Look at the NFL’s Top 100
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic breaks down the NFL’s Top 100 list. He also dives into why NFL players shouldn’t concern themselves with their Madden NFL ratings, discusses how DeMarco Murray’s career shows us why players holdout, and can’t stop ranting about how overrated and underrated certain players are. Enjoy the show and join us on August 18th for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 27): Who is the NFL Equivalent of LeBron James? Plus, a Look at Where Dez Bryant Would Fit Best
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic breaks down the NFL’s versions of the “Subway Series.” He also dives into if/when we’ll likely see rookie QBs Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen starting and—in honor of the NBA Finals—discusses if LeBron James is more like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, as well as touches on which NFL team is most like the Golden State Warriors. Enjoy the show and join us on July 14th for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 26): Did the NFL Draft Drastically Change the NFL Power Rankings? Plus, a Breakdown of Why the Browns Took Baker Mayfield Number One
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic breaks down the quarterback laden first round of the NFL Draft. He also dives into if the Giants are now contenders, touches on if this year’s draft class had less talented wide receivers than usual, and breaks down which rookie QB will have the best chance to make an impact this season. Enjoy the show and join us on June 9th for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 25): Where Should Dez Bryant Sign? Plus, Why the Browns Have Not Been in a Better Position in Years
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic breaks down the rumors swirling around the upcoming NFL Draft. He also dives into the Dez Bryant debacle in Dallas, breaks down if the Rams can actually contend for a title this year, and touches on if paying a king’s ransom to move up for a quarterback is really worth it. Enjoy the show and join us on May 12th for the following episode!
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Necessary Roughness Podcast (EP 24): Are the Browns Good Now? Plus a Breakdown of the NFL’s QB Market
In this episode of the Necessary Roughness Podcast, host Nikolas Donadic breaks down the flurry of trades from this past week in the NFL. He also dives into the market for free agent and rookie quarterbacks, wonders just how good the Rams might be this season, and analyzes the litany of options that the New York Giants have with the second pick in the draft. Enjoy the show and join us on April 14th for the following episode!
Nik Donadic 