#95: The Ringer's New Hires — What This Means for NFL & NBA Coverage; Do They Need Zach Lowe? Plus, Nadir Canyon Guess the Lines Needs a Format Change, and Bill Appears Ready to Re-Sign With Spotify

The r/BillSimmons Podcast

Welcome to Episode 95! We bring back Doug from Episode 70 and Chris from Episode 93 for a timely 3-man weave.

We start off discussing the recent Ringer news: Why we like these additions, and how they should fit into and improve their NBA and NFL coverage. The Ringer's NBA roster is now robust - do they even need Zach Lowe? And how is their NFL roster with McShay added, but still missing Robert Mays and Kevin Clark - is there another move coming?

We also contrast these hires by Bill with ESPN's current strategy of going all-in on hot take artists like Kendrick Perkins, and give kudos to Bill for his Podcast GM skills and updated vision for The Ringer. We also pose the question - would Ringer fans prefer these 4 additions, or Zach Lowe alone?

We then segue into Guess the Lines - which we all agree is in Nadir Canyon. Can it be fixed? We break down the struggles and offer our suggestions for improvements. We think they need a format change, including cutting the recap down and bringing on guest line guessers. Also, did Bill & Sal overcorrect by making the pod more of a recap show in response to Pardon My Take's success?

We close the episode discussing Bill's future - it certainly appears far more likely that he's going to stay at Spotify now. What would Bill leaving The Ringer even look like - and does Bill want that after this recent news? Probably not.

Enjoy, and check out Episode 70 and 93 if you haven't listened yet for more of Doug and Chris!