Speaker 1: Everybody Dan here, I'm gonna give you a little preamble
Speaker 1: before we get into this Friday very special edition of
Speaker 1: the Around the NFL podcast. It is actually the TV
Speaker 1: show that we record Fridays and put up on NFL Network. Uh,
Speaker 1: And we figured with the summer break coming up for
Speaker 1: our show, this might be a good time to let
Speaker 1: you check out what the TV show is all about,
Speaker 1: if you haven't been able to watch it yet, and
Speaker 1: maybe you like it enough to start hitting it up
Speaker 1: on your old DVR or wherever you catch NFL network programming. Hey, Ricky,
Speaker 1: give me a little um how about some fireplace, a
Speaker 1: crackling fireplace. It's a little fireside chat before we get
Speaker 1: into the show. Oh, very nice. And I just want
Speaker 1: you guys to know this is not gonna become a
Speaker 1: regular thing, and the TV show is not gonna substitute
Speaker 1: for the audio shows. Hate when podcasts do that. That's
Speaker 1: not gonna Actually, Ricky, give me not a fireplace, it's
Speaker 1: the summer. How about takes to the beach? Yeah, by
Speaker 1: the sea. I like that. Now we're now we're in business. Yes,
Speaker 1: this is just kind of a one off thing, so
Speaker 1: please uh enjoy it. It's me. It's Mark. It's Colleen
Speaker 1: filling in for Greg, who's already started his vacation. Wow,
Speaker 1: way to go, Greg, uh So please check it out
Speaker 1: and again we'll be back. We're gonna take a little
Speaker 1: bit of a break here. It's been a long year
Speaker 1: for us at the show, so we're gonna spend some
Speaker 1: time with family. We'll be back with shows on the
Speaker 1: other side of the July four week so make sure
Speaker 1: to come back while we go away. And for now,
Speaker 1: it's time to head to the sea. Enjoy it everybody,
Speaker 1: and have a great weekend. Me Around the NFL podcast
Speaker 1: needs more followers on Instagram. Welcome to another edition of
Speaker 1: the Around the NFL Broadcast. My name is Dan Hansas
Speaker 1: joined and he virtual room filled with some heroes. Mark
Speaker 1: Sessler and filling in for Greg Rosenthal on vacation. Colleague,
Speaker 1: whoof what's up? Gang? Hello? Hello, this is gonna be
Speaker 1: a good one coming up on today's show. Connie the
Speaker 1: Eagles fan, We're gonna freak her out about the Eagles,
Speaker 1: or try to anybody with a big season coming up. Mark,
Speaker 1: you get upset about certain things, the ponderous scale about
Speaker 1: high high mileage, offseason storylines and I know you're gonna
Speaker 1: have some things to get off your chest, I imagine, Mark, Yeah,
Speaker 1: absolutely no. It's we're at that point of the year
Speaker 1: where it's like the storylines have been frantically drilled into
Speaker 1: our minds, you know, over and over, and I'm slightly agitated.
Speaker 1: This feels like a cathartic exercise that will send you
Speaker 1: into summer in a healthy place. But before that, let's
Speaker 1: get caught up on what's going on in the NFL
Speaker 1: to do some news, and we'll start, boys and girls
Speaker 1: with big news on a Steeler's offensive line that is
Speaker 1: continuing to evolve into an area of mystery. The Steelers
Speaker 1: cut long time guard David DeCastro. They then turned around
Speaker 1: and signed former charges guard Trey Turner um Connie. This
Speaker 1: one was a shock at first. DeCastro has been a
Speaker 1: mainstay for the with the Steelers for a decade. But
Speaker 1: then when you started to peel back the layers here
Speaker 1: and made a little more sense, he's been such a staple,
Speaker 1: so I feel like it was kind of jarring when
Speaker 1: I saw that this happened. In nine years he spent
Speaker 1: in Pittsburgh, three time All Pro sixt time Pro bowler,
Speaker 1: but it's just the continuation of what we've been seeing
Speaker 1: on this offensive line. The turnover there. It's kind of wild.
Speaker 1: This offensive line, it looks completely different now. And this
Speaker 1: for so long has been a strong, consistent group in Pittsburgh,
Speaker 1: and now you have so much influx. So you have
Speaker 1: Alejandro Villeneueva, he's now a raven, Matt Fire, he's now
Speaker 1: a Charger. Marquees Palty retired, so they bring in trade
Speaker 1: Turner and they have a whole different looking group. Now, yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean, and the whole point here was if we're
Speaker 1: gonna do this one more time with Big Ben, you
Speaker 1: want to create an environment where he's going to succeed
Speaker 1: because he can't move Dan. We've we've used the term
Speaker 1: a million times. He's a stone age pony at this point.
Speaker 1: Is part of his game to degree, but I mean
Speaker 1: part of it is relationship. You only have a certain
Speaker 1: amount of time and a dwindling amount of time until
Speaker 1: the season begins here, and they've got one guy coming
Speaker 1: back from last year's line, and it wasn't a good
Speaker 1: line to begin with, So there's a lot of meshing
Speaker 1: that needs to occur, otherwise this offense could be docked.
Speaker 1: Um in a hurry. Well that that's the positive spent
Speaker 1: spin too, though, because if this line was bad last year,
Speaker 1: well it needed to be overhauled anyway. So maybe you
Speaker 1: trust and again, this is an organization mark. As a
Speaker 1: Browns fan, I know you struggle with this and I
Speaker 1: would too. Um, they seem to figure things out there,
Speaker 1: run in a smart way. There's a reason why they
Speaker 1: win eleven games every year, it seems, and you imagine
Speaker 1: they have some pieces in place that they trust and
Speaker 1: maybe they actually get better in on that point, Trey Turner,
Speaker 1: that's a nice pickup. Um. Turner's dealt with injuries himself.
Speaker 1: Uh so he's a question mark, but I feel like
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna Maybe it softens the blow a little
Speaker 1: bit and the shock of decashtro all of a sudden
Speaker 1: being out of the picture that you're saying, Okay, again,
Speaker 1: I trust this front office. They know what they're doing.
Speaker 1: They bring in Turner, they believe in him that he
Speaker 1: can fill the shoes. But maybe, Connie, you could look
Speaker 1: at it another way. Turner was on the market for
Speaker 1: a long time and maybe it's a bit of another
Speaker 1: desperation move for a team in transition. Right, We'll look
Speaker 1: at the look at where we are right now on
Speaker 1: the calendar too. It's not like they had their pick
Speaker 1: of the litter out there. This happened. They had to
Speaker 1: bring somebody in, so they have someone there and trade
Speaker 1: Turner now. But I feel like there are a lot
Speaker 1: of questions at least that I have with this team.
Speaker 1: Because Ben Roethlisberger, we know that you know what he
Speaker 1: is at this point, he's getting older. This offensive line
Speaker 1: that is very different, and then I just feel like
Speaker 1: no one is really talking about this secondary and the
Speaker 1: questions that I have at cornerback. How are the Steelers
Speaker 1: going to replace both starting corner Steven Nelson and Mike
Speaker 1: Hilton in the back end there? And this was a
Speaker 1: top three passing defense last year, so they have Joe
Speaker 1: Hayden still, they have Ken Sutton, who's versatile. Then after that,
Speaker 1: it's justin lane. There's really no insurance policies beyond that.
Speaker 1: So it's not necessarily a team in Pittsburgh that drafts
Speaker 1: and develops corner talent from within. Both Nelson and Hilton
Speaker 1: they were imports, and when you look at their schedule, guys,
Speaker 1: they got Mahomes, they got Josh Allen, Ryan Tattehill, Russell Wilson.
Speaker 1: I mean not to mention Jackson and Baker Mayfield twice.
Speaker 1: So this is kind of a problem. Conny, We're supposed
Speaker 1: to be freaking you about out about the Eagles later
Speaker 1: on today, you're trying to freak out Steelers fans. Final thoughts, Cessler,
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, my apology. That's a Pennsylvania thing. I mean,
Speaker 1: I think they also our last impression of the Steelers,
Speaker 1: and as a Browns fan, you know I I I
Speaker 1: enjoyed this for a bit, was like a drunken flues
Speaker 1: he being taken out of a party in January. But
Speaker 1: you're right, then, the Steelers tend to figure things out.
Speaker 1: There's a lot of weapons on this offense too, And
Speaker 1: would it surprise anyone if they were a wild card
Speaker 1: team or even won the division. No, it's the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna talk some team MVP picks and a piece
Speaker 1: that I'm writing for NFL dot com later. I love
Speaker 1: now Jay Harris the first round pick, but again, everything
Speaker 1: is kind of predicated on what happens up front. And
Speaker 1: my last thought is the Steelers. Is there another team
Speaker 1: that has a higher ceiling and a lower floor. The
Speaker 1: disparity between where this can go. I think they can
Speaker 1: go eleven and six or six and eleven. All Right,
Speaker 1: that's enough good talk. In other news and historic news.
Speaker 1: In fact, I saw people. I'm Karl Massive. I'm at
Speaker 1: my house here in west Chester, Pennsylvania. I just want
Speaker 1: to take a quick moment to say that I'm gay.
Speaker 1: I've been meaning to do this for a while now,
Speaker 1: but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off
Speaker 1: my chest. UM. I really have the best life. I
Speaker 1: got the best family, friends and job a guy could
Speaker 1: ask for. UM. I'm a pretty private person, so I
Speaker 1: hope you guys know that I'm really not doing this
Speaker 1: for attention. UM. I just think that representation and visibility
Speaker 1: are so important. UM. I actually hope that, like one day,
Speaker 1: videos like this and the whole coming out process are
Speaker 1: just not necessary. UM. But until then, you know, I'm
Speaker 1: gonna do my best and do my part to cultivated
Speaker 1: culture that's accepting and that's compassionate. And I'm gonna start
Speaker 1: by donating one thousand dollars to the Trevor Project. They're
Speaker 1: an incredibleganization. They're the number one suicider Vengure service for
Speaker 1: lgbt Q youth in America and they're truly doing incredible
Speaker 1: things and I'm very excited to be a part of it,
Speaker 1: helping any way that I can, and I'm really pumped
Speaker 1: to see what the future holds good for Carl Nassa,
Speaker 1: the first openly gay NFL player active player in history.
Speaker 1: And now we welcome in our wonderful producer, Erica tam Posey,
Speaker 1: openly gay herself and proud, and we're proud of her,
Speaker 1: and I'm sure this is a proud moment for you, Ricky. Yeah,
Speaker 1: you guys, this is awesome. And for those that don't
Speaker 1: know our podcast, we did a Pride episode where we
Speaker 1: were all together, and it's such a difference from even
Speaker 1: where I thought I could be in my career, in
Speaker 1: my life from years ago. To have very you know,
Speaker 1: openly straight people with families and coming to do a
Speaker 1: Pride episode together and the support and love that you
Speaker 1: guys personally showed me is just incredible and I'm so
Speaker 1: lucky to have you. But watching what is happening around
Speaker 1: the league with Carl and the outspoken um, just support
Speaker 1: from players and people all around, like it brought me
Speaker 1: to absolute tears and I sat down yesterday with Ryan Russell,
Speaker 1: who's a free agent who's also openly gay, yesterday and
Speaker 1: we we chatted for a while. But the comments, you guys, still,
Speaker 1: especially on the main NFL account, when you have this
Speaker 1: huge group of people, they it's still not there. And
Speaker 1: it is so heartbreaking and and and this is why
Speaker 1: we need Pride Month, you know what I mean, Like
Speaker 1: when you see all these comments that are so hateful
Speaker 1: and who care? And it blows my mind that you
Speaker 1: can still read this kind of stuff out there. But
Speaker 1: there's a reason why we need to be talking about it.
Speaker 1: And I know for a fact that there are young
Speaker 1: boys watching football at home saying, hey, you know what,
Speaker 1: I might, you know, love another boy, but I can
Speaker 1: still be still be a great football player and play
Speaker 1: in this league and I belong here. And we're very
Speaker 1: proud of that. Yeah, Erica, we're so proud of you.
Speaker 1: You you wrote an amazing piece on NFL dot com
Speaker 1: last year detailing your journey in sports media as a
Speaker 1: gay woman. And it just it seems like and Mark,
Speaker 1: we've been doing this podcast forever. Mark that uh, Michael
Speaker 1: sam was seven years ago when he was drafted in
Speaker 1: the seventh round. Um, the first gay player to be drafted.
Speaker 1: His career never got off the ground as a player,
Speaker 1: but now you have. Nasa was an established guy drafted
Speaker 1: by your Browns, is on his third contract. Um. It's
Speaker 1: it's really, it's it's a great thing. And I think
Speaker 1: you're seeing progress just and how it's how things are
Speaker 1: unfolding in the last few days compared to seven years ago. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and you hear Carl Nassa very honestly say that, you know,
Speaker 1: he agonized over this for fifteen years. So how many
Speaker 1: other players UM in the past and even today have
Speaker 1: also agonized over the authentic person they are. Um, not
Speaker 1: the not the you know, the outside one where you're looking,
Speaker 1: you're you're doing your job, but who you truly are inside.
Speaker 1: And I think this is a big step for other players.
Speaker 1: And you know, we've had people reach out to us
Speaker 1: listeners of our show that say, I'm a guy, I
Speaker 1: love football, but I've always felt, UM that I can't
Speaker 1: really be who I am as a football fan or
Speaker 1: just as a person. And doing our episode with you
Speaker 1: Ricky up in Um West Hollywood, I think opened a
Speaker 1: door for even some people that listen to our show
Speaker 1: but really it's an NFL wide thing. It's it's um
Speaker 1: it's a universe thing, it's an earth thing. I mean,
Speaker 1: we are becoming more who we really are, and I
Speaker 1: think it's a great step for Carl Nassa, it truly is.
Speaker 1: I have so much respect for him, Erica. I mean,
Speaker 1: this was so courageous, so commendable for him to come
Speaker 1: out and do this and really brave to be able
Speaker 1: to to make himself so vulnerable and to open himself up, Erica,
Speaker 1: as you mentioned, to all of the ugliness of people
Speaker 1: who won't accept him, to be a voice of representation
Speaker 1: for people who are too afraid to use their own
Speaker 1: to speak up. It's just so cool to see the
Speaker 1: Carl Nassa jersey's sales spiking, and it's like a lot
Speaker 1: of people that are you know, I don't need to
Speaker 1: walk around with a Pride flag to show that I'm accepting.
Speaker 1: You can be in the in the grocery store and
Speaker 1: see someone wearing a Carl now of jersey and you're like, Okay,
Speaker 1: that person respects people. If something were to happen to me,
Speaker 1: I know that this person is okay with me. And
Speaker 1: it's like little things like that that get me so excited,
Speaker 1: and it's like my heart just wants to burst because
Speaker 1: it's like I can see masculine dudes in a Carl
Speaker 1: Nassa jersey and know that like they ride with me.
Speaker 1: And you wonder if maybe you know this announcement as
Speaker 1: brave as it as it is opens the door for
Speaker 1: other players to follow in Again, it's like going back
Speaker 1: to seven years ago and we had just started our
Speaker 1: own podcast at that point. I don't remember. Maybe my
Speaker 1: memory is failing me. Michael Sam Jersey's flying off the shelf.
Speaker 1: And I know that's not necessarily indicative of everything, but
Speaker 1: it does tell you something. And and he also mentioned NASA,
Speaker 1: the Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention
Speaker 1: services to the l g B t Q community. Uh,
Speaker 1: look into that if you can help out, help out.
Speaker 1: Awesome stuff. And Ricky again, this is fun, this is good,
Speaker 1: this is progress. It's amazing. Guys, thank you so much
Speaker 1: for even talking about it. And I feel like, you know,
Speaker 1: June is I don't want to just check a box.
Speaker 1: I don't want to just come on here and talk
Speaker 1: about this because it's June. But the support that I
Speaker 1: feel from my friends and family from you guys specifically,
Speaker 1: and the NFL matching the donation to the Trevor Project.
Speaker 1: It's like, we need to talk about this right now. Awesome.
Speaker 1: We love you, Ricky Prett, and we're also happy that
Speaker 1: the Patriots are in decline, so you have to deal
Speaker 1: with that, but you have good things in your life
Speaker 1: as well. All right, coming up next on the broadcast. Yes,
Speaker 1: we've promised it. I think a little always sunny nod there.
Speaker 1: I like that the Gang freaks Connie out about her
Speaker 1: beloved Eagles. It's been a big season of upheaval for
Speaker 1: Philadelphia's NFL squad, and a native of Philadelphia is the
Speaker 1: great Colleen Wolf again sitting in for Greg Rosenthal today
Speaker 1: and Connie listen. It's kind of a weird time, I
Speaker 1: imagine to be an Eagles fan, because there's in the division,
Speaker 1: the NFC East, which is obviously you know, mired and mediaocrity.
Speaker 1: You're here and hype about these other teams, but the
Speaker 1: Eagles not so much. I mean you do you sense
Speaker 1: that as well? Oh? I sense it. I live it. Um,
Speaker 1: It's just I wake up every morning and I feel it.
Speaker 1: So I'm trying to actually separate myself a little bit
Speaker 1: from it, but I appreciate the segment for sure. All Right,
Speaker 1: So this is the sag and and this is what
Speaker 1: we're gonna do our attempt, Mark and I and we're
Speaker 1: gonna ping pong on this. We want to freak you out.
Speaker 1: We want you to be uncomfortable. We want you to
Speaker 1: by the end of this seg to think about the
Speaker 1: season ahead is something to dread because nothing goods coming
Speaker 1: out of it. But feel free to push back on us. Mark,
Speaker 1: get us going. I will, and what good friends we are.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna just read this for you, Colleen. Does it
Speaker 1: concern you from a long game karma angle that the
Speaker 1: Eagles have a statue outside of their stadium featuring a
Speaker 1: coach they just fired and whose most memorable sound bite
Speaker 1: is I'm piste off Angelo. Well, you know what you
Speaker 1: brought be back in at the end, because Angelo was
Speaker 1: my old boss at w i P Sports Radio, first job. Ever, However, yes,
Speaker 1: I think that is terrible karma. And it's like for
Speaker 1: a while in Philadelphia there was the Curse of Ben Franklin,
Speaker 1: so no team could win a championship because the Comcast
Speaker 1: tower was built higher than the Ben Franklin statue on
Speaker 1: top of city halls. We finally got over that, but
Speaker 1: at this point I feel like this is the new
Speaker 1: kind of hecks. Yeah, a lot is wrong with that.
Speaker 1: So you're pretty freaked out about that? Wow? If that
Speaker 1: all right? I'm feeling good about this segment al right
Speaker 1: up next, everything freaks me out. I know, I know you,
Speaker 1: we know you will. The new head coach, Nick Sirianni.
Speaker 1: You know, a long search after they let go of
Speaker 1: Doug Peterson, they land on Sirianni and I just want
Speaker 1: to throw it. If anyone is not familiar with the
Speaker 1: look and sound of Mr Sirianni, here it is. It's
Speaker 1: competition in every position. Competition is great. Competition elevates everybody's
Speaker 1: go out there and compete. They're competing for the jobs.
Speaker 1: I'm competing for my job, Shane's competing for his job.
Speaker 1: Gan is competing for his job. So we got to
Speaker 1: compete and to compete, and competition is never a bad thing. Okay. So,
Speaker 1: so I am staying at my parents place on the
Speaker 1: Jersey Shore right now. So I ask you this, Colleen,
Speaker 1: does it concern you at all? The new Eagles coach
Speaker 1: Nick Sirianni looks and sounds like every fist pumping bro
Speaker 1: getting down to the foghorn at DJ's in Belmar, Okay.
Speaker 1: So everybody knows that Eagles fans and anyone from Philadelphia
Speaker 1: they go down the shore, but they go to South Jersey.
Speaker 1: So anything north of a C doesn't even count. Now,
Speaker 1: if you were saying that he was fist pumping like
Speaker 1: a bro, and say La Costa or the Princeton Wildwood, see,
Speaker 1: I'll avalon. I guess if you're one of those rich people, listen. Yes,
Speaker 1: it absolutely does concern me. However, he's not the only
Speaker 1: head coach in the NFL that looks like he could
Speaker 1: be fist pumping at a Jersey shore bar. I mean,
Speaker 1: hello Sean McVeigh, Hello Matt Lafleur, Hello Dan Campbell. The
Speaker 1: list could go on and on and on. What does
Speaker 1: concern me is the fact that he's never been a
Speaker 1: head coach, he's never been a play caller before, and
Speaker 1: he brings in an offensive coordinator in Shane Steike and
Speaker 1: who has been a play caller before. Yet. No, Sirianni
Speaker 1: is going to do both jobs, and I'm very curious
Speaker 1: to see how it turns. Out. That's a good point.
Speaker 1: I mean, there it feels like he's and I'm gonna
Speaker 1: get to it a little bit later, um, but it
Speaker 1: feels like he's in a very difficult position and doesn't
Speaker 1: have a lot of experience. Mark, you're up alright. I noticed,
Speaker 1: Colleen that you were taking pot shots at the Steelers secondary.
Speaker 1: Fair enough, but I look at what the Eagles have
Speaker 1: right now. You have Darius Slay, good player. Your next
Speaker 1: sort of plugged in starter is Vonte Maddox, who, last
Speaker 1: year pf F graded is the one hundred and twenty
Speaker 1: first ranked cornerback out of a hundred and twenty one
Speaker 1: eligible cornerbacks. Number two was Erica Tamposey. You've got Patrick
Speaker 1: Mahomes coming into town. Next. Here you're dealing with Tom Brady. Um,
Speaker 1: You've got a bunch of great quarterbacks Matt Ryan coming
Speaker 1: up against this Eagle secondary. Everything is fine? Correct? Well,
Speaker 1: when you put it like that, I mean, who wouldn't
Speaker 1: be concerned? I'm sweating at this point now I need
Speaker 1: to tear off my Eagles jacket. Uh listen. In fairness,
Speaker 1: having watched the Eagles my entire life, being concerned about
Speaker 1: cornerback depth, it kind of comes with the territory. It's
Speaker 1: basically a prerequisite of being an Eagles fan. So maybe
Speaker 1: it will help that the Eagles, Uh, you know that
Speaker 1: they did bring in some some new people on the
Speaker 1: On the defense, they have a new defensive coordinator. Jim
Speaker 1: Schwartz has gone. Actually that makes me freaked out even
Speaker 1: more that he's gone and Jonathan Gannon is now the
Speaker 1: defensive coordinator. I feel like I'm not helping myself at
Speaker 1: all here. But you also think about the wide receivers
Speaker 1: in this division alone. You have Amari Cooper, Ceedee Lamb,
Speaker 1: Kenny Golladay, now Terry McLaurin. Yeah, this is a problem
Speaker 1: for sure. Well, you know, let's close it with this, Connie,
Speaker 1: and I feel like you're on the ropes right now,
Speaker 1: So I'm going for the knockout. I'm not even gonna
Speaker 1: get into the head coach is dealing with all sorts
Speaker 1: of potential dysfunction behind the scenes, micromanagement, and the athletic
Speaker 1: put out a whole expose on the phone, and I'd
Speaker 1: be more concerned than seeing Ben Simmons at the foul
Speaker 1: line in the NBA playoffs. But where I'm gonna put
Speaker 1: my focus here finally is Jalen Hurts. You send Carson
Speaker 1: Wentz out of town, you kick him out of town,
Speaker 1: and you have Jalen Hurts, a guy in his rookie season.
Speaker 1: You know, they went one in three in his starts
Speaker 1: and he completed just over fifty of his passes. Joe
Speaker 1: Flacco and Nick Mullins are behind him. A lot of
Speaker 1: eggs in the old Jalen Hurts basket. Concerned at all. Listen,
Speaker 1: We've seen what four starts from him, that's it. And
Speaker 1: he comes into a locker room that is obviously a
Speaker 1: toxic situation. You have the head coach clashing with the
Speaker 1: higher ups there in the front office. The offensive line
Speaker 1: was completely decimated. They had the most starting offensive line
Speaker 1: combinations since three and then all of their skill position
Speaker 1: players were basically hurt. You had guys off the practice squad,
Speaker 1: You had undrafted free agents coming out of nowhere, Greg Ward,
Speaker 1: Travis Fulgum. I mean, this was a situation that was
Speaker 1: a massive problem. However, I will say that when he
Speaker 1: did come in, despite all of those things and all
Speaker 1: of the adversity that he faced, he was able to
Speaker 1: really show some amazing running ability, some great things off
Speaker 1: of play action. So there is a foundation, and of
Speaker 1: course they bring in the Heisman Trophy winter winner Devanta Smith,
Speaker 1: and you have hopefully some more stability in that locker
Speaker 1: room now that Carson Wentz is gone and it's not divided.
Speaker 1: You know what, Colleen, You've comported yourself very well. Mark.
Speaker 1: I'm disappointed. I thought there'd be makeup running down her face.
Speaker 1: I thought you'd just like fall out of the chair.
Speaker 1: But she's she really handled this. No, she's two points
Speaker 1: and she's been Remember remember Wiles, but Nick Foles caught
Speaker 1: that touchdown pass from Trey Burton. Always remember well, always
Speaker 1: have that. Fans can't take it away and they're not
Speaker 1: tearing down that statue, all right. Mac Jones the new
Speaker 1: future at quarterback for the Patriots. At least the Patriots
Speaker 1: hope that Tom Brady went and went and won a
Speaker 1: Super Bowl down in Tampa and the Pat's limped to
Speaker 1: a seven and nine finish in So now there's a
Speaker 1: camp battle brewing here. Report from our old colleague Burt Breer.
Speaker 1: Mac Jones has done enough in the spring to merit
Speaker 1: a real competition with Cam Newton in the summer. Mark
Speaker 1: Jeff Howe of the athletic. Another respected mind on the
Speaker 1: Patriots beat said that Mac Jones looked better than Camp
Speaker 1: in mini camp. Uh, where do you see this thing going?
Speaker 1: Is Mac gonna win this job outright heading into week one? Yeah?
Speaker 1: I mean I don't know how surprised I should be
Speaker 1: by pro athlete improves with practice, But I mean I
Speaker 1: didn't see nyone look at what Cam Newton did for
Speaker 1: the Patriots a year ago, and you've drafted a first
Speaker 1: round quarterback. I mean it should be a competition. This
Speaker 1: isn't what the Bears are doing, you know, whistling Dixie
Speaker 1: about justin Field sitting out week one or two. I mean,
Speaker 1: let's just have a real competition. I do think Belichick
Speaker 1: has always had a little bit of a man crush
Speaker 1: on Cam Newton, which is an interesting um crush to
Speaker 1: have if you're Bill Belichick. Um, but I think the
Speaker 1: one it could be growing with Mac Jones as well.
Speaker 1: I mean he he has started to show more moxie
Speaker 1: and practice and he's getting better and better. And I
Speaker 1: always find it to be an upset if a first
Speaker 1: round drafted quarterback isn't starting by week three, if not
Speaker 1: week one. I mean, also, is Mac Jones the first
Speaker 1: one in the building and the last one to leave.
Speaker 1: Is that the next headline we're going to be at
Speaker 1: this point in June. Of course there's going to be
Speaker 1: a quarterback competition, like this is a first round pick.
Speaker 1: Did you see the way that Mac Jones walked up
Speaker 1: to that stage. I thought that was gonna be the
Speaker 1: video shoot. It was incredibly He's ready to go. He's
Speaker 1: ready to take that job. But I do find it
Speaker 1: hard to believe just looking at the two players, just
Speaker 1: watching them and the way that they are. I feel
Speaker 1: like Cam Newton should win this job. But then when
Speaker 1: I go back and watch Cam Newton from last year,
Speaker 1: of course there's questions. But it just when I see
Speaker 1: Cam Newton like working out and doing all this stuff
Speaker 1: at the gym, and then I see Mac Jones, I
Speaker 1: would think, Okay, yeah, Cam Newton is a quarterback. Maybe
Speaker 1: Mac Jones needs to work on some things a little
Speaker 1: bit still because he's a rookie. He's gonna learn, but yeah,
Speaker 1: I think he'll be starting for sure at some point
Speaker 1: this season. You know what, Connie, I agree with everything
Speaker 1: you just said, but what is the deal with Belichick
Speaker 1: with the number fifty for your number one? Draft pick.
Speaker 1: It's like, grumble, grumble, umble. You gotta earn everything in
Speaker 1: this league, an hour league. Grumble grumble. I give the
Speaker 1: kid a number, give him a real quarterback. Never, I
Speaker 1: don't know which point you're making, and just do. The
Speaker 1: other point I wanted to make was yeah, like Cam Newton.
Speaker 1: And if Greig was on the show, he would push
Speaker 1: back on this. He's like I rushed for forty top shows. No,
Speaker 1: Kim Newton was not good last season. I mean, he
Speaker 1: had some moments when he threw the ball well, and
Speaker 1: I know he didn't have a lot of parts to
Speaker 1: throw to and and the offense is better. But I
Speaker 1: think they see the writing on the wall here that
Speaker 1: Cam Newton's best days likely behind him. And if you're
Speaker 1: a team that is kind of regrouping for the next phase,
Speaker 1: maybe the rookie makes more sense. That said Connie that
Speaker 1: said they have a great defense. They could have the
Speaker 1: best defense in football with Done how high tower back
Speaker 1: and a really good front seven. And you still got
Speaker 1: Gilmore leading the way in the back end. So you're
Speaker 1: kind of in a You're in a tricky spot there
Speaker 1: where do you want to stay with the steady guy,
Speaker 1: you know, or is he the progress stoppers? Bill Parcels
Speaker 1: once said, and you put the kid in there. It's
Speaker 1: a great point that I mean. Honestly though, the most
Speaker 1: buzz that I've seen about mac Jones is the fact
Speaker 1: that Matt and twenty two was very off on their
Speaker 1: rendering of him. If you haven't seen it yet, check
Speaker 1: it out. It's not Christian McCaffrey level um bad with Madden,
Speaker 1: but this one is kind of a doozy too. Doesn't
Speaker 1: he have like a flowing neck beard or something on
Speaker 1: the Madden version doesn't really look like him at all.
Speaker 1: I mean, number fifty, he's your first round pick quarterback
Speaker 1: Phil who you're trying to impress. You got forty ring,
Speaker 1: all right, Listen, everybody wants to win the big trophy
Speaker 1: League MVP, but there's also Team MVP trophies that are
Speaker 1: handed out internally. I think, whatever, it's the summer, and
Speaker 1: I wrote something on NFL dot com that's going up
Speaker 1: next week picking Team m v PS. So now I'm
Speaker 1: gonna share some with you and feel free to agree
Speaker 1: or disagree. And I'm gonna start with you Mark Sessler,
Speaker 1: because you know it, you know him on the Wentz wagon.
Speaker 1: You know I think I'm thinking Carson Wentz, back reunited
Speaker 1: with his old boss Frank Reich, is gonna make magic
Speaker 1: with this Colts team. And I'll tell you this. Everyone
Speaker 1: thinks like he had a bad so now he's just
Speaker 1: gonna be terrible forever. He was very good in twenty
Speaker 1: nineteen mark when he led that team, an injury ravage
Speaker 1: Eagles team to the playoffs. I think he could get
Speaker 1: that magic back with better coaching. I would say this,
Speaker 1: he's in a great situation compared to where he was
Speaker 1: a year ago. I mean they had what fourteen different
Speaker 1: line combinations in Philadelphia, good offensive line in Indianapolis. I
Speaker 1: think Jonathan Taylor is a chance to be a team
Speaker 1: m v P Darius Leonard. But if all goes right,
Speaker 1: you'd have to look at Wentz number one. He's the quarterback,
Speaker 1: and I would say if that happens, he gets a
Speaker 1: Philip Rivers like comeback player of the year. Not as
Speaker 1: well because it was so dark and so low a
Speaker 1: season ago, that if he comes and spends magic under
Speaker 1: Frank Reich, I mean people will beginning they'll be going nuts.
Speaker 1: So I hear you did, Connie Well, I mean I
Speaker 1: want to hear you on this, everyone will be going nuts.
Speaker 1: I'm sure of it. I will definitely be going nuts
Speaker 1: because my not so silent fears of Carson Wentz succeeding
Speaker 1: when he leaves Philadelphia like so many others before him
Speaker 1: have done, are very real and very loud. Charles Barkley,
Speaker 1: I mean, you have Will Smith left. He's not an athlete,
Speaker 1: but hey, people leave town and they thrive. You left
Speaker 1: town and you you're thriving, so part of the problem.
Speaker 1: That's all right, Colleen, You're up next, and we'll stay
Speaker 1: um with well, not the Eagles NFC East team, the Cowboys.
Speaker 1: You know. Ceedee Lamb is a guy that who's rookie
Speaker 1: season kind of went under the radar because Dak Prescott
Speaker 1: was injured. Uh and it kind of knows Dive all
Speaker 1: the players on that offense. But this kid can play,
Speaker 1: and I think he's gonna have a huge second season
Speaker 1: m v P level though. I mean, listen, that's a
Speaker 1: big year two for Ceedee Lamb. I guess I could
Speaker 1: see he has some more experience now with Dak back healthy.
Speaker 1: Maybe defenses are accounting for Amari Cooper and Ezekiel Elliott,
Speaker 1: but Dac and Lamb they only played five games together,
Speaker 1: and Lamb average seventeen points per game in those five. However, Dan,
Speaker 1: if Dak is back and he's picking up right where
Speaker 1: he left off as a passing machine, on pace to
Speaker 1: break the single season passing yards record after coming off
Speaker 1: that brutal ankle injury. Come on, he's getting the m
Speaker 1: v P. Yeah, I mean, Dan, I would say this.
Speaker 1: I am a huge proponent of humans who have last
Speaker 1: names um that describe animals. But there are a lot
Speaker 1: of mouths to feed in Dallas, and I do think
Speaker 1: that Dak Prescott would probably get the NOD if they're
Speaker 1: all succeed. Yeah, but it's a boring exercise if you
Speaker 1: just pick all quarterbacks and just remember Ceedee Lamb was
Speaker 1: on pace for yards when Dak went went down as
Speaker 1: a rookie, and he still set the team record and
Speaker 1: catches for a rookie with seventy four. That guy's gonna
Speaker 1: blow up this year. Mark my words, Take him in
Speaker 1: your fantasy drafts, All right, Mark, get excited because I
Speaker 1: got I think, well, last year, I think it was
Speaker 1: Baker in the same exercise. This year, I got Myles
Speaker 1: Garrett as the team MVP of the Browns and maybe
Speaker 1: he finally gets the defensive Player of the Year award. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, you look at Myles Garretty had
Speaker 1: twenty two sacks over the last two seasons while missing
Speaker 1: eight games. I think the Corona issue did effect him
Speaker 1: last year. I know that was not a subplot, Dawn
Speaker 1: that you enjoyed, but um, he talked about it really
Speaker 1: affecting his play down the stretch. He was winded, he
Speaker 1: didn't look like himself. So I really think that now
Speaker 1: they have a rebuilt secondary. What helps the pass rush
Speaker 1: more than that. Uh, they were not a good secondary
Speaker 1: year ago. They have a chance now to make real
Speaker 1: I think trouble for offenses. Jadeveon Clowney if he shows up,
Speaker 1: that helps as well. So Garrett to me, if he
Speaker 1: could lead the league in sacks, bang, you'd be the
Speaker 1: team m v P, no problem. You know I have
Speaker 1: said way too often on this podcast and on this
Speaker 1: television show that the Michael Strahan sack record gets on
Speaker 1: my nerves more than anything else. Mark Gastino should still
Speaker 1: have it. I am all for Miles Garrett taking that
Speaker 1: sack record and he gets an extra game to do it. Now, Connie,
Speaker 1: about my pick for the Atlanta Falcons Calvin Ridley, who,
Speaker 1: by the way, and everybody's like, oh, now that, now
Speaker 1: that Julio Jones is in Tennessee, Calvin Ridley will become
Speaker 1: superstar wide receiver. Pay attention, bozos. He already was a
Speaker 1: superstar last year. It's just going to continue to go
Speaker 1: onward and upward your thoughts. You really really want this
Speaker 1: to happen. This is the second year that you picked
Speaker 1: him as the Falcons team m VP. Look it up, everybody.
Speaker 1: I like that you're you're sticking with the plan here
Speaker 1: and you're consistent in your pick. And now that Julio
Speaker 1: is gone, he's got a much better chance. But it's
Speaker 1: a brand new offense with Arthur Smith. Maybe that's a
Speaker 1: good thing, but also that's an offense that emphasized tight
Speaker 1: end sets and obviously, oh, by the way, they drafted
Speaker 1: Kyle Pitts and also Arthur Smith. He really loved a
Speaker 1: balanced offense. He really loved the run. So I don't
Speaker 1: know if that means it's a dip at all for
Speaker 1: Calvin Ridley. But there's a lot of new kind of
Speaker 1: moving parts with that offense and kind of new pieces
Speaker 1: in place now too. Oh I don't. I don't buy it.
Speaker 1: You're pushing back on it. But I think Arthur Smith
Speaker 1: is gonna unlock this man even more back to back
Speaker 1: Calvin Ridley years. That's fine, there's nothing wrong with that.
Speaker 1: Get off my case, Connie Fox. All right, now, Mark,
Speaker 1: you are a man. You've covered football for a long time,
Speaker 1: over a decade now, and sometimes things get on your
Speaker 1: nerves that they become there, I say, ponderous. So we're
Speaker 1: we're creating something here for you. It's a ponderous scale
Speaker 1: and you get to give us and I want I
Speaker 1: want the one point scale, um, zero to ten. How
Speaker 1: ponderous these high mileage offseason storylines are to you? And
Speaker 1: I will get it going. And I know this one's
Speaker 1: gonna get you because I've done literally podcasts with you.
Speaker 1: By now, Mark, Justin Fields, he is the Bear's future,
Speaker 1: but Andy Dalton is the present. Week one baby Sunday
Speaker 1: Night Football, Alright, gonna write these down for you. This
Speaker 1: is this is a hot one right out of the gate.
Speaker 1: I am going, um, let's see if I can get
Speaker 1: this on screen point one for me, because it's like
Speaker 1: zero to ten, but it's a hundred point scale, so
Speaker 1: maybe a nineties nine point nine is what you mean?
Speaker 1: Let's go nine point nine one? How about that we
Speaker 1: were already making that's a good correction. It is. It
Speaker 1: is a hundred point scale, but one through zero through
Speaker 1: ten you you kind of point not. But this, this
Speaker 1: storyline is annoying to I think most anyone watching football
Speaker 1: because it's like the Bears have spent decades in the
Speaker 1: wilderness looking for an exciting quarterback. You get one, and
Speaker 1: then you're prancing out this verbal song and dance about
Speaker 1: Andy Dalton starting you know again it's the Rams in
Speaker 1: week one? Why what is the point? By the way,
Speaker 1: what if like justin fields now that we have preseason
Speaker 1: games again, absolutely blows up in the preseason. It looks
Speaker 1: like the second coming. You're still gonna wheel out the
Speaker 1: glowing red ginger man Dan and I and I still
Speaker 1: love it's my favorite. My favorite tweet of the off
Speaker 1: season is still here's r QB one embarrass Fans were like,
Speaker 1: kill me now, umni you're up, Okay, I got one
Speaker 1: for you. This is cooked up specially for you, Sissler.
Speaker 1: The Steelers offense is already looking different under Matt Canada
Speaker 1: on what is It June Okay, Um, I'm gonna go uh,
Speaker 1: let's see here. Seven point eight. Um, It's not something
Speaker 1: that keeps me up at night. Just because of the
Speaker 1: way the students ended last season. I feel like them
Speaker 1: looking different, Um doesn't necessarily mean better. We've discussed their
Speaker 1: changes on the offensive line. That's different. Does that mean
Speaker 1: it's better? Um? Big Ben looks a little different. Does
Speaker 1: that just mean older? We don't know. And so for me,
Speaker 1: there's some open there the Browns fan of me that
Speaker 1: maybe this just sort of um points towards more chaos
Speaker 1: under Matt Canada's reign. Matt Canada, that's a great name.
Speaker 1: Even around fourth in July. You got to give it
Speaker 1: up to our neighbors to the north, and that's surname Mark.
Speaker 1: How about this one. I gotta know, I say, I
Speaker 1: know how to team Mark up on this type of exercise.
Speaker 1: All right here it is. Boy, the Browns look like
Speaker 1: a Super super Bowl contender. But like Baker, m hm,
Speaker 1: you know, well a lot of times, Dan, you're the
Speaker 1: one offering this narrative. But I'm gonna just go flat
Speaker 1: out ten because this is absurd. This is a quarterback
Speaker 1: that number one under the Freddy Kitchens regime a few
Speaker 1: years ago. We get it, that was a coddled mess
Speaker 1: and everyone was complaining. Last year, they're organized. Kevin Stefanski
Speaker 1: looks like the second coming of George Clooney, who knows
Speaker 1: how to call football plays, and Baker totally thrived. I
Speaker 1: would ask you to go watch this Chiefs game again. Yes,
Speaker 1: they lost. He had one bad interception. It was like
Speaker 1: the first pick he had thrown in like a thousand moons.
Speaker 1: He was crisp and cleaned down the stretch, and he
Speaker 1: has some he can make every throw. You don't have
Speaker 1: to worry about him that much. He's been a total
Speaker 1: team guy for like the last year plus. And I
Speaker 1: think I'm over all this other nonsense with Baker Mayfield.
Speaker 1: I mean, they found a good quarterback that can build
Speaker 1: the offense around, no questions in my mind. All Right,
Speaker 1: I know you and Greg are all pumped up about
Speaker 1: his performance in that last playoff game, but he did
Speaker 1: go three and out in their last possession with the
Speaker 1: game on the line. I just gotta throw that out there,
Speaker 1: Derek camera point. All right, you're up, Colleen, I like
Speaker 1: I'm up here. We go. Let's go with this one.
Speaker 1: Mark Mobile Quarterbacks focusing on not being mobile so much.
Speaker 1: So like the Lamar Jackson's trying to be more consistent
Speaker 1: with deep passing, Kyler Murray saying his legs should be luxury.
Speaker 1: What do you think of that? That is um that
Speaker 1: does hit me in the ponderous places. I'm going eight
Speaker 1: point four. I'm doing a terrible job with the paper
Speaker 1: here because I know, I know, I know it's this
Speaker 1: is you know, hey, but the mobile quarterback thing, it's
Speaker 1: like Lamarge I and this is what you are. And
Speaker 1: like I think, if you're mobile, it just raises the
Speaker 1: floor of of who what you offer a team, Like
Speaker 1: if you're immobile. We've been talking about these guys. They
Speaker 1: don't fit into football anymore. So go be who you
Speaker 1: are and use it. Now. I get the injury concerns
Speaker 1: are an issue, but if the Ravens get into pinch,
Speaker 1: I mean they know what they're doing with Lamar Jackson.
Speaker 1: So I think it's just one of these things they
Speaker 1: try to talk about. We're getting more cautious, we're more
Speaker 1: aware of it. But when the you know, when the
Speaker 1: when you get thrown in the fire, you're gonna go
Speaker 1: back to what you do, all right, Hey, last one
Speaker 1: Tim Tebow. All right, I threw my paper out, but well,
Speaker 1: i'll say it verbally, Tim Tebow, oh college, and you
Speaker 1: take it? Okay? All right? Uh? Tim Tebow not invited
Speaker 1: to George Kittle and Travis Kelsey's tight end university. What stupid?
Speaker 1: That's about a three point six. I don't find it
Speaker 1: ponderous that he wasn't invited. I mean, they're also it's
Speaker 1: a younger group of guys at this point. They want
Speaker 1: to hang out and do what younger people do. And
Speaker 1: Tim Tebow's rolling in like a you know, a way
Speaker 1: older millennial type dude who hasn't played in eight years.
Speaker 1: I don't know if he needs to be at this
Speaker 1: university or this school. I wasn't aware that this thing was.
Speaker 1: You know, it's not a Kickers Club situation, damn. But
Speaker 1: it sounds exclusive. I mean, but you also have to
Speaker 1: think about, like, you know, Tim, he's trying to resurrect
Speaker 1: nailed it his NFL career here, and I bet he
Speaker 1: was hurt a little bit. He's not gonna say it
Speaker 1: out loud, but he wishes he was invited to the
Speaker 1: cool kids table for lunch. All right, good stuff, good job, Mark,
Speaker 1: We're almost out of ponderous season alright time for weekend vibes.
Speaker 1: This past weekend, the around the NFL Gang bunch of
Speaker 1: folks from Cincinnati, l A and all over, gathered in
Speaker 1: Tybee Island, Georgia, including our producer architemp Posey back with
Speaker 1: us to celebrate Chris Westling, our great friend and former
Speaker 1: podcast partner, who passed away in February due to cancer.
Speaker 1: And it was such an amazing weekend. We all celebrated
Speaker 1: it together. And here's just a little haste of it
Speaker 1: at a softball game in which the field of Tybee
Speaker 1: Island was named in honor of west. I have never
Speaker 1: seen a man um more grateful for the life that
Speaker 1: he had, more um enjoying the moment, every moment that
Speaker 1: he had. That we we talked a lot about the
Speaker 1: median life, and and to him, the medium of life
Speaker 1: was just was this was this right here? I miss
Speaker 1: West's last that's right here in the quiet spaces. Um.
Speaker 1: I missed what he would say about like these two
Speaker 1: machines on the Red team that are about to detonate
Speaker 1: Team Blue here where they came from. But I just love,
Speaker 1: like many of Sunday mornings, imagine West waking up, coming here,
Speaker 1: playing ball, going back to pood with his friends and uh,
Speaker 1: you know, watching football for eight hours and drinking and
Speaker 1: having a good time. And that's what we should all
Speaker 1: do to celebrate a brilliant man. And let's play ball.
Speaker 1: And I am scared of these two guys, but We're
Speaker 1: gonna do I best. It's my honor to do this.
Speaker 1: It is my honor. On the path of the city
Speaker 1: of Tybee Island, Georgia. This field will now be called
Speaker 1: Let's play How about that? Connie? We love that mint. Oh.
Speaker 1: It was the best. And and being together in Tybee
Speaker 1: was so nice. It was so good for my soul.
Speaker 1: I'm sure it was good for yours too. And it
Speaker 1: felt like there was just so many waves of happiness
Speaker 1: of sadness. It was bitter sweet to be there. It
Speaker 1: felt like there was constantly one person missing, and obviously
Speaker 1: it was West and I could almost at certain times
Speaker 1: like hear hear his laugh, hear him kind of there. Um.
Speaker 1: But being with you guys and having a big group
Speaker 1: house and just having so much fun is what exactly
Speaker 1: he would have wanted. So it was really nice. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's been like it's been a long offseason for us
Speaker 1: on this front because we lost Um, a wonderful friend,
Speaker 1: one of the most unique friends any of us have had.
Speaker 1: Each of us had such a different friendship with him
Speaker 1: on the show with us too, and so it's just
Speaker 1: been um impossible to go an hour a minute without
Speaker 1: thinking about him. But I think that when we went
Speaker 1: to Tybee, we went and did it the way he
Speaker 1: would want it, Um, and I came out of that
Speaker 1: weekend just lifted entirely. It was great. It was great
Speaker 1: to experience it. Yeah, I it was such a such
Speaker 1: a memorable weekend. And besides that unveiling that you just saw,
Speaker 1: that's when we really got emotional and we sort of talked,
Speaker 1: you know, about what he meant to all of those
Speaker 1: people there and to see everyone together. But besides that,
Speaker 1: we did him proud. You know, he wouldn't want us
Speaker 1: to be there, you know, crying, and we we really
Speaker 1: made him proud. It really was. It was less of
Speaker 1: memorial and more a celebration of one of the most
Speaker 1: special people that any of us have known. And we
Speaker 1: will continue to remember a wonderful man. Chris Westling, Rest
Speaker 1: in peace wherever you are, our good friend, all right,
Speaker 1: We'll be back in a couple of weeks. Enjoy the
Speaker 1: holiday and everything else Buddy and Friends until thank h