WEBVTT - A GM’s Perspective with Michael Lombardi 0:00:03.840 --> 0:00:08.480 From the King of sports Books comes the Key sports 0:00:08.520 --> 0:00:18.880 podcast Unleashed, presented by the MGM. Here's your host, Jerry 0:00:18.880 --> 0:00:31.440 Ferrara and Olivia Harland Decker. Welcome to Unleashed. The sports 0:00:31.480 --> 0:00:34.560 calendar is absolutely packed. Oh my gosh, last weekend, Jerry, 0:00:35.080 --> 0:00:37.279 it was a lot. I was kind of overwhelmed. I'm 0:00:37.280 --> 0:00:40.080 not gonna lie. The college football chaos, some NFL playoff 0:00:40.159 --> 0:00:44.200 type games, all these quarterback injuries that could affect some seasons, 0:00:44.200 --> 0:00:47.120 some betting. Were you overwhelmed? I was overwhelmed, but I 0:00:47.400 --> 0:00:50.239 couldn't help but think of you because you also were 0:00:50.280 --> 0:00:53.960 working this weekend, so you throw that into a full 0:00:54.240 --> 0:00:58.360 NFL and college slate. I was perusing Instagram. I saw 0:00:58.400 --> 0:01:00.240 you doing that. We call that like the home a loan. 0:01:00.760 --> 0:01:03.279 You're home alone in it through the airport. Yeah, so 0:01:03.400 --> 0:01:07.520 you must have been. Oh god, I was home alone 0:01:07.520 --> 0:01:09.720 in it. I worked the SEC Championship game, which I 0:01:09.760 --> 0:01:12.240 do every year for like five or six years. I 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:15.200 love working that game. My alma Maters Georgia, so it's 0:01:15.200 --> 0:01:17.480 really fun. They're usually in the game. Five of the 0:01:17.520 --> 0:01:19.360 last six years they've been in the game, but they'd 0:01:19.360 --> 0:01:23.520 only one once leading up to this weekend, So it's 0:01:23.600 --> 0:01:27.120 so exciting. It been since since Georgia had won, despite 0:01:27.120 --> 0:01:30.440 winning a national championship since then, so they had lost 0:01:30.440 --> 0:01:32.680 in this game. It had just evaded them. So it's 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:34.959 really fun and like really sweet to get over that 0:01:35.040 --> 0:01:39.120 hump um and just the game was really exciting. Uh. 0:01:39.319 --> 0:01:41.200 One of my favorite moments if I can for a minute, 0:01:41.240 --> 0:01:44.320 just because this was a fun weekend for me. Uh, 0:01:44.360 --> 0:01:47.360 there's this really good defensive player for Georgia named Christopher Smith, 0:01:47.880 --> 0:01:50.680 and he blocked a field goal and l s U 0:01:50.800 --> 0:01:52.960 started getting off the field. They thought, you know, it's 0:01:52.960 --> 0:01:55.560 going to be a turnover, and he just stands there 0:01:55.560 --> 0:01:57.040 for a minute. He pauses. I don't know if he 0:01:57.080 --> 0:01:59.240 saw it on social media, and then he starts running. 0:01:59.280 --> 0:02:02.120 He takes it all the way into the house. And 0:02:02.200 --> 0:02:04.400 during the game, I'm on my phone and I see 0:02:05.240 --> 0:02:07.840 this clip is going viral. Of the Georgia coaches in 0:02:07.960 --> 0:02:11.240 the press box and they're going no, no, no, no yea. 0:02:13.200 --> 0:02:15.200 And so in my postgame interview as the first person 0:02:15.240 --> 0:02:18.000 to talk with Christopher after the game, and I said, 0:02:18.080 --> 0:02:19.600 when you get back to the locker room and you 0:02:19.639 --> 0:02:21.519 get on your phone, you're going to see that there's 0:02:21.520 --> 0:02:23.920 this clip going viral, and I told him about it. 0:02:23.960 --> 0:02:26.280 He was shocked, and so it's just a really fun moment. 0:02:26.639 --> 0:02:29.640 But then I had some key shift moves to do. 0:02:30.440 --> 0:02:33.920 I leave Mercedes Benz Stadium, which is in downtown Atlanta, 0:02:34.240 --> 0:02:37.240 and I'm going to Hartsfield Jackson, and you know, I 0:02:37.240 --> 0:02:38.799 want to get home to see my baby. I want 0:02:38.800 --> 0:02:40.760 to wake up at home tomorrow. It's just different when 0:02:40.800 --> 0:02:42.120 you got a kid. It really is. I used to 0:02:42.120 --> 0:02:43.720 be able to stay on the road forever. Now I'm 0:02:43.800 --> 0:02:47.240 dying to get home, and I look at my phone. 0:02:47.280 --> 0:02:49.440 It says we'll get there in like thirty minutes. My 0:02:49.520 --> 0:02:54.840 flight boards in fifteen. I made my I made my flight. 0:02:55.280 --> 0:02:57.920 I made my flight. I still don't know how that 0:02:58.000 --> 0:03:01.400 was physically possible, because my flight was boarding as I 0:03:01.440 --> 0:03:05.360 was in traffic, and anyone who knows that airport, it's 0:03:05.400 --> 0:03:07.600 a mess. It's huge. You had to get some lucky 0:03:07.639 --> 0:03:10.160 breaks along the way. I'm guessing you didn't check a 0:03:10.240 --> 0:03:14.960 bag right, carry on nor carry on. Your gate couldn't 0:03:15.000 --> 0:03:18.120 have been too far from security, right. Sometimes you get 0:03:18.120 --> 0:03:21.280 like a twenty minute walk. It was at b gates, 0:03:21.280 --> 0:03:25.080 And again, we're really in the weeds. Here Cardsfield Jackson. 0:03:25.360 --> 0:03:28.399 When you going through South Security, I mean it goes 0:03:28.440 --> 0:03:30.120 all the way to f so B. I got a 0:03:30.120 --> 0:03:32.480 little lucky. I only had two of those like train stops. 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:34.800 But then I was at the end of the concourse. 0:03:34.880 --> 0:03:36.480 That's when I had a home alone it and I 0:03:36.520 --> 0:03:38.760 was in heels, Jerry, I was in heels and my 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:41.240 roller bag. I was in like a blazer, like I 0:03:41.280 --> 0:03:43.960 was in like a full work woman outfit. And I'm 0:03:44.000 --> 0:03:46.680 just Lookingna And you can tell my voice is still 0:03:46.720 --> 0:03:49.040 a little bit gone because working that game, you're just 0:03:49.080 --> 0:03:52.200 so excited and you're extending your voice over the crowd. 0:03:52.280 --> 0:03:55.160 But it was a really, really great weekend. I can't 0:03:55.160 --> 0:03:57.840 believe I made my flight. And that was the most 0:03:57.960 --> 0:04:01.520 well deserved can of wine I've ever had in a 0:04:01.600 --> 0:04:04.960 pasta cup on that flight. That that one tasted really good. Yeah, 0:04:05.240 --> 0:04:09.000 I I enjoyed this weekend a lot. Obviously, the Giants 0:04:09.000 --> 0:04:12.120 Commander's game was interesting. With the time we'll get into 0:04:12.160 --> 0:04:15.000 all that. We have an awesome show. If Mike Lombardi 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:18.080 joining us, who I mean, I he has one of 0:04:18.120 --> 0:04:20.760 those podcasts that you just learned stuff from, Like that's 0:04:20.760 --> 0:04:23.200 where you go if you really want to learn. I'm 0:04:23.240 --> 0:04:26.279 not saying we don't teach anything, but if you truly 0:04:26.320 --> 0:04:29.159 want to learn about the NFL, so we'll talk to 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:32.000 Mike Lombardi about everything that happened this weekend. But I 0:04:32.040 --> 0:04:34.440 talk a lot of trash about Sunday don't have no 0:04:34.560 --> 0:04:38.360 kids birthday parties, stuff like that. I did attend one 0:04:38.480 --> 0:04:40.320 because I have all this guilt because I'm working like 0:04:40.360 --> 0:04:42.960 a day job these days with this writer's room that 0:04:43.040 --> 0:04:47.440 I'm in. I Sunday one o'clock Giants Commanders. I was 0:04:47.520 --> 0:04:53.160 at Playhouse Square in Cleveland watching Rudolph the Musical with 0:04:53.200 --> 0:04:55.839 my three year old son, which was incredible. I'm not 0:04:55.880 --> 0:04:59.520 gonna fly. I was a hundred percent watching Red Zone 0:04:59.560 --> 0:05:01.880 on my phone and I don't care. I was not. 0:05:02.040 --> 0:05:05.120 I was not the whole time, but a lot. And 0:05:05.160 --> 0:05:07.640 I think that's why they have WiFi in that building. 0:05:07.760 --> 0:05:11.800 For Dad's mom whoever, I just like was bre hitting 0:05:11.800 --> 0:05:15.080 you like a little bit. Jacob was on her lap, 0:05:15.120 --> 0:05:18.039 but like I just kept passive aggressively saying, yeah, you know, 0:05:18.040 --> 0:05:19.400 it's only the biggest game of the year. That's all 0:05:19.400 --> 0:05:21.600 the biggest game for the Giants in five years. But no, cool, 0:05:21.680 --> 0:05:24.120 let's go the route off. All good, all good? And 0:05:24.240 --> 0:05:26.400 how do you justify it? Because then after you're walking 0:05:26.400 --> 0:05:28.520 out a picture, she says, so you know, did the 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:34.039 Giants win? Tie? Yeah? But because like was it worth it? 0:05:34.080 --> 0:05:35.840 You had to watch a tie? So what are your 0:05:35.839 --> 0:05:39.520 takeaways from that game? I don't know if either of 0:05:39.600 --> 0:05:42.480 those two teams are really good or really bad. I 0:05:42.520 --> 0:05:45.359 can't figure it out. I think they're both decent. The 0:05:45.440 --> 0:05:48.200 glaring thing to me is I think that was actually 0:05:48.200 --> 0:05:51.080 a really positive game for Daniel Jones and the Giants. 0:05:51.360 --> 0:05:53.680 He made the play to win the game. He hit 0:05:53.760 --> 0:05:57.120 Slayton on a pass that would the game would have 0:05:57.160 --> 0:06:00.000 been pretty much over from that point, and Slayton dropped 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:03.640 its second most drops maybe ever. So I do think 0:06:03.640 --> 0:06:06.520 the tie will help make the playoffs. It's better than 0:06:06.520 --> 0:06:08.799 the loss, but it just puts that much more pressure 0:06:08.839 --> 0:06:11.000 on two weeks from now when they play the Commanders 0:06:11.040 --> 0:06:13.039 again in d C, and that's going to be a 0:06:13.080 --> 0:06:15.680 tough game. I am definitely one of those people who 0:06:15.800 --> 0:06:18.440 cheers on Taylor Heineke, I gotta admit, and he had 0:06:18.440 --> 0:06:22.839 to seventy five yards completions forty two touchdowns. I'm not 0:06:22.880 --> 0:06:25.360 sharing against your Giants I'm just saying that Taylor Heineke 0:06:25.520 --> 0:06:29.160 is a great story to get behind. But yes, his 0:06:29.200 --> 0:06:30.880 work cut out for him because now all of a sudden, 0:06:31.040 --> 0:06:35.800 there's a bigger underdog quarterback in the NFL. Can you 0:06:35.839 --> 0:06:39.359 even believe what's going on in San Francisco, Mr Purty, Yes, 0:06:39.600 --> 0:06:41.480 I mean it's hard to say you feel bad for 0:06:41.600 --> 0:06:43.800 Jimmy g but you do feel bad with every injury. 0:06:43.839 --> 0:06:46.400 You don't ever want to see players get injured. I 0:06:46.440 --> 0:06:49.760 think that was one of the most interesting questions of 0:06:49.800 --> 0:06:53.080 the year going into the playoffs. If the Niners reached 0:06:53.120 --> 0:06:55.919 the Super Bowl and or win the Super Bowl, you 0:06:56.000 --> 0:06:58.280 gotta run it back, right. We talked about it last week, 0:06:58.279 --> 0:07:01.440 and that's something I want to ask Lombardi. Is it 0:07:01.560 --> 0:07:05.560 automatic that you run that team back or as much 0:07:05.560 --> 0:07:09.239 as possible? Now? I just think that that obviously doesn't happen. 0:07:09.320 --> 0:07:13.400 But Pretty looked good. I'm sorry that. I mean, the 0:07:13.520 --> 0:07:16.440 defense looked phenomenal, and he didn't need to do a 0:07:16.480 --> 0:07:19.600 whole lot, but Pretty did look very, very competent. Yeah, 0:07:19.640 --> 0:07:23.160 he looks great four to ten, two touchdowns, but I 0:07:23.200 --> 0:07:25.280 don't think they're going to need him to do that much. 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:27.240 I gotta say That's why I'm not that worried. I'm 0:07:27.240 --> 0:07:29.680 not sounding the alarms for San Francisco right now. They 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:31.400 have one of the best defenses in the league, one 0:07:31.440 --> 0:07:33.440 of the best coaches in the league on the offensive 0:07:33.440 --> 0:07:35.680 side of the ball, best left tackle, some of the 0:07:35.680 --> 0:07:39.720 best playmakers. They're undefeated since Christian McCaffrey came. I think 0:07:39.760 --> 0:07:42.960 that Kyle Shanahan's system has him playing point guard in 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:44.840 a basketball sense, like he doesn't need to take his 0:07:44.880 --> 0:07:46.880 own shots, he needs to set everyone else up. I 0:07:46.920 --> 0:07:48.880 really think it's it's interesting. But like you said, with 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:52.360 Jimmy G, this guy's snake bite. I feel really bad 0:07:52.360 --> 0:07:54.560 for Jimmy G. I was just thinking about his career 0:07:54.560 --> 0:07:56.640 as a hole leading up to this. Drafted by the 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:59.080 Patriots to be Brady's back up, I thought, maybe the 0:07:59.200 --> 0:08:01.760 last couple of years, Okay, Brady's going nowhere, So he 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:04.240 goes to San Francisco, comes within a play or two 0:08:04.320 --> 0:08:06.760 of winning the Super Bowl. They draft a young guy 0:08:06.840 --> 0:08:10.280 third overall, so now he has a second season ending 0:08:10.360 --> 0:08:12.760 injury in the last couple of years. I mean, it's 0:08:13.200 --> 0:08:15.760 this guy. He can't catch a break. Thank God, he's 0:08:15.760 --> 0:08:18.280 so pretty, but he that's kind of it his football career. 0:08:18.320 --> 0:08:22.000 He's always just right there and he gets he gets screwed. Yeah, 0:08:22.040 --> 0:08:24.600 and we're coming off that Instagram clip of him at 0:08:24.600 --> 0:08:29.600 the Warriors game where every single Warriors cheerleader walked by 0:08:29.640 --> 0:08:33.040 and was like Hi, Jerry. I just kept going. Do 0:08:33.120 --> 0:08:35.679 you know much about brock Purty? Obviously? I think everyone's 0:08:35.720 --> 0:08:37.800 done a lot of research since he's been playing, and 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:39.440 now seems like the guy who's going to be there 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:41.200 because I don't think they really I know they signed 0:08:41.600 --> 0:08:45.520 Johnson off the Broncos practice team, but right for a backup. Yeah, 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:48.600 what do you know if anything about brock Purty, Well, 0:08:48.840 --> 0:08:50.680 you know, if it's a guy who's like a rookie, 0:08:50.720 --> 0:08:53.319 first second, third year, like I probably covered them in college, 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:56.040 and I did. I covered Brock pretty a lot in college. 0:08:56.040 --> 0:08:59.679 Actually he has. At Iowa State, he was really relevant, 0:09:00.040 --> 0:09:02.560 big name in college football for a handful of years 0:09:02.600 --> 0:09:06.000 because he played super exciting. He had a big arm, 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:08.440 he was confident, he was swaggy. He beat out the 0:09:08.440 --> 0:09:10.800 guy in front of him, like mid season. I remember 0:09:10.880 --> 0:09:14.120 one game I think he actually was inserted midway through 0:09:14.160 --> 0:09:17.400 a game I had at Oklahoma State and he was electric. 0:09:17.640 --> 0:09:21.480 So but that's a college you know, completely different game. Honestly, 0:09:21.480 --> 0:09:23.920 it is a different game in the NFL. But what's 0:09:23.960 --> 0:09:25.760 kind of cool about him He got most of his 0:09:25.840 --> 0:09:29.160 college offers really late his senior year because he had 0:09:29.200 --> 0:09:31.880 mono his junior year, so he didn't play much football. 0:09:31.880 --> 0:09:33.560 He didn't get many offers. And then he has this 0:09:33.640 --> 0:09:36.679 amazing senior year, but Iowa State had offered him so 0:09:36.720 --> 0:09:38.920 early that he wanted to stick with them, so he 0:09:38.960 --> 0:09:42.040 even turned down a scholarship to play at Alabama and others, 0:09:42.040 --> 0:09:45.559 but Alabama like so, this guy is talented so much 0:09:45.559 --> 0:09:47.679 so that Nick Saban wanted them. And then he goes 0:09:47.760 --> 0:09:50.160 to kind of a school no one thinks about Iowa 0:09:50.200 --> 0:09:52.320 State and does well in the Big Twelve. And I 0:09:52.360 --> 0:09:55.160 don't think they're done with Brock Purty. No, And the 0:09:55.200 --> 0:09:57.880 defense showed you. I mean, it was a great example 0:09:57.960 --> 0:10:00.640 of defense versus offense. The defense was flat out just 0:10:00.679 --> 0:10:03.520 good enough to beat. They didn't even need him to 0:10:03.559 --> 0:10:07.320 do anything. So but let's just say, my Seahawks ticket 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:10.040 to win a division, which would dropped last week and 0:10:10.080 --> 0:10:12.880 I was thinking about getting off it back in play. 0:10:12.920 --> 0:10:15.880 There's still only one game back from the Niners and 0:10:15.880 --> 0:10:19.240 they will meet again, so that Seahawks to win the 0:10:19.360 --> 0:10:21.840 NFC West. I know they're the underdog and the Niners 0:10:21.840 --> 0:10:24.120 of the favorite, but that is still very much in place. 0:10:24.120 --> 0:10:27.080 Seahawks looked good. Yeah, I was looking at opening nods 0:10:27.080 --> 0:10:29.720 for that division, so forty Niners opening nods was plus 0:10:29.720 --> 0:10:32.959 two thirty and now it's minus four hundred. That's with 0:10:33.000 --> 0:10:34.800 the Brock pretty news. So there's still the favor in 0:10:34.800 --> 0:10:37.720 the NFC West. Seattle's next up at plus three hundred 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:40.439 if someone's still trying to buy that ticket. But look, 0:10:40.480 --> 0:10:44.199 if the playoffs started today, San Francisco would play the Giants, 0:10:44.360 --> 0:10:47.280 and I think they'd win. I think they'd win to 0:10:48.280 --> 0:10:51.680 just I don't know how with everything that Giants have 0:10:51.800 --> 0:10:54.480 going on at receiver and lack thereof, I just don't 0:10:54.520 --> 0:10:56.560 know how they would move the ball against the Niners. 0:10:56.600 --> 0:10:59.400 I mean it would have to be a flukey fluky 0:10:59.440 --> 0:11:02.640 type that which Giant. Historically Giants and the Niners that 0:11:02.920 --> 0:11:06.840 hit fluky stuff has happened. You know, Joe Montana got 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:09.760 knocked out of a game and Colin Kaepernick had an 0:11:09.800 --> 0:11:12.040 awful game like this only bad game of the year 0:11:12.160 --> 0:11:13.920 versus the Giants in the playoffs, so there is a 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:15.760 history there, but no, I don't know how the Giants 0:11:15.800 --> 0:11:18.880 had moved the ball against that Niners defense since they 0:11:18.920 --> 0:11:22.040 Now this weekend we have a much anticipated, a just 0:11:22.360 --> 0:11:27.120 classic on the Gridiron meeting Rock Purty and Tom Brady. 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:31.599 Listen to very late draft. I mean, brock Purty potentially 0:11:31.720 --> 0:11:35.080 could be like, you can't say he's gonna beat Tom Brady, 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:38.360 but he has the origin story at least so far. 0:11:38.679 --> 0:11:42.040 You know he was Mr. Irrelevant. But let's just be clear. 0:11:42.120 --> 0:11:44.440 If San Francisco makes a deep playoff run here with 0:11:44.559 --> 0:11:47.160 Rock Party at quarterback, we need have Jeff Perlman write 0:11:47.160 --> 0:11:49.480 his book now just started now because this would be 0:11:49.520 --> 0:11:51.960 the most unheard of thing. It's never happened in the 0:11:52.040 --> 0:11:54.080 NFL before. And you look at Tom Brady, what he 0:11:54.120 --> 0:11:56.280 was a sixth round pick six or seven? Yeah, I 0:11:56.280 --> 0:11:58.720 always confused if he was six or I think six, 0:11:58.880 --> 0:12:01.480 and brock Purty was literally the last pick in the draft. 0:12:01.640 --> 0:12:04.120 Mr Irrelevant. That's kind of a different story. I mean, 0:12:04.240 --> 0:12:07.920 that's that is falling so far, and he's a rookie. 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:10.160 He's a rookie. It's not like he's been like an 0:12:10.160 --> 0:12:12.920 eternal backup that you know is competent whatever, he's a 0:12:13.080 --> 0:12:16.920 rookie and he was Mr. Irrelevant, so this story would 0:12:16.920 --> 0:12:20.160 be incredible if if they can play with him. Yeah, 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:23.480 and Brady, if you remember, people forget because he's been 0:12:23.480 --> 0:12:27.080 around for a hundred thousand years that first Patriots Super 0:12:27.120 --> 0:12:28.920 Bowl up. All you gotta do is just manage the game. 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:31.000 Because the Pats had a good defense, I had a 0:12:31.000 --> 0:12:34.760 good run game. They had a great coach. So there 0:12:34.800 --> 0:12:37.920 are eerie things. But look, let's not get ahead of ourselves. 0:12:37.960 --> 0:12:41.440 Because although Tom Brady for every moment that you're like, 0:12:41.480 --> 0:12:43.440 oh he's done, the Bucks are done, and he does 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:45.720 some crazy stuff with three minutes to go, it is 0:12:45.800 --> 0:12:49.400 awful watching the Bucks. I I hate I'm like hate 0:12:49.400 --> 0:12:52.000 watching the Bucks all the time. I mean that Monday 0:12:52.080 --> 0:12:55.959 night game was unprecedented. I would love to know the 0:12:56.080 --> 0:12:59.480 viewership from like at the final five minutes when they 0:12:59.520 --> 0:13:02.280 were down there team Tampa Bay and then they come 0:13:02.280 --> 0:13:04.320 back obviously to win. I would love to know how 0:13:04.400 --> 0:13:07.360 many TV sets were turned off. I sound like I'm 0:13:07.360 --> 0:13:12.719 in the nineteen sixties right now. How many people have 0:13:12.880 --> 0:13:15.800 turned off the game and then quickly turned it back 0:13:15.800 --> 0:13:17.600 on at the end when you know, someone texts them. 0:13:17.600 --> 0:13:19.800 Are you watching this? So you just reminded me of 0:13:19.840 --> 0:13:23.000 my when Entourage first started. My mom would put like 0:13:23.040 --> 0:13:25.640 all the TV's on in the house when Entourage on, 0:13:25.760 --> 0:13:31.880 thinking that each TV like a viewer. So yeah, okay, 0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:34.160 that's adorable. By the way, later in the show, we're 0:13:34.160 --> 0:13:36.120 going to get back to our entraged segment. We missed 0:13:36.200 --> 0:13:38.200 last week because I was traveling and I didn't have 0:13:38.240 --> 0:13:40.199 time to watch. But now I am caught up and 0:13:40.240 --> 0:13:42.000 I have so many questions to ask you later in 0:13:42.040 --> 0:13:43.839 the show. I'm excited, can't wait. Yeah. I think you're 0:13:43.960 --> 0:13:47.200 entering season five, which is my second favorite season, so 0:13:47.240 --> 0:13:50.240 I'm excited to have a little chat about that. Okay, 0:13:50.280 --> 0:13:51.760 I wanted to ask you two on the heels of 0:13:51.800 --> 0:13:54.920 the forty Niners conversation, and we do record this on Tuesday, 0:13:54.960 --> 0:13:57.760 so this might be settled by the time this air 0:13:57.840 --> 0:14:01.080 is on Thursday. But Baker Mayfield was cut from Carolina 0:14:01.160 --> 0:14:03.880 this week, and a lot of people thought, oh, perfect timing. 0:14:04.000 --> 0:14:06.480 San Francisco needs a quarterback. Baker is a former number 0:14:06.480 --> 0:14:09.600 one pick, He's a former Heisman winner. There's still something 0:14:09.600 --> 0:14:11.319 to like with Baker Mayfield. I know he's got a 0:14:11.360 --> 0:14:14.520 lot of haters, but he can play. It's sad that 0:14:14.559 --> 0:14:17.040 he failed a third string in Carolina. I don't really 0:14:17.040 --> 0:14:19.760 know how or why. But do you feel like San 0:14:19.760 --> 0:14:23.000 Francisco is a good spot for him? In last Michael Lombardi, 0:14:23.080 --> 0:14:24.680 But do you feel like there's any team that could 0:14:24.760 --> 0:14:28.360 use his services with the way quarterback was this year? 0:14:28.480 --> 0:14:31.600 I definitely don't think that Baker necessarily needs to worry 0:14:31.680 --> 0:14:33.440 like will he get another shot or not? I think 0:14:33.440 --> 0:14:36.520 he will. I don't think it's gonna be with the 0:14:36.640 --> 0:14:39.960 Niners unless it's it's going to be an insurance package 0:14:40.000 --> 0:14:42.320 almost for them, because I think they're going to roll 0:14:42.360 --> 0:14:44.440 the dice with pretty I think they probably liked what 0:14:44.480 --> 0:14:46.920 they saw. And he's been with the team. He's been 0:14:46.960 --> 0:14:49.200 the backup while he was third string, but then Trey 0:14:49.280 --> 0:14:52.440 Lance went down so early he's been getting reps as 0:14:52.480 --> 0:14:54.720 the backup quarterback for a minute. So I don't see 0:14:54.720 --> 0:14:57.600 it happening unless truly they want to just bolster up 0:14:57.880 --> 0:14:59.960 the quarterback spot. I don't. I don't think it happens 0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:02.320 with the Niners. I don't think they need. And the 0:15:02.400 --> 0:15:04.920 Josh Johnson part of it all, who he knows, you know, 0:15:05.080 --> 0:15:07.520 the la Florsa. He knows the system, so I just don't. 0:15:07.560 --> 0:15:09.000 I just don't see it, and I don't know what 0:15:09.120 --> 0:15:12.040 team really does that. Why not why not just wait 0:15:12.560 --> 0:15:15.320 and then bring him in for workouts and talks and 0:15:15.440 --> 0:15:17.200 sign him in the off season, because you don't even 0:15:17.480 --> 0:15:19.240 if they signed him, and Lombardi could speak to this 0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:20.560 better than I can. You know, you don't have his 0:15:20.640 --> 0:15:23.320 rights for next year or so why not just wait? 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:25.560 I don't see I don't think there's any other team 0:15:25.600 --> 0:15:28.840 that's just close enough where Baker would put them over 0:15:28.880 --> 0:15:31.080 the edge. The Niners will be the only team. I 0:15:31.120 --> 0:15:34.040 don't think it happens. Do you know. I don't because 0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:37.440 they asked Kyle Shanahan about it on Sunday or Monday, 0:15:37.440 --> 0:15:40.280 and he was like, I'm a fan of Bakers, which 0:15:40.520 --> 0:15:43.240 is not true. I'm a fan of Bakers, but I 0:15:43.280 --> 0:15:46.000 think we're okay, which I think says it all. But hey, 0:15:46.000 --> 0:15:48.680 it's not his decision, so we'll see. Okay, there's one 0:15:48.680 --> 0:15:52.080 more quarterback qualm. I wanted to pick your brain on. 0:15:52.240 --> 0:15:54.440 So we haven't talked about this before. I want to 0:15:54.480 --> 0:15:56.720 air this out and see what you think, Okay, and 0:15:56.720 --> 0:15:59.280 we'll ask Michael Lombardi too. But just as I'm kind 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:01.880 of looking at where the Packers stand with Aaron Rodgers, 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:03.960 and everyone's like, oh, the Packers are stuck with them. 0:16:04.000 --> 0:16:07.120 They're stuck, And recently both sides came out saying they 0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:10.520 want to him to return next year. I feel like, again, 0:16:10.560 --> 0:16:14.200 I'm not a GM obviously, and I don't know if 0:16:14.240 --> 0:16:17.160 this really is the best solution, but it is a solution, 0:16:17.560 --> 0:16:20.040 and I just wanna I want to hear what you 0:16:20.040 --> 0:16:24.400 think about this. So Tennessee, they are right there, they 0:16:24.400 --> 0:16:27.280 are ready to win. They have a great defense, good coaching. 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:30.440 I think could use a better quarterback. Aaron Rodgers is 0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:32.640 building a house in Nashville. Now, a lot of people 0:16:32.640 --> 0:16:34.440 do end up moving to Nashville. We were just talking 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:37.040 before the show, like a lot of Californians moved to Austin. 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:40.880 This is a similar thing. But as the Packers and 0:16:40.920 --> 0:16:43.280 Aaron just signed a three year, hundred fifty million dollar 0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:46.480 extension and the only way out of it is really retirement, 0:16:46.760 --> 0:16:50.240 I wonder if he would try to get traded or 0:16:50.320 --> 0:16:53.840 retire and then unretire and try to go to Nashville 0:16:54.520 --> 0:16:58.280 where he could probably win more games sooner, and then 0:16:58.320 --> 0:17:00.480 I don't know if it necessarily is horrible for the 0:17:00.520 --> 0:17:04.000 Packers because they'd get a bunch of draft picks, they 0:17:04.160 --> 0:17:06.720 would hit dead cap space, but it would be like 0:17:06.760 --> 0:17:10.560 sixteen million the first year, million the next year. But 0:17:10.600 --> 0:17:13.600 if Jordan's Love can play, which again we don't really know, 0:17:14.080 --> 0:17:16.239 I think it's a wash because you're not paying Jordan's Love, 0:17:16.280 --> 0:17:18.200 You're not paying all the young guys like Christian Watson, 0:17:18.359 --> 0:17:21.479 Romeo Dabbs. The only like big money guy on that 0:17:21.520 --> 0:17:25.080 team is David Bactieri, your left tackle. So if you 0:17:25.119 --> 0:17:27.679 get all these draft picks from Tennessee, you get a 0:17:27.680 --> 0:17:30.760 receiver that hits, then you can kind of even get 0:17:30.840 --> 0:17:34.359 rid of the next level of money guys like Randall Cobs, 0:17:34.359 --> 0:17:38.200 Sammy Watkins, Alan Lazard and again this may be complete 0:17:38.240 --> 0:17:40.679 vs I'm spitting out here. I just feel like it 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:43.600 kind of fits for both sides, and it gives green 0:17:43.600 --> 0:17:46.200 Bay a fresh start. I think that is a really, 0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:48.880 really good case that you just laid out because when 0:17:48.880 --> 0:17:52.240 you think of Aaron Rodgers, look with green Bay, they're 0:17:52.240 --> 0:17:54.000 going to get a good draft pick this year, but 0:17:54.040 --> 0:17:56.480 that's only one pick, and they'll have a better second 0:17:56.520 --> 0:17:59.080 round pick, so they will have assets to make the 0:17:59.119 --> 0:18:02.440 team better going into next year. I get and Watson 0:18:02.480 --> 0:18:06.720 obviously has shown remarkable bounce back factor since his start 0:18:06.800 --> 0:18:09.639 of the year, so he's a piece too. It's a 0:18:09.680 --> 0:18:13.920 really interesting scenario because I do think I haven't thought 0:18:13.960 --> 0:18:16.800 of the Titans till you mentioned it. But and I 0:18:17.000 --> 0:18:19.480 clocked the building a house, I don't really ever. I 0:18:19.520 --> 0:18:21.760 think the only time that ever truly factored in was 0:18:21.800 --> 0:18:24.840 when Lebron was building like his mega giant mansion in 0:18:24.960 --> 0:18:26.679 l A. It's like, because he's going to the Lakers, 0:18:26.720 --> 0:18:29.879 like what not a surprise. But I think for a 0:18:29.960 --> 0:18:31.640 lot of these guys, just because they're building a house 0:18:31.640 --> 0:18:35.919 somewhere does not automatically plant No. But I think you 0:18:36.080 --> 0:18:39.199 it brought you to a good, good point because it 0:18:39.320 --> 0:18:43.159 is a good fit and the Titans are really close. 0:18:43.240 --> 0:18:46.160 I liked Tannehill, I don't. I kind of would say, 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:48.560 see how it goes with Titans this year if they 0:18:48.600 --> 0:18:50.959 make a run with Tannehill and who knows, but if 0:18:50.960 --> 0:18:53.520 they get bounced out early, fou was him, I'd much 0:18:53.600 --> 0:18:57.240 rather play in that division than have to deal with 0:18:57.240 --> 0:19:00.359 the Vikings and the Lions, who look like they're actually 0:19:00.960 --> 0:19:05.000 a juggernaut coming in. I mean, it's insane to see 0:19:05.040 --> 0:19:07.480 what the Lions have put together. I can't believe that 0:19:07.520 --> 0:19:12.720 the Lions are favored at home against the Vikings. Someone 0:19:12.800 --> 0:19:19.560 tell me why I think the Lions are making the playoffs? What? Well, Okay, 0:19:19.640 --> 0:19:22.320 I would love to hear your case, because I sniffed 0:19:22.359 --> 0:19:25.960 around at that too. They're basically two games out and 0:19:26.000 --> 0:19:29.840 their schedule, they are obviously home for the Vikings this week, 0:19:29.920 --> 0:19:31.720 so if they win this week, then I do think 0:19:31.720 --> 0:19:33.679 you are in business. Then they go at the Jets, 0:19:33.680 --> 0:19:36.840 which is no longer a walk game, a walkover game, 0:19:36.840 --> 0:19:39.280 because Mike White has something to say about that. At 0:19:39.320 --> 0:19:42.600 the Panthers. The Panthers are so confusing. They're one of 0:19:42.640 --> 0:19:45.119 these teams I can't figure out, Like they flirt with you, 0:19:45.200 --> 0:19:47.280