Speaker 1: It's time for episode four of the Dave Pash Podcast.
Speaker 1: Hi everybody, I'm your host, Dave Pash, ESPN announcer and
Speaker 1: Arizona Cardinals play by play voice. If you've missed the
Speaker 1: three previous episodes, check out entertaining conversations with Pro Football
Speaker 1: Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, All Pro safety Buddha Baker,
Speaker 1: and Cardinals head coach Cliff Kingsbury. We are presented by
Speaker 1: bet MGM, official sports betting partner of the Arizona Cardinals
Speaker 1: and Hila River Hotels and Casinos. You can follow along
Speaker 1: on Twitter at pash pod for information on future guests.
Speaker 1: Today we talk with a groundbreaking broadcaster, Mina Kimes, full
Speaker 1: time NFL analyst at ESPN. Mina has had a really
Speaker 1: interesting and unique path to ESPN. Her background includes playing
Speaker 1: soccer at Mesquite High School in Gilbert, Arizona. There are
Speaker 1: also parts of her life that have nothing to do
Speaker 1: with sports, particularly in her profession, and we'll get into that.
Speaker 1: We will, of course get into Mina's thoughts on the NFL,
Speaker 1: the NFC West, and the Arizona Cardinals. Plus a tweet
Speaker 1: from Mina about Kyler Murray and Rondale Moore that went viral.
Speaker 1: So here she is ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes. So, Mina,
Speaker 1: First of all, you have ties to Arizona. I'm curious
Speaker 1: about your journey here. You moved around a lot when
Speaker 1: you were young. How did you get to Arizona? What
Speaker 1: did you think of it? When you lived here? You
Speaker 1: went to high school in Gilbert, and then why'd you leave?
Speaker 1: So I moved to Arizona right before high school from Virginia.
Speaker 1: Had not lived here, and it was because my dad
Speaker 1: had retired from the military and got a job working
Speaker 1: for Lucky Martin in Arizona, so we moved here. I'd
Speaker 1: lived in a sillion places on account of the military thing,
Speaker 1: but I had never lived in the Southwest, and as
Speaker 1: a kid, I think I I liked it. It was
Speaker 1: very different from Virginia, Michigan, Washington, Nebraska where I was born.
Speaker 1: You know, the desert isn't really unlike anywhere else. But
Speaker 1: but but I love it. And like you said, I
Speaker 1: lived in Gilbert, went to Mesquite High School, which at
Speaker 1: the time was very new ago Wildcast has now been
Speaker 1: around for a minute. I guess, however, a old I am.
Speaker 1: But yeah, So when people ask me where I'm from.
Speaker 1: I often tell them Arizona because m Davis where I
Speaker 1: lived the longest, and I only left to go to college,
Speaker 1: So I don't give away your age and say when
Speaker 1: you went there, were the Were the Cardinals good when
Speaker 1: you were in high school? Uh? Yeah, yeah, we were talking.
Speaker 1: My brother and I were talking about that with the
Speaker 1: Sun's success, because um, it had been so long since.
Speaker 1: Uh we weren't Sweden grew up Suns fans, but we
Speaker 1: were thinking back to kind of a different Arizona sports teams.
Speaker 1: And there is also peaked Diamond back years while I
Speaker 1: was there. But yeah, you know, some ups and downs,
Speaker 1: I'll put that way. Were you a Cardinal fan? Because
Speaker 1: I know now you're a Seahawk fan. Were you always
Speaker 1: a Seahawks fan or was there a time where you
Speaker 1: rooted for the Cardinals when you lived here? Yeah? I
Speaker 1: was always Seattle fan. So that's not just Seahawks, Mariners,
Speaker 1: University of Washington. My brother went to a sc by
Speaker 1: the way, but yeah, Sonics when I was very young
Speaker 1: and Seahawks from day one. Did you know when you
Speaker 1: were young that you wanted a career in sports. We'll
Speaker 1: get into a little bit you know, the transition you
Speaker 1: made from a non sports field to a sports field,
Speaker 1: still in journalism, but totally different things you were covering.
Speaker 1: Were you a big sports fan, did you play sports?
Speaker 1: Did you want a career in sports when you're growing up? So?
Speaker 1: I played soccer growing up, and I played soccer at
Speaker 1: Mesquite High school actually, but now I never thought I
Speaker 1: would work in sports as an analyst or even a reporter.
Speaker 1: I wanted to be a writer growing up, and that's
Speaker 1: why I do. Out of college. You know, worked as
Speaker 1: a business journalist, but I had I'd never planned on
Speaker 1: working in sports or even football. It was just a
Speaker 1: hobby and a passion of mine. And I knew about
Speaker 1: the business journalist background fortune in Bloomberg, right, that's where
Speaker 1: you work, that's right, prior to coming to ESPN. So
Speaker 1: how did you like, How did that come about? Going
Speaker 1: from being a business journalist to not only being a
Speaker 1: journalist in the sports field, but now being an analyst,
Speaker 1: being an ESPN NFL analyst. Yeah, so ESPN the magazine,
Speaker 1: which I think is the same more. But they approached
Speaker 1: me and when I was at Bloomberg News an investigative reporter,
Speaker 1: and asked if i'd be interested in kind of doing
Speaker 1: the same thing, writing features and calm, but writing about sports.
Speaker 1: They knew I had an interest in football because I
Speaker 1: had written a personal essay about football and all my
Speaker 1: social media was football football stuff, so I decided to
Speaker 1: make the leap after they hit me up. And then
Speaker 1: a couple of years into writing about football, I started
Speaker 1: doing podcasting and radio really about football, fantasy football, and
Speaker 1: that's sort of how I made the transition from writing
Speaker 1: to being also an opinionator at ESPN, panelists on Around
Speaker 1: the Horn and shows like that. And then I guess
Speaker 1: it was just a year ago switched full time from
Speaker 1: doing a mixture of kind of everything to just doing
Speaker 1: NFL Live, which is our daily NFL show, and then
Speaker 1: doing my own football podcast, which is which has been
Speaker 1: around for a while, but you know, it's been a
Speaker 1: focus of mine now since then. How was it received? Look,
Speaker 1: do I want to get in doors Burke in a
Speaker 1: second is a great frint of word with her forever,
Speaker 1: and in talking with her over the years, you know
Speaker 1: there's times where you know her success wasn't received well
Speaker 1: by a lot of people. I am curious because you're
Speaker 1: the first ESPN NFL analysts who happens to be a female.
Speaker 1: How was it received. I'm sure on social media you
Speaker 1: get a mix, but you know, in terms of players coaches,
Speaker 1: like what kind of feedback did you get? You know,
Speaker 1: I would say this is a pretty big gap between players, coaches,
Speaker 1: and people in the industry, and then social media people
Speaker 1: are geting their opinions, often without names and faces that
Speaker 1: you know, I've for the most part, really had great
Speaker 1: relationships and feedback because I find, especially covering football, you know,
Speaker 1: most people in arnously are just excited to talk about
Speaker 1: the sport. And if you're passionate about hues and o's
Speaker 1: and learning about the game and talking about it beyond
Speaker 1: just you know, the hot takes, but kind of digging
Speaker 1: into the game on a more granular level, I think
Speaker 1: people are really receptive to that, and that's always been
Speaker 1: my approach to it and why I love talking about it.
Speaker 1: It's such a completed sport, there's always room to grow
Speaker 1: and learn, and I, yeah, the reception has been great
Speaker 1: even and for me, you know, I've learned a lot
Speaker 1: on the fly, because not not just about the sport,
Speaker 1: but about doing analysis on television, getting to do commentary.
Speaker 1: I work with the Rams in the preseason. So I
Speaker 1: guess I really am going all around the West these days.
Speaker 1: But yeah, for me, a lot, a lot of the
Speaker 1: last couple of years, a few years have been spent
Speaker 1: just learning those skills and not really learning the sport,
Speaker 1: but learning how to talk about it in different ways.
Speaker 1: What was it like on social media for you? You know,
Speaker 1: I look at it sometimes, but I also am pretty
Speaker 1: deliberate about not looking at it too much, which I
Speaker 1: think is something a lot of people are in industry
Speaker 1: have kind of. It's a process for all of us
Speaker 1: and also people who play the sport and play any
Speaker 1: professional sport, but covering it is can be such a
Speaker 1: time stuck, right if you spend a lot of time
Speaker 1: looking at it and I guess listening to it. So,
Speaker 1: you know, as i've I think my job has grown,
Speaker 1: and I guess the number of people tchirving has grown.
Speaker 1: I think I actually can weirdly look at it less
Speaker 1: and less. The only times my social media blows up
Speaker 1: two times working with Bill Walton for whatever reason, it
Speaker 1: just blows up. And then doing a college football game
Speaker 1: either in the SEC or at Ohio State, Michigan or Clemson,
Speaker 1: like you get, I'm so much hate, I just try
Speaker 1: to ignore it. So I can only imagine, like what
Speaker 1: it's like when you're talking about the NFL, and you're
Speaker 1: talking about it every day, how many people on Twitter
Speaker 1: that you know just realize, Hey, I've got a free
Speaker 1: shot here at me. At times, I'm gonna take it
Speaker 1: because there's, you know, no repercussions. I think college football
Speaker 1: fans are actually way more on the Internet and NFL
Speaker 1: I'll say that. That's the impression I get, but that
Speaker 1: of every sport, every and in a certain fan bases,
Speaker 1: you just mentioned a couple of them where they are
Speaker 1: very I think active would be the nicest way to
Speaker 1: put it online. So I mentioned Doris earlier. So I've
Speaker 1: been with the Cardinals. Is my twentieth year and a
Speaker 1: ESPN for well two thousand and three. This will be
Speaker 1: my eighteenth college football season coming up. Just finished my
Speaker 1: fifteenth year on the NBA and a lot of those
Speaker 1: years doing NBA. Doris has been an analyst with me.
Speaker 1: I've done games with her college basketball. We did WNBA together,
Speaker 1: not just at ESPN, but I remember when I was
Speaker 1: doing games at Syracuse, I would drive down to New
Speaker 1: York City and do Liberty games on the radio for
Speaker 1: MSG Radio and Doris was the analyst. And this was
Speaker 1: in the late nineties. So I've known Doris for twenty
Speaker 1: five years. I've kind of watched her ascension. We're really
Speaker 1: good friends. I have so much respect for her. I've
Speaker 1: always said this, and I said this, you know, fifteen
Speaker 1: twenty years ago, that I felt Doris is as good
Speaker 1: an analyst as anybody on any sport in our business.
Speaker 1: What kind of an impact And I don't know if
Speaker 1: you know Doris or have talked Doris at all, but
Speaker 1: I'm just curious, you know, what kind of an impact
Speaker 1: has she had on your career? Yeah, well, I think
Speaker 1: Doris has impacted a lot of women in our field
Speaker 1: no matter what you do, whether you know, because she's
Speaker 1: also held a lot of different roles. But for me personally,
Speaker 1: the work she's done as an analyst has been not
Speaker 1: only really inspiring and fun to watch and educational. I
Speaker 1: just absolutely love when whenever I tune into a game
Speaker 1: and hear her, I love I love it because I
Speaker 1: know I'm gonna I'm gonna learn something, and she's such
Speaker 1: a good communicator. But you know, just kind of normalizing
Speaker 1: that role, I think for me. You asked a little
Speaker 1: bit about the feedback I get, and a lot of it.
Speaker 1: I think sometimes it's just surprised and people say, thinking
Speaker 1: you know something. I hear a lot as people say,
Speaker 1: well who wrote that or where are you reading it?
Speaker 1: It's like, no, I'm not a I'm not reading a
Speaker 1: proptor to. But I think it's just an assumption people
Speaker 1: make about especially in football, because, um, you know, Doris
Speaker 1: covers a sport where I included. There's increasingly more than
Speaker 1: ever female analysts in basketball, which is fantastic, especially at
Speaker 1: ESPN on the shows I'm on, We're we have so
Speaker 1: many wonderful women covering basketball in up and comers like
Speaker 1: Cheney or blukay Monica mcnah. I mean, just it's wonderful
Speaker 1: where in football, you know, I think we're still kind
Speaker 1: of having women in roles other than being a reporter
Speaker 1: or host is still pretty new. And yeah, you can
Speaker 1: obviously I see the impact that Doris has had on basketball,
Speaker 1: and hopefully we'll see that in football too soon. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's a great point because you've got a lot of
Speaker 1: different basketball analysts. You mentioned she came on an NBA
Speaker 1: broadcast with us for a couple of segments during the season. Uh,
Speaker 1: you know, I've done games with La China Robinson, Malika
Speaker 1: did some games with Malika during the during the playoffs,
Speaker 1: and obviously you know she did a great job on
Speaker 1: the finals when you know she was reporting, Uh in
Speaker 1: the finals, I thought she just did a phenomenal job.
Speaker 1: But you're right, Football, you're the You're among the first,
Speaker 1: if not the first, but hopefully, hopefully there'll be more.
Speaker 1: I'm curious about your your NFL Live crew because I've
Speaker 1: known Laura for a long time, worked with Laura. She's
Speaker 1: such a great talent. Orlovsky spears. You guys have great chemistry.
Speaker 1: It's funny because I see you and Dan like you're
Speaker 1: on the air together, and then you guys just tweeted
Speaker 1: each other all the time. What's the what's the dynamic like?
Speaker 1: Because it seems like you guys have great chemistry together
Speaker 1: all of you. Thank you so much. I truly love
Speaker 1: them all. And it's funny you mentioned that's tweeting each
Speaker 1: other because that's like one twentieth of the actual dialogue
Speaker 1: we have off air, which is you know, all of
Speaker 1: us and then Ryan Clark as well, who's the regular show.
Speaker 1: We just are constantly texting our thoughts and opinions about
Speaker 1: things happening in football, and obviously goes crazy during the season.
Speaker 1: We actually have football to talk about and not just storylines.
Speaker 1: But I joke every morning during the season, I wake
Speaker 1: up and I have like twenty clips from Dan and
Speaker 1: I try to watch some of them, just of tape
Speaker 1: that he's clipped off for me, and then I'll clip
Speaker 1: something and send it to him. Just the other day,
Speaker 1: I sent him something. It was a clip with Justin
Speaker 1: Herbert making a play and he gets the Raiders and
Speaker 1: he said, well, I already sent this to you. You
Speaker 1: didn't see it. I'm like, no, I don't. One of
Speaker 1: your twenty clips that you sent me at six am,
Speaker 1: now I missed it. But it's really just part of
Speaker 1: an ongoing conversation, like we're all really love the sport
Speaker 1: and love talking to each other about it. Frankly, and
Speaker 1: for me personally, the opportunity to talk to, you know,
Speaker 1: these guys who are not only played the game, but
Speaker 1: are specialists at you know, the position, like Dan asking
Speaker 1: him questions about quarterback play is such a privilege for me.
Speaker 1: Or if I have a question about like I don't
Speaker 1: know a certain coverage shell. I can text Ryan or
Speaker 1: Dominique Fox for his and say what is this here?
Speaker 1: And how you know what's going on? And have you
Speaker 1: ever seen this team do this? And yeah, it's really
Speaker 1: just wonderful. I feel like it is really just like
Speaker 1: talking to your friends every day, but having people watch
Speaker 1: it live on television. It's a lot of fun. The
Speaker 1: only thing I could think of when you mentioned the clips,
Speaker 1: sending the clips is Mike Tariko. He would show me
Speaker 1: clips that Gruden would send him, like Gruden would send
Speaker 1: him like multiple texts every day with all these clips
Speaker 1: and Gruden narrating the clips, and you can imagine what
Speaker 1: that sounds like, right, not for air, not for air
Speaker 1: clips And he just said it was hilarious, so that
Speaker 1: I could I could imagine. That's That's the thing that
Speaker 1: was going through my mind. You mentioned earlier about doing
Speaker 1: the RAMS games, doing games in the booth for the RAMS,
Speaker 1: and I work with on multiple sports people that do
Speaker 1: games and studio. So you're doing studio for ESPN games
Speaker 1: for the RAMS. How do you like doing the game
Speaker 1: broadcast first? And then tell me about the differences for
Speaker 1: you like studio and games. Well, you know, covering preseason.
Speaker 1: It's doing the preseason is very unique because it's just
Speaker 1: a very different animal from regular season commentary in terms
Speaker 1: of not only the players, but what you're watching, the stakes,
Speaker 1: what you talk about during the game. You know, we're
Speaker 1: not going to get as dialed in. Perhaps it is
Speaker 1: actually a little bit more almost like studios than in
Speaker 1: the regular game. Especially coach McBay doesn't play any of
Speaker 1: the starters, so it is kind of it gives us
Speaker 1: room to have fun. And Andrew Ciciliana, who does play
Speaker 1: by play for the Rams, was just wonderful. But I've
Speaker 1: really enjoyed just kind of learning how to do it.
Speaker 1: The mechanics of it, as you know, are so different,
Speaker 1: the timing of it. Being on a studio show, it's
Speaker 1: a mixture of a conversation but also having kind of
Speaker 1: an internal clock of giving opinions, and the way you
Speaker 1: get opinions, the length of time you talk, the nature
Speaker 1: of those opinions, whereas doing the games, it's so different
Speaker 1: the kind of commentary that's relevant, how long you talk what.
Speaker 1: So for me, it's really just been an educational process
Speaker 1: because I've been doing studio shows for a while now
Speaker 1: and I'm pretty accustomed to it in different formats on ESPN,
Speaker 1: but I'm very new to working games. I went to
Speaker 1: school with Andrew Siciliano. So oh okay, yeah, I mean
Speaker 1: that whole Syracuse thing, right, I mean, everybody seems like,
Speaker 1: you know what's Syracuse. So it's probably though for an analyst,
Speaker 1: because you know, we're all kind of trained the same way.
Speaker 1: It's good because really, you know, the analyst, our job
Speaker 1: is to set you guys up and to kind of
Speaker 1: lead you certain places or follow up on something you
Speaker 1: might say. So I'm sure Andrew's a great partner for you. Yeah,
Speaker 1: he's the best. Um, So, would you want to call
Speaker 1: more games? Like? You're right? Pre season is different. It's
Speaker 1: more like a studio show, more of a talk show.
Speaker 1: You're talking more about the players. I mean, Ron Wolfley
Speaker 1: and I do the radio in the regular season, but
Speaker 1: we do you know TV in the preseason, and you know,
Speaker 1: so we're not just breaking down plays. You're doing more storytelling,
Speaker 1: talking about you know, player. So would you want to
Speaker 1: call more games where you are breaking down more plays?
Speaker 1: Regular season games, playoff games? You know, I'd like to
Speaker 1: get good at it from Yeah, let's lee out his
Speaker 1: free season guys, but it's a great learning experience. All right.
Speaker 1: So let's talk NFC West because we talked about your
Speaker 1: time with the Rams and you know, obviously being a
Speaker 1: big Seahawk fan in your connection to Arizona. So have you,
Speaker 1: guys made predictions yet? Have you made your predictions on
Speaker 1: what you think the NFC West will look like in
Speaker 1: twenty twenty one? Well, I did do an NFC West
Speaker 1: preview pod on my football show, and I have the
Speaker 1: Rams taking the division. But you know, I joke all
Speaker 1: the time, this division is like a healthscape. I mean,
Speaker 1: I think that it is unanimously viewed nationally as the
Speaker 1: best division in football. And you look at a team
Speaker 1: like the Cardinals that you know, I think would be
Speaker 1: a surefire playoff team and other divisions, and because they're
Speaker 1: in the NFC West, it's going to be challenging, you know,
Speaker 1: And you have to really it's a challenging schedule, the
Speaker 1: level of competition, some of the even a team that
Speaker 1: has mate had some exciting offseason additions like Arizona. Hey,
Speaker 1: you know that it's an uphill climb. So it's hard
Speaker 1: for me. I feel like it's a division where like
Speaker 1: the four teams really could finish into any order, and
Speaker 1: I wouldn't be shocked. Like I said, I do have
Speaker 1: the Rams winning it, but I would not be surprised
Speaker 1: if they're on if another team comes out on top. Personally,
Speaker 1: I feel the Rams are better suited to win the
Speaker 1: whole thing than they were last year. And obviously, you know,
Speaker 1: golf got hurt. But to me, Matthew staff Effort is
Speaker 1: one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the league. And
Speaker 1: Sean McVay, the guy is brilliant. He is you know,
Speaker 1: being around him, he knows everything that's going on with
Speaker 1: the team, but when it comes to quarterbacks, he's the man.
Speaker 1: Is that one of the reasons why you think the
Speaker 1: Rams are going to win the division because of the
Speaker 1: addition of Stafford or is it something else in your mind? Yeah,
Speaker 1: I do. I think you know, that was sort of
Speaker 1: the single biggest issue with the team. I'm a little
Speaker 1: bit wary of defensive regression with some of the losses
Speaker 1: that they've had, not just a defensive coordinator Brandon Staley,
Speaker 1: you know, a cross town but losing John Johnson and
Speaker 1: Troy Hill, two of the more underrated dvs in particularly
Speaker 1: Johnson in the NFL Brockers have become. These guys aren't
Speaker 1: really big names, but when you've got a roster like that,
Speaker 1: that's pretty top heavy, even though you have you know,
Speaker 1: Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Donald, who are the best in the
Speaker 1: NFL with their respective positions. When you lose depths suddenly,
Speaker 1: when you pay those guys a lot of money and
Speaker 1: you start losing depths like they have, that can cause problems.
Speaker 1: But I think the addition of Stafford, you know, it
Speaker 1: probably will make enough a big enough of the difference
Speaker 1: on offense to offset that. And it's no mystery why
Speaker 1: McVay and less need went out and got him, which
Speaker 1: is they wanted a quarterback who was not only going
Speaker 1: to air the ball out downfield, which was I think
Speaker 1: you saw Jared Goss. The offense their area is kind
Speaker 1: of declining every year since the Super Bowl, but also
Speaker 1: his second reaction ability, the fact that he can extend
Speaker 1: plays and just work outside a structure is really you know,
Speaker 1: they're hoping we'll take the offense to another level. So
Speaker 1: let's move to Seattle. I want to hit Seattle and
Speaker 1: San Francisco before we get to the Cardinals. The Russell
Speaker 1: Wilson Drama What are your thoughts on that. Do you
Speaker 1: think it impacts the Seahawks once we kick the ball
Speaker 1: off in September. No, I think it's pretty much resolved
Speaker 1: this year. You know, we'll see what happened next season.
Speaker 1: But it has an interesting contrast with this Roger's story
Speaker 1: because with Wilson, I think the particular grievances, if you will,
Speaker 1: we're actually are maybe not articulated by him, but we
Speaker 1: knew what the source of the problem was back in
Speaker 1: the spring, and then Seattle went out and dressed it
Speaker 1: in terms of augmenting the offensive line trade for Gabe Jackson,
Speaker 1: signing Gerald Everett was a free agent tight end was
Speaker 1: left with the Rams, and then they drafted another wide
Speaker 1: receiver to place David Moore as the third and then
Speaker 1: signed or hired Shane Waldron to be their offensive coordinator
Speaker 1: from the Rams. So I think, you know that's this
Speaker 1: is an offense that really struggled in the second half
Speaker 1: of last season for a multitude of reasons, some of
Speaker 1: which had to do with Wilson, some schematics, some personnel,
Speaker 1: and I think the changes they've made should hopefully address
Speaker 1: some of those issues. And you know, Wilson can get
Speaker 1: back to playing at the high levels that he did
Speaker 1: in the first half of the year. I don't know.
Speaker 1: In the second half with him, it was hard to
Speaker 1: tell if it was all the hits that just were
Speaker 1: taking a toll on him. What did you see because
Speaker 1: he just didn't seem at times in the second half
Speaker 1: of the year to be anywhere near as sharp as
Speaker 1: he was early on, when he looked like the MVP
Speaker 1: through the first couple months of the season. Yeah, it's fine.
Speaker 1: There's some parallels, and I think Arizona not in terms
Speaker 1: of why, but there I think there are questions about
Speaker 1: sort of, okay, well what happened at this offense with
Speaker 1: Arizona later on in the season, but a far Seattle goes.
Speaker 1: You know, defenses started playing two eye safety coverage against
Speaker 1: them a lot more, and watching Seattle, Wilson and the
Speaker 1: offense in general, they were still kind of forcing the
Speaker 1: ball downfield. This is an obviously deep passing game that
Speaker 1: was super explosive and efficient the first half of the season,
Speaker 1: and when defenses took that away from them, you kind
Speaker 1: of felt like Wilson was forcing it, not really taking
Speaker 1: the layups that were available to him. The team really
Speaker 1: was not running the ball super efficiently as well. I
Speaker 1: think the absence of a reliable tight end option. You know,
Speaker 1: Greg Wilson was injured and not super effective. Will Disley
Speaker 1: was coming back from injury, was a problem down the
Speaker 1: stretch as well, so and then the offensive line and
Speaker 1: the interior in particular, there were some issues. Dwayne Brown
Speaker 1: left tackle is still effective as ever, so I think
Speaker 1: it's really hard to pin the blame on any one
Speaker 1: thing schematic, Wilson or the personnelit. I think it was
Speaker 1: kind of a mixture of those things. But I think
Speaker 1: they are really hoping that with Waldron bringing an offense that,
Speaker 1: similar to the Ramps, has a more integrated run pass approach,
Speaker 1: a little more tempo, they can address some of the
Speaker 1: issues and be a little bit more I guess, responsive
Speaker 1: to what defenses are giving them. With San Francisco, I
Speaker 1: always felt I was never sold that they were going
Speaker 1: to take mac Jones. I just felt they were gonna roll.
Speaker 1: They're gonna go with Trey Lance or maybe even Kyle
Speaker 1: Pitts and roll with Jimmy g for this year. I
Speaker 1: don't know where you stood on that, but as you
Speaker 1: look at the forty nine ers, now can they win
Speaker 1: with Jimmy G or do they need to go to
Speaker 1: Tray Lance. I mean, I think they can win with Jimmy.
Speaker 1: I mean deemed that did win with Jimmy and not
Speaker 1: a totally dissimilar roster, you know, during that Super Bowl
Speaker 1: run season. But there's a reason why they traded the
Speaker 1: world for Lance, and it's not just me. It's largely
Speaker 1: because Jimmy G's been so injury he has battled these
Speaker 1: injuries in the last couple of years, but also I
Speaker 1: think some of the limitations he brings in terms of
Speaker 1: his inability to again make plays outside It really sounds
Speaker 1: like I'm talking about golf again, but plays outside a structure,
Speaker 1: and sometimes the problems he had reading and particularly the
Speaker 1: middle of the field, some of the turnovers. Um you know,
Speaker 1: you could sense at times coach Shanahan wanted to move
Speaker 1: on and I think have a quarterback in that offense
Speaker 1: that could not only execute it, but elevated I think
Speaker 1: that's they're hoping for the Lance, who obviously in experience,
Speaker 1: not a lot of passing restaurants in order to go
Speaker 1: to State, certainly not the highest level of competition, but
Speaker 1: really had all of the tools you see not all
Speaker 1: the tools, but the physical tools and mental ones that
Speaker 1: you see I think in the elite quarterbacks right now,
Speaker 1: where they're able to go above and beyond what they're
Speaker 1: what's it's not just about scheme with them like Kyler
Speaker 1: for example, and I think kash Hanahan really wanted that
Speaker 1: as well. I was going to ask you when you
Speaker 1: when you started talking about the attributes the Trey Lance possesses,
Speaker 1: if you see those same things in Kyler, what do
Speaker 1: you think is the ceiling for Kyler Murray and how
Speaker 1: much does that impact whether the Cardinals or a playoff
Speaker 1: team this season? What ceiling is a great way to
Speaker 1: put it, because I think his ceiling is guy high Kyler's. Actually,
Speaker 1: I would say it's really closer to him and Lamar
Speaker 1: for Who's He's one of the deadliest run threats I've
Speaker 1: ever seen in the league. And he has a beautiful
Speaker 1: deep ball, beautiful arm. You know, his problems are or
Speaker 1: when the offense is struggled, it's been you know, some
Speaker 1: of the issues in the intermediate passing game. I think
Speaker 1: at times the run game, which took a big leap
Speaker 1: forward the prior year, sort of stagnated last season for
Speaker 1: various reasons. Some of it has to do with the
Speaker 1: run blocking um, which obviously the team went out and
Speaker 1: addressed a bit. And then you know, I think skill
Speaker 1: players and scheme, but the tools are just phenomenal. With Kyler.
Speaker 1: I think it's so to me, it's it's he. He
Speaker 1: has it all. Like again, when you talk about the guys,
Speaker 1: the Allens, the mahomes Is, I think Kyler has those tools.
Speaker 1: It's just a question of whether him and coach Kingsbury
Speaker 1: can harness them in a more efficient fashion. The addition
Speaker 1: that the Cardinals made the players as Steve Kind brought in,
Speaker 1: do you think that that's enough for them to take
Speaker 1: the next step offensively where they're not doing it for
Speaker 1: seven or eight games, but they're doing it for seventeen games.
Speaker 1: You know, I think it's going to be a combination
Speaker 1: of those editions and then also the play calling. But
Speaker 1: I loved the Ronnie Hudson trade was probably one of
Speaker 1: my I think the best moves of the entire offseason.
Speaker 1: I mean, he's one of the best centers in the NFL.
Speaker 1: And when I look at the Arizona offense last year
Speaker 1: and some of the struggles down to stretch, you know,
Speaker 1: I think you saw Kyler's efficiency as a runner decline
Speaker 1: a bit. Some of that was health related, but I
Speaker 1: think a lot of it has to do with what
Speaker 1: how defenses were playing Arizona in the second half of
Speaker 1: the season, sort of anticipating that, and the absence of
Speaker 1: a power running game is kind of a CounterPunch was
Speaker 1: pretty I think telling. And to have again a center
Speaker 1: like Hudson in there is going to make a remarkable difference.
Speaker 1: I'll be curious to see. Also, um, how like a
Speaker 1: James Connor fits into that. I loved the drafting of
Speaker 1: ron Dale. Moore is one of my favorite players in
Speaker 1: the draft, and um, he's another one where I think, like, okay, incredible.
Speaker 1: I mean it does like a little lightning ball, you know,
Speaker 1: But again, it really comes down to utilization because incredible
Speaker 1: physical skill set obviously hasn't played in a minute, not
Speaker 1: your prototypical NFL wide receiver. But if they can figure
Speaker 1: out how to use him and get him into space,
Speaker 1: it's just it's much like Kyler. The tools are there,
Speaker 1: it's just how are we going to use them and
Speaker 1: how are you gonna get them open? What did you tweet?
Speaker 1: I don't know, maybe you don't remember undraft Day about
Speaker 1: ron Dale Moore and Kyler Murray. Wasn't there something just
Speaker 1: I was like, it's there, they go well together side.
Speaker 1: I think it was something to that. I think it
Speaker 1: was something like they're they're adorable. And then I think
Speaker 1: af as Well said I then it as a positive
Speaker 1: this as an NFL show, I can't. I just can
Speaker 1: only say, oh my god. Yeah, Frandell's like what five seven?
Speaker 1: I think, pop my head. He's little man, he is,
Speaker 1: He's gonna look interesting out there and when he's not
Speaker 1: doing that, pads on. But he's incredible guy. What his talent?
Speaker 1: All right? So, speaking of players maybe in stature that
Speaker 1: aren't the biggest you with ties to Seattle, I'm sure
Speaker 1: appreciate Buddha Baker, how much do you think that we'll
Speaker 1: be talking about Buddha at all and the defensive Player
Speaker 1: of the Year discussion here this season? You know, I
Speaker 1: unfortunately don't think so. And that's not Buddha's fault. I
Speaker 1: think these kinds of awards tend to they tend to
Speaker 1: reward units where the whole unit is elite, and then
Speaker 1: you're just kind of taking the best player, right or
Speaker 1: especially if you're looking at a secondary versus like a
Speaker 1: edge rusher, where like you know Chandler Gubbins in the bath,
Speaker 1: where you're up huge numbers and they kind of speak
Speaker 1: to themselves, but with secondary play. Even though I think
Speaker 1: Buddha is by far the most talented player in that
Speaker 1: group and does the omens work and frankly plays he
Speaker 1: I loved him in college, but he's better than I
Speaker 1: thought he would be in the NFL. I think because
Speaker 1: of how those awards are given out, he might be overlooked.
Speaker 1: But but he's just been so much. I mean, his versatility.
Speaker 1: You know, we knew he's a thumper, but the coverage.
Speaker 1: I think his coverage abilities have really surpassed my expectations.
Speaker 1: And he is undoubtedly the heart and soul of the defense. Now,
Speaker 1: all right, couple more and I know you get a role.
Speaker 1: Do you see Brady ba and the Buccaneers repeating? Now
Speaker 1: I'm rolling with Kansas City, and I think they would
Speaker 1: have won if their entire offensive line wasn't Nash Unit. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Does the Shaun Watson play at all in twenty twenty one?
Speaker 1: And if he does? Where? First question? I have no
Speaker 1: IDEA Second question, not Houston? Yeah, well, listen. I really
Speaker 1: appreciate it. Mean, it was great talking to you. Um
Speaker 1: your show, NFL Love and ESPN is one of my favorites.
Speaker 1: I love the crew. I have to start getting in
Speaker 1: more to the Mina Kimes show featuring Lenny. How did
Speaker 1: Lenny get the job? Because Lenny's a dog, right? You
Speaker 1: know he worked for free? Okay, all right, that goes
Speaker 1: a long way. Yeah. Does he have an opinion on
Speaker 1: the Cardinals in twenty twenty one? Have you had a
Speaker 1: chance to ask him? I have not. I have not,
Speaker 1: but I think he would be crow Kyler. I don't
Speaker 1: know why. He kind of runs like Kylie. I'll assume
Speaker 1: that's a compliment. Mina, thanks so much, great talking to you.
Speaker 1: I really appreciate the time by Dave. So great to
Speaker 1: catch up with Mina. Full disclosure, that's the first time
Speaker 1: I've ever spoken to Mina Kimes people. Thank you. Both
Speaker 1: work at ESPN. You must know each other, No, we
Speaker 1: follow each other on social media. Reached out to Mina
Speaker 1: as I've been a long admirer of her work, really
Speaker 1: wanted to get her as one of the first guests
Speaker 1: on this podcast. That's the first time we've actually met
Speaker 1: in person, and it wasn't even in person, it was
Speaker 1: over the phone. But man, did she deliver great stuff
Speaker 1: for Mina on the Cardinals, on her beloved Seahawks on
Speaker 1: the Rams. She like us pretty high on Los Angeles
Speaker 1: and she has close ties to that organization as a
Speaker 1: member of their preseason television broadcast team. Also her time
Speaker 1: in Arizona, spent several years here at Mesquite High School
Speaker 1: and Gilbert playing soccer, and then her very unique path
Speaker 1: to covering the National Football League for ESPN a big
Speaker 1: part of her professional life not covering sports at all.
Speaker 1: If you want more of Mina Kimes outside of what
Speaker 1: you get on ESPN, you can check out her very
Speaker 1: entertaining podcast, The Meta Chimes Show featuring Lenny, which, as
Speaker 1: we found out, is Mina's dog all right. Some upcoming
Speaker 1: guests that we have include Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill. Also
Speaker 1: two members of the ESPN Monday Night Football crew, Brian
Speaker 1: Greasy and Steve Levy. Got a chance to catch up
Speaker 1: with them in person recently. You'll hear that podcast coming up. Also,
Speaker 1: actor James road Day, we'll talk about his beloved Tennessee
Speaker 1: Titans preview the upcoming season of A Million Little Things,
Speaker 1: which airs on ABC, and we will of course relive
Speaker 1: some of the great moments in the hit TV show
Speaker 1: psych where road Day starred as Sean Spencer. We are
Speaker 1: presented by bet MGM, official sports betting partner of the
Speaker 1: Arizona Cardinals and Hila River Hotels and Casinos. You can
Speaker 1: check us out on Twitter at Pash pod and don't
Speaker 1: forget if you haven't had a chance to listen to
Speaker 1: the previous three podcasts, great stuff from Hall of Fame
Speaker 1: quarterback Kurt Warner, Hardinal safety Buddha Baker, and Cliff Kingsbury.
Speaker 1: That'll do it for episode four of the Dave Pash Podcast.
Speaker 1: We'll talk to you next time.