WEBVTT - LISTEN | Jets Draft Podcast | ESPN's Sal Paolantonio Talks Jets Draft (4/27) 0:00:04.280 --> 0:00:07.160 Welcome to another edition of the Official Jets podcast, The 0:00:07.240 --> 0:00:11.560 Draft Podcast, presented by Pepsi. Two days away from the 0:00:11.680 --> 0:00:15.160 NFL Draft, we caught up with Suth Palantonio from ESPN. 0:00:15.200 --> 0:00:18.040 He won't be at the facility unfortunately, like he is 0:00:18.079 --> 0:00:20.480 most years in the past. A good buddy of e 0:00:20.680 --> 0:00:26.439 A's over here. He a great professional, good friend, uh, 0:00:26.520 --> 0:00:29.160 and a hull of a reporter. You can watch South Pal. 0:00:29.200 --> 0:00:31.040 He's been doing this great work on ESPN, as he 0:00:31.080 --> 0:00:34.520 always is. But this is NFL Matchup Draft Special Part 0:00:34.600 --> 0:00:38.880 two actually comes out April, which is tonight, ten pm 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:41.960 ESPN two. He said, a certain young quarterback by the 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:43.519 name of Zack Wilson, who I think a lot of 0:00:43.560 --> 0:00:47.400 Jets fans I think is the future of their franchise, 0:00:47.440 --> 0:00:50.400 will be featured heavily on this episode. And with the 0:00:50.479 --> 0:00:53.239 draft being two days away, I think it's fair, you know, 0:00:53.400 --> 0:00:57.440 maybe talk not not necessarily mock draft, but it sure 0:00:57.560 --> 0:01:00.960 seems like Zach Wilson will be the pick for the 0:01:01.000 --> 0:01:03.360 New York Jets. If you're reading the tea leaves from 0:01:03.440 --> 0:01:06.360 the NFL draft analysts, Yeah, I think everybody thinks the 0:01:06.440 --> 0:01:09.960 Jets are headed in that direction, and Zack Wilson is. 0:01:11.760 --> 0:01:16.440 He's a supremely talented prospect who is coming off a 0:01:16.440 --> 0:01:21.080 fantastic season at b YU. Whereas I think last year, 0:01:21.200 --> 0:01:24.160 if we were having this conversation, maybe people would be 0:01:24.160 --> 0:01:26.920 talking about Zack Wilson is a flyer on Day three, 0:01:27.000 --> 0:01:28.839 maybe he's a fourth round pick, maybe he's a fifth 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:32.520 round pick. Because the athletic skills were always there, right, 0:01:32.920 --> 0:01:35.600 and then he put it together last year with just 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:40.600 with just an amazing season, and he has very unique 0:01:40.640 --> 0:01:43.160 skills that other people don't. Yeah, I feel like this 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:47.160 is becoming a trend in the draft where there's a 0:01:47.200 --> 0:01:49.920 player that's maybe looked at as a Day three guy 0:01:50.280 --> 0:01:52.280 and he soars up the draft board. Let's go to 0:01:52.320 --> 0:01:56.120 two thousand eighteen Baker Mayfield. Now, I think at the 0:01:56.160 --> 0:01:58.040 beginning of the season he was viewed maybe a third 0:01:58.120 --> 0:02:02.120 round pick or so, and sure enough number one overall 0:02:02.120 --> 0:02:07.680 pick two thousand nineteen Joe Burrow. Yeah, I think I'm 0:02:07.720 --> 0:02:09.280 just think I'm saying that, right. I think my ears 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:13.919 are not crossed up? Right? Two thousand play last season 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:21.040 he was in Cincinnati, right, Okay, Well, here's drafts and 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:25.000 then Zack Wilson two thousand twenty one puts it together 0:02:25.080 --> 0:02:28.359 soars up the draft boards. It's funny. We actually did 0:02:28.440 --> 0:02:31.520 a chat on Reddit this morning, right, and one of 0:02:31.520 --> 0:02:33.519 the questions, I think a couple of people were asking, 0:02:34.240 --> 0:02:38.359 what's happened to Fields here? Why is he falling? And 0:02:38.720 --> 0:02:41.760 I don't necessarily think he's falling just as much as 0:02:42.440 --> 0:02:46.200 other people think very highly of other quarterbacks in this class, 0:02:46.320 --> 0:02:50.760 and Fields probably going to be in all likelihood, he 0:02:50.840 --> 0:02:53.720 will be a top ten pick himself. You're you're just 0:02:54.880 --> 0:02:58.560 the two thousand twenty one draft is going to be 0:02:59.080 --> 0:03:03.640 probably remember by what these quarterbacks do in ten years, 0:03:03.680 --> 0:03:06.760 because you're ultimately gonna have five quarterbacks probably going to 0:03:06.760 --> 0:03:08.959 top ten picks, right. And I don't think it would 0:03:09.000 --> 0:03:11.000 surprise a lot of people if let's just say to 0:03:11.040 --> 0:03:13.480 use justin Fields as an example, if he's a number 0:03:13.480 --> 0:03:16.840 three overall pick, I don't think it's surprised certain group 0:03:16.880 --> 0:03:19.440 of people if it was Matt Jones or Trey Lance either. 0:03:19.919 --> 0:03:21.799 So I think that that this is what makes the 0:03:21.880 --> 0:03:24.240 draft so great. Every year, you don't know what's gonna happen, 0:03:24.280 --> 0:03:27.359 and it's truly a mystery even for the people who 0:03:27.440 --> 0:03:30.079 are studying the draft from the beginning. Of the college 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:33.680 football season. So I think you never say never is 0:03:33.760 --> 0:03:37.640 truly the like it's a saying that is used in 0:03:37.800 --> 0:03:42.200 common everyday life, but it could not be more epitomized 0:03:42.400 --> 0:03:44.440 than with the NFL Draft. So if me and you 0:03:44.640 --> 0:03:47.440 go to mccool's down the street, a popular ice cream 0:03:47.560 --> 0:03:51.120 joint here in Madison, okay, But if we go in 0:03:51.160 --> 0:03:54.760 there and we're looking at ice cream, you might like 0:03:54.840 --> 0:03:58.760 a flavor like a peanut butter chocolate chip, and I 0:03:58.840 --> 0:04:02.440 might go for Sherbet or were here or something I 0:04:02.480 --> 0:04:05.600 like orange Sherbert. Well you got a problem with it, No, 0:04:05.720 --> 0:04:11.760 I just it's not Oh yeah I do. I also 0:04:11.840 --> 0:04:13.920 have a young daughter and she likes fruit and she 0:04:14.000 --> 0:04:18.680 likes Herbert. Fair enough, when you said peanut butter chocola, 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:20.760 that sounds pretty good. Yeah, So that's what I gave 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:23.080 you though, when we just want here. But the point 0:04:23.160 --> 0:04:24.720 is that we got two different flavors, even though we 0:04:24.760 --> 0:04:26.679 went to the same place. And the point is what 0:04:26.680 --> 0:04:30.320 what's gonna work for you? What you know, we're talking 0:04:30.320 --> 0:04:33.479 about ice cream flavors, but four teams, what's us for 0:04:33.600 --> 0:04:37.400 your system? What also are the physical traits you're looking 0:04:37.480 --> 0:04:40.720 for in a player at that specific position, especially the 0:04:40.760 --> 0:04:43.560 quarterback spot. Right. I think really for the Jets, the 0:04:43.640 --> 0:04:47.440 intrigue comes after the number two pick because of your 0:04:47.480 --> 0:04:51.200 ice cream analogy. We don't know what types of flavors 0:04:51.240 --> 0:04:54.839 for each position the Jets wat and I think that's 0:04:55.240 --> 0:04:57.840 in like a typical year. You know, if this, if 0:04:57.839 --> 0:05:01.080 we're having this conversation next year, even we'd be like, oh, 0:05:01.160 --> 0:05:02.960 you know, we think the Jets like this that receiver. 0:05:03.000 --> 0:05:04.400 If you look at what they did last year. Week, 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:07.080 we have nothing to basis on. So before we talk 0:05:07.160 --> 0:05:10.960 about picks three and so on, let's hear from ESPN 0:05:11.040 --> 0:05:14.240 South Palestonio. Now it's a little different not having you 0:05:14.320 --> 0:05:16.720 in the building around the time of the draft. The 0:05:16.760 --> 0:05:18.880 first night of the draft, we were just talking off air, 0:05:19.360 --> 0:05:23.279 you said that, assuming the Jets are selecting a quarterback 0:05:23.360 --> 0:05:26.560 at two, this is your fourth quarterback selection for the 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:30.080 New York Jets. Yes, I've covered all of them, going 0:05:30.120 --> 0:05:34.680 back to Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith, Sam Donald. This will 0:05:34.720 --> 0:05:38.360 be the fourth one, so hopefully they get it right 0:05:38.400 --> 0:05:42.800 this time. Uh So, we've missed you throughout the off 0:05:42.800 --> 0:05:45.279 season because we always catch up with you, whether it's 0:05:45.320 --> 0:05:50.080 the NFL combine, the owners meetings. Uh. Last year you 0:05:50.200 --> 0:05:53.600 worked the draft remotely for I think the first time 0:05:53.600 --> 0:05:57.480 in a quarter century, right, How different? How different was 0:05:57.520 --> 0:06:01.119 that for you? And what are the plans this year? Well, 0:06:01.160 --> 0:06:03.680 you know, I miss being at the facility. Like I said, 0:06:03.680 --> 0:06:07.159 I've been at the Jets facility a lot with Todd 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:11.280 Bowle's head coach, Rex Ryan head coach. Uh. You know, 0:06:11.560 --> 0:06:14.240 I I go all the way back to being there 0:06:14.279 --> 0:06:17.440 at we View Bank Hall at Hofsh University with Bill Parcels. 0:06:17.480 --> 0:06:20.320 I've covered a lot of Jets and Eric Mangini, I've 0:06:20.360 --> 0:06:24.400 covered a lot of Jets first round picks over the 0:06:24.480 --> 0:06:27.000 years for ESPN. Always did it in person. Then the 0:06:27.080 --> 0:06:30.479 Jets have always treated me like one of their own. 0:06:30.720 --> 0:06:32.919 You know, I get the royal treatment whenever I go 0:06:33.000 --> 0:06:37.800 to Florham Park, whether it's from Bob of security or 0:06:37.839 --> 0:06:41.560 the front desk people, or the cafeteria people, or Mike 0:06:41.600 --> 0:06:45.800 Tannenbaum or the coaches. The pr staff over the years 0:06:45.800 --> 0:06:49.359 have always treated me great and really welcome ESPN. You know. 0:06:49.440 --> 0:06:53.359 And when you Eric, when you cover a draft and 0:06:53.680 --> 0:06:58.120 embedded with a team like that, you know, you're you 0:06:58.240 --> 0:07:00.960 really feel like you're part of the process. You get 0:07:01.000 --> 0:07:04.040 to talk to the coaches and the front office people, 0:07:04.839 --> 0:07:07.719 and you really get an opportunity to see the inner 0:07:07.760 --> 0:07:10.640 workings of what goes on with the football team, and 0:07:10.680 --> 0:07:13.480 you get excited about it, first of all. Second of all, 0:07:13.520 --> 0:07:18.280 you get to convey what you know inside information two 0:07:18.320 --> 0:07:21.440 fans around the world, but especially to New York Jet fans. 0:07:21.520 --> 0:07:23.320 And I don't have to remind you that I grew 0:07:23.360 --> 0:07:26.080 up a Jet fan on Long Island. I went to 0:07:26.120 --> 0:07:30.240 Sawanaka High School and used to take my bike with 0:07:30.280 --> 0:07:33.040 my brother Jimmy down to Jets practice at Hofstra all 0:07:33.040 --> 0:07:36.200 the time watch practice. So you know, obviously it was 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:39.000 a huge thrill for me. Later in life, will to 0:07:39.040 --> 0:07:41.240 get paid to do it instead of, you know, being 0:07:41.280 --> 0:07:43.400 one of the kids along that days. It used to 0:07:43.400 --> 0:07:46.400 have a white picket fence around the I remember it 0:07:46.480 --> 0:07:49.000 like it was yesterday. They had a white picket fence 0:07:49.040 --> 0:07:51.120 around the field and you just rode your bike up 0:07:51.120 --> 0:07:54.240 and watch practice. It was the coolest thing in the world. 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:59.679 That is awesome. Yeah, I always loved talking to you that. 0:07:59.680 --> 0:08:04.960 That is really something because, um, considering where you came 0:08:05.040 --> 0:08:09.160 from and where you are now, how proud are you 0:08:09.800 --> 0:08:12.559 of your career and what you've done in the National 0:08:12.560 --> 0:08:16.600 Football League, because you just talked about it. Um. People 0:08:16.680 --> 0:08:18.880 often say, hey, what do you most enjoy about being 0:08:18.920 --> 0:08:21.280 in the NFL? Are working specifically for the Jets, And 0:08:21.320 --> 0:08:24.200 for me, it's always been relationships. And you're one of 0:08:24.240 --> 0:08:28.560 the guys who I consider like extended Jets family because 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:31.760 you've been here so much, and I do feel like 0:08:31.800 --> 0:08:34.040 the Jets have been family to me. You know, whether 0:08:34.080 --> 0:08:36.920 it was hanging out in Courtland with you for the 0:08:37.000 --> 0:08:40.760 summer at Cibo. You know, we would go to Dougs 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:45.160 Fish Fry, played basketball together. It was fun to hang 0:08:45.200 --> 0:08:48.600 around with Rex and Mike t and you know, all 0:08:48.640 --> 0:08:51.840 the coaches and the players, and you know, I've I 0:08:51.920 --> 0:08:54.319 really you know, that was one of the most memorable 0:08:54.480 --> 0:08:57.079 summers I ever had as a reporter or a person 0:08:57.120 --> 0:09:01.400 in relationships. But you know, going going to Hempstead, going 0:09:01.440 --> 0:09:03.640 to Hofstow. We stopped it on Burdos to get a 0:09:03.679 --> 0:09:07.600 slice on Hempstead Avenue, I'm sorry, a new high Park road, 0:09:08.440 --> 0:09:11.080 and then then get on old Bison go down to 0:09:11.080 --> 0:09:13.920 Hempstead Avenue and go watch practice. And you know, that 0:09:14.040 --> 0:09:17.280 was the first football game I ever saw e a 0:09:17.520 --> 0:09:19.959 in person. Me and my brother and my friends. We 0:09:20.120 --> 0:09:23.360 took the train the Metro north to Yale Bowl and 0:09:23.400 --> 0:09:25.520 watched the Jets and the Giants that Joe name had 0:09:25.520 --> 0:09:28.160 played in that game. We had we had seats right 0:09:28.440 --> 0:09:33.560 on the edge of the field. If you know, if 0:09:33.559 --> 0:09:37.200 anybody knows around the Yale Bowl, it's it's literally a bowl. 0:09:37.320 --> 0:09:40.480 And we sat right in the front row in the 0:09:40.559 --> 0:09:42.800 end zone and we watched Joe Namath carved up the 0:09:42.800 --> 0:09:45.880 New York Giants in that game. You know, I've I've 0:09:45.920 --> 0:09:49.319 actually heard about the Yeale Bowl story from my grandmother 0:09:49.640 --> 0:09:53.160 and Sally. We've never met or played basketball, but hey, 0:09:53.520 --> 0:09:55.320 the reason why I'm bringing it up is because my 0:09:55.400 --> 0:09:57.360 dad grew up going to Jets Vans and he remembers 0:09:57.360 --> 0:10:00.640 the Yale Bowl clearly, and he told me about the 0:10:00.720 --> 0:10:04.320 Yel Bowl, and um, he said that somebody he remembers 0:10:04.360 --> 0:10:07.520 he has vivid memory leaving the Yelbowl and someone there 0:10:07.559 --> 0:10:10.319 was a fence that had people wanted to get through 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:12.080 to get to their cars as a shortcuts, or someone 0:10:12.120 --> 0:10:16.160 brought out wire cutters like out of nowhere, sniff the 0:10:16.200 --> 0:10:19.160 fence and everyone just started funneling through there. So that's 0:10:19.200 --> 0:10:23.160 how I know the Yell Bowl, but rad Jet fans tradition. Man, 0:10:23.280 --> 0:10:25.920 you know, do whatever it takes. Yeah, whatever it takes 0:10:26.559 --> 0:10:29.120 you get in. You know what's interesting when you go 0:10:29.200 --> 0:10:31.319 back to that ye bow, you think, Okay, Joe name 0:10:31.360 --> 0:10:34.240 if they're still trying to find you know, the air 0:10:34.280 --> 0:10:39.760 apparent to Joe Willie and um, it's it comes full circle. 0:10:40.040 --> 0:10:42.640 It really does. Well. You know, we're gonna ask you 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:45.440 about a couple of quarterback prospects, but first you mentioned 0:10:45.480 --> 0:10:48.280 playing hoops with e A. I'm just curious. What's the 0:10:48.320 --> 0:10:53.520 scouting report here? Let me tell you something. He is 0:10:53.559 --> 0:10:59.560 a strong young man. His solid as a rock. He listen, 0:10:59.559 --> 0:11:04.080 I'm gonna turned in June. Okay uh. And I remember 0:11:04.120 --> 0:11:08.400 getting beat up by him and eric I never complained. 0:11:08.520 --> 0:11:10.880 You would hit me and hit me hard. And he's 0:11:10.920 --> 0:11:14.240 got he packs a good inside foul on him when 0:11:14.280 --> 0:11:17.360 you're trying to And I'll tell you what on the 0:11:17.400 --> 0:11:20.600 other side of the coin, this guy can bring it. 0:11:20.679 --> 0:11:22.800 He's got a nice game. And when you need a 0:11:22.880 --> 0:11:26.280 dagg or three at the end, Salpell is gonna give 0:11:26.320 --> 0:11:30.080 it to you. Eight ball corner pocket the key, top 0:11:30.120 --> 0:11:32.360 of the key. I remember that game, Eric I was 0:11:32.400 --> 0:11:35.720 on your team and you. You You tossed it out 0:11:35.760 --> 0:11:37.800 to me and I hit. I hit a three at 0:11:37.840 --> 0:11:40.240 the top of the key right over Mr. T. Remember that. 0:11:41.360 --> 0:11:43.559 I'll tell you what sale you know who you really? 0:11:44.480 --> 0:11:49.600 Who really got going when we're playing those games. Aeron Glenn, 0:11:50.960 --> 0:11:53.400 Oh my god, the competitive juices of a G. He 0:11:53.520 --> 0:11:56.439 was now the defensive coordinator with Detroit Lions, but obviously 0:11:56.520 --> 0:11:59.920 a long time cornerback with the New York Jets. At first, 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:01.880 A G was kind of feeling his way out and 0:12:01.880 --> 0:12:04.680 you could see his athleticism. Then after a little bit, 0:12:04.960 --> 0:12:08.200 it was like he was playing the top receiver in 0:12:08.200 --> 0:12:11.960 the National Football League. He started hitting me and I 0:12:12.160 --> 0:12:14.520 he didn't think an old man was gonna hit him back. 0:12:16.320 --> 0:12:20.000 It got real competitive, real quick, and I remember you 0:12:20.120 --> 0:12:22.880 bringing me aside. He said, you know, that's a former 0:12:23.000 --> 0:12:25.440 NFL player there. You might want you might want to 0:12:25.440 --> 0:12:29.840 tone it down a little bit. And Seal was well equipped. 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:33.720 Not only was he knocking him down, but after the game, 0:12:34.000 --> 0:12:36.520 like a good sport, he had his cooler and we 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:38.920 had a couple of pops on the court like that. 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:41.760 I like that. So, you know, South, how you mentioned 0:12:41.760 --> 0:12:44.640 you're gonna be home for this year's draft. But also 0:12:44.720 --> 0:12:47.280 this year you have the NFL Matchup Draft Special Part 0:12:47.320 --> 0:12:51.960 two is Tuesday, April PM on ESPN two. You have 0:12:52.000 --> 0:12:55.640 a quarterback that's gonna be in focus on that episode 0:12:55.640 --> 0:12:57.439 who I think a lot of Jets fans believe will 0:12:57.480 --> 0:13:00.240 be the future of their franchise and Jack will Pison. 0:13:00.320 --> 0:13:03.880 What are year thoughts on Zack Wilson and Zack Wilson 0:13:03.960 --> 0:13:07.480 specifically to the New York Jets. Well, I think Zack 0:13:07.520 --> 0:13:11.160 Wilson has the potential to be the next Patrick Mahomes. 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:14.640 I think there's no question about that. He's got all 0:13:14.679 --> 0:13:18.000 of those kinds of tools. He has incredible vision of 0:13:18.040 --> 0:13:21.320 the field, he has a very quick release, he can 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:25.320 he's very accurate on the run. Uh. He is a 0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:28.600 creative player and he can really rip it. You know. 0:13:28.640 --> 0:13:31.480 I talked to Ron Jaworski about Zack Wilson, you know, 0:13:31.520 --> 0:13:34.920 because I'm not a scout of a quarterback necessarily, I 0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:36.720 did watch a little bit of film on him, but 0:13:36.760 --> 0:13:40.520 I watched a little bit of it with Ron Jaworski. Uh, 0:13:40.640 --> 0:13:43.080 you know who of course I'm very close friends with 0:13:43.120 --> 0:13:45.640 from on days at ESPN, and he is super high 0:13:45.640 --> 0:13:49.520 on Zack Wilson. You know um. The bottom line, though, 0:13:49.600 --> 0:13:53.880 is this for me, the biggest lesson from the twenty 0:13:54.640 --> 0:13:58.000 NFL season, which was remarkable and I was on the 0:13:58.080 --> 0:14:00.800 road for the entire time. The biggest lesson comes out 0:14:00.800 --> 0:14:06.120 of two places, one the Cincinnati Bengals and two the 0:14:06.200 --> 0:14:09.720 Tampa Bay Bucks. Let's start with the Cincinnati Bengals. They 0:14:09.800 --> 0:14:13.760 drafted a rookie quarterback and they didn't protect him. They 0:14:13.760 --> 0:14:17.000 put him into empty sets, they didn't run the ball 0:14:17.040 --> 0:14:20.880 well or often enough, and they left Joe Burrow out 0:14:20.960 --> 0:14:24.520 on an island. And they didn't teach Joe Burrow that 0:14:24.600 --> 0:14:26.560 at the pro game, you must get rid of the 0:14:26.600 --> 0:14:29.880 ball in two point five seconds or less. That doesn't 0:14:29.920 --> 0:14:33.040 matter how good your offensive line is or your protection packages. 0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:38.320 You can't hold up the rush in the NFL for 0:14:38.440 --> 0:14:40.760 more than really two and a half to three seconds. 0:14:41.280 --> 0:14:45.080 And a lot of college quarterbacks, especially young ones, especially 0:14:45.120 --> 0:14:47.760 first round picks, think they have to do it all 0:14:47.960 --> 0:14:50.040 and they hold onto the ball and want to make 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:53.560 the best possible player the biggest play that's on the field. 0:14:53.600 --> 0:14:56.480 You can do that in college. You can't do that 0:14:56.880 --> 0:15:00.200 in the National Football League. And Burrow got decimated. It's 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:04.160 sacked repeatedly wound up leaving this the season with a 0:15:04.200 --> 0:15:08.240 gruesome leg injury and Hill. Of course we hope be back, 0:15:08.800 --> 0:15:11.640 but they have to obviously fix their protection in the 0:15:11.720 --> 0:15:14.920 quickest way to fix your protection is not to really 0:15:14.960 --> 0:15:19.640 fix your offensive line per se, although that helps certainly, 0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:23.920 but it's to teach that young man and the offensive 0:15:23.960 --> 0:15:26.640 coordinator La Fleur that you have there is a smart 0:15:26.720 --> 0:15:30.360 guy and hopefully he's figured this out. You must protect 0:15:30.440 --> 0:15:34.200 the quarterback right now in the National Football League less 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:37.480 than number two from the Bucks. The Tampa Bay Bucks 0:15:37.600 --> 0:15:42.840 protected Tom Brady in Super Bowl and he won the game. 0:15:43.360 --> 0:15:48.120 The Kansas City Chiefs could not protect Patrick Mahomes and 0:15:48.160 --> 0:15:52.240 they lost a forty three year old quarterback beat the 0:15:52.320 --> 0:15:56.640 reigning NFL m v P because one was protected and 0:15:56.760 --> 0:15:59.880 one was not. And Eric, look at the numbers that 0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:04.040 we got from ESPN Stats and information in and this 0:16:04.200 --> 0:16:10.480 is the key final point here in NFL defensive coordinators 0:16:10.520 --> 0:16:18.000 brought the blitz of the time. That's a five year high. 0:16:18.160 --> 0:16:21.800 The blitz is coming. It's coming at a high rate 0:16:22.040 --> 0:16:26.000 than an historically high rate. You must protect the quarterback, 0:16:26.120 --> 0:16:28.640 especially young ones, and the way to teach them to 0:16:28.720 --> 0:16:34.240 protect themselves is hut Hut ball is snapped one Mississippi 0:16:34.280 --> 0:16:38.600 to Mississippi, ball is out. That's the key. And I 0:16:38.640 --> 0:16:42.640 hope that Zach Wilson and La Fleur and the rest 0:16:42.720 --> 0:16:47.640 of that offensive coaching staff teach that to Wilson and 0:16:47.800 --> 0:16:50.040 get this ball, the ball out of that young man's 0:16:50.080 --> 0:16:53.480 hands as quickly as possible. You always bring the juice 0:16:53.520 --> 0:16:57.520 with the stats. Those are good numbers and uh, good 0:16:57.560 --> 0:17:01.240 points about both this is Andy Bengals and the Tampa 0:17:01.240 --> 0:17:04.280 Bay Buccaneers and the other under the spectrum when you're 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:07.879 in the film room with Jaws cell, how rare is 0:17:07.920 --> 0:17:11.960 that arm strength that you're seeing from Wilson Because people 0:17:12.000 --> 0:17:15.840 talk about how the ball just explodes off his hands. 0:17:15.880 --> 0:17:19.359 It's just he's got obviously a quick release. But uh, 0:17:19.520 --> 0:17:21.639 and I'm not talking about him throwing the ball seventy 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:24.480 yards down the field, but him just getting it to 0:17:24.720 --> 0:17:28.040 spaces quicker than other people. There's no question that he 0:17:28.119 --> 0:17:31.359 has credible velocity on the ball. His spin rate is 0:17:31.400 --> 0:17:35.840 extraordinarily high. Uh. And he seems to be pretty accurate. 0:17:35.920 --> 0:17:38.000 You know, he's college accurate. Now I'll have to see 0:17:38.040 --> 0:17:41.600 if he's NFL accurate. Um, you know. And the reason 0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:44.760 why I used those numbers, Eric, is not because I'm 0:17:44.760 --> 0:17:47.879 an analytics guy. It's because it matches up with what 0:17:48.040 --> 0:17:53.600 happened in the NFL last season. Remember, the overall overriding 0:17:53.720 --> 0:17:59.480 number one lesson of was quarterback protection. Those quarterbacks that 0:17:59.520 --> 0:18:03.960 were not protected either got hurt or failed, and those 0:18:04.040 --> 0:18:06.679 quarterbacks that were protected. And you look, let's go back 0:18:06.720 --> 0:18:09.200 to the Bucks for a second. Byron left which and 0:18:09.240 --> 0:18:12.840 Bruce Arians changed the offense to a short passing game 0:18:12.840 --> 0:18:15.560 in the second half of the year. They used six 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:19.119 offensive linemen at the highest percentage of any team in 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:22.560 the NFL, and two tight end sets. They were determined 0:18:23.160 --> 0:18:26.320 to protect Brady, knowing that everybody and his brother was 0:18:26.359 --> 0:18:30.359 blitzing Brady off the bus. And so I think that's 0:18:30.359 --> 0:18:33.040 the way Brady survived and flourished in the second half 0:18:33.040 --> 0:18:36.120 of the season. It's certainly the way he went on 0:18:36.119 --> 0:18:38.840 the road and won three straight playoff games and then 0:18:39.119 --> 0:18:42.800 won the Super Bowl because he was protected. Breezes wasn't, 0:18:42.840 --> 0:18:46.080 and Rogers wasn't, and Mahomes was not in Super Bowl. 0:18:48.000 --> 0:18:51.720 Sal you've been here from Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith, Sam 0:18:51.800 --> 0:18:55.240 Donald and whoever that quarterback will be at number two 0:18:55.280 --> 0:18:57.320 and a lot of us think that it will be 0:18:57.400 --> 0:18:59.960 Zack Wilson. And when I say us, I mean Jets Nation. 0:19:00.520 --> 0:19:05.360 But I'm curious from your perspective, let's use Wilson as 0:19:05.359 --> 0:19:09.199 the example. From a kid coming from Provo, Utah to 0:19:09.240 --> 0:19:11.080 the bright lights of New York City. How do you 0:19:11.119 --> 0:19:13.960 think he will fare and what changes for a college 0:19:14.040 --> 0:19:17.800 kid going to the pros from wherever that may be, 0:19:18.040 --> 0:19:22.080 whether it's West Virginia or USC or any school in 0:19:22.080 --> 0:19:25.560 the country to New York City. It's a very good question. 0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:28.120 It's a hard one to answer, and I really don't 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:32.480 want to compare Zack Wilson to Donald sanchezar Gino Smith 0:19:32.480 --> 0:19:34.359 because he's his own person and he's going to have 0:19:34.440 --> 0:19:38.760 to stand on his own. Just hearing him talk and 0:19:38.840 --> 0:19:42.919 knowing his family background, it sounds like to me that 0:19:43.119 --> 0:19:46.879 Zack Wilson will flourish in the moment, But you never know, 0:19:47.800 --> 0:19:49.879 because the bottom line is, you've got a two and 0:19:49.920 --> 0:19:52.520 eleven team that was lasting the league in points score, 0:19:53.359 --> 0:19:57.200 You've got a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback, 0:19:57.800 --> 0:20:02.720 and you're basically starting over. And so what the team 0:20:02.760 --> 0:20:08.159 and the organization must do is relieve the pressure and 0:20:08.200 --> 0:20:11.960 make sure that it is spread evenly. And this is 0:20:12.000 --> 0:20:16.240 what I know about Robert Sala. I think Sala understands that, 0:20:16.320 --> 0:20:18.360 and that's one of the reasons why the Jets were 0:20:18.400 --> 0:20:23.159 so hot on hiring him. Sala has a big personality, 0:20:23.359 --> 0:20:26.320 who's going to set the tone and take the pressure 0:20:26.400 --> 0:20:30.480 off of this quarterback. I think that's super important. The 0:20:30.560 --> 0:20:34.600 more that Sala can absorb the pressure and the spotlight, 0:20:35.080 --> 0:20:38.080 the less it will be on Wilson at the beginning 0:20:38.640 --> 0:20:42.359 and allow Wilson to sort of incorporate himself into the 0:20:42.440 --> 0:20:46.000 National Football League. But there's two really important factors here. 0:20:46.400 --> 0:20:51.440 One is when you're starting a rookie quarterback in remember 0:20:51.480 --> 0:20:56.560 we're going to seventeen games. All rookies hit a wall 0:20:57.960 --> 0:21:01.280 because you know, for the most part, their season is 0:21:01.320 --> 0:21:04.920 over pretty much after Thanksgiving. Now you're playing an extra 0:21:05.000 --> 0:21:09.439 five six weeks of football. So they're gonna have to 0:21:09.520 --> 0:21:14.119 make sure that all across the roster on all NFL teams, 0:21:14.160 --> 0:21:17.359 but particularly those teams that are using rookies heavily like 0:21:17.400 --> 0:21:20.399 the Jets, will that you know, I hate to use 0:21:20.440 --> 0:21:23.480 this word this term, but load management will be crucial. 0:21:24.359 --> 0:21:27.840 You don't want to put too much on rookies in 0:21:27.880 --> 0:21:34.080 a seventeen game schedule. That's a very good point about 0:21:34.080 --> 0:21:38.119 the seventeen game schedule. That change is the equation everywhere. 0:21:38.240 --> 0:21:41.239 It absolutely does. You know, you gotta find sixth eric, 0:21:41.320 --> 0:21:46.800 you gotta find sixty seventy eight five snaps during the year, 0:21:47.359 --> 0:21:49.520 or you just take a guy off the field now 0:21:49.520 --> 0:21:52.520 in the fourth quarter, now on the fourth quarter of Europe. 0:21:52.600 --> 0:21:56.560 By twenty you're pulling your starters out. You're not letting 0:21:56.600 --> 0:21:59.360 them finish. You want to get them rests. You don't 0:21:59.359 --> 0:22:02.480 want them to get hurt in a meaningless situation. There's 0:22:02.480 --> 0:22:04.760 gonna be a lot of that in the National Football League, 0:22:04.760 --> 0:22:10.480 and tangentially parenthetically, that's gonna affect gambling you watch and 0:22:10.560 --> 0:22:15.280 fantasy football on the surface, getting back to what you 0:22:15.359 --> 0:22:22.720 said about protecting and helping a young quarterback grow, about 0:22:22.760 --> 0:22:26.240 the offense you're gonna run and and and how you 0:22:26.760 --> 0:22:29.359 are ultimately going to help this guy succeed if it 0:22:29.440 --> 0:22:33.240 is indeed Wilson, this is the first time offensive coordinator 0:22:33.359 --> 0:22:37.479 in Mike la Fleur, but he comes up in the 0:22:37.520 --> 0:22:42.280 Shanahan system. Was with Kyle Shanahan not only San Francisco, 0:22:42.720 --> 0:22:47.800 but in Atlanta, do you like this system? Who obviously 0:22:47.880 --> 0:22:50.000 have his own imprint on it, because he's gonna be 0:22:50.040 --> 0:22:53.360 calling the shots, calling the place. But in terms of 0:22:53.560 --> 0:22:55.840 going back and looking what they did in San Francisco 0:22:56.000 --> 0:22:59.840 and in Atlanta, using a powerful run game, getting after 0:23:00.040 --> 0:23:03.920 people in the trenches, and then getting the quarterback out 0:23:03.960 --> 0:23:07.120 on the move, sometimes with the boots, and then doing 0:23:07.200 --> 0:23:10.679 some play action down the field. I do. I like 0:23:10.760 --> 0:23:13.639 it a lot. It's successful, it's proven to be successful 0:23:13.720 --> 0:23:16.359 at the highest levels. But you have to have the 0:23:16.400 --> 0:23:19.640 personnel to run it, and the quarterback's got to buy in, 0:23:20.720 --> 0:23:23.600 and um, you know that's gonna be a process that's 0:23:23.760 --> 0:23:26.080 going to take place as soon as they draft the quarterback. 0:23:26.119 --> 0:23:28.040 And I do agree that it will be Zack Wilson. 0:23:28.400 --> 0:23:32.280