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Speaker 1: Late fifteen to ten touched up. Welcome to Chargers Weekly,

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Speaker 1: as we're doing a virtual today. A huge thank you

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Speaker 1: to Daniel Popper, our guest as kind of flying solo

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Speaker 1: and probably could have done it solo. It would have

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Speaker 1: been terrible to look. Get tired of hearing me drone

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Speaker 1: on and on. So bring in somebody who knows a

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Speaker 1: heck of a lot about all of the stuff that

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Speaker 1: Charger fans are seeking right now, and that is information

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Speaker 1: on how this team is going to improve itself from

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Speaker 1: what was a heck of a season. Daniel, real quick,

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Speaker 1: I want to point out Daniel works for The Athletic,

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Speaker 1: that is a subscription based service. I highly recommend a

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Speaker 1: subscription to The Athletic, not only for Popper's coverage. He's

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Speaker 1: the best in the business as far as I'm concerned

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Speaker 1: in the NFL, but all the draft coverage from our

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Speaker 1: friends over there is sensational, and obviously all the other

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Speaker 1: sports they cover in town also great. So subscribe to it.

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Speaker 1: They're great people, they do great work, and they're some

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Speaker 1: of the best beat writers no matter of the sport.

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Speaker 1: Pop Thanks for coming, and I think I'll lead into

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Speaker 1: the article you posted a little bit earlier this week,

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Speaker 1: could you kind of broke down the salary cap situation

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Speaker 1: for this upcoming off season for the Chargers and how

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Speaker 1: dramatically different it is from what Geortis had to work

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Speaker 1: with last offseason.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, pretty much one hundred eighty degree difference. First off,

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Speaker 2: thank you for the kind words. Really appreciate it and

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Speaker 2: thanks for having me on. But yeah, I mean last

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Speaker 2: year when when Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hartiz took over

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Speaker 2: this thing, you know, they were more than fifty million

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Speaker 2: dollars over the cap. Now they're sixty three million dollars

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Speaker 2: under the cap. Just to put that in perspective, the

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Speaker 2: type of swing that you're talking about. So last year

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Speaker 2: it was about how do we make this functional? How

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Speaker 2: do we get cap compliant? What moves do we have

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Speaker 2: to make, what restructures, what cuts, what trades to get

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Speaker 2: ourselves in a position where we're compliant with the league's

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Speaker 2: salary cap. That is not the case this year. Obviously,

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Speaker 2: last year you had a bunch of those veteran decisions. Cut,

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Speaker 2: Mike Williams, traded Keenan Allen, negotiated pay cuts and restructures

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Speaker 2: with klo mac enjoyed. This year, they have none of

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Speaker 2: those issues. There is no weight of having to get compliant.

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Speaker 2: It's all about flexibility now. And the big question is

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Speaker 2: how do you use this space appropriately and the best

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Speaker 2: fashion to improve a team that was a solid club

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Speaker 2: this past season making the playoffs and winning eleven games,

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Speaker 2: and you know, there are obviously a bunch of options

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Speaker 2: in terms of how you use that money to build

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Speaker 2: the roster here in the off season.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, jump off that last point you made, because look,

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Speaker 1: it didn't end great. You know, people were bummed the

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Speaker 1: way it ended in Houston. But to try to take

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Speaker 1: that fine point and spread it a little bit. Remember

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Speaker 1: where we were last year at this moment when we

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Speaker 1: were talking about fifty million over and everybody was preaching,

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Speaker 1: I hope they just ripped the band aid off. You

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Speaker 1: can't try to thread this needle. It's too hard in

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Speaker 1: the NFL. You're going to kick that can down the

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Speaker 1: road and then maybe you put yourself back a couple

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Speaker 1: of years. Well, for all intents and purposes, they did

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Speaker 1: rip the band aid off, and now they're staring at

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Speaker 1: fifty sixty million dollars in cap space, and they went

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Speaker 1: eleven and six and then they made the playoffs. As

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Speaker 1: the number five. What like, I always want to go

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Speaker 1: back And I know people point that it's, you know,

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Speaker 1: point to my Chargers bias and I work for the

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Speaker 1: team and all that, But I say, just remember where

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Speaker 1: we were a year ago with all of these contracts

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Speaker 1: and fifty million over and it ends in eleven and

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Speaker 1: six and a playoff berth a a in a team

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Speaker 1: that we thought could really make a run if they

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Speaker 1: could just get that first win, which unfortunately they didn't get.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, And I think that's part of what's encouraging about

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Speaker 2: this is they were able to stitch together a playoff

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Speaker 2: caliber roster with all the limitations they had financially. So

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Speaker 2: what's it going to look like when they actually have

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Speaker 2: the flexibility to spend? And like I think X like

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Speaker 2: keeping expectations in perspective are important, right, Like I think

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Speaker 2: last year, like the best you could expect from what

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Speaker 2: they had in terms of their situation financially was like, Okay,

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Speaker 2: can you put this together? Can you find some you know,

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Speaker 2: bars in the free agent market, can you hit on

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Speaker 2: some players in the draft. Can you raise the floor

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Speaker 2: with your coaching? Can you win the games you're supposed

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Speaker 2: to win? And sneak into the playoffs and maybe have

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Speaker 2: a shot to win a playoff game. That's exactly what happened,

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Speaker 2: but that was like best case scenario. I think now

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Speaker 2: things change. You get into the dance, you're up six

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Speaker 2: to nothing in the first round of the playoffs.

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Speaker 1: You know, you have the.

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Speaker 2: Texans backed up at third and sixteen. You're like, oh

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Speaker 2: what wait a seconds the second quarter, maybe we can

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Speaker 2: win a game. The reality is like it didn't happen.

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Speaker 2: But like, if you take a ten thousand foot view

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Speaker 2: in terms of what the expectations were at this time

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Speaker 2: last year, I think the Chargers have to be pretty

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Speaker 2: happy with with where they are, and then you look

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Speaker 2: at what they were able to do with very limited

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Speaker 2: cap space. Some of these bargains that they hit on,

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Speaker 2: whether it was poona Ford, Christian Fulton getting some good

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Speaker 2: ball out of him.

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Speaker 1: JK.

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Speaker 2: Dobbins had a resurgen season. Okay, you're shopping with you know,

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Speaker 2: two to three to four million dollars per player. What

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Speaker 2: happens when you can shell out at top of the

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Speaker 2: market contract or you can take a similar approach where

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Speaker 2: you attack it in a bunch of different ways in

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Speaker 2: the middle market. And now you can add you know,

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Speaker 2: ten players that can really affect your roster and you're

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Speaker 2: not you know, having a penny pinch at all.

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Speaker 1: Would love because look, you have all the cap space,

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Speaker 1: but you also have players. You have thirty plus free agents,

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Speaker 1: so you know you're you're gonna have to spend some

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Speaker 1: of that cap on your own players. Just you know,

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Speaker 1: going through it pop as you rank, you know what contracts,

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Speaker 1: you feel this this you know front office needs to

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Speaker 1: get done. Obviously Slater's number one, and then that's going

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Speaker 1: to get done. It'd be a huge upset if it didn't.

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Speaker 1: Considering the way they talk about an offensive line in

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Speaker 1: the fact he had an All Pro season, so let's

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Speaker 1: just shove him aside. I kind of look at it

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Speaker 1: and it's to me, of all the players and just

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Speaker 1: positional value and the way it felt like they fit.

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Speaker 1: It's Poona. Now it's probably Elijah even ahead of Poona

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Speaker 1: because of what that did for Derwin James to have

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Speaker 1: Elijah and a lowie. Would you agree Elijah Poona? And

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Speaker 1: then you know, I think you can start getting into

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Speaker 1: the tier Tart versus JK. Dobbins. You know, positional what's available,

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Speaker 1: not that sort of conversation.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I sort of. I mean I wrote that on

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Speaker 2: my rankings here, like I kind of have I kind

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Speaker 2: of I didn't rank him in any order, but I

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Speaker 2: have like five guys that I would prioritize. It's Poona Elijah,

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Speaker 2: I would prioritize Khalil Oh.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm sorry. I think that's also to me that

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Speaker 1: one is one. I don't think he says he's not

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Speaker 1: gonna rotograph, he's not coming back here. It feels like

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Speaker 1: that's a yeah, we got this right, you know.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I basically yeah, after the season, I was like,

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Speaker 2: it's probably fifty fifty whether he retires or not based

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Speaker 2: on how he talked on Vaggie Day. But if he

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Speaker 2: doesn't retire, I felt it was ninety plus percent chance

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Speaker 2: that he comes back. So, but that's the guy obviously

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Speaker 2: I would prioritize, because like the edgroom is interesting, Like

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Speaker 2: that's one group that I find kind of fascinating heading

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Speaker 2: into the offseason because you have Joey Bosa under contract,

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Speaker 2: klo Mac like you know, probably coming back. You have

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Speaker 2: Tully who like maybe didn't take as big of a

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Speaker 2: step as I thought he was going to take a

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Speaker 2: year two, but you probably have to get younger in

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Speaker 2: that room. So I find that room pretty interesting. We

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Speaker 2: can get into that a little bit later, but yeah, Pooa,

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Speaker 2: Elijah Khalil. I like Morgan Fox a lot as the player. Yes, Like,

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Speaker 2: that's a guy that can always play for my football team.

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Speaker 2: I love his energy. I love him as a pass rusher.

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Speaker 2: Just reliable, durable, interior alignment that you know isn't going

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Speaker 2: to cost a ton. So I like Morgan a lot,

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Speaker 2: and then JK. Dobbins, I would look in to bring

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Speaker 2: you back. Obviously, the market. You got to see what

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Speaker 2: the market is, you know, and and you know, with

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Speaker 2: the season Saquon's having the season Derrick Henry had, like,

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Speaker 2: does the running back market change at all in terms

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Speaker 2: of what teams are willing to spend, We'll see, you know,

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Speaker 2: but if his market isn't crazy, like, that's a guy

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Speaker 2: they should absolutely consider coming back, because I think we

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Speaker 2: saw the difference in their offense when he was playing

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Speaker 2: versus when he was not playing. So those are the

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Speaker 2: five guys I would sort of throw out. But there's

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Speaker 2: like you said, there's twenty seven unrestricted free agents, and

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Speaker 2: Jim Harbott said, you know, pretty explicitly that they want

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Speaker 2: to keep this as close together as possible. And I

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Speaker 2: don't think he's, you know, just just talking there like

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Speaker 2: I think he actually like loved this group a lot

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Speaker 2: and wants to try and keep it as together as possible.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. I think with the Dobbins thing, no question, it

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Speaker 1: was night and day what this team looked like with

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Speaker 1: him out there versus him not out there. And I

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Speaker 1: think the thing to remembers, Look, it's a deep running

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Speaker 1: back draft, and there's some really good runners that are

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Speaker 1: going to be available in the second, in the third

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Speaker 1: that they're going to be that you could just drop

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Speaker 1: in and play. But I think what you saw last

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Speaker 1: year from Kamani is oftentimes rookie running backs just they're

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Speaker 1: not up to speed on pass pro. It's hard, man.

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Speaker 1: These guys are big, they are strong, they've got old

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Speaker 1: man's strength, and you're giving up twenty thirty pounds to

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Speaker 1: these guys that are rushing and it's just a tall task.

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Speaker 1: And to have someone I think that's what people forget.

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Speaker 1: It's not just running the ball and how explosive and

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Speaker 1: the fact that Jk's as good as he is in

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Speaker 1: pass pro makes such a huge difference than losing him

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Speaker 1: and bringing in another rookie and having that I think

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Speaker 1: that would dramatically shift that room. Could not agree with

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Speaker 1: you more on that one.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that was one pleasant surprise for me because you know,

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Speaker 2: I studied some JK. Dobbins state and I studied some

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Speaker 2: Gus Edwards tape after they made those signings, just to

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Speaker 2: see sort of what they were getting. But obviously I

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Speaker 2: was looking primarily at like, Okay, what are they doing

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Speaker 2: with the ball in their hands? When I got to

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Speaker 2: watch JK. Dobbins with the Chargers, the one thing that

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Speaker 2: jumped out is like, this is an elite, elite pass

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Speaker 2: protecting back, and a lot of people, I think overlook that.

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Speaker 2: But the other part of it too is like, yeah,

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Speaker 2: the guys are bigger, but also the schemes are way

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Speaker 2: more diverse, and like the defensive coordinators, if they know

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Speaker 2: that you have a rookie back they're pass protecting, can

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Speaker 2: just target that guy and expose him in a way

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Speaker 2: that you know doesn't really happen at that level or

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Speaker 2: at that consistency in college. So yeah, that's like it's

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Speaker 2: gonna be interesting. I think like either way, you probably

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Speaker 2: still add it back, Like if I'm like, if I'm

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Speaker 2: a GM, I'm probably drafting it back every year, Like

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Speaker 2: why not, because like you see, you see so many

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Speaker 2: of these guys on Day three that end up becoming

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Speaker 2: like legitimate starters, even if it's just for a year

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Speaker 2: or two and it's lightning in a bottle, But like

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Speaker 2: take it back every year and you know, on Day

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Speaker 2: three and see if it becomes something, because like I

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Speaker 2: feel like that's a position where on Day three you

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Speaker 2: tend to find productive players more often than maybe at

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Speaker 2: other positions.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I think you know, it's funny. I'm in the

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Speaker 1: same boat, and I always say it about corners. I'm like,

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Speaker 1: take a corner every year because because you can just

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Speaker 1: take a traits corner like they did in cam Hart

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Speaker 1: in the fifth round, a guy whose film wasn't great,

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Speaker 1: but the traits were off the charts. And it's like, yeah,

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Speaker 1: just just take a traits guy in the whatever Day

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Speaker 1: three every single year at that position group because it's

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Speaker 1: so valuable and so often those guys end up coming

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Speaker 1: from that part of the draft. And look, and we'll

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Speaker 1: get into the draft in a little bit. I know

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Speaker 1: you've already kind of gone through it. But it's a

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Speaker 1: good running back year, and it'll be interesting that they're

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Speaker 1: in that that sort of slot where it really makes

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Speaker 1: the most sense to just go best player available. You know,

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Speaker 1: you kind of when you're in that back end of

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Speaker 1: the first round, you've got so many needs that maybe

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Speaker 1: went ahead of you. For folks, it's not a great

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Speaker 1: quarterback year, so that doesn't help you as much because

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Speaker 1: you don't get the value of the guy sliding back

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Speaker 1: because so many quarterbacks were taken. I'd be floor I mean,

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Speaker 1: I assume both those guys will be taken, so you're

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Speaker 1: picking kind of twenty instead of twenty two. But anyway

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Speaker 1: off of that too, just kind of to what you

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Speaker 1: think and what for people that don't know kind of

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Speaker 1: how it works, what you think a Rashawn Slater extension

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Speaker 1: looks like, and how it affects the amount of money

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Speaker 1: they might have to spend in the free market to

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Speaker 1: maybe get and you know, what everybody's looking at. And

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Speaker 1: if since he doesn't give him a second franchise tag,

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Speaker 1: which is starting to sound like maybe they're not going

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Speaker 1: to the way that convert, I'd be floored if they didn't.

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Speaker 1: But if t Higgins is available, it's just it's such

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Speaker 1: a perfect fit for this team, I think. So what

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Speaker 1: does the Slater extension look like? What does that do

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Speaker 1: to their cap situation? And how do you mitigate him

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Speaker 1: maybe becoming the highest, the second highest, the third highest

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Speaker 1: paid tackle in the league.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so it's actually more than likely going to lower

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Speaker 2: his capit this year. That's sort of how these extensions work,

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Speaker 2: particularly when a player is entering the fifth year option year.

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Speaker 2: So that's what that's where Rashawn Slater is at. He's

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Speaker 2: entering his fifty year option. That is effectively like an

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Speaker 2: average of the top salaries of the position. So his

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Speaker 2: cap hit is over nineteen million. And so when you

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Speaker 2: sign an extension, effectively like a player gets a bunch

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Speaker 2: of money upfront as a signing bonus, but for salary

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Speaker 2: cap purposes, that gets divided over the length of the contract.

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Speaker 2: So if you sign, if I have a signing bonus

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Speaker 2: of twenty million dollars, it's a four year deal, it

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Speaker 2: only counts five million aginst the cap every year, and

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Speaker 2: then what teams will do is the lower that year

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Speaker 2: one base salary. And so what a cap pit is

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Speaker 2: is any base salary that you have plus whatever pro

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Speaker 2: rated signing bonus so by doing an extension, you're probably

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Speaker 2: going to lower his capt now. Like the most recent

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Speaker 2: example is Tristan Wurf's the Bucks left tackle who set

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Speaker 2: the reset the market at the tackle position. You know,

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Speaker 2: his cap hit went from the fifth year option of

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Speaker 2: over eighteen million to like six million this past season,

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Speaker 2: So you're talking about twelve million guy despite being the

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Speaker 2: highest paid guy. So even if for Sewn Slater resets

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Speaker 2: to tackle market, he's almost certainly going to have a

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Speaker 2: lower cap pit. So that's why, like right now, it's

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Speaker 2: like the team has more incentive to do a deal

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Speaker 2: than they did last off season. Last off season, Raehan

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Speaker 2: was still on his rookie deal, so he had a

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Speaker 2: five million dollar cap hit. It's tough to lower that.

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Speaker 2: You're probably going to increase that if you do the extension.

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Speaker 2: Now you're on a fifth year option. You're gonna get ten, eleven,

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Speaker 2: twelve million dollars in savings if they do the contract.

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Speaker 2: How Ed McGuire has always done contracts with the Chargers,

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Speaker 2: and so there's incentive for the Chargers to get it

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Speaker 2: get it done now. Rashawn's in a situation where he

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Speaker 2: could be approaching thirty million dollars a year for thirty

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Speaker 2: million dollar tackle, and so there's incentive on both sides

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Speaker 2: to get it done. So like, in that sense, they

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Speaker 2: don't have to do it soon for the savings because

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Speaker 2: they have you know, forty six million dollars in spending space.

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Speaker 2: That's how you know, from what I've calculated, But it

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Speaker 2: should give them even more flexibility. So I think there's

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Speaker 2: incentive on the team side to get it done. And also,

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Speaker 2: like you wanted to see him play in the system,

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Speaker 2: in the program for a year, and I think he

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Speaker 2: proved that he's a long term player, you know, for

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Speaker 2: this team, for this franchise at all quosition.

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Speaker 1: I think when they drafted Alt there was some question

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Speaker 1: thereof you know, if Rashaan gets hurt again, is this

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Speaker 1: a you're taking the best player that you think is

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Speaker 1: best for your team. Which I don't think there's any

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Speaker 1: question looking back on it, that they would change anything

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Speaker 1: with what they did with that number five overall pick.

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Speaker 1: But also, like we saw in Las Vegas, if need be,

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Speaker 1: you can move him to left tackle, find another tackle,

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Speaker 1: and move forward in a much lower number. But to

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Speaker 1: me is you know what coach Harboss said after the season,

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Speaker 1: just you're talking about having arguably the best tackles in

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Speaker 1: the league, and that allows you to do a lot

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Speaker 1: of different things. So I would suspect he'll get paid

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Speaker 1: in The other thing that you brought up in that

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Speaker 1: article that everybody you know, because of spot track or

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Speaker 1: spot rack however you want to pronounce it, can see

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Speaker 1: is that Joey's got a big thirty six million dollars

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Speaker 1: next to his name, and there's no way that that

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Speaker 1: stays the same. It's just a question of is it

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Speaker 1: a you know, do they renegotiate and do they kind

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Speaker 1: of change some things and get a longer term extension,

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Speaker 1: or do they take an eleven million dollar hit and

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Speaker 1: move on and save twenty five million bucks? What does

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Speaker 1: your gut tell you there?

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Speaker 2: My gut tells me that the cap hit is untenable,

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Speaker 2: and so that's usually how I go about things, is

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Speaker 2: like just follow the money. So like something has to

336
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Speaker 2: happen there. Right now, he has the highest cap hit

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Speaker 2: of any edge rusher in the league in twenty twenty five,

338
00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:31,760
Speaker 2: and so you know, Joey still can make plays, but

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Speaker 2: I think at this stage of his career, like paying

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Speaker 2: him at the very top of the market doesn't make sense. Now,

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Speaker 2: Like I think they are in a flexible position so

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Speaker 2: they don't have to do anything necessarily, But it just

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Speaker 2: doesn't make a ton of sense to wear that cap

344
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Speaker 2: hit when you have the opportunity to sort of move on. So,

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Speaker 2: you know, I think the interesting component of it is,

346
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Speaker 2: you know, Joey Bosa took a pay kit cut last year, Yeah,

347
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Speaker 2: seven million dollars. But yeah, like he and so you're

348
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Speaker 2: you gonna ask him to do that again? Would he

349
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Speaker 2: be willing to do that again? You know, I had

350
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Speaker 2: a conversation with him towards the end of the season.

351
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Speaker 2: Some of this stuff didn't make it into the article,

352
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Speaker 2: but you know, you know, I think he was happy

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Speaker 2: with his decision and content with his decision. He wanted

354
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Speaker 2: to come back, He wanted to give it another shot

355
00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:21,760
Speaker 2: to win with Khalil. But you know, I think the

356
00:16:21,800 --> 00:16:24,120
Speaker 2: idea of him taking a pay cut for a second

357
00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:27,600
Speaker 2: year might be a little bit tough to stomach, especially

358
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Speaker 2: if he says no forces the Chargers to cut him,

359
00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:32,720
Speaker 2: and then he might have the opportunity to go play

360
00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:36,000
Speaker 2: wherever he wants and test the market and hit free

361
00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:39,120
Speaker 2: agency and all of these things. So I think he

362
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Speaker 2: try and see if there's anything out there for him,

363
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Speaker 2: see if there's any potential trade partners. I know they

364
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Speaker 2: shopped him last year. There was a little bit of interest,

365
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Speaker 2: but nothing that sort of reached the level where Joe

366
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Speaker 2: Ortiz thought they were getting, you know, a proper return,

367
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Speaker 2: and so you know, they ended up being able to

368
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Speaker 2: negotiate something where it could work. But my gut says,

369
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Speaker 2: cap it's untenable, and so something has to happen. I

370
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Speaker 2: don't I don't see another pay cut as a super

371
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Speaker 2: realistic scenario, though it could happen. So you're looking at

372
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Speaker 2: at a cut or or a trade, you know, just

373
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Speaker 2: just based on the money, just based on on the

374
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Speaker 2: cap pit. And that's part of the reason why the

375
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Speaker 2: edge Rusher room is so it's fascinating to me because

376
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Speaker 2: if you do move on from Joey, you have Khalil

377
00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:25,919
Speaker 2: back in theory, if you're able to resign him. You know,

378
00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:29,000
Speaker 2: is twu Lee two plow two ready for a full

379
00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:29,920
Speaker 2: time starting role.

380
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Speaker 1: It didn't it feel like they put him in at

381
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Speaker 1: the end of that Houston game that he ended up

382
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Speaker 1: sort of supplanting Joey when CJ was getting a little

383
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Speaker 1: bit loose. And break and contain. I mean, I don't

384
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Speaker 1: know what to read into that, but as you go

385
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Speaker 1: through the way that game played out, it it felt like,

386
00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,520
Speaker 1: you know, either and again I don't know what the

387
00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:50,959
Speaker 1: circumstances were, but did feel like Tully kind of went

388
00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:53,440
Speaker 1: in there towards the back end when it was still

389
00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:55,920
Speaker 1: in the balance that that was kind of the pair

390
00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:57,359
Speaker 1: that they were running. Am I do you think I'm

391
00:17:57,359 --> 00:17:58,760
Speaker 1: reading that wrong? I mean, that's what it looked like

392
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Speaker 1: to me.

393
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Speaker 2: I think I think that's fair. I think for me,

394
00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:05,080
Speaker 2: it's it's more about like I loved him as a rookie,

395
00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:08,880
Speaker 2: like I like, I thought he was just awesome and

396
00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:11,600
Speaker 2: you know, being able to play with that level of

397
00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:14,440
Speaker 2: power as a young player I thought was really impressive.

398
00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:17,840
Speaker 2: You know he was he just felt like a complete player,

399
00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:19,320
Speaker 2: and it felt like, okay, like this is the base,

400
00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:22,960
Speaker 2: this is the floor, and let's see him sort of

401
00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:25,120
Speaker 2: stacked on top of that, and you sort of start

402
00:18:25,119 --> 00:18:27,119
Speaker 2: your your imagination runs wild about like what he can

403
00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:29,920
Speaker 2: sort of turn into. I don't think he like improved

404
00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:32,200
Speaker 2: as much as I thought he had. The Great November

405
00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:35,040
Speaker 2: was going to improve. Yeah, and obviously like the sack

406
00:18:35,119 --> 00:18:36,760
Speaker 2: numbers were there, but I'm talking like down to down,

407
00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:39,080
Speaker 2: you know, run defense, all of this stuff, right, And

408
00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:41,480
Speaker 2: so maybe that maybe that's my fault for for setting

409
00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:44,160
Speaker 2: my expectations too high. And like obviously, you know, development

410
00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:47,520
Speaker 2: is a different path for for for every single player,

411
00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:49,080
Speaker 2: and maybe in my mind I thought he was going

412
00:18:49,119 --> 00:18:53,320
Speaker 2: to really take that jump to you know, like very

413
00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:58,440
Speaker 2: defined starter level type player. And and and maybe that's

414
00:18:58,520 --> 00:19:00,439
Speaker 2: that's on me for for not you know, you know,

415
00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:03,480
Speaker 2: taking a ten thousand foot view and understanding that you know,

416
00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:06,359
Speaker 2: these paths are different for different players. But you start

417
00:19:06,359 --> 00:19:08,400
Speaker 2: to start talking about it, okay, like if you feel

418
00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:11,480
Speaker 2: good about Tully, you bring back Khalil, you know, thirty

419
00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:15,639
Speaker 2: four years old, you have another you know, veteran and

420
00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:18,240
Speaker 2: bud Dupree, maybe you can find a guy in the draft,

421
00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:21,119
Speaker 2: Like do you feel really good about that room, you

422
00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:24,600
Speaker 2: know in that scenario, do you need to add you know,

423
00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:28,200
Speaker 2: another piece, you know, do you look in free agency

424
00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:30,480
Speaker 2: or you know, more of the veteran route again and

425
00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:33,879
Speaker 2: sort of delay the you know, future planning of the

426
00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:37,000
Speaker 2: edge room. It becomes very interesting, you know, after sort

427
00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:39,840
Speaker 2: of the Joey to Bosa decision is made and the

428
00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:42,040
Speaker 2: other part of it too, And I love to hear

429
00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:43,760
Speaker 2: your thoughts on this. Even if they do, if they're

430
00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:45,840
Speaker 2: able to figure something out with Joey and they bring

431
00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:47,760
Speaker 2: him back, it still feels like they need to get

432
00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:51,320
Speaker 2: younger in that room, like running it back with with Joey,

433
00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:53,960
Speaker 2: Khalil bud Dupree and Tully Toy Polotu and not really

434
00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:57,320
Speaker 2: investing in an exit plan a future plan when your

435
00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:00,840
Speaker 2: room is really veteran based. That would seem a little

436
00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:02,080
Speaker 2: bit misguided to me. So I feel like it's a

437
00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:04,879
Speaker 2: position regardless that they have to that they have to attack.

438
00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:07,600
Speaker 2: But a big part of the defensive philosophy this year

439
00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:10,720
Speaker 2: was this is our strength and we're gonna we're gonna

440
00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:13,359
Speaker 2: play through this group. And when they were at their best,

441
00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:14,879
Speaker 2: that's what was working.

442
00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:17,720
Speaker 1: Yeah, And I think you know, the important thing to

443
00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:19,960
Speaker 1: remember is so the numbers thirty six million, right, if

444
00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,680
Speaker 1: you're Joey Bosa's agent, you're not taking a cent under

445
00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:25,879
Speaker 1: thirty six million dollars guaranteed. Like that's that's just the

446
00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:28,760
Speaker 1: starting point. So if you restructure, you're talking about a

447
00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:32,719
Speaker 1: signing bonus that's a pretty big chunk of cash in

448
00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:36,240
Speaker 1: order to get that number. To a tenable position, and

449
00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:38,159
Speaker 1: that's where it gets tough. It's kind of how the

450
00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:41,000
Speaker 1: whole franchise tag works with agents and that becomes the baseline. Well,

451
00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:42,960
Speaker 1: here's the franchise tag. We've wont to franchise them. Now,

452
00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:44,720
Speaker 1: this is the number that we're working off of on

453
00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:47,600
Speaker 1: an annual salary. And and that's when things can get

454
00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:50,440
Speaker 1: weird and I shouldn't say weird, but can just get tough.

455
00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:53,720
Speaker 1: And so that's where Joey's it's an it's it's a

456
00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:56,479
Speaker 1: I think it's a hard spot to read because of

457
00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:59,720
Speaker 1: what the number is and what the agent's going to

458
00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:03,240
Speaker 1: want hunt. You know, my thing is trying to you know,

459
00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:05,479
Speaker 1: and you talk to him one on one, and you know,

460
00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:08,040
Speaker 1: I've been around him. I mean, he's one of the

461
00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:11,480
Speaker 1: few guys that's been here every single year that they've

462
00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:14,000
Speaker 1: been here, and I've been here, and it does feel

463
00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:17,280
Speaker 1: like he really likes it here, even though he goes

464
00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:19,400
Speaker 1: back to Florida every offseason. I don't think he's got

465
00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:21,679
Speaker 1: his eyes on playing for the Dolphins or the Jags

466
00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:23,120
Speaker 1: to get back to that stag. You know, I think

467
00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:25,480
Speaker 1: everybody has the one team circled. If he was to

468
00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:26,959
Speaker 1: be a free agent. So that's because he and his

469
00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:29,879
Speaker 1: brother are so close to go play up in San Francisco.

470
00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:32,200
Speaker 1: But I don't get the sense with a brock Purty

471
00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:34,920
Speaker 1: extension coming and a Brandon Ayyuk extension just signed, or

472
00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:37,199
Speaker 1: they going to really let George Kittle get out of it,

473
00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:40,520
Speaker 1: like it just doesn't. That doesn't feel like a real solid,

474
00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:44,159
Speaker 1: big money destination for me either. So it's just a

475
00:21:44,359 --> 00:21:48,199
Speaker 1: hard it's a hard player to read what they do

476
00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:51,200
Speaker 1: going forward. Anybody that's been around Joey loves him. He's

477
00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:53,720
Speaker 1: a great guy. He's a great guy to have around.

478
00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:56,560
Speaker 1: He's an incredible player. His body's just betrayed him, you know,

479
00:21:56,720 --> 00:22:01,120
Speaker 1: And that's the tough part. I know some people get

480
00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:03,919
Speaker 1: frustrated with the off sides and the personal file, but

481
00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:06,720
Speaker 1: that's just that's aggressive Joey man. He just he wants

482
00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:09,680
Speaker 1: he's gonna jump some snaps because he wants to get

483
00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:12,160
Speaker 1: the quarterback. And you take that, you know, you take

484
00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:16,680
Speaker 1: it with the goods. So like if it were if

485
00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:18,240
Speaker 1: it were me, I'd love to have him back. But

486
00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:20,640
Speaker 1: then I think you're also talking and that's again going

487
00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:23,800
Speaker 1: I know, I'm rambling here and getting around it. In

488
00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:25,120
Speaker 1: a bunch of different ways. But I think that's where

489
00:22:25,119 --> 00:22:28,440
Speaker 1: the draft becomes interesting because it is a deep edge draft,

490
00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:32,239
Speaker 1: and so at pick twenty two you could have, you know,

491
00:22:32,359 --> 00:22:34,800
Speaker 1: like a Mike Green staring at you. If you think

492
00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:37,159
Speaker 1: that that's and they've you know, and this team has

493
00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:39,280
Speaker 1: done there should say this new regime has done a

494
00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:43,199
Speaker 1: great job of drafting and identifying talent. And you know,

495
00:22:43,359 --> 00:22:45,880
Speaker 1: outside of a boy Bee who really didn't play, everybody

496
00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:49,000
Speaker 1: else you know pretty much raise their hand at least

497
00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:52,639
Speaker 1: at some point. So that's you know, that's where it

498
00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:55,959
Speaker 1: gets interesting. And edges edge is just one of those

499
00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:58,880
Speaker 1: you know when you're sitting at twenty two and you're like, oh,

500
00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:02,280
Speaker 1: do we take the tight end because here's Colston lovelin it. Look,

501
00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:03,800
Speaker 1: he's great and that's a natural fit and we can

502
00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:06,560
Speaker 1: get into all that. But it's like, okay, the same

503
00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:09,960
Speaker 1: thing with Joe Walt and and Thelik Neighbors. It's like, okay,

504
00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:11,720
Speaker 1: well they got Joe Walt and Lad McConkey in the

505
00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:13,920
Speaker 1: second round. Because you can get that wide receiver there

506
00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:16,199
Speaker 1: if you've got an edge staring at you or a

507
00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:21,399
Speaker 1: corner or you know, even if you had like you know,

508
00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:24,320
Speaker 1: the number one guard sitting there. It's like, yeah, I

509
00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:27,320
Speaker 1: get it, but those are premium positions. And that's where

510
00:23:27,359 --> 00:23:29,480
Speaker 1: I wonder what they do at twenty two if there

511
00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:31,800
Speaker 1: is if that edge room or if that edge class

512
00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:34,520
Speaker 1: is deep enough where they're like, this is a premier position.

513
00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:36,399
Speaker 1: You know, it'd be nice to draft the tight end.

514
00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:38,880
Speaker 1: It'd be great to draft the tight end, but might

515
00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:40,800
Speaker 1: be able to find one in the second or third round.

516
00:23:41,119 --> 00:23:42,960
Speaker 2: Yeah. The interesting part of it is they're gonna You're

517
00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:46,399
Speaker 2: gonna have, you know, a solid idea of what this

518
00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:49,000
Speaker 2: is by the end of April. You know, so you're

519
00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:51,119
Speaker 2: projecting it now, but like by April you're gonna know

520
00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:53,280
Speaker 2: exactly right. That's the interesting part of it is like,

521
00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:55,560
Speaker 2: you know, we talk about this stuff for four months,

522
00:23:56,760 --> 00:24:00,240
Speaker 2: but ultimately, like by April twenty fourth, you know, they're

523
00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:02,840
Speaker 2: gonna know, Okay, Joey Boss has gone and edge is

524
00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:04,920
Speaker 2: something that we really need versus like, oh maybe we

525
00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:08,560
Speaker 2: can you know. So I will say this totally random,

526
00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:10,280
Speaker 2: but you brought up the off side thing. I would

527
00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,000
Speaker 2: suggest everybody to go look at the list of players

528
00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:15,000
Speaker 2: that lead the league and offsides every year. Who do

529
00:24:15,040 --> 00:24:18,320
Speaker 2: you think it is it's Miles Garrett, it's Micaeh Parsons,

530
00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:22,320
Speaker 2: it's Chris Jones. You know, every great edge rusher does this,

531
00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:24,919
Speaker 2: and I understand the frustration. And it feels like when

532
00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:26,760
Speaker 2: it when it rains at poors and he'll have like

533
00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:28,679
Speaker 2: three in a game or like two in a series

534
00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:31,159
Speaker 2: or something like that. But it's like every every you know,

535
00:24:31,200 --> 00:24:33,680
Speaker 2: I've looked into this because like I've I've heard the frustration,

536
00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:36,600
Speaker 2: and I've looked at the list, and I'll I'll tweet

537
00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:38,119
Speaker 2: it out if people like you know, want.

538
00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:38,720
Speaker 1: To, you should tweet.

539
00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:42,600
Speaker 2: I should. But it's it's honestly hilarious. You rank you know,

540
00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:45,320
Speaker 2: you know a single season leaders in you know, neutral

541
00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:47,640
Speaker 2: zone infractions, off sides, et cetera. And it's like all

542
00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:49,800
Speaker 2: of the elite edge rushers every single year.

543
00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:51,560
Speaker 1: So that's what they do. They're trying to time it

544
00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:53,320
Speaker 1: up and they're trying and now look the neutrals are

545
00:24:53,359 --> 00:24:55,760
Speaker 1: the lined up in the neutral zone. Is incredibly frustrating,

546
00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:58,040
Speaker 1: but again, it's just trying to get an edge, you know,

547
00:24:58,119 --> 00:25:01,639
Speaker 1: can I find an edge? And it's just part of

548
00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:02,520
Speaker 1: their mentality.

549
00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:05,880
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, exactly. So you know, the other interesting part

550
00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:08,240
Speaker 2: of this is he's on the final year of his deal,

551
00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:12,439
Speaker 2: so it's either like taking a straight up pay cut

552
00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:15,760
Speaker 2: or it's an extension if he's going to stay, you know,

553
00:25:16,600 --> 00:25:20,160
Speaker 2: like they could, I guess, in theory restructure in add

554
00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:22,919
Speaker 2: void years, which is what you're talking about as far

555
00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:25,359
Speaker 2: as like turning you know, basellary and signing bonus. But

556
00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:27,600
Speaker 2: then you're talking about, Okay, if you turn let's say,

557
00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:29,560
Speaker 2: you know, he's a twelve million dollar base salary. Let's

558
00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:31,639
Speaker 2: say he turned eleven of that into signing bonus and

559
00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:34,160
Speaker 2: pro rated over three years. You know, now you're looking

560
00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:36,320
Speaker 2: at like a seven to eight million dollars dead money

561
00:25:36,359 --> 00:25:39,000
Speaker 2: hit after next season when his contract voids. Like is

562
00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:41,640
Speaker 2: that something that you want to do, because in reality,

563
00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:43,480
Speaker 2: what you're doing is you're kind of stringing it along right,

564
00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:45,800
Speaker 2: like you're trying to keep the window open as long

565
00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:49,320
Speaker 2: as possible, and so, you know, if he's going to stay,

566
00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:51,840
Speaker 2: it feels like an extension situation. But are you really

567
00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:54,440
Speaker 2: going to extend a guy that's had all of these injuries,

568
00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:58,120
Speaker 2: you know, which is which honestly just sucks. Like when

569
00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:01,240
Speaker 2: the guy is healthy, like that Raider game, man, it

570
00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:02,960
Speaker 2: was so fun to watch him play in that season

571
00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:06,199
Speaker 2: opener when he was like feeling good and just the

572
00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,040
Speaker 2: effort that he was playing with. You could see how

573
00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:11,080
Speaker 2: badly he wanted it, how he was really making impact plays,

574
00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:13,240
Speaker 2: not just as a rusher, but like in some scramble situations,

575
00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:16,119
Speaker 2: chasing guys down, you know. And then he gets hurt

576
00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:18,359
Speaker 2: and it's like you just see him battling, you know,

577
00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:21,280
Speaker 2: on tape. It's just like every play, you know, he falls,

578
00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:23,760
Speaker 2: he gets up and he's limping and he's shaking out

579
00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:25,880
Speaker 2: his hip and it's just like he just was never

580
00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:28,400
Speaker 2: comfortably talked about that psiatic nerve pain that he dealt

581
00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:30,320
Speaker 2: with all seasons. So like that's a tough part of it,

582
00:26:30,359 --> 00:26:32,520
Speaker 2: and that's the business of the NFL, right, Yeah, Like

583
00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:34,840
Speaker 2: you got to look at and say, you know, are

584
00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:37,400
Speaker 2: you going to extend a guy that we we can't

585
00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:41,159
Speaker 2: really rely on to stay healthy and you know, his

586
00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:43,840
Speaker 2: play gets affected when he is when he is injured,

587
00:26:43,840 --> 00:26:46,560
Speaker 2: Like he's still really good, but you know, to pay

588
00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:49,240
Speaker 2: him at this level thirty six million dollars, like he

589
00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:51,840
Speaker 2: needs to be a highly highly productive player because you're

590
00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:54,040
Speaker 2: not spending that money, you know, else around the roster.

591
00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:56,760
Speaker 1: Yeah, and I'm trying to think of the free agent class.

592
00:26:56,800 --> 00:26:59,240
Speaker 1: I know it's Son Reddick because obviously that was very public.

593
00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:01,480
Speaker 1: There's that. I'm trying to think of who else is

594
00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:03,920
Speaker 1: I don't know if you've dug into it yet, Pop,

595
00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:05,520
Speaker 1: we can probably just pull it up real quick and

596
00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:07,520
Speaker 1: look at who's going to be a free agent on

597
00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:09,720
Speaker 1: the edge. That's the first one that pops into my mind.

598
00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:12,439
Speaker 2: So, you know, if you do a Sweat has Reddick?

599
00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:15,720
Speaker 1: Okay, so what damn Browning.

600
00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:19,320
Speaker 2: To Marcus Lawrence.

601
00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:21,800
Speaker 1: Yeah, if you go Sweat and Reddick, I mean you're

602
00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:24,600
Speaker 1: drap on guys in their twenties that are what's Reddick

603
00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:27,200
Speaker 1: twenty eight? Probably I would guess twenty eight.

604
00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:31,399
Speaker 2: Twenty Redick is just just over thirty, just turn thirty.

605
00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:35,399
Speaker 2: Well there, yeah, and then Sweat is twenty seven, gonna

606
00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:36,879
Speaker 2: be twenty eight by next season.

607
00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:40,479
Speaker 1: So you know, I think the question is what what

608
00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:43,160
Speaker 1: is what is Joey's number versus what's the number from

609
00:27:43,160 --> 00:27:45,680
Speaker 1: a I'm not saying that those guys are at the

610
00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:49,280
Speaker 1: level of Joey when he's healthy, but you know, we've

611
00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:53,320
Speaker 1: seen a Son Reddick put up fifteen SAX seasons over

612
00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:55,159
Speaker 1: and over again. It's just a question of what is

613
00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:57,000
Speaker 1: that did look like, you know, how big of a

614
00:27:57,040 --> 00:27:59,359
Speaker 1: deal is it? And yeah, they have the money to

615
00:27:59,359 --> 00:28:00,960
Speaker 1: go into the Marshall, let's get into that. Let's get

616
00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:04,720
Speaker 1: into the the popper plan of how you would go

617
00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:08,200
Speaker 1: about spending the forty three you know or whatever it's

618
00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:11,159
Speaker 1: ultimately going to be, you know, how you want to

619
00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:12,480
Speaker 1: spend the money this offseason.

620
00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:16,119
Speaker 2: Yeah, so you know, I have them at like about

621
00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:20,440
Speaker 2: forty six million to spend on twenty twenty five cap hits,

622
00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:23,679
Speaker 2: and so that means, like I kind of compared it

623
00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:25,880
Speaker 2: to twenty twenty two because it's actually very similar numbers.

624
00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:28,240
Speaker 2: I had them at about forty four point five million

625
00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:31,560
Speaker 2: in spending space that year. And what they did they

626
00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:34,960
Speaker 2: overhauled their defense. They spent right like and it was

627
00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:36,600
Speaker 2: the clol Mac trade because they had to take on

628
00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:39,440
Speaker 2: a considerable amount of salary in that they extended Mike

629
00:28:39,440 --> 00:28:42,640
Speaker 2: Williams at twenty million dollars a year. They obviously signed J. C.

630
00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:44,320
Speaker 2: Jackson at the top of the corner market. They got

631
00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:47,240
Speaker 2: two starting defensive linemen and Austin Johnson and Sebastian Joseph Day.

632
00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:51,880
Speaker 2: They signed Gerald Everett to a relatively expensive tight end

633
00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:55,160
Speaker 2: contract and so like that's what you're talking about, Like,

634
00:28:55,200 --> 00:28:57,360
Speaker 2: you know, yeah, this was six to seven, a lot

635
00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:00,960
Speaker 2: of money six to seven, like high caliber starters or

636
00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:02,720
Speaker 2: what they thought were going to be high caliber starters.

637
00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:06,360
Speaker 2: But that's obviously like a cautionary tale and spending money, right, Like,

638
00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:08,640
Speaker 2: you can have space and you can make all of

639
00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:09,880
Speaker 2: these moves, but they have to be.

640
00:29:10,160 --> 00:29:12,280
Speaker 1: What kind of irreacting all those guys make, you know,

641
00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:15,480
Speaker 1: and all that money spent, you know, how would you

642
00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:19,080
Speaker 1: rate compared to what Joe Ortiz did with veteran minimum

643
00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:22,080
Speaker 1: contracts for Punaford and Pier Tart and Elijah Mold and

644
00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:25,040
Speaker 1: the JK. Dobbins. Look at the difference, you know, and

645
00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:27,560
Speaker 1: you gotta know how to spend it. So sorry I interrupted,

646
00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:28,200
Speaker 1: you keep going.

647
00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:30,000
Speaker 2: No, no, no, It's exactly what I was getting at.

648
00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:30,239
Speaker 1: Right.

649
00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:34,080
Speaker 2: It's like space is good, but space does not equal success.

650
00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:37,240
Speaker 2: You know, it has to be spent in the right manner. So,

651
00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:42,120
Speaker 2: you know, I think if t Higgins hits free agency,

652
00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:45,120
Speaker 2: and that's a big if, right, but if he hits

653
00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:48,120
Speaker 2: free agency, you have to be in that competition.

654
00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:51,480
Speaker 1: You have to be, no doubt, He's twenty years twenty six.

655
00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:54,720
Speaker 1: He's young man. I think he's I think he's twenty.

656
00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:58,480
Speaker 2: Six, twenty six, and I think turning twenty seven during

657
00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:04,120
Speaker 2: the season next year a little for the season like that.

658
00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:05,040
Speaker 1: That get guys on the other end, when you can

659
00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:08,440
Speaker 1: get guys on that side of thirty that are that good.

660
00:30:08,880 --> 00:30:11,920
Speaker 1: He just turned twenty six on January eighteenth.

661
00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:13,880
Speaker 2: Just turn twenty second, turn twenty.

662
00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:17,000
Speaker 1: So there you go, Like that's that. I know he's

663
00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:20,760
Speaker 1: had a little bit of injury issues throughout, but like

664
00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:23,400
Speaker 1: it's just such a perfect fit. It's such a perfect

665
00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:26,440
Speaker 1: that's the way that whole thing then comes together, right.

666
00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:29,960
Speaker 2: I mean, like you probably would have a tough time

667
00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:33,040
Speaker 2: genetically engineering like a better fit for what the Chargers need.

668
00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:36,480
Speaker 2: Like it's exactly what they need, right, Like, because that

669
00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:38,440
Speaker 2: was the big issue this year is like Ladd is

670
00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:40,520
Speaker 2: obviously a star, but he's gonna play in the slot

671
00:30:40,560 --> 00:30:42,360
Speaker 2: seventy percent of the time. Like that's where he's going

672
00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:45,240
Speaker 2: to be in his career. So in order to raise

673
00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:47,840
Speaker 2: the offense to a different level, you need that guy

674
00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:51,360
Speaker 2: in the outside that can be a factor in fifty

675
00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:53,840
Speaker 2: to fifty ball situations down the field. They just didn't

676
00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:57,000
Speaker 2: have that guy and like they tried to find that

677
00:30:57,040 --> 00:30:58,920
Speaker 2: in DJ Shark, who has that in a skill set,

678
00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:01,280
Speaker 2: but obviously that didn't materialized, and we saw what happened

679
00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:03,760
Speaker 2: where they're trying to get Quinton Johnson in those situations

680
00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:05,400
Speaker 2: and it's just not what he does. What he does

681
00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:07,840
Speaker 2: he can't right now in his career, Like he looks

682
00:31:07,840 --> 00:31:09,720
Speaker 2: like he should be able to catch fifty fifty balls,

683
00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:11,720
Speaker 2: which is why he gets the opportunities because you're like,

684
00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:13,600
Speaker 2: you should be able to do this, but it's just not.

685
00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:17,120
Speaker 2: It's just not in his skill set. And so you know,

686
00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:19,760
Speaker 2: you need that guy on the outside. And and t

687
00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:22,719
Speaker 2: Higgins is as good as anybody in the league at

688
00:31:22,760 --> 00:31:25,400
Speaker 2: that exact thing. He's just a ball winner. And so

689
00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:28,880
Speaker 2: you know, it unlocks Lad McConkey, takes stress off him

690
00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:30,760
Speaker 2: because if you go watch the Houston tape, they were

691
00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:33,440
Speaker 2: doubling and even tripling him. He is the only guy

692
00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:35,560
Speaker 2: that you have to worry about right now. And then

693
00:31:35,600 --> 00:31:36,800
Speaker 2: the other part of it is if you get a

694
00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:38,800
Speaker 2: guy like that that fits that skill set, it allows

695
00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:41,600
Speaker 2: Quintin Johnson to do what he does well, right, you know,

696
00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:44,280
Speaker 2: so everything sort of fits into place when you find

697
00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:44,640
Speaker 2: that guy.

698
00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:49,520
Speaker 1: So that to me, is like not one twelve, you

699
00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:50,200
Speaker 1: make the call.

700
00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:52,680
Speaker 2: That's the full crumb of the entire offseason is like,

701
00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:56,680
Speaker 2: if that guy's available, go after him and see what

702
00:31:56,720 --> 00:31:59,600
Speaker 2: the market is. I mean, you know, I think PFF

703
00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:02,320
Speaker 2: Project did it four years twenty eight. I feel like

704
00:32:02,360 --> 00:32:04,120
Speaker 2: he's gonna get if it's if it's like an open

705
00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:06,320
Speaker 2: market situation, it feels like he's gonna get to thirty.

706
00:32:06,600 --> 00:32:06,800
Speaker 1: Yeah.

707
00:32:07,280 --> 00:32:11,800
Speaker 2: But like if you're if you are costs, if you

708
00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:15,640
Speaker 2: are real about contending for Super Bowls, like, that's a

709
00:32:15,640 --> 00:32:19,320
Speaker 2: guy that you should absolutely be after. And obviously Joe

710
00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:21,520
Speaker 2: Bartiz is gonna be very familiar with him, you know,

711
00:32:21,560 --> 00:32:23,880
Speaker 2: having been within with Higgins and the Bengals in the

712
00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:27,840
Speaker 2: division for a long time. Now after t Higgins, like

713
00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:30,680
Speaker 2: there's not really anybody in the receiver market that like

714
00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:34,520
Speaker 2: excites me considerably, which is fascinating, Which is like why

715
00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:37,480
Speaker 2: I call it the fulcrumb, right, because if this guy's available, okay,

716
00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:40,200
Speaker 2: then receiver that has to be like your priority to

717
00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:42,880
Speaker 2: go after this guy. But if he goes elsewhere or

718
00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:45,040
Speaker 2: doesn't become a free agent, then I think the priorities

719
00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:47,320
Speaker 2: changed because it's a lot of like Elder guys. You know,

720
00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:52,720
Speaker 2: it's like Amari Cooper and dere Hopkins Stefan Diggs, Right, yeah,

721
00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:55,320
Speaker 2: just like guys that don't really move the needle for me.

722
00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:58,120
Speaker 2: And you know, maybe you know you look to the

723
00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:00,880
Speaker 2: draft instead, but like the one market that I really interesting?

724
00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:02,720
Speaker 1: Or what do you think about a trade market deal

725
00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:05,640
Speaker 1: for DK? Like that's I guess that's I don't know

726
00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:07,360
Speaker 1: why they want to move on from DK. I don't

727
00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:09,320
Speaker 1: know what happened up there why you would want to

728
00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:12,400
Speaker 1: when you have a Tyler Lockett who is you know,

729
00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:14,440
Speaker 1: really getting along in the tooth, and now you're going

730
00:33:14,520 --> 00:33:17,080
Speaker 1: to move on from another wide receiver that that part

731
00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:18,479
Speaker 1: of it doesn't quite line up for me. But if

732
00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:20,880
Speaker 1: he becomes available and you can't get to Higgins, then yes,

733
00:33:20,920 --> 00:33:23,040
Speaker 1: I think that probably becomes priority Plan B.

734
00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:26,320
Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, I know I like that idea a lot.

735
00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:28,640
Speaker 2: You know, he's he's not T Higgins, but he does

736
00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:31,120
Speaker 2: like to fit into, you know, the same kind of

737
00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:32,880
Speaker 2: role that we're talking about as like an outside guy

738
00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:36,960
Speaker 2: that can really attack sort of down the field. I

739
00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:39,320
Speaker 2: think it's a cap situation with the Seahawks. They're kind

740
00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:42,440
Speaker 2: of up against it, and you know, he's got a.

741
00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:46,120
Speaker 2: I think he's twenty upper twenty cap hit. So but

742
00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:47,680
Speaker 2: like if you trade for him, you're taking on his

743
00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:51,040
Speaker 2: base salary of like just over eighteen million dollars. Obviously,

744
00:33:51,080 --> 00:33:53,080
Speaker 2: he has the connection with Sanjay Low, which is you

745
00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:56,000
Speaker 2: know there's a familiarity there. You know, that's you know,

746
00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:58,920
Speaker 2: Sanjay Law is the Charges' receivers coach, and he coached

747
00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:02,560
Speaker 2: DK mexf in Seattle and was a big part of

748
00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:07,080
Speaker 2: Metcalf's development, and so that's really interesting to me. The

749
00:34:07,160 --> 00:34:10,000
Speaker 2: money makes sense, you know, like I think eighteen million

750
00:34:10,040 --> 00:34:14,719
Speaker 2: for DK Metcalf is that's solid, Like, that's totally palatable. Uh.

751
00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:16,759
Speaker 2: The question is, and you know I talked about this

752
00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:18,600
Speaker 2: on on Hops with Pot of my podcast, but like

753
00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:21,880
Speaker 2: would he want an extension? You know, he's in the

754
00:34:21,920 --> 00:34:24,359
Speaker 2: last year of his deal, So like if you give

755
00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:26,400
Speaker 2: up you know, let's say a third round pick for

756
00:34:26,480 --> 00:34:29,879
Speaker 2: DK Metcalf, you only give up that third round pick

757
00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:31,560
Speaker 2: if you know he's gonna play. And so if it's

758
00:34:31,560 --> 00:34:33,360
Speaker 2: gonna be a situation where he wants an extension, that

759
00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:36,080
Speaker 2: does muddy it a little bit. You know, what is

760
00:34:36,120 --> 00:34:37,959
Speaker 2: he going to be looking for? You know, like if

761
00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:40,640
Speaker 2: if you make that trade. Does he want, you know,

762
00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:45,040
Speaker 2: thirty million dollars a year? Yeah, right, That's that's where

763
00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:47,000
Speaker 2: it gets a little bit hairy. But like, if it's

764
00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:48,399
Speaker 2: a situation where they can give up a third round

765
00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:50,959
Speaker 2: pick and get him in at eighteen million and he'll

766
00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:52,960
Speaker 2: play for a year in your system and then you

767
00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:55,719
Speaker 2: can figure it out after that, I think that makes

768
00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:57,560
Speaker 2: a ton of sense. So yeah, like the you know,

769
00:34:57,600 --> 00:35:00,279
Speaker 2: the trade market is obviously another ad I knew that

770
00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:02,040
Speaker 2: you absolutely have to look at. But the other position

771
00:35:02,080 --> 00:35:03,480
Speaker 2: I was going to mention in terms of free agency

772
00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:07,720
Speaker 2: is guard and Listen, I'd love to hear your thoughts

773
00:35:07,719 --> 00:35:09,640
Speaker 2: on this because I watched the film from the Texans game,

774
00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:12,680
Speaker 2: and like, I just don't see a scenario where Joe

775
00:35:12,719 --> 00:35:14,560
Speaker 2: Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh watch that tape and are like

776
00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:16,920
Speaker 2: comfortable with what they have on the offensive line, particularly

777
00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:20,400
Speaker 2: on the interior. Yeah, exactly, exactly, Like there's a certain

778
00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:23,239
Speaker 2: way that they want to play offensively. They want to

779
00:35:23,239 --> 00:35:25,960
Speaker 2: be enforcers, they want to be physical, and they want

780
00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:27,719
Speaker 2: to dominate the line of scrimmage and that did not

781
00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:29,960
Speaker 2: happen in that game. And so like, I think that

782
00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:31,719
Speaker 2: a lot of people are looking elsewhere. But to me,

783
00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:35,239
Speaker 2: like that is the philosophy. And so the fact that

784
00:35:35,280 --> 00:35:37,000
Speaker 2: they weren't able to do that in the biggest stage

785
00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:39,319
Speaker 2: tells me that, like that's that's somewhere they're going to

786
00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:43,560
Speaker 2: attack this offseason. Now, obviously Trey Pipkins was hurt, didn't play,

787
00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:46,560
Speaker 2: Jamari Salier didn't have a very good game. But the

788
00:35:46,600 --> 00:35:49,680
Speaker 2: guard market is deep. The guard market is really deep,

789
00:35:49,719 --> 00:35:52,080
Speaker 2: and you have options. You have options like if you,

790
00:35:51,920 --> 00:35:53,600
Speaker 2: if you, if you're the type of GM that loves

791
00:35:53,640 --> 00:35:57,400
Speaker 2: to look for, you know, younger ascending players on the

792
00:35:57,400 --> 00:36:00,000
Speaker 2: free agent market, plenty of those guys at the guard position,

793
00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:02,520
Speaker 2: if you, you know, are in a situation where you

794
00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:04,680
Speaker 2: really like a veteran guy. You know, let's say they

795
00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:06,480
Speaker 2: draft a center and they're they're playing a rookie at

796
00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:08,520
Speaker 2: center and you'd like a more veteran guy at right guard.

797
00:36:08,760 --> 00:36:11,960
Speaker 2: Plenty of those guys Kevin Zeitdler, Brandon Shurf, like a

798
00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:16,920
Speaker 2: ton of ton of like quality functional veteran right Zach

799
00:36:16,960 --> 00:36:20,600
Speaker 2: Martin if he doesn't retire, right. Yeah, So like that's

800
00:36:20,680 --> 00:36:23,120
Speaker 2: a situation where like Trey Smith, obviously we didn't mention,

801
00:36:23,200 --> 00:36:24,680
Speaker 2: but like they could shop at.

802
00:36:24,520 --> 00:36:26,960
Speaker 1: The he's going to get a big number, right, But

803
00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:30,279
Speaker 1: and to hurt your chief competition in the process by

804
00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:32,759
Speaker 1: the way of doing that, you know, I mean you

805
00:36:32,760 --> 00:36:34,759
Speaker 1: had to kick one guard out to tackle because your

806
00:36:34,760 --> 00:36:38,080
Speaker 1: tackles were so bad, and now you're down to the

807
00:36:38,120 --> 00:36:40,440
Speaker 1: strength of your offensive line. If you can cut a

808
00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:42,560
Speaker 1: leg out from under that table, that's a big win

809
00:36:42,680 --> 00:36:45,520
Speaker 1: right there, if you're capable of doing that. Because look,

810
00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:48,319
Speaker 1: they hit a freaking home run with Tray Smith and

811
00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:50,799
Speaker 1: Creed Humphrey. But outside of that, they have done a

812
00:36:51,080 --> 00:36:54,439
Speaker 1: poor job of drafting offensive lineman, Like they cannot get

813
00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:56,719
Speaker 1: it right when it comes to drafting tackles, it's been

814
00:36:56,719 --> 00:36:57,520
Speaker 1: a mess.

815
00:36:57,600 --> 00:37:01,520
Speaker 2: Or paying tackles stanly N Taylor that money, yeah.

816
00:37:01,040 --> 00:37:04,120
Speaker 1: Exactly, Or trading for Orlando Brown who was just average

817
00:37:04,160 --> 00:37:06,080
Speaker 1: at best and giving up a one for him, Like

818
00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:09,600
Speaker 1: that's sue, I'm not to ease you know, we'll see,

819
00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:11,600
Speaker 1: but man, that was a dude's unplayable.

820
00:37:11,600 --> 00:37:12,680
Speaker 2: I mean, he was unplayable.

821
00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:16,719
Speaker 1: Yeah, So to me, that's an interesting one because he's

822
00:37:16,760 --> 00:37:19,400
Speaker 1: one of the best guards in the league and you

823
00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:22,200
Speaker 1: can take him away from your competition and force them

824
00:37:22,239 --> 00:37:23,839
Speaker 1: to have to figure that out as well. It's just

825
00:37:23,920 --> 00:37:25,640
Speaker 1: to me, that's a that's probably gonna be a pretty

826
00:37:25,640 --> 00:37:26,160
Speaker 1: big number.

827
00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:29,600
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's the thing. The guard market is absolutely exploded.

828
00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:31,960
Speaker 1: So you know, twenty what do you get? What did

829
00:37:32,080 --> 00:37:32,400
Speaker 1: Hunt get?

830
00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:34,359
Speaker 2: You got? I mean twenty million a year? You know

831
00:37:34,760 --> 00:37:38,600
Speaker 2: linz Strem, Ye know, Linz Strom with the Falcons is over.

832
00:37:39,200 --> 00:37:40,719
Speaker 2: He's like like twenty and a half now, he's like

833
00:37:40,760 --> 00:37:45,800
Speaker 2: top of the market. So but like young guard hitting

834
00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:48,560
Speaker 2: free agency with the way the market has exploded, Like,

835
00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:50,800
Speaker 2: are you gonna pay twenty five million dollars for a

836
00:37:50,880 --> 00:37:54,160
Speaker 2: guard or like I think the free agent class is

837
00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:57,200
Speaker 2: deep enough where you could shop mid market. But the

838
00:37:57,239 --> 00:37:59,000
Speaker 2: interesting thing is, like, right, I think, like you know,

839
00:37:59,040 --> 00:38:01,319
Speaker 2: trade Kipkins was battle through a lot of injuries this year.

840
00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:02,439
Speaker 2: I give him a ton of.

841
00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:04,720
Speaker 1: Credhrase twenty seven. He's twenty seven.

842
00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:07,359
Speaker 2: Right, there's a bunch of these guys that are you know,

843
00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:10,200
Speaker 2: so you know, I give Tray a lot of credit.

844
00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:12,439
Speaker 2: You're good. I give Tray a lot of credit because

845
00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:15,280
Speaker 2: like he's a tackle, Like that is his natural position

846
00:38:15,680 --> 00:38:17,719
Speaker 2: and it's where he played in his entire career. And

847
00:38:17,760 --> 00:38:20,120
Speaker 2: they come in and they're like play guard and he's

848
00:38:20,160 --> 00:38:22,080
Speaker 2: like all right, and he goes in and like he

849
00:38:22,160 --> 00:38:25,719
Speaker 2: was functional there, you know, and you have to give

850
00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:28,319
Speaker 2: him credit for, you know, not complaining and doing what

851
00:38:28,360 --> 00:38:31,120
Speaker 2: the coaches asked him to do and battling through a

852
00:38:31,120 --> 00:38:33,719
Speaker 2: bunch of stuff this year. But I wrote about this

853
00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:36,680
Speaker 2: in the in the cap piece. They paid him as

854
00:38:36,680 --> 00:38:40,239
Speaker 2: a tackle. Right now he's a guard, and so that

855
00:38:40,360 --> 00:38:44,120
Speaker 2: changes things because they the contract they signed for him

856
00:38:44,360 --> 00:38:48,160
Speaker 2: was was really reasonable as a starting right tackle, and

857
00:38:48,160 --> 00:38:50,040
Speaker 2: now he's this is the third year of that contract.

858
00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:52,359
Speaker 2: This is gonna the biggest capit of the deal. And

859
00:38:52,400 --> 00:38:55,760
Speaker 2: so now it's over nine million dollars for Trey Pipkins

860
00:38:55,800 --> 00:38:59,719
Speaker 2: at right tackle. Okay, at right guard. The market is

861
00:38:59,719 --> 00:39:01,960
Speaker 2: different and that changes. So now instead of paying him

862
00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:07,040
Speaker 2: a lower half of the league contract for tackle, you're

863
00:39:07,040 --> 00:39:09,680
Speaker 2: now paying him a top half of the league contract

864
00:39:09,719 --> 00:39:11,920
Speaker 2: at guard. And so, can you find a better option

865
00:39:12,280 --> 00:39:16,080
Speaker 2: than Trey Pipkins for nine point five million dollars And

866
00:39:16,120 --> 00:39:18,440
Speaker 2: the answer is in year one of the of of

867
00:39:18,480 --> 00:39:20,959
Speaker 2: a free agent deal, the answer to that is probably yes.

868
00:39:21,960 --> 00:39:24,960
Speaker 2: And so that's gonna be really interesting to me sort

869
00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:27,680
Speaker 2: of how they approach the interior because to me, like

870
00:39:27,680 --> 00:39:30,520
Speaker 2: I think that it's like pretty clean you know, the

871
00:39:30,760 --> 00:39:34,359
Speaker 2: there's a there's a you know, deep free agent guard

872
00:39:34,360 --> 00:39:36,520
Speaker 2: market where you can find a starter there and then

873
00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:40,360
Speaker 2: you know, bring Bradley Boseman back as a backup draft

874
00:39:40,640 --> 00:39:44,600
Speaker 2: a rookie, and you know, that feels like a quality

875
00:39:44,640 --> 00:39:47,160
Speaker 2: solution to you know, the interior line.

876
00:39:47,320 --> 00:39:51,240
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's you know, if because of their cap situation,

877
00:39:51,360 --> 00:39:52,880
Speaker 1: and it feels like the Colts are gonna have to

878
00:39:52,920 --> 00:39:54,960
Speaker 1: do a lot of moving around this offseason. Like it's

879
00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:57,560
Speaker 1: too bad Ryan Kelly has just had the the injuries

880
00:39:57,560 --> 00:39:59,960
Speaker 1: that he's had, because that would word, heck, just take

881
00:40:00,080 --> 00:40:02,480
Speaker 1: two fifths of their offensive line and drop them in

882
00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:04,719
Speaker 1: and be good with it. But you know, last year

883
00:40:04,760 --> 00:40:07,360
Speaker 1: and that was sort of the interesting we thought for sure,

884
00:40:07,880 --> 00:40:10,400
Speaker 1: you know, especially when they brought on Nick Hardwick to

885
00:40:10,400 --> 00:40:12,120
Speaker 1: be their assistant whole line coach. We're like, oh, they're

886
00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:14,400
Speaker 1: gonna you know, there's so many of these centers just

887
00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:17,319
Speaker 1: floating around in the third, fourth, fifth round, norse Ed

888
00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:19,160
Speaker 1: Bordolini and all of them, that it would have just

889
00:40:19,280 --> 00:40:23,400
Speaker 1: kind of fit perfectly. But I think that also speaks

890
00:40:23,440 --> 00:40:25,200
Speaker 1: to this looks like it was a team that really

891
00:40:25,200 --> 00:40:29,120
Speaker 1: did operate on a best player available sort of you know,

892
00:40:29,280 --> 00:40:34,080
Speaker 1: draft board vertical as opposed to horizontal, so centers look

893
00:40:34,120 --> 00:40:37,520
Speaker 1: interior alignment, you find them all. You know that that's

894
00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:39,759
Speaker 1: again we talked about premium positions when it comes to

895
00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:41,760
Speaker 1: first round in your first round picks, and how often

896
00:40:41,800 --> 00:40:44,560
Speaker 1: times that is just maybe the way you go. Unless

897
00:40:45,200 --> 00:40:46,640
Speaker 1: I can't remember the guys in it. What's the guys

898
00:40:46,640 --> 00:40:49,640
Speaker 1: that Tyler Shoot, what's his last name out of Alabama?

899
00:40:49,719 --> 00:40:52,960
Speaker 1: Tyler Tyler Booker Boker. Yeah, Like if he's sitting there

900
00:40:52,960 --> 00:40:55,799
Speaker 1: at twenty two, Okay, I get it. That's that's a

901
00:40:55,840 --> 00:40:58,400
Speaker 1: different deal. And you talk to people around that program

902
00:40:58,440 --> 00:41:00,279
Speaker 1: and they say, yeah, this is the st o that

903
00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:02,920
Speaker 1: stirs the drink on the offensive line, this is the leader,

904
00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:06,560
Speaker 1: this is the guy that got everybody in line, and Okay,

905
00:41:06,680 --> 00:41:10,799
Speaker 1: great that I get. Otherwise, yeah, you wait until those

906
00:41:10,840 --> 00:41:13,239
Speaker 1: middle rounds, especially at center, and that's the way you

907
00:41:13,239 --> 00:41:16,680
Speaker 1: can try to Yeah, especially with his coaching staff, you know,

908
00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:18,840
Speaker 1: you can try to figure out that position.

909
00:41:18,960 --> 00:41:22,400
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, And I think last year, you know, Bradley

910
00:41:22,400 --> 00:41:25,560
Speaker 2: Boseman's very familiar with the scheme. You know, you know

911
00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:27,480
Speaker 2: what you're getting with Bradley Boseman. That that's one of

912
00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:29,200
Speaker 2: the things that the reaction was kind of surprising to

913
00:41:29,239 --> 00:41:31,439
Speaker 2: me because if you watched his film, and I did,

914
00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:33,560
Speaker 2: and I wrote about it, like he is who he

915
00:41:33,640 --> 00:41:36,160
Speaker 2: is as a player, and they knew exactly what they

916
00:41:36,200 --> 00:41:37,560
Speaker 2: were getting. And then they put him out there and

917
00:41:37,600 --> 00:41:40,480
Speaker 2: he played exactly how anybody that had watched him would expect.

918
00:41:40,480 --> 00:41:42,920
Speaker 2: And everyone's like, what is this. It's like, well, this

919
00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:43,760
Speaker 2: is what they were doing.

920
00:41:43,800 --> 00:41:46,359
Speaker 1: Like he's good going that way, Yeah, he struggles going

921
00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:47,440
Speaker 1: this way right, and and.

922
00:41:47,600 --> 00:41:50,600
Speaker 2: And you know you're also you're also you know, bringing

923
00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:54,480
Speaker 2: in the leadership right and no one I understand people

924
00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:56,040
Speaker 2: on the outside don't get to see it, but that

925
00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:59,520
Speaker 2: O line room loves Bradley Boseman. Like what he's able

926
00:41:59,520 --> 00:42:02,360
Speaker 2: to do in the room, you know, getting guys up

927
00:42:02,360 --> 00:42:05,240
Speaker 2: to speed on the scheme because it's familiarity with Greg Roman.

928
00:42:06,200 --> 00:42:10,319
Speaker 2: All that stuff matters, you know. And and like he

929
00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:12,640
Speaker 2: gave him he played more snaps than anybody on the offense.

930
00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:14,880
Speaker 2: Like I think he gave them exactly what they were expecting.

931
00:42:15,239 --> 00:42:17,400
Speaker 2: And so you know, they felt like, Okay, we go

932
00:42:17,440 --> 00:42:20,080
Speaker 2: get Bradley Boseman. He was like under a million dollars

933
00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:23,279
Speaker 2: against the cap, will stop gap it, He'll help sort

934
00:42:23,280 --> 00:42:26,799
Speaker 2: of integrate everybody into the news program and then you know,

935
00:42:26,840 --> 00:42:29,480
Speaker 2: we'll figure this out for next year. And I think

936
00:42:29,520 --> 00:42:32,200
Speaker 2: like it worked fine, like eleven wins, they made the playoffs, guys,

937
00:42:32,239 --> 00:42:35,160
Speaker 2: you know, like exactly it did go how they expected, right,

938
00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:35,960
Speaker 2: exactly exactly.

939
00:42:35,960 --> 00:42:38,520
Speaker 1: Their starting center was a nine hundred thousand dollars player,

940
00:42:38,680 --> 00:42:39,840
Speaker 1: you know, and that's.

941
00:42:39,680 --> 00:42:41,360
Speaker 2: What he played over a thousand snaps.

942
00:42:41,440 --> 00:42:43,799
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, that's what it had to be. Yeah, it's

943
00:42:43,840 --> 00:42:48,400
Speaker 1: just the reality of the situation. So it's okay, so

944
00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:51,719
Speaker 1: let's go, let's ship from free agency and I'll say this, Uh,

945
00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:53,600
Speaker 1: let me just make sure I pull this up real quick,

946
00:42:53,640 --> 00:42:56,640
Speaker 1: because you know, I think you look at Will Disley

947
00:42:57,200 --> 00:43:00,160
Speaker 1: and you know, trying to figure out what the the

948
00:43:00,200 --> 00:43:04,239
Speaker 1: tight end room clearly needs. They need a stretch tight end.

949
00:43:04,239 --> 00:43:06,440
Speaker 1: They need to find someone that can get downfield. I

950
00:43:06,440 --> 00:43:08,640
Speaker 1: think Will played his tail off and had a heck

951
00:43:08,680 --> 00:43:11,480
Speaker 1: of a season. There's no doubt about that. You know,

952
00:43:11,560 --> 00:43:14,440
Speaker 1: you can kind of try to pick it apart and say,

953
00:43:14,440 --> 00:43:16,520
Speaker 1: should they have played Stone smart a little bit more?

954
00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:19,480
Speaker 1: Could he have given them that certainly looked like it,

955
00:43:19,640 --> 00:43:22,160
Speaker 1: you know, like when he was given opportunities, man felt

956
00:43:22,200 --> 00:43:24,400
Speaker 1: like he made some incredible catches and showed off that

957
00:43:24,440 --> 00:43:28,120
Speaker 1: athleticism and delivered and maybe just needs to get some

958
00:43:28,160 --> 00:43:30,480
Speaker 1: more snaps and have the staff feel a lot more

959
00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:33,960
Speaker 1: comfortable with him out there. But you know, you look

960
00:43:33,960 --> 00:43:37,600
Speaker 1: at the tight end is such a shallow position, man,

961
00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:40,319
Speaker 1: There's just not a lot of them out there. You're

962
00:43:40,360 --> 00:43:43,080
Speaker 1: not going to find You're just not going to find

963
00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:46,360
Speaker 1: guys in the free agent market, which is why again

964
00:43:46,840 --> 00:43:50,120
Speaker 1: going back to number twenty, is it they're picking twenty two? Right? Yeah,

965
00:43:50,200 --> 00:43:52,320
Speaker 1: I keep saying it. I want to make sure I'm right.

966
00:43:52,480 --> 00:43:54,720
Speaker 1: So what makes it? That's what makes it interesting. Tyler

967
00:43:54,719 --> 00:43:58,239
Speaker 1: Warren's not going to be there, no chance. But if

968
00:43:58,360 --> 00:44:02,240
Speaker 1: Colston Lovelin is there, that's where it gets real interesting.

969
00:44:03,800 --> 00:44:09,920
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I'd love to see Justin Herbert be

970
00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:14,759
Speaker 2: able to grow with a young, dynamic tight end. It's

971
00:44:14,800 --> 00:44:17,439
Speaker 2: just the one thing that we really haven't seen, yeah,

972
00:44:17,920 --> 00:44:20,840
Speaker 2: in his career because he right, because he had Hunter

973
00:44:21,400 --> 00:44:25,319
Speaker 2: Henry who left and you know that combo was fantastic

974
00:44:25,360 --> 00:44:25,799
Speaker 2: and he was.

975
00:44:25,920 --> 00:44:29,040
Speaker 1: Just letting him walk. Just a massive mistake, letting that

976
00:44:29,080 --> 00:44:29,560
Speaker 1: guy walk.

977
00:44:30,400 --> 00:44:32,160
Speaker 2: I think that you know, I think they had their

978
00:44:32,239 --> 00:44:33,960
Speaker 2: number and they weren't going to go above it and

979
00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:36,720
Speaker 2: then you know it came down to about five hundred

980
00:44:36,760 --> 00:44:38,839
Speaker 2: thousand dollars a year or something like that, you know,

981
00:44:38,960 --> 00:44:40,279
Speaker 2: like yeah.

982
00:44:40,160 --> 00:44:43,080
Speaker 1: And I get it. Hither his season he had injury issues,

983
00:44:43,120 --> 00:44:45,960
Speaker 1: but at the same time, it's like, hey, our quarterback

984
00:44:46,120 --> 00:44:49,200
Speaker 1: just had a rookie campaign for the Ages and this

985
00:44:49,360 --> 00:44:52,000
Speaker 1: was his favorite, Like this was, you know, one B

986
00:44:52,360 --> 00:44:54,560
Speaker 1: to Keenan Allen's one A. When it came to what

987
00:44:54,640 --> 00:44:56,920
Speaker 1: he looked for, especially in the red zone, it's like

988
00:44:57,120 --> 00:45:00,200
Speaker 1: just yeah, just let let let your twenty one year

989
00:45:00,239 --> 00:45:02,560
Speaker 1: old quarterback habit man. Just give it to him and

990
00:45:02,640 --> 00:45:04,040
Speaker 1: figure out the money somewhere else.

991
00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:07,560
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, And it stinks because Hunter went to New

992
00:45:07,560 --> 00:45:09,480
Speaker 2: England and they've just been so bad that like he

993
00:45:09,600 --> 00:45:10,319
Speaker 2: was just you.

994
00:45:10,280 --> 00:45:15,080
Speaker 1: Know, and he stayed healthy the entire time, right whatsoever. Yeah,

995
00:45:15,120 --> 00:45:17,560
Speaker 1: So anyway I interrupted you, but yeah, no, no.

996
00:45:17,480 --> 00:45:19,200
Speaker 2: It's exactly right, Like so they let him walk. It's

997
00:45:19,320 --> 00:45:24,920
Speaker 2: it's Jared Cook, it's you know, Jerald Everett. You know,

998
00:45:24,960 --> 00:45:27,200
Speaker 2: it's they're they're rolling through. But you know it's Will

999
00:45:27,200 --> 00:45:29,200
Speaker 2: Disley this year, and it sucks for Will, like like,

1000
00:45:29,760 --> 00:45:31,600
Speaker 2: you know, he had a great year, like he was

1001
00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:34,759
Speaker 2: way better in the passing game than I expected. His

1002
00:45:34,880 --> 00:45:37,480
Speaker 2: yards after the catch stuff was like elite, elite, like

1003
00:45:37,520 --> 00:45:39,319
Speaker 2: he was, you know, I checked like towards the end

1004
00:45:39,320 --> 00:45:40,640
Speaker 2: of the season he was like top five in the

1005
00:45:40,680 --> 00:45:43,560
Speaker 2: league and yack per reception. And I actually told him

1006
00:45:43,560 --> 00:45:45,480
Speaker 2: that in the locker room and he was like floored. Yeah,

1007
00:45:45,520 --> 00:45:47,120
Speaker 2: And I was like, I was like, you're an athlete, Will,

1008
00:45:47,160 --> 00:45:48,120
Speaker 2: and he's like, he's like a.

1009
00:45:48,960 --> 00:45:51,319
Speaker 1: Man's making guys. He was making guys missed with his

1010
00:45:51,400 --> 00:45:52,600
Speaker 1: jump cuts. It was hilarious.

1011
00:45:52,680 --> 00:45:54,759
Speaker 2: Yeah, So, like considering the season that he had to

1012
00:45:54,760 --> 00:45:56,759
Speaker 2: have two big drops like that in a big game,

1013
00:45:57,320 --> 00:45:58,960
Speaker 2: you know. But I think like at the same time,

1014
00:45:59,400 --> 00:46:01,760
Speaker 2: you know, in the player offter, weaknesses get exposed, and

1015
00:46:02,160 --> 00:46:05,000
Speaker 2: you know, I think like it was a very you know,

1016
00:46:05,480 --> 00:46:08,759
Speaker 2: glaring example of of sort of what they need. So

1017
00:46:09,640 --> 00:46:12,719
Speaker 2: I would be all in on, you know, taking a

1018
00:46:12,719 --> 00:46:15,160
Speaker 2: tight end on the first two days of the draft.

1019
00:46:15,840 --> 00:46:19,680
Speaker 2: Certainly at twenty two if Colson Lovelin's there and get

1020
00:46:19,680 --> 00:46:22,080
Speaker 2: a tight end in here that Justin can grow with,

1021
00:46:22,640 --> 00:46:24,760
Speaker 2: you know, a guy that can really you know, attack

1022
00:46:24,880 --> 00:46:27,359
Speaker 2: the scene. You know. I think, you know, I think

1023
00:46:27,400 --> 00:46:28,920
Speaker 2: we saw Stone Smart do some of it. But I

1024
00:46:28,920 --> 00:46:31,440
Speaker 2: think the issue with Stone Is there's a there's a

1025
00:46:31,440 --> 00:46:33,959
Speaker 2: ceiling on what he can be as a blocker, and

1026
00:46:35,040 --> 00:46:36,719
Speaker 2: there are certain things that you have to do as

1027
00:46:36,719 --> 00:46:40,319
Speaker 2: a tight end in this offense. And I think Stone

1028
00:46:40,360 --> 00:46:42,560
Speaker 2: Smart has improved as a blocker. But at a certain

1029
00:46:42,560 --> 00:46:45,880
Speaker 2: point you're looking at you know, Tucker Fisk and Scott

1030
00:46:45,920 --> 00:46:48,359
Speaker 2: Mattlock who played a lot of those you know kind

1031
00:46:48,360 --> 00:46:52,080
Speaker 2: of tight end snaps and you know, three hundred pounds

1032
00:46:52,360 --> 00:46:54,520
Speaker 2: two sixty, and then you got Stone Smart. It's more

1033
00:46:54,520 --> 00:46:56,960
Speaker 2: of like a you know, receiver tight body, and you know,

1034
00:46:57,120 --> 00:46:59,440
Speaker 2: I think that's what happened as far as as the

1035
00:46:59,440 --> 00:47:01,759
Speaker 2: playing time, but it's a need, you know, like I

1036
00:47:01,800 --> 00:47:04,600
Speaker 2: think for me, it's it's tight end. You know, you

1037
00:47:04,680 --> 00:47:06,400
Speaker 2: got to have somebody that's gonna be able to difference

1038
00:47:06,480 --> 00:47:08,600
Speaker 2: be a difference maker down the field. In the passing game,

1039
00:47:09,239 --> 00:47:11,480
Speaker 2: it's receiver, you know, getting that outside guy that we

1040
00:47:11,520 --> 00:47:13,480
Speaker 2: talked about, and then it's you know in tier o

1041
00:47:13,600 --> 00:47:16,759
Speaker 2: line and then edge and corner. You know, those are

1042
00:47:16,760 --> 00:47:18,960
Speaker 2: sort of the positions I'm looking at. But tight end

1043
00:47:19,000 --> 00:47:20,600
Speaker 2: is like, you know, I think those top three those

1044
00:47:20,640 --> 00:47:23,880
Speaker 2: offensive positions receiver, tight end and intier o line or

1045
00:47:23,960 --> 00:47:25,719
Speaker 2: like one A B and C for me, and I

1046
00:47:25,719 --> 00:47:28,359
Speaker 2: could see them, you know, attacking all three of those

1047
00:47:28,400 --> 00:47:29,680
Speaker 2: positions very early in the draft.

1048
00:47:30,040 --> 00:47:34,239
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, look, I don't know what to make

1049
00:47:34,760 --> 00:47:37,239
Speaker 1: outside of the numbers. Are the numbers. You know, this

1050
00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:40,600
Speaker 1: is the number one scoring defense in the league. And

1051
00:47:41,440 --> 00:47:43,959
Speaker 1: they did it with an injured Joey Bosa, a thirty

1052
00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:48,840
Speaker 1: three year old Khalil Mack, a veteran minimum pulling it forward,

1053
00:47:49,040 --> 00:47:54,040
Speaker 1: you know, a low numbered Morgan Fox, a basically rookie

1054
00:47:54,120 --> 00:48:00,600
Speaker 1: linebacker in Dayon Henley, two rookie corners Derwin. So I'd

1055
00:48:00,640 --> 00:48:03,400
Speaker 1: lay that all out because I think Jesse's pretty special,

1056
00:48:03,680 --> 00:48:07,520
Speaker 1: and he's he's pretty special. It's scheming him up. So sorry,

1057
00:48:07,760 --> 00:48:10,200
Speaker 1: coach Minner, you're so good at this that we're not

1058
00:48:10,239 --> 00:48:12,200
Speaker 1: going to give you anything else. You're just gonna have

1059
00:48:12,280 --> 00:48:15,759
Speaker 1: to work with kind of this because we're gonna just

1060
00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:18,759
Speaker 1: put it all. I just I would love to just

1061
00:48:19,280 --> 00:48:21,759
Speaker 1: And they did it last year, right number five Joe

1062
00:48:21,800 --> 00:48:24,239
Speaker 1: Walt trade up to thirty four Lad McConkey with their

1063
00:48:24,280 --> 00:48:26,440
Speaker 1: first two picks. I just I wouldn't mind seeing do

1064
00:48:26,480 --> 00:48:28,960
Speaker 1: it again, you know, do it again. Maybe it's it's

1065
00:48:29,000 --> 00:48:31,600
Speaker 1: either tight end or it could be you know, if

1066
00:48:31,600 --> 00:48:34,680
Speaker 1: Booker's there that interior old Ligneman, and then in the

1067
00:48:34,719 --> 00:48:38,200
Speaker 1: next round it can be wide receiver or tight end

1068
00:48:38,400 --> 00:48:42,279
Speaker 1: or center or or guard in that round. I would

1069
00:48:42,360 --> 00:48:44,840
Speaker 1: just love to see them get that side of the

1070
00:48:44,880 --> 00:48:48,720
Speaker 1: ball sort of right with this one more draft, considering

1071
00:48:48,760 --> 00:48:51,520
Speaker 1: how well they did with Joe Walt and Lad McConkey

1072
00:48:51,560 --> 00:48:52,000
Speaker 1: last year.

1073
00:48:53,040 --> 00:48:56,040
Speaker 2: Yeah, not one hundred percent agree. You know, I think

1074
00:48:56,080 --> 00:48:58,640
Speaker 2: like edge and corner are spots that I think they

1075
00:48:58,680 --> 00:49:02,080
Speaker 2: should probably you know, look into. But I think you're

1076
00:49:02,080 --> 00:49:04,000
Speaker 2: exactly on it. Like it's a blessing and a curse, right,

1077
00:49:04,080 --> 00:49:06,560
Speaker 2: Like you have this, you know in Jesse's position, right,

1078
00:49:06,560 --> 00:49:08,640
Speaker 2: Like you're you're a great coach. You're obviously really good

1079
00:49:08,640 --> 00:49:10,840
Speaker 2: at this, but like now you're also gonna be relied

1080
00:49:10,880 --> 00:49:13,240
Speaker 2: on to get more out of less because you've proven

1081
00:49:13,280 --> 00:49:15,880
Speaker 2: you can do it. You know, like think about, like

1082
00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:18,080
Speaker 2: just some of the stuff that happened this season just

1083
00:49:18,120 --> 00:49:19,880
Speaker 2: blew my mind because I've never seen anything like it.

1084
00:49:19,920 --> 00:49:22,800
Speaker 2: You know, trade for a live and Molden ten days later, interception,

1085
00:49:23,160 --> 00:49:27,600
Speaker 2: you know, right, claim Marcus Mayoff waivers three days later, interception.

1086
00:49:27,800 --> 00:49:31,160
Speaker 2: You know, Eli Apple signed to the practice squad three

1087
00:49:32,000 --> 00:49:34,439
Speaker 2: weeks later, forty snaps on the outside playing playing decent

1088
00:49:34,440 --> 00:49:36,960
Speaker 2: ball and it's Jesse and it's his staff too, right,

1089
00:49:36,960 --> 00:49:38,719
Speaker 2: you gotta give credits to these assistants as well, Steve

1090
00:49:38,760 --> 00:49:43,080
Speaker 2: Clicksfield and Leary. Yeah, Mike Elston like the whole crew

1091
00:49:43,120 --> 00:49:46,160
Speaker 2: that they've got just a fantastic staff overall. I like,

1092
00:49:46,200 --> 00:49:48,480
Speaker 2: I think the coaching staff is brilliant top to bottom,

1093
00:49:48,560 --> 00:49:51,080
Speaker 2: but particularly defensively, I think they got really a lot

1094
00:49:51,080 --> 00:49:53,239
Speaker 2: of really good, rising young coaches. I think, you know,

1095
00:49:53,360 --> 00:49:58,160
Speaker 2: multiple defensive coordinators are already you know, on staff with

1096
00:49:58,280 --> 00:50:01,280
Speaker 2: the Chargers. But yeah, no, I I think I'm totally

1097
00:50:01,280 --> 00:50:03,840
Speaker 2: with you. You know, Like I think to me, the

1098
00:50:04,080 --> 00:50:07,239
Speaker 2: biggest weaknesses on the team are are offensively and that's

1099
00:50:07,280 --> 00:50:09,799
Speaker 2: partly because you know what Jesse Minter is able to

1100
00:50:09,800 --> 00:50:13,040
Speaker 2: get out of the existing pieces and the talent that

1101
00:50:13,080 --> 00:50:16,160
Speaker 2: he has. But yeah, receiver tight ends in tier O

1102
00:50:16,280 --> 00:50:17,920
Speaker 2: line and like, if you can if you can find

1103
00:50:18,640 --> 00:50:23,080
Speaker 2: solid pieces at those spots, you know, I think you're

1104
00:50:23,080 --> 00:50:25,720
Speaker 2: going to see, you know, the version of Justin Herbert

1105
00:50:25,719 --> 00:50:28,120
Speaker 2: over the course of the season that you know, we've

1106
00:50:28,200 --> 00:50:29,680
Speaker 2: we've seen that times during his career.

1107
00:50:29,840 --> 00:50:31,879
Speaker 1: Yeah, and I think if you know, just to kind

1108
00:50:31,920 --> 00:50:35,160
Speaker 1: of wrap this up here. The thing about that side

1109
00:50:35,200 --> 00:50:38,000
Speaker 1: of the ball too, is if you take coach Arbaugh

1110
00:50:38,200 --> 00:50:40,840
Speaker 1: at his word, and it seems like pretty straight shooters

1111
00:50:40,680 --> 00:50:43,120
Speaker 1: as far as I can tell, Like, that's the side

1112
00:50:43,120 --> 00:50:45,080
Speaker 1: of the ball where you can bring all those guys back,

1113
00:50:45,120 --> 00:50:47,719
Speaker 1: where you can keep it together and it's not going

1114
00:50:47,800 --> 00:50:51,879
Speaker 1: to have a huge financial impact on your team. Right.

1115
00:50:51,920 --> 00:50:55,280
Speaker 1: You can bring back Punaford and tier Tart, Elijah Molden,

1116
00:50:55,719 --> 00:50:58,040
Speaker 1: you know, Denzel Paraman if you want, because I hear

1117
00:50:58,080 --> 00:51:01,239
Speaker 1: he's great in the room and exception. So like you

1118
00:51:01,320 --> 00:51:05,279
Speaker 1: can do all of that and just bring the same

1119
00:51:05,320 --> 00:51:07,759
Speaker 1: group back, and then you can use the draft and

1120
00:51:07,800 --> 00:51:11,480
Speaker 1: free agency to take your big swings to to get

1121
00:51:11,480 --> 00:51:15,200
Speaker 1: that guard, to get that wide receiver, and then through

1122
00:51:15,239 --> 00:51:18,319
Speaker 1: the draft, you know, get a center, get that tight

1123
00:51:18,440 --> 00:51:21,640
Speaker 1: end wide receiver, and with your high picks, with your

1124
00:51:21,760 --> 00:51:24,600
Speaker 1: you know, your high value picks. And you know that

1125
00:51:24,840 --> 00:51:28,160
Speaker 1: DJ said something that that I thought, you know, kind

1126
00:51:28,160 --> 00:51:31,719
Speaker 1: of crystallized it perfectly for me. It's like, so this

1127
00:51:31,840 --> 00:51:34,759
Speaker 1: is the worst this is. It doesn't sound right. I

1128
00:51:34,760 --> 00:51:36,360
Speaker 1: don't mean to make it sound like a negative, but

1129
00:51:36,680 --> 00:51:38,879
Speaker 1: this is the worst team that Jim Harbaugh's gonna coach

1130
00:51:39,360 --> 00:51:42,760
Speaker 1: like movement wise, yeah, talent wise, on paper, every single

1131
00:51:42,800 --> 00:51:45,080
Speaker 1: team moving forward is going to be better than the

1132
00:51:45,080 --> 00:51:47,120
Speaker 1: one because of the situation he walked into last year

1133
00:51:47,160 --> 00:51:50,520
Speaker 1: and and that team went eleven and six, and you know,

1134
00:51:51,080 --> 00:51:54,359
Speaker 1: the defense played absolute lights out in the playoff game,

1135
00:51:55,000 --> 00:51:56,760
Speaker 1: and I'm not going to hold a second half against

1136
00:51:56,800 --> 00:51:58,480
Speaker 1: them because of the turnovers and how it you know

1137
00:51:58,520 --> 00:52:00,239
Speaker 1: that from the offensive side of the ball, how it

1138
00:52:00,239 --> 00:52:03,760
Speaker 1: got away from him there. Like that's if that's the floor,

1139
00:52:04,200 --> 00:52:06,360
Speaker 1: just imagine what the ceiling can be. So if the

1140
00:52:06,400 --> 00:52:08,879
Speaker 1: floor was that defense continuing to play at a high

1141
00:52:08,920 --> 00:52:12,160
Speaker 1: level like they showed all season, then that's to me

1142
00:52:12,200 --> 00:52:13,640
Speaker 1: where you just kind of bring it back and let's

1143
00:52:13,680 --> 00:52:15,040
Speaker 1: figure out the other side of the ball and how

1144
00:52:15,040 --> 00:52:15,640
Speaker 1: we can get it right.

1145
00:52:15,920 --> 00:52:17,840
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, one hundred percent, you know, And there's just

1146
00:52:17,880 --> 00:52:20,920
Speaker 2: like a couple tough situations to sort of sort through it,

1147
00:52:21,080 --> 00:52:25,560
Speaker 2: you know. Defensively, Like I think, like Elijah Moulden's really important,

1148
00:52:25,960 --> 00:52:28,680
Speaker 2: and I mean we've talked about this throughout Derwin's career,

1149
00:52:28,880 --> 00:52:31,240
Speaker 2: but I think we finally saw it realized this season.

1150
00:52:32,000 --> 00:52:35,840
Speaker 2: When you have a guy like Elijah Molden on the

1151
00:52:35,880 --> 00:52:37,880
Speaker 2: back end, what it allows Derwin to do like he

1152
00:52:38,120 --> 00:52:41,759
Speaker 2: was effectively a full time slot corner right over the

1153
00:52:41,760 --> 00:52:44,040
Speaker 2: second half of the season, and he was great at it.

1154
00:52:44,440 --> 00:52:46,680
Speaker 2: Oh my god, Like getting him around the football forty

1155
00:52:46,719 --> 00:52:49,000
Speaker 2: snaps a game like that, what he could do as

1156
00:52:49,040 --> 00:52:50,799
Speaker 2: a blitzer, what he could do in the run game.

1157
00:52:51,719 --> 00:52:54,280
Speaker 2: He was like, he looked like his old self because

1158
00:52:54,600 --> 00:52:56,080
Speaker 2: they were able to play him closer to the line

1159
00:52:56,080 --> 00:52:59,200
Speaker 2: of scrimmage because they had Elijah Molden. So like, I

1160
00:52:59,200 --> 00:53:01,400
Speaker 2: think got to come back. I think he's got to

1161
00:53:01,400 --> 00:53:03,400
Speaker 2: come back. He wants to be here, Like can they

1162
00:53:03,440 --> 00:53:06,200
Speaker 2: work something out? But you know, Alobe Gilman and Elijah

1163
00:53:06,200 --> 00:53:08,360
Speaker 2: Molden on the back end, you love that safety pairing

1164
00:53:08,440 --> 00:53:11,800
Speaker 2: with because of what it allows you to do with Derwin.

1165
00:53:11,840 --> 00:53:13,120
Speaker 2: And then you know the other one is as we

1166
00:53:13,200 --> 00:53:16,400
Speaker 2: talked about, is Joey in the edge room and and

1167
00:53:16,440 --> 00:53:20,960
Speaker 2: sort of figuring that out. But you know, the interesting

1168
00:53:21,000 --> 00:53:24,400
Speaker 2: part of the defense is like they got two rookie corners,

1169
00:53:24,920 --> 00:53:28,799
Speaker 2: fifth round corners playing starter level football for them and

1170
00:53:28,800 --> 00:53:32,160
Speaker 2: making making plays. So like, who are these guys in

1171
00:53:32,200 --> 00:53:34,719
Speaker 2: the fifth round and the fourth round? You know they

1172
00:53:34,760 --> 00:53:37,399
Speaker 2: have ten picks, they have three picks in the sixth round,

1173
00:53:37,560 --> 00:53:39,520
Speaker 2: Like who are some of these guys? Like maybe you

1174
00:53:39,560 --> 00:53:43,319
Speaker 2: can draft some tradits guys on defense on day three

1175
00:53:43,440 --> 00:53:46,560
Speaker 2: and throw them into this ecosystem and you're getting started

1176
00:53:46,560 --> 00:53:49,840
Speaker 2: over play, which is like it's a change right Like

1177
00:53:50,120 --> 00:53:52,839
Speaker 2: in the past here like those picks were just you know,

1178
00:53:53,040 --> 00:53:55,120
Speaker 2: throwing darts at a wall. Now you know it's still

1179
00:53:55,200 --> 00:53:57,600
Speaker 2: is that, but yeah, they've proven that they can find

1180
00:53:57,719 --> 00:54:00,839
Speaker 2: legitimate guys there, so you know, and and you feel

1181
00:54:00,840 --> 00:54:03,080
Speaker 2: like the coaching is going to elevate it. So I

1182
00:54:03,080 --> 00:54:05,000
Speaker 2: think you work through a couple of those things defensively,

1183
00:54:05,040 --> 00:54:07,359
Speaker 2: but I think for the most part, like you keep

1184
00:54:07,400 --> 00:54:11,160
Speaker 2: it as is and bring some of these guys back

1185
00:54:11,160 --> 00:54:13,640
Speaker 2: and add some talent, young talent, and you know, you

1186
00:54:13,680 --> 00:54:16,239
Speaker 2: expect it to be, you know, close to a top

1187
00:54:16,239 --> 00:54:18,239
Speaker 2: ten unit every year, regardless of who the players are.

1188
00:54:18,280 --> 00:54:20,440
Speaker 2: And then you really, you know, attack the offense to

1189
00:54:20,440 --> 00:54:22,120
Speaker 2: get it into a place where it's a little bit

1190
00:54:22,120 --> 00:54:22,760
Speaker 2: more consistent.

1191
00:54:23,120 --> 00:54:27,759
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm trying to get the age on Elijah. I

1192
00:54:27,760 --> 00:54:30,560
Speaker 1: don't know, I can't find it, but anyway, he like,

1193
00:54:30,880 --> 00:54:34,560
Speaker 1: so it's Elijah Lowey, both young players right derwin for

1194
00:54:34,600 --> 00:54:38,239
Speaker 1: all it. Yeah, he's pretty much still Elia twenty six. Yeah,

1195
00:54:38,280 --> 00:54:39,879
Speaker 1: So there you go. You have a twenty six year

1196
00:54:39,880 --> 00:54:44,040
Speaker 1: old and then you've got, for really all intents and purposes,

1197
00:54:44,080 --> 00:54:48,000
Speaker 1: a rookie linebacker in Dayon Henley. And if Colston can

1198
00:54:48,000 --> 00:54:49,920
Speaker 1: be healthy, I still have full faith that he's going

1199
00:54:49,960 --> 00:54:52,000
Speaker 1: to be a special player in this league. So now

1200
00:54:52,000 --> 00:54:56,239
Speaker 1: you've the youth of Aloe and Elijah in front of that,

1201
00:54:56,400 --> 00:55:00,759
Speaker 1: the youth of Dayon and Junior outside, the youth of

1202
00:55:00,840 --> 00:55:05,240
Speaker 1: cam Hart and Tari still. Like it's it's really exciting

1203
00:55:05,280 --> 00:55:08,759
Speaker 1: to think about what this defense can be as all

1204
00:55:08,800 --> 00:55:11,680
Speaker 1: of those players enter their prime and and they're on

1205
00:55:11,719 --> 00:55:13,600
Speaker 1: these affordable deals I should say under their prime, but

1206
00:55:13,640 --> 00:55:16,560
Speaker 1: get a little bit more experience under their belt and

1207
00:55:16,880 --> 00:55:19,600
Speaker 1: in this system for another year, right, and and what

1208
00:55:19,640 --> 00:55:23,000
Speaker 1: that can free the you know, free the front office

1209
00:55:23,000 --> 00:55:24,719
Speaker 1: to do in the draft and in free agency for

1210
00:55:24,760 --> 00:55:25,400
Speaker 1: the other side.

1211
00:55:25,200 --> 00:55:27,320
Speaker 2: Of the ball. Yeah, And that's what's going to be

1212
00:55:27,360 --> 00:55:30,000
Speaker 2: super interesting about this is just the continuity aspect of it.

1213
00:55:30,120 --> 00:55:33,319
Speaker 2: You know, like I can't remember the last time, you know,

1214
00:55:34,360 --> 00:55:38,520
Speaker 2: there was this much continuity and as many reasons for

1215
00:55:38,560 --> 00:55:42,040
Speaker 2: optimism about why that continuity should lead to improvement on

1216
00:55:42,080 --> 00:55:44,919
Speaker 2: both sides of the ball, you know, and so like, yeah,

1217
00:55:44,920 --> 00:55:46,640
Speaker 2: the defense was really good, but now all these guys

1218
00:55:46,680 --> 00:55:47,960
Speaker 2: are going to be in it for another year and

1219
00:55:47,960 --> 00:55:50,080
Speaker 2: instead of having to learn a new playbook in April,

1220
00:55:50,120 --> 00:55:53,960
Speaker 2: they're just stacking. And it's the same thing offensively. You know,

1221
00:55:54,440 --> 00:55:57,280
Speaker 2: justin Herbert has gone to so many different offensive coordinators.

1222
00:55:57,400 --> 00:55:59,120
Speaker 2: Really only once in his career did you have the

1223
00:55:59,120 --> 00:56:02,320
Speaker 2: continuity from twenty one to twenty two with Joe Lombardi.

1224
00:56:02,400 --> 00:56:04,959
Speaker 2: And he you know, got hurt at her the second

1225
00:56:05,000 --> 00:56:06,520
Speaker 2: week of the season, so we never really got to

1226
00:56:06,560 --> 00:56:11,360
Speaker 2: see that realize. So, you know, eleven wins make the playoffs,

1227
00:56:11,400 --> 00:56:15,239
Speaker 2: You keep the coaching staff intact, you add talent to

1228
00:56:15,880 --> 00:56:20,680
Speaker 2: this ecosystem where you know there's continuity schematically, and like,

1229
00:56:20,760 --> 00:56:23,080
Speaker 2: this is how good organizations do it. This is how

1230
00:56:23,120 --> 00:56:26,520
Speaker 2: you get you know, improvement in your stack seasons, and

1231
00:56:26,560 --> 00:56:28,640
Speaker 2: this is how you get to a point where you

1232
00:56:28,719 --> 00:56:31,480
Speaker 2: really can contend, you know, And I think that's encouraging.

1233
00:56:31,840 --> 00:56:34,359
Speaker 1: Well, I wrap it with this because it's what's still

1234
00:56:34,360 --> 00:56:36,719
Speaker 1: happening out on the field, and I think you have

1235
00:56:36,760 --> 00:56:39,600
Speaker 1: to remember, yes, Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in

1236
00:56:39,640 --> 00:56:42,920
Speaker 1: the league. The Chiefs are a dynasty and the likes

1237
00:56:42,960 --> 00:56:45,000
Speaker 1: of which we've never seen if they win this third

1238
00:56:45,040 --> 00:56:47,279
Speaker 1: super Bowl in a row, and what is it. It's

1239
00:56:47,320 --> 00:56:50,960
Speaker 1: an incredibly talented quarterback with a head coach slash offensive

1240
00:56:50,960 --> 00:56:55,439
Speaker 1: play caller that have been together for seven years. So like, look,

1241
00:56:55,480 --> 00:56:56,799
Speaker 1: with that, you can do.

1242
00:56:57,320 --> 00:56:59,279
Speaker 2: At the continuity on defense too. I mean that's a

1243
00:56:59,280 --> 00:57:02,279
Speaker 2: big part of most iteration iteration of the Chiefs.

1244
00:57:02,360 --> 00:57:05,799
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, it's it's continuity. It is so imploment trying

1245
00:57:05,800 --> 00:57:07,799
Speaker 1: to take anything away from them, but it just that's

1246
00:57:08,080 --> 00:57:10,480
Speaker 1: that's what it can become when you have that sort

1247
00:57:10,520 --> 00:57:12,880
Speaker 1: of same with the Bills. You know, for all the

1248
00:57:13,480 --> 00:57:16,520
Speaker 1: incoming they take look they're in the championship game or

1249
00:57:16,520 --> 00:57:18,919
Speaker 1: they're taking on the Chiefs year in and year out,

1250
00:57:19,040 --> 00:57:21,560
Speaker 1: and there is a little you know, look there's fluctuation

1251
00:57:21,680 --> 00:57:23,960
Speaker 1: with offensive coordinators and trying to find that. But in

1252
00:57:24,040 --> 00:57:28,200
Speaker 1: terms of the defense, the quarterback, you know, sort of

1253
00:57:28,240 --> 00:57:31,600
Speaker 1: the way that they play is similar, and like that,

1254
00:57:31,640 --> 00:57:33,800
Speaker 1: you just it's what you need. You've got to have it.

1255
00:57:33,840 --> 00:57:36,640
Speaker 1: And I feel like they finally do and that's you're

1256
00:57:36,640 --> 00:57:38,160
Speaker 1: going to see. I think you're gonna be able to

1257
00:57:38,160 --> 00:57:40,360
Speaker 1: see that you put the word used was perfect. You're

1258
00:57:40,360 --> 00:57:42,520
Speaker 1: gonna be able to stack and being able to stack

1259
00:57:42,600 --> 00:57:45,520
Speaker 1: is such a huge advantage going into training camp from

1260
00:57:45,560 --> 00:57:48,280
Speaker 1: having to figure something out all off season and then

1261
00:57:48,360 --> 00:57:50,200
Speaker 1: kind of get your eyes on how it looks and

1262
00:57:50,240 --> 00:57:52,680
Speaker 1: how it feels through those four weeks.

1263
00:57:52,960 --> 00:57:55,960
Speaker 2: Yeah, hundred percent. Yeah, yeah, protect up the middle a

1264
00:57:56,000 --> 00:57:58,640
Speaker 2: little bit better, you know, give Justin Herbert cleaner pockets,

1265
00:57:58,800 --> 00:58:00,600
Speaker 2: and given somebody that he can throw the ball to

1266
00:58:00,720 --> 00:58:03,560
Speaker 2: down the field in fifty to fifty ball situations, so

1267
00:58:03,640 --> 00:58:05,640
Speaker 2: he has an outlet and all of a sudden, you're cooking.

1268
00:58:05,840 --> 00:58:08,840
Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly right, all right, I said at the start.

1269
00:58:08,840 --> 00:58:11,720
Speaker 1: I'll say it again on the end. Subscribe to the Athletic,

1270
00:58:12,400 --> 00:58:15,160
Speaker 1: follow Popper on all of the social media channels you can.

1271
00:58:15,480 --> 00:58:17,160
Speaker 1: I'm sure you already do if you're listening to this.

1272
00:58:17,360 --> 00:58:23,360
Speaker 1: So it's Chargers Weekly on January thirty. But yeah, great stuff, Pop.

1273
00:58:23,360 --> 00:58:26,640
Speaker 1: I appreciate you sitting in today and I'm sure we'll

1274
00:58:26,680 --> 00:58:29,480
Speaker 1: do it. Are you going to Combine hy, I'll be there, Yeah, okay,

1275
00:58:29,520 --> 00:58:30,840
Speaker 1: So I'll see you down there at com We're going

1276
00:58:30,920 --> 00:58:34,040
Speaker 1: to do Chargers Weekly from Combine again, so you'll get

1277
00:58:34,080 --> 00:58:37,360
Speaker 1: pods all week long from Indianapolis as we bring all

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Speaker 1: our friends over to chat. So we'll probably do it

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00:58:40,040 --> 00:58:41,560
Speaker 1: again down there, popping about a month.

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Speaker 2: Awesome, sounds good. Thanks for having me money.

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00:58:44,000 --> 00:58:46,080
Speaker 1: Absolutely all right, everybody, Thanks for checking us out. We

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00:58:46,080 --> 00:58:48,800
Speaker 1: appreciate your rate and reviewing, sharing with all your friends,

1283
00:58:48,880 --> 00:58:51,280
Speaker 1: and making sure you comment because we love to dig

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00:58:51,320 --> 00:58:53,600
Speaker 1: into those and maybe use those for future episodes. Some

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00:58:53,600 --> 00:58:56,640
Speaker 1: things you guys want to discuss, all right for Daniel

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Speaker 1: Poper met Manny Smith here, Thanks for watching Chargers.

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Speaker 2: Weekly Streaking Step