Speaker 1: NFL Explained is a production of the NFL in partnership
Speaker 1: with I Heart Radio. It's a question that I think
Speaker 1: for some might be a surprise, like what do you
Speaker 1: mean you have to ask this question? But I actually
Speaker 1: think it's relevant. It's a brand new edition about Nickel
Speaker 1: explained Michael Robinson my camp with you. Are you a
Speaker 1: Vegas guy? Am I a Vegas guy? Not really, Yams,
Speaker 1: because I'm a married man, Okay, and I don't like
Speaker 1: to gamble, So that's one of those things. They have shows. Yeah,
Speaker 1: they have shows, but you gotta walk through a lot
Speaker 1: of stuff before you get to the shows. Man. You
Speaker 1: know what I'm saying, that is true. What if I
Speaker 1: told you that there's some football related things going down again? Okay,
Speaker 1: I'll be there, just double checking. Here we go. We
Speaker 1: got the explanation of the Pro Bowl games, and I
Speaker 1: say a little new format here. We're gonna get to
Speaker 1: all of those details in just a bit. You want
Speaker 1: a Super Bowl, you're also a Pro Bowler. That is
Speaker 1: a hell of an honor, Yams. It's crazy, bro. When
Speaker 1: I found out I was going to the Pro Bowl,
Speaker 1: I remember I was in a hotel room. My house
Speaker 1: was had got flooded. So my family and I we
Speaker 1: were in a hotel room that night for a couple
Speaker 1: of days, and so I found out I'm going to
Speaker 1: the Pro Bowl. Literally fifteen minutes later, Joe Paternal calls
Speaker 1: me and I'm one of the last people that he
Speaker 1: spoke to before he passed. That day. Wow, it was crazy.
Speaker 1: It was surreal because as I'm talking to him and
Speaker 1: I'm like, what's up, Joe, what's up? Coach? I know
Speaker 1: you know you're struggling, and you know his son Jay
Speaker 1: Paternal told me to get on the phone and just
Speaker 1: kind of, you know, say something to him. He wasn't
Speaker 1: gonna respond. You can hear him breathing and all those things.
Speaker 1: And the crazy part it was, I don't know, seven
Speaker 1: eight years previous to that, Joe Paterno was the guy
Speaker 1: was while I'm sitting in his office all upset, cussing
Speaker 1: him out, like he allowed. We had that type of relationship.
Speaker 1: He said, you know what, Robinson, I know you want
Speaker 1: to play quarterback right now, but we need you other places.
Speaker 1: You're probably gonna be a Pro Bowl fullback or tailback
Speaker 1: in the National Football League. I gave him the middle
Speaker 1: finger and walked out of this office. I was eighteen
Speaker 1: years old, and literally the day that I come to
Speaker 1: Crazy the data, I found out I'm going to a
Speaker 1: Pro Bowl. This whole thing is happening, and you know,
Speaker 1: obviously they asked me to speak at his memorial service.
Speaker 1: Crazy couple of hours from me finding it out, So
Speaker 1: that time by me because I was gonna say, you
Speaker 1: found out and as you were taking the phone call,
Speaker 1: you had like fifteen inches of water like around your
Speaker 1: your knees, and then here you go, give me this
Speaker 1: heartfelt story, which is like the full circle football twist
Speaker 1: to it, and this is where we end up the
Speaker 1: jerk that was me. All right. So last year on
Speaker 1: this podcast, we actually took everyone into a deep dip
Speaker 1: of the history of the Pro Bowl. It's s brand new.
Speaker 1: So on this season's episode, we're gonna be discussing the
Speaker 1: three Pro Bowl games, by the way, presented by Verizon,
Speaker 1: the events actually taking place over two days in Vegas.
Speaker 1: M Rob definitely a Vegas guy. The fan favorite the
Speaker 1: skills competition that we broadcast live for the first time Thursday,
Speaker 1: February twod on ESPN seven to eight thirty Eastern time.
Speaker 1: You got basically a huge event the petitions they're gonna
Speaker 1: be continue Sunday, February five, Allegiance Stadium. I was there
Speaker 1: last year for the East West Shrine Game, and they
Speaker 1: were getting ready for all the Pro Bowl stuff. I'm
Speaker 1: telling you that whole city, man, they just become all
Speaker 1: about what's going to happen on the football field at
Speaker 1: Allegiance for the Pro Bowl. What we're going to see
Speaker 1: here is a little flag football. When I think flag football,
Speaker 1: you're already smiling, man, flag football. You're the first dude
Speaker 1: that I think that. Why that because I was doing
Speaker 1: total access, you were doing hits in Alabama and I'm
Speaker 1: telling you, m Rob was drenched so high humid, but
Speaker 1: smiling ear to ear because you actually legitimately love flag football.
Speaker 1: Yeah it's fun, man, And you know what Yams people
Speaker 1: have to understand. And flag football not like your neighborhood
Speaker 1: youth football organizations have flag football. That's like eleven on eleven.
Speaker 1: You still have lineman. You're just playing football without equipment.
Speaker 1: This is a different game, so to speak, right, like
Speaker 1: different body types. You can you know, you can't go,
Speaker 1: you can't flag guards. You gotta come up with certain players.
Speaker 1: It's just a whole different looking as fast pacing. The
Speaker 1: windows are small, and so the reason why my face
Speaker 1: lit up is because being out there at the World
Speaker 1: Games Man to see the enthusiasm that flag football injected
Speaker 1: into not just men playing this game, but young women
Speaker 1: as well, and in entire countries. Hopefully, hopefully yams as
Speaker 1: we you know, as this flag football thing grows in
Speaker 1: the Pro Bowl weekend grows with flag football, hopefully we
Speaker 1: get that Olympics for flag football. That's what the goal is.
Speaker 1: So I know a lot of people have been a
Speaker 1: little hesitant about embracing this. I think once we get
Speaker 1: the game and we see the guys having fun, it's
Speaker 1: gonna be like, oh, yeah, we should have done this
Speaker 1: a long time ago. We'll go into some of the rosters,
Speaker 1: some of the details around the game coming up in
Speaker 1: just a bit here. You told me about the experience
Speaker 1: when you got the call that you were going to
Speaker 1: be a Pro Bowler, and obviously that was a really
Speaker 1: special moment for you in your life. What about the
Speaker 1: actual event itself, what's it like for a player to
Speaker 1: head to the Pro Bowl? Because this Hawaii a time correct, Yeah,
Speaker 1: it was Hawaii, And you talk about the state of
Speaker 1: Nevada in Las Vegas, embracing everything about football and everything
Speaker 1: about the game. So the Hawaii I mean the minute
Speaker 1: you got off the plane, I mean out of the airport,
Speaker 1: there's thousands of fans and you know, I was a fullback.
Speaker 1: I'm like, there's no way anybody knows who I am, right,
Speaker 1: And there's a whole section of m ROB supporters with
Speaker 1: twenty six jerseys on. They're just giving me all of
Speaker 1: these you know, what are these things? I didn't like?
Speaker 1: Don't be immature, not the immature. So yeah, yeah, man,
Speaker 1: And you know it's just a it's a it's a
Speaker 1: great atmosphere. I love playing in the game. Um, Matt Forte,
Speaker 1: Shady McCoy, Beast Mode, they were my tailbacks in that game.
Speaker 1: None of them wanted to play. They were all in
Speaker 1: contract disputes and nobody wanted to get hurt. So I
Speaker 1: ended up playing a large majority of the game. I
Speaker 1: didn't get any passes or anything like that. But um,
Speaker 1: what I enjoyed the most about my Pro Bowl experience
Speaker 1: was the pool chats. And what I mean by if
Speaker 1: you've ever been to the Pro Bowl, especially when it
Speaker 1: was at Hawaii, there's one hotel that central focus point
Speaker 1: for all the players, all the you know, the National
Speaker 1: Football League's officers are there and all of that lot
Speaker 1: of security. But at the end of the day at night,
Speaker 1: when the pool, you know, everybody's hotel rooms were around
Speaker 1: the pool and the music is playing and you've got
Speaker 1: hall of famers, your past and president current, everybody's together.
Speaker 1: I learned. I learned so much just listening to older
Speaker 1: guys talk around the pool. They've had a couple of
Speaker 1: cold ones, you know what I'm saying, And that's where
Speaker 1: the true brotherhood comes. And I enjoyed that more than
Speaker 1: anything else. Game talk, life talk, financial, tal the above, man,
Speaker 1: all the above, like because as a as a again,
Speaker 1: we're gladiators. I'm gonna say football players, but we're gladiators.
Speaker 1: And to understand that you're not the only one in
Speaker 1: the world going through some of your personal issues. You know,
Speaker 1: there's guys that went through it before you, that understand
Speaker 1: what's going on at the home, that understands you traveling
Speaker 1: and having a family and all that. And sometimes it
Speaker 1: just feels good to talk to some people that's been
Speaker 1: through it, you know, especially before you. And that's that's
Speaker 1: kind of what that pro Bowl did, especially in Hawaii,
Speaker 1: and I haven't been to the one here in Vegas yet.
Speaker 1: I'll be coming to it this this year for the
Speaker 1: Flat Football Championships. But at the end of the day
Speaker 1: that that pool chat was was where was that? You look,
Speaker 1: all those conversations, they just they're better when you have
Speaker 1: an umbrella hang like, it's just everything just it was
Speaker 1: a little different and loosened everybody up. People started singing
Speaker 1: it's karaoke, and I mean, it's just it's those things.
Speaker 1: And what I can say is all athletes like to
Speaker 1: be coached. We all like the challenge. We wouldn't be,
Speaker 1: you know, at the highest level of sport if we weren't.
Speaker 1: But to see guys challenge each other, I would have
Speaker 1: beat you with my prime Why I would have did
Speaker 1: the most hilarious thing I've ever seen in my life.
Speaker 1: I mean, you've got old dudes. That's really saying. Man,
Speaker 1: I'll take my clicker, I'll put my clicks on right now.
Speaker 1: And I'm like, no, you won't know, you won't. But
Speaker 1: it's just good to hear and and have a great time.
Speaker 1: And I think the National Football does a great job
Speaker 1: of kind of setting the mood and allowing us to
Speaker 1: do our things. The m v P of karaoke singers
Speaker 1: is oh, m v P A. I guess there's someone
Speaker 1: that really stood out to you. But we'll say this, um,
Speaker 1: ray Lewis is a character with the microphone in his hands.
Speaker 1: Let's just say that, and I'm gonna leave it there.
Speaker 1: Everybody who's ever been over there with him knows what
Speaker 1: I'm talking about, all right. So ray Lewis is the
Speaker 1: guy that I would have to imagine got a ton
Speaker 1: of fan votes not to mention player and coaching votes
Speaker 1: to go his way. And that's how those rosters are
Speaker 1: made up. Fan vote pretty obvious, right, But take me
Speaker 1: through the locker room what you're hearing from coaches, Like,
Speaker 1: how does that section that two thirds of the vote,
Speaker 1: How does that come about? Yeah? So, like you said,
Speaker 1: you have the fans, you know what I mean? You
Speaker 1: know the fan vote, You got a coach of voting.
Speaker 1: But we vote as players too, and oftentimes I was
Speaker 1: always in a running back meeting room in the National
Speaker 1: Football League, So we vote. We would always vote for
Speaker 1: the linebackers, sure, right, because that's those are the guys
Speaker 1: we primarily faced. The offensive lineman vote for defensive lineman.
Speaker 1: Where I received was vote defensive backs and vice versa.
Speaker 1: And so you had to vote for somebody in your conference,
Speaker 1: but not on your team. That was kind of how
Speaker 1: I was. And they would have like, you gotta as
Speaker 1: a group, You guys gotta come up with let's say
Speaker 1: we were talking middle linebacker. As a group, you gotta
Speaker 1: come up with your top five, you know what I'm saying,
Speaker 1: and then they take the votes from there. But it's
Speaker 1: funny the games we used to play to try to
Speaker 1: get our guys in. Like I remember being on the
Speaker 1: San Francisco forty and Honors team, and you know, obviously
Speaker 1: we had Patrick Willis. I didn't play with Navarro Bowman.
Speaker 1: He was coming in on my way out, and I
Speaker 1: remember like we were thinking, like, man, Patrick gotta get in,
Speaker 1: and I'm sitting there talking to Frank Bold like man,
Speaker 1: but you know they're gonna vote for Patrick. He was like, man,
Speaker 1: I don't know. And so you try to vote for
Speaker 1: guys nobody in the NFL is sorry, but you try
Speaker 1: to vote for guys who maybe wouldn't get a Pro
Speaker 1: Bowl vote at all. So your vote is exhausted there
Speaker 1: and the votes that are left go to your guy.
Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying, that's kind of strategics. It's strategic, man,
Speaker 1: That's what we tried to do. I would imagine guys
Speaker 1: hav incentives in their contracts four Pro Bowls, because there
Speaker 1: is a difference, by the way, between being an All
Speaker 1: Pro and a pro bowler. I would imagine there's incentives
Speaker 1: both ways. Any guy ever come out to and go like, yo, man,
Speaker 1: there's some extra coin coming my way. Give me a vote. Absolutely, well,
Speaker 1: you knew all the big money guys had it. You know,
Speaker 1: when I played in San Francisco, you had the Vernon
Speaker 1: Davis and the Alex Smith guys like that. Your framegoers,
Speaker 1: you knew those were the big money guys, be Smode,
Speaker 1: Bobby Wagner. I mean, you knew where the money guys were,
Speaker 1: and you knew a lot of their money was tied
Speaker 1: to their success. I tell you mine. When I got
Speaker 1: voted in mind, I got me a nice check. So
Speaker 1: I was happy about that. I've been nice, not nice bonus,
Speaker 1: probably not a bonus like the quarterback. So the past
Speaker 1: Rush play fullback guys. Fullback we don't make that much money,
Speaker 1: but it felt good bus act. Actually we did. We
Speaker 1: did win because you get another kicker. We do get it.
Speaker 1: We did get it. Actually, check for winning. I forgot
Speaker 1: about that. I bought my wife a car with that.
Speaker 1: Sure did it got h oh? Did the name dropping
Speaker 1: and yeah? Yeah, and it helped out a whole lot. Man, Absolutely,
Speaker 1: I forgot about that. Yeah, we did. We go. Was
Speaker 1: it a boxer, No, it was. It was, yeah, but
Speaker 1: with a little kick though that thing kick on. You
Speaker 1: don't make and go. You know what I'm saying. We
Speaker 1: just gave it up a couple of years ago. May
Speaker 1: don't don't get me started on that. It's memories. Man.
Speaker 1: It was one of the first major purchases of my wife.
Speaker 1: And it was like she was at work one day.
Speaker 1: I pulled up in it, but she thought I rented it,
Speaker 1: right and I'm like, yeah, but you know what I'm saying,
Speaker 1: go and check the car right there. You know what
Speaker 1: I'm saying, it's yours and everybody and it's along with crazy.
Speaker 1: It was awesome. That's awesome, What a cool story. We
Speaker 1: don't hear about that type of I just I had
Speaker 1: heard that when you get to the Pro Bowl and
Speaker 1: in previous years and white like you were winning because
Speaker 1: that paid for your crew that you brought with you. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that that's part of it too. I didn't bring the
Speaker 1: entire crew, Yams. I've always had some rules rolling with
Speaker 1: me as my entourage in the National Football League. If
Speaker 1: you did not help me move into my freshman dorm
Speaker 1: at Penn State, sean call okay in East polite commons.
Speaker 1: If you did not help me move in there, don't
Speaker 1: expect anything from me. Don't And it was only four
Speaker 1: people there, my stepfather, my mother, my cousin Bids the Soul,
Speaker 1: and my brother. Everybody else can understand it because they
Speaker 1: know the role. You don't get to go. I bought
Speaker 1: my best friend of my wife out to I like that.
Speaker 1: I like that. I like that role. For me, it's
Speaker 1: just mom and dad. We ain't getting any portions. So
Speaker 1: all right, let's go through. I'm not gonna list every
Speaker 1: guy on the roster just because there's so many dudes.
Speaker 1: So I'm just gonna highlight a couple of these names.
Speaker 1: I'll start with the A f C. Not a huge surprise,
Speaker 1: Tyree Stefon, Digg, Davante, Adams, Strom, Mar Chase like that.
Speaker 1: That seems about right to me. We'll get to some
Speaker 1: snubs by the way, coming up in just a bit,
Speaker 1: Travis Kelsey kind of a no brainer at the tight
Speaker 1: end spot. Mark Andrews actually had a hell of a year.
Speaker 1: He had a great year. Man, did you imagine if
Speaker 1: Lamar was healthy the whole time? If Lamarm was healthy
Speaker 1: this season, we might be talking about him being one
Speaker 1: of the the backs instead. Although maybe not right. It's Mahomes,
Speaker 1: Alan and Burrow like that is those dudes it but
Speaker 1: that they they they're pretty special man. The running back
Speaker 1: spots Dick Chubb, Josh Jacob speaking of dudes, shout out
Speaker 1: Josh contract year. Team needed to lean on him. What
Speaker 1: I do know where to pick up his option? He said,
Speaker 1: you know what, all good, I'll show you. I'll make
Speaker 1: you pay. And there's I know there's people and guys
Speaker 1: on that offense who wanted to ball a little bit
Speaker 1: more and wanted to but Josh McDaniels understood that this
Speaker 1: office had to run through the running back, had to
Speaker 1: move the line of scrimmage for the passing game to work.
Speaker 1: I'm glad to see Josh Jacobs on this. Yeah, I'll
Speaker 1: throw Derrick Henry's name out into the mix as well.
Speaker 1: On the defensive side. Myles Garrett. Not a surprise. Max Crosby.
Speaker 1: You know Trey Hendrickson for Cincinnati bawler right, I just
Speaker 1: saw him the other week against Buffalo. Yeah, why you
Speaker 1: got to mention that? Sorry, we just saw him other week.
Speaker 1: And if our listeners who can't see us right now,
Speaker 1: oh my goodness, Jam said it, and then any smirked
Speaker 1: right after he said it. Didn't do what he was doing, right, man?
Speaker 1: Dominated my guy Dion Dawkins that left tackle and Trey
Speaker 1: Hendrickson gives this defense, this Bengals defense, an opportunity to
Speaker 1: just rush three and he can win rushing three. Great job.
Speaker 1: A couple of other names that stand out. Matthew Judon
Speaker 1: absolutely monster. I'll give some love to Sauce Gardener as
Speaker 1: a rookie making the team. I thought that was kind
Speaker 1: of cool to see make it. Fitzpatrick not a surprise.
Speaker 1: They were missed some games earlier the season. Sauce Gardner
Speaker 1: might have been the best corner in football. Forget just
Speaker 1: a Pro Bowl, and he might have been the best
Speaker 1: corner in football on it. Just to see a guy
Speaker 1: at young play that patient. He's long, he understands coaching,
Speaker 1: he can tackle, he's not a faid of contact. Man.
Speaker 1: It's just weird to see a guy that young play
Speaker 1: that well. Derwin James, I think is the most versatile
Speaker 1: safety in the NFL. Who also, and I've said this
Speaker 1: on air a few times and it bears repeating. I
Speaker 1: would not want to go down to dark Alley and
Speaker 1: see Derwin James on the other side because I might
Speaker 1: not come out. Yeah, you might not. He intimidates the
Speaker 1: hell out And I told and I told him this
Speaker 1: on there. If I'm going down the dog haul, I
Speaker 1: need you with me. Okay, he's started laughing. That dude
Speaker 1: is legit. Glad to see him. If you see Jordan
Speaker 1: Poyer as one of the safeties there, even though you
Speaker 1: talk about my bills against Jordan's. Oh they picked on
Speaker 1: him in that Cincinnati game. But that's not the nature
Speaker 1: this podcast. We're not talking. Although I'll throw Justin Tucker's
Speaker 1: name into the mix. The most dominant player at his position,
Speaker 1: in the most dominant player in the NFL considering what
Speaker 1: he does. His mental health is on a thousand Oh
Speaker 1: my goodness, big kicker, it's all mental. Uh. The NFC
Speaker 1: squad wide receivers just Jefferson a J. Brown. Ceedee, lamb
Speaker 1: term McLaurin. I like squad me too. I'm so happy
Speaker 1: to see Terry scary Terry on this list as well.
Speaker 1: You got you got a J. Brown? Who again? Mahwe roseman,
Speaker 1: Oh my goodness man, he should be executive at the year.
Speaker 1: I mean, he put this team together then got a J. Brown.
Speaker 1: It's pretty dope. No, I'm with you there. Best left
Speaker 1: tackle in the NFL is Trent Williams, so he obviously
Speaker 1: made the list as well. Tight End George Kittle doesn't
Speaker 1: surprise anyone. T J. Hockenson who you know? I mean, hell,
Speaker 1: if he was still in Detroit, he probably has got
Speaker 1: a great chance to make rocking that. Don't skip over
Speaker 1: that center. You know I'm I'm I'm a moving guard.
Speaker 1: As a former fullback, that means the middle three of
Speaker 1: the offensive line of very important to me to guard.
Speaker 1: Center guard Jason Kelsey is the best center in all
Speaker 1: of football. I thought you're gonna get some love to
Speaker 1: to your boy, Frank. He's a big guy that can
Speaker 1: move to Kelsey's He's a little undersized, but did you
Speaker 1: see what he did to that Giants defender with one arm? Oh?
Speaker 1: My tip of the spear. You know, offensive lineman, know
Speaker 1: what I'm talking about. Just oh my goodness, this offense
Speaker 1: in Philly don't work, can't work, This running game cannot
Speaker 1: work without Jason Kelsey. You'll bring up that Giants. Let's
Speaker 1: say it back. That's all good. I didn't realize that said. Yeah, okay, uh,
Speaker 1: quarterbacks here. I don't want to hate, I really don't.
Speaker 1: I mentioned who the a f C squad was and like,
Speaker 1: this is just the nature of the beast and this
Speaker 1: is no distress. Oh god, that's exactly what you're about
Speaker 1: to do. This Jalen Hurd, she know Smith and Kirk Cousins.
Speaker 1: So it's good. But if I said to you, which
Speaker 1: do you want the a f C trio? You want
Speaker 1: the NFC trio? Well, I mean I want the a
Speaker 1: C trio exactly, no disrespect. Yeah, you're right, but but
Speaker 1: I may want the NFC teams though. You see what
Speaker 1: I'm saying. From a team standpoint, they got a better
Speaker 1: quarterback probably, but the team standpoint, I feel like the
Speaker 1: NFC physicality. Man, I'm trying to talk about. You're right, right,
Speaker 1: let me out you right, Okay, Okay, running backs here,
Speaker 1: sakemon Barkley. I'll throw his name out there. Miles Sanders
Speaker 1: also having a great season from yeah staters on that list,
Speaker 1: It's pretty dope. It's crazy to see Dallas backup running
Speaker 1: back on the started Zeke Elli and Zeke may have
Speaker 1: played his last down with the Cowboys and for that
Speaker 1: play to be the last down, don't get me started now.
Speaker 1: Remember Tony Poard actually got banged up in that last game,
Speaker 1: didn't He wasn't even able to finish it against San Francisco.
Speaker 1: Delvin Cook getting the nod. Yeah, man, he's a pretty
Speaker 1: good back as well. Man, your defensive player of the year,
Speaker 1: at least in my mind to announce. Just yepa. Nick
Speaker 1: Bosa also on the NFC. Okay, I like that, Nick Boss.
Speaker 1: I mean we call that a protection dictator. Every offensive
Speaker 1: line in the National Football League is gonna slide his way. Dude,
Speaker 1: I'm tired. I'm looking at some of these defensive players.
Speaker 1: Holy smokes, man, I mean, look at the interior lineman uh,
Speaker 1: Aaron Donald, Jonathan Allen, dextra Las. Yes it is. You
Speaker 1: can't run on none of them. You can't pass the
Speaker 1: tech on none of you. See what I'm saying. That's
Speaker 1: just pretty dope, man. Yeah, I mean, and look Michael
Speaker 1: Parsons on that defensive son Reddick. What he's able to
Speaker 1: do is Darius Smith. I'll throw Fred Warner's name out
Speaker 1: into the mix. The corner is also pretty good. I
Speaker 1: gave love to Sauce Gardner. So did you how about
Speaker 1: three Will and another rook? Oh? Yeah, I forgot about
Speaker 1: to Will and I'll gain a late round pick. Dude
Speaker 1: can literally fly. He's long, you can't really beat him
Speaker 1: over the top, and he's not afraid to tackle. That's
Speaker 1: very important. Okay. Any look, generally speaking, that's the roster
Speaker 1: NFL dot com. You can see the complete list made
Speaker 1: this safety for the Niners. Man, nobody knows who who
Speaker 1: Fungo was until he got that pick Arizona early in
Speaker 1: the season weekfore or something like that. Wow, I'm happy
Speaker 1: for that kid as well. You don't want to be
Speaker 1: on the receiving and of one of his No, no,
Speaker 1: dude just has an instinct for the football. Any anyone
Speaker 1: stand out that I didn't make reference to a snub
Speaker 1: or two guys that have a case. I think, Um,
Speaker 1: how about I'll throw Austin Neckler's name into the mix.
Speaker 1: You know, what I feel like Austin Neckler gets disrespected
Speaker 1: every year, not by fantasy owners, well, because the guy's
Speaker 1: a touchdown machine. He catches the football, he runs the football.
Speaker 1: But I mean, can you put him ahead at any
Speaker 1: of the AFC side of running backs. I mean, I
Speaker 1: don't know. But there's also Christian McCaffrey on the NFC side.
Speaker 1: Dude has of a twelve scrimin yards from since Week seven,
Speaker 1: since he made the trade. I mean, that's a tough one,
Speaker 1: but it's tough for me. I can't. I can't put
Speaker 1: off some Ekeler head of Nick Chubb, Josh Jacobs or
Speaker 1: Derrick Henry, all of those guys. I could on Derrick
Speaker 1: Henry this season, really, I think you don't think he
Speaker 1: was as impactful as he was before. I think there's
Speaker 1: you don't think it was hard because the level it
Speaker 1: was harder on him this year. The bar was set
Speaker 1: so damn high. But I'd say I make the same
Speaker 1: exact case on the flip side from a charger's perspective,
Speaker 1: Like I think about Slater being out of that lineup,
Speaker 1: I think about Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and Austin
Speaker 1: Ekeler here we go over a hundred reception at the
Speaker 1: running back spot. Like I think it's gotten into the
Speaker 1: playoffs too. You make a point, you make a valid point.
Speaker 1: Maybe I'm just looking at it as the individual runners.
Speaker 1: I look at Derrick Henry that he still got his
Speaker 1: stats in his yards and all of those things, and
Speaker 1: with the load of carries that he got with the
Speaker 1: quarterback um, that is not one of the more that
Speaker 1: dynamic quarterbacks in the National Football League. With a guy
Speaker 1: like A J. Brown getting traded away before the season,
Speaker 1: pulling it actually defender out of the box. No, I'm
Speaker 1: I know it's tough. It is tough, and look it's like,
Speaker 1: all right, you take Henry, I'll take Austin. I'm not
Speaker 1: gonna be all that upset Geckler or McCafe. You know,
Speaker 1: it's these are the best of the best. You know,
Speaker 1: one guy. I'm a little disappointed. I'm gonnros st Brown
Speaker 1: not making making it only because he was fun to watch.
Speaker 1: I know what he meant to that offense. The offense
Speaker 1: was absolutely prolific, and there's an edge about him where
Speaker 1: it's like, all right, you want to disrespect me. I
Speaker 1: think back to that Hard Knocks episode where you can
Speaker 1: name every single wide receiver taken before him. I just
Speaker 1: like that. I like that about him too, But again,
Speaker 1: I just look at the guys that were chosen. I
Speaker 1: just can't pick him over Scary Terry McLaren, the Cede Lamb,
Speaker 1: A J. Brown, or Justin Jefferson. Who Justin Jefferson is
Speaker 1: really in the mixed ram V Pete. You know what
Speaker 1: I'm saying, like one of the greatest wilde receiver seasons
Speaker 1: of all time. No, I'm with you. I'm just throwing
Speaker 1: some names out there, just guys that there are gonna
Speaker 1: make the team, but who we like and I want
Speaker 1: to love them up just a little bit now, m Rod,
Speaker 1: there's some differences to when we talk about each of
Speaker 1: these rosters. The a f C in the NFC, they're
Speaker 1: gonna have a team of coaches to help guide them
Speaker 1: through these competitions to go to goats. According to em Rob,
Speaker 1: we found that down in our last episode. Peyton Manning
Speaker 1: will be the a f C head coach, Ray Lewis
Speaker 1: knows something about defense, He'll be the a f C
Speaker 1: defensive coordinator, and Diana Flores will be the a f
Speaker 1: C offensive coordinator. The NFC a little brotherly love. Eli
Speaker 1: Manning the NFC head coach, to Marcus Ware will be
Speaker 1: the d C and Vanita Crouch will be the NFC
Speaker 1: offensive coordinator. Vania and Diana, by the way, elite flag
Speaker 1: football players. Oh, they were on display at the World Games.
Speaker 1: I was there. They called Vanita Crouch the Tom Brady
Speaker 1: or flag football. I mean, this is a woman wins
Speaker 1: everything and wins almost every time she steps on except
Speaker 1: when she matched up against Diana Floyd. Yeah. I mean,
Speaker 1: by the way, was so much fun. She is super talented.
Speaker 1: She is man. She got a little viral video which
Speaker 1: she was just moving her hips all around and and
Speaker 1: getting away from all the people pulling her flags, and
Speaker 1: then she scored. Man. I really think everybody who's a
Speaker 1: true football fans should watch these competitions and learn what
Speaker 1: flag football is all about. Well, the skills competitions are
Speaker 1: actually getting little bit bigger the Pro Bowl Games. The
Speaker 1: skill competitions are going to be brought to you by
Speaker 1: a Smith and Company productions. You're like, what who I
Speaker 1: got you? They produced shows like American Ninja Warrior, which
Speaker 1: I love. That's one of those you don't have something
Speaker 1: to watch and that comes down. You got me Hell's kitchen.
Speaker 1: I boil water pretty well. Outside of that, I don't
Speaker 1: do that. Yeah, the health kitchen deal is not you know,
Speaker 1: it's it's cool. I know it's really popular. The Titan
Speaker 1: Games also really cool. So before we dive into these
Speaker 1: skill competitions and how the weekend will work, what do
Speaker 1: you want to see, like, what will we learn from
Speaker 1: the skills competition With regard to NFL guys, Well, you
Speaker 1: can see kind of like their competitive nature. That's really
Speaker 1: what I like about it. You know, you get some
Speaker 1: people who deem some of these skill challenges as whatever,
Speaker 1: but no NFL guys, it's a mentality. You can't just
Speaker 1: cut off being a competitor. That's just who you are.
Speaker 1: It's crazy to see some of these guys and I
Speaker 1: when I go to you know, P A O and
Speaker 1: some of the other things that a bunch of football
Speaker 1: players go to, a lot of these eyes are competitive
Speaker 1: with their own kids, like not let their kids when
Speaker 1: my son has never beat me in basketball. So I
Speaker 1: just want to see the competitive nature and conceded competitive
Speaker 1: juices on display. I can see you plan hoops with
Speaker 1: your son and he's going off for a layoff and
Speaker 1: it's not just like the small swat away like I
Speaker 1: mean just like the m rob jump up in the
Speaker 1: air and just monster block like sending the ball like
Speaker 1: twenty yards away, and we got a bunch of acres
Speaker 1: we sit on. Also it goes into the woods and
Speaker 1: then you go, yo, go get get it, so young,
Speaker 1: you go get it. Yeah, I ain't do it. You
Speaker 1: got fresh legs exactly, you got fresh legs. Uh. Pro
Speaker 1: Bowl Games skills competitions will have cumulative scoring leading up
Speaker 1: to the flag football games on Sunday, so the scoring
Speaker 1: for the Pro Bowl games. This is how it's gonna work.
Speaker 1: The winning conference of each skills competition earns three points
Speaker 1: towards their team's overall score, with twenty four total points
Speaker 1: available across the eight skills events. Now, the winning conference
Speaker 1: for each of the first two flag football games on
Speaker 1: Sunday will earn six points for their team. So there's
Speaker 1: a total of twelve points availament points from the skills
Speaker 1: competitions and the first two flag games. They're gonna be
Speaker 1: added together, and the score at the beginning of the
Speaker 1: third and final flag game will determine the winning conference
Speaker 1: the Pro Bowl Games. So the skills competition actually has
Speaker 1: some pretty good weight here heading into the flag football games.
Speaker 1: You mentioned the competition, Like, to me, that's what this
Speaker 1: is all about. Because in other sports, and maybe this
Speaker 1: is like how it was for you in the NFL
Speaker 1: with the Pro Bowl games previously, it's kind of like, oh,
Speaker 1: it's funny games and then all of a sudden, you know,
Speaker 1: late in an NBA All Star game, it ratches its game.
Speaker 1: Late inning games for baseball, you know, like guys stopped talking,
Speaker 1: you know, a little chatter here and there, like you
Speaker 1: kind of get ready for it. Like I would imagine
Speaker 1: that this gets the competition going over the course of
Speaker 1: a few days. Absolutely, and Yams to your point, I
Speaker 1: remember being in my Pro Bowl in the first three
Speaker 1: and a half quarters, I mean pass Pro was like,
Speaker 1: I mean we're basically just talking. Hey guys, someone, let's dance.
Speaker 1: Don't hurt nobody. Don't hurt about that last to three
Speaker 1: or four minutes, man, I mean we were serious people.
Speaker 1: Gotten the three wins things. Tony Gonzalez was screaming for
Speaker 1: the ball at Drew Brees, I need the ball. I
Speaker 1: mean it was like, guys, this is not real, like
Speaker 1: this is whatever. Um, But they did a good job,
Speaker 1: and I can't wait again to see the guys have
Speaker 1: the pride in it um again. Seeing that it's gonna
Speaker 1: be over a couple of days, my first thought is, man,
Speaker 1: am I gonna get my my asthma pump. They're gonna
Speaker 1: be running around out there. These are big top baskets
Speaker 1: and I think gonna have fun with and I think
Speaker 1: the NFL does a good job of making it fun.
Speaker 1: All right, Well, look, you and I have gone through
Speaker 1: the roster and how the games are gonna work. Still
Speaker 1: to come here on the NFL Explaining podcast will dive
Speaker 1: into how the skills competitions are going to be played.
Speaker 1: Welcome back to the NFL Explaining podcasts, and Rob like, yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm with you are We laid out the three Pro
Speaker 1: Bowl games, how it's gonna work. I keep mentioning the
Speaker 1: skills competitions. Day one, Thursday, February second. I love this.
Speaker 1: I freaking love this. Pro Bowl Dodgeball multi round tournament
Speaker 1: Classic dodgeball. Four teams of five players got offense defense,
Speaker 1: both conferences squaring off. It's an a f C NFC showdown,
Speaker 1: but in the first match, the A f C offense
Speaker 1: will face the A f C defense to determine the
Speaker 1: a f C winner. Second game, NFC offense against the
Speaker 1: NFC defense, that's the NFC winner. The finale a f
Speaker 1: C winner versus the NFC winner, and whichever conference wins
Speaker 1: gets the three points. Have you ever played dodgeball? No?
Speaker 1: Not competitively, charity charity dodgeball league, and I was thrown
Speaker 1: out of one of the matches. Um, So I don't
Speaker 1: even know if you're the person to ask about strategy
Speaker 1: since you know play. Yeah, I was about to say,
Speaker 1: what would they say on dodgeball? The movie Dodge, Duck,
Speaker 1: Deep Dodge. That's just strategy. If you could dodge, you
Speaker 1: could dodge the ball. So that's that's that's that is,
Speaker 1: That's all that is. Um. There's also a Lightning Round,
Speaker 1: so new this year. Each conference will select six team
Speaker 1: players to compete in a three part elimination channel that
Speaker 1: will leave one player left at the end to earn
Speaker 1: three points for the conference. The first event of the
Speaker 1: Lightning Round splash catch teammate pairings for each conference. They
Speaker 1: tossed water balloons back and forth from increasing distances. We
Speaker 1: all did this when we were kids, all right. Each
Speaker 1: tandem that completes all of their tosses advances to the
Speaker 1: second phase Part two. It's Lightning Round. High stakes. Advancing
Speaker 1: players will attempt to catch punts from jugs machines. We've
Speaker 1: already chronicled. I've done that too. As easy as it looks, um,
Speaker 1: you'll earn a place representing their conference in the final
Speaker 1: round of competition, and then the final part lightning round
Speaker 1: Thrill of the Spill. The remaining players of each conference
Speaker 1: will aim at targets attached to a bucket hanging over
Speaker 1: the head of an imposing conferences coach. It seemed to
Speaker 1: dump the bucket on the opposing coach wins and gets
Speaker 1: three points for the conference. Any I'll do splash cash
Speaker 1: because I think that's more familiar to a lot of fans,
Speaker 1: because we all did the bloon toss. Who's your parents?
Speaker 1: Anyone come to mind that you think like the soft hands,
Speaker 1: like I think, I think the wide receivers have to be.
Speaker 1: It has to be wide receivers. Maybe if you've got
Speaker 1: some backs so tight ends who have really soft hands
Speaker 1: that could catch. But isn't it like got to be
Speaker 1: like cousins Jefferson, Like, isn't that automatically the favorite? Well
Speaker 1: but Kurt has to catch two. You know what I'm saying,
Speaker 1: This is not just the one direction thing. I would
Speaker 1: pare you know, justin Jefferson up with scary terriers something
Speaker 1: just two receivers together because their hands team, their hands team,
Speaker 1: they damn that. Look. If I'm paid on whoever who's
Speaker 1: on the NFCY side, I forgot hands team, I would
Speaker 1: say hands team and have those guys run out for
Speaker 1: that Hands teams read defining hands team. Okay, I love
Speaker 1: this because a lot of guys actually do this longest drive.
Speaker 1: Four players each conference compete in a challenge to drive
Speaker 1: a golf ball the furthest I can't imagine it's one
Speaker 1: of those big boys. Well no, I don't know. We
Speaker 1: used to have a driving competition when I was in Seattle,
Speaker 1: and you would think guys like Russell Ocon the big
Speaker 1: offensive lineman who know how to play golf. And you
Speaker 1: know what bad job may be. It's gotta be a
Speaker 1: quarterback because all those like charity events, that's all that's
Speaker 1: all they do. Or like one of those hot Price
Speaker 1: Wilde receivers, and it's one of those guys. It is
Speaker 1: not a big guy that trust me. Golden Tate used
Speaker 1: to win ours every year, Golden Tat and Russell. I'm
Speaker 1: telling shocking, shocking. All right, how about this one, because
Speaker 1: we're talking about some of these other ones quarterbacks, they're
Speaker 1: gonna get their chance to shine. Here Precision Passing presented
Speaker 1: by E a sports Man in NFL twenty three mobile
Speaker 1: each conference, three quarterbacks battling it out one minute accuracy competition.
Speaker 1: You basically gotta hit targets, you accumulate points. I see
Speaker 1: you perking up. I think Emerald wants to actually compete.
Speaker 1: I would try that. Uh ten targets, either static or robotic,
Speaker 1: dummies and drones. How about we're throwing drones out there
Speaker 1: here we go, they range and value one to five points.
Speaker 1: And then there's also a long toss bucket sixty yards
Speaker 1: away worth ten points? What is your guy? Who's my guy?
Speaker 1: At the quarterback position? And we started thinking about the accuracy,
Speaker 1: you know, and obviously in the a f C with
Speaker 1: Mahomes and Alan and Burrow like Burrow to me, Yeah,
Speaker 1: but um, you gotta think about Geno Smith. I know
Speaker 1: people are saying, what he led the National Football League,
Speaker 1: but was one of the top two or three guys
Speaker 1: in the National Football League and completion percentage. Dude knows
Speaker 1: how to throw darts, so yeah, I would go with
Speaker 1: Joe Burrow or Geno Smith. Okay, final event that day,
Speaker 1: I already know the winner. Best Catch, presented by Uber
Speaker 1: eats two players each conference. Best Catch competition creativity of
Speaker 1: the whole deal right first round On Thursday, players will
Speaker 1: showcase their best reception in highlight reels shot at iconic
Speaker 1: venues around Las Vegas. Fans will vote online for their
Speaker 1: favorite catch from each conference, and the player with the
Speaker 1: highest votes will compete in the finals on Sunday. Jefferson
Speaker 1: and Diggs or Justin Jefferson and Davante Adams. I think
Speaker 1: he had a few one handed ones this year. It'll
Speaker 1: be Justin Jefferson and the play that they're gonna show
Speaker 1: us against my Bills, well, the play they might show
Speaker 1: for Diggs is in that game. And that's what I'm saying, like,
Speaker 1: oh my goodness, man, wow, I don't know if you
Speaker 1: know what. I don't know if I would have have
Speaker 1: me I had great hands, but I don't know if
Speaker 1: I would have wanted to be in this particular competition.
Speaker 1: I would have wanted to be in the throw and one. Yeah, no,
Speaker 1: I'm with you on that one. Just start throwing some
Speaker 1: targets there. Day one in the books, what's happening on
Speaker 1: day two? We'll explain that coming up next. All right,
Speaker 1: So day one of the skills competition in the books.
Speaker 1: In terms of our explanation, they continues on Best Cats
Speaker 1: presented by Uber Eats. The finale on Sunday, the top
Speaker 1: vote getters from each conference will compete head to head
Speaker 1: as they perform in front of a panel of celebrity judges.
Speaker 1: The past catcher accumulates the highest score from the judges
Speaker 1: determine the winner. Would you ever maybe think of a
Speaker 1: guy that's not a wide receiver in this competition? Yeah,
Speaker 1: Travis Kelsey, Oh great, Travis Kelsey. I would think about him,
Speaker 1: and this. I would also thinking about a I like
Speaker 1: a Darren Waller, a bigger, longer guy who can run
Speaker 1: and do you know, contorted his body and do some
Speaker 1: pretty What about the guy Kyle Pitts from Atlanta? Like
Speaker 1: I would think about those guys who are really extremely
Speaker 1: large wilde receivers. That's really what they are. So the
Speaker 1: player who's going to move on, they basically get the
Speaker 1: Gridiron Gauntlet a side by side relay race showcasing strength,
Speaker 1: speed and agility. Six players from each conference compete to
Speaker 1: see who finishes first and wins three points for the team.
Speaker 1: The four part gauntlet. Each segment forty yards in length,
Speaker 1: includes a series of breakaway walls, a section of climbing
Speaker 1: over walls and under tables, a tire run, and a
Speaker 1: blocking sled. Carrying on this, Gladiators, the show that we
Speaker 1: used to watch we were young. The guys like Laser Storm.
Speaker 1: It was I forget him. Now that I said it,
Speaker 1: I forgot it. But yes, man, it seems like a
Speaker 1: Gladiator episode. It does, It does, or American Ninja Warrior
Speaker 1: because the producers are parked going through some of that stuff.
Speaker 1: How about this one kick a tack to Each team's kicker, punter,
Speaker 1: and long snapper compete in a giant tic tac toe competition,
Speaker 1: but you gotta kick in it lands like in a
Speaker 1: square or something. So basically, the first team to complete
Speaker 1: a connecting line of three squares or hit five squares
Speaker 1: total will be declared the winner and are in three
Speaker 1: points for his conference. How many chances do you get?
Speaker 1: If it's three, then it's just justin Tucker three kicks
Speaker 1: and you're own. That's true, that's true. But I mean,
Speaker 1: I guess the punter would have to be involved too.
Speaker 1: So are they alternating kicks? How are these dudes so
Speaker 1: they'll be able to get this right, They'll be able
Speaker 1: to do whatever whatever is asked of them. I mean,
Speaker 1: it's crazy, the accuracy of the of these kickers. Ridiculous.
Speaker 1: Final skills competition, move the chains. That's what we like
Speaker 1: to see a single Sunday, especially on the offensive side.
Speaker 1: Only the offensive side. Four teams, two from each conference
Speaker 1: will compete side by side in a weighted wallpole that
Speaker 1: will showcase their strength and speed. Each team of five
Speaker 1: players just responsible for pulling a wall loaded up with
Speaker 1: heavy weights ten yards a quickly as possible using first
Speaker 1: down chains. The winner of the best of three playoff
Speaker 1: will earn three points for their conference. I like, what,
Speaker 1: like that's it really is? I mean, that's kind of
Speaker 1: like an offseason condition anything. That's exactly what it is.
Speaker 1: And actually in college we would call that the finisher.
Speaker 1: That's like what you do after the workout to kind
Speaker 1: of reinforce what you did through the workout. Um, I'm
Speaker 1: gonna pick any the a f C team that's got
Speaker 1: Derrick Henry just because he's a big guy. I just
Speaker 1: think about those workout videos that you post. This is
Speaker 1: where Austin Neckler comes into play. So it's a pool,
Speaker 1: so you gotta be in front of it. Then that's
Speaker 1: what I'm saying. I'm assuming and you gotta be pulling
Speaker 1: that way. And they're talking about ingenuity, so I wonder
Speaker 1: where they have any props or anything they can use
Speaker 1: to kind of help them out or whatever. Are they
Speaker 1: just saying five guys get in front and pull and
Speaker 1: I'm just gonna get the biggest strongest guys. I that's
Speaker 1: I'm going in that direction. Um, all right, the actual
Speaker 1: flag football game itself, you know, you know the rules
Speaker 1: analyze the game. Flag football game too. Is today your NFC.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna go NFC just because I think some of
Speaker 1: those AFC quarterbacks won't be playing. I think it will
Speaker 1: be the NFC. I don't think it matters who the
Speaker 1: quarterback is. How about this take. You've seen this before,
Speaker 1: and I'm going off as something that you told me
Speaker 1: about flag football and how the body types are a
Speaker 1: little bit different. I think if whatever team has Tyreeke wins,
Speaker 1: like I think Tyreek Hill. We see it on Sundays,
Speaker 1: but I actually I think he's going for as good
Speaker 1: as he is on Sundays, I think he's going to
Speaker 1: be a better than flag football and the speed will
Speaker 1: scare people because you do have to slow down to
Speaker 1: pull the flag like you gotta kind of whatever. That's interesting, man,
Speaker 1: He's gonna be a problem for the NFC side. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that's a good jobs, next level analysis. I'm ready to
Speaker 1: be the analyst on this show. I hope everyone enjoyed
Speaker 1: the breakdown of the Pro Bowl games and more importantly,
Speaker 1: enjoys the entire week and how it all plays out.
Speaker 1: Remember it's day one Thursday, February Ray two, espm seven
Speaker 1: to eight thirty pm Eastern time, day to Sunday, Febtruary
Speaker 1: from three to six Eastern on ESPN and ABC. He's
Speaker 1: the real Microp. I'm Mike Yam. Thank you so much
Speaker 1: for listening.