Speaker 1: The Around the NFL podcast as downgraded Mark two questionable
Speaker 1: from the Chris Wesley podcast studio. It's Around the NFL.
Speaker 1: I am Dan hansis Greg Rosenthal here, Mark Cesler. Now
Speaker 1: you did take the serum? Is that why the injury designation?
Speaker 1: You were a downgrade? I don't know the reason.
Speaker 2: These things are typically, you know, just dropped out of
Speaker 2: thin air onto my into my lap.
Speaker 1: I did learn that. Do what?
Speaker 3: How about that?
Speaker 1: Like after a doctor tufflhammer rest in peace. By the way, Wow,
Speaker 1: breaking news.
Speaker 4: Make it to today's show. Uh we lost the good doctor.
Speaker 4: That cough was as bad as it sounded. Baker Mayfield
Speaker 4: dealing with a really nasty case.
Speaker 1: Of gigantism in the head right now, so hopefully that
Speaker 1: comes down by the opening of the legal tampering on Monday.
Speaker 2: I also liked the Baker Mayfield learned from a reporter
Speaker 2: during the Truth Serim interview that he was about to
Speaker 2: be become a father. That seemed to catch him off
Speaker 2: guard during the actual interview.
Speaker 1: I don't know it caught him off guard or maybe
Speaker 1: he just revealed that didn't care that much. He was
Speaker 1: just like got the ou pair, I got things, I
Speaker 1: got money, Baker's still in the Baker' zone, you know
Speaker 1: what I mean.
Speaker 2: But I don't think he knew that his unfair significant
Speaker 2: other was pregnant. But based on how that interview.
Speaker 5: I mean, he's got got his wife in those commercials too.
Speaker 4: So this is this is a big spot for Baker
Speaker 4: gigantism there.
Speaker 1: That's that's a tough one. I think he did say
Speaker 1: he expressed surprise. I think he said, oh really, I mean,
Speaker 1: she's like heavily pregnant. Right, So he's not very observant
Speaker 1: during the off season. He's off on his own doing
Speaker 1: his own thing, as you wrote, Greg, and you're one
Speaker 1: oh one right up. He's been He's gotten better with
Speaker 1: you know, quick decisions. Maybe he's so quick now he
Speaker 1: has not looked down and seen his wife extremely pregnant.
Speaker 5: I I worry about how he sees the field.
Speaker 4: Then that seems like traveling as troubling as his career,
Speaker 4: which like as one great year, one bad year.
Speaker 5: You want him on the year with the.
Speaker 4: One year, three million dollar contract, maybe not the thirty
Speaker 4: five million dollar contract.
Speaker 1: What's going to happen? I keep hearing he had a
Speaker 1: great seasons?
Speaker 5: See was it great?
Speaker 1: He had great moments actually has been as strong, and
Speaker 1: we're going to get into all the free agents. With
Speaker 1: the franchise tag in the rear view and the transactions
Speaker 1: now largely done, you would imagine his teams really dig
Speaker 1: in this weekend to begin there or finalize their plan
Speaker 1: of attack for free agency, which will be all over
Speaker 1: next week shows Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, if necessary, Friday.
Speaker 1: A couple of years back, we did a Deshaun Watson
Speaker 1: lands with the Browns Friday emergency podcast.
Speaker 2: Another time when I was you know, it went out
Speaker 2: to lunch and like thought that that would be a
Speaker 2: calm afternoon and then bang, like a nuclear bomb lands
Speaker 2: on your face.
Speaker 4: Will also be taping the Face that Monday show from
Speaker 4: you know, right before the iHeart Podcast.
Speaker 5: Yes, we're in the out and see if we win.
Speaker 1: Hopping on a plane on Sunday and heading to the
Speaker 1: iHeart Awards. More and more, I think we're gonna win that.
Speaker 2: By the way, really, I just feel like a sort
Speaker 2: of an energy like we keep we just assume we're
Speaker 2: gonna lose to the Kelsey's.
Speaker 3: I think it's gonna go the other way. I'm predicting.
Speaker 1: I think we're gonna win, like like dune style disturbance
Speaker 1: in the forest type situation.
Speaker 3: I don't know what I don't.
Speaker 2: I don't not a dune person, but like, isn't that No,
Speaker 2: it's not and you know it's not stupid.
Speaker 1: That's a stread, all right. So anyway to talk about
Speaker 1: all that free agency stuff, we have one of the man,
Speaker 1: let's be honest, one of the biggest names in the game,
Speaker 1: Mina Chimes, who does it all over to ESPN and
Speaker 1: she's been on our show many times, and she'll be
Speaker 1: back on the show again in a little bit talking
Speaker 1: over Greg's list and free agency in general. But before that,
Speaker 1: let us get caught up on some news hopefully give
Speaker 1: us the.
Speaker 5: Best chance to win the whole thing.
Speaker 3: Gonna get a final let's ride for Broncos control of course,
Speaker 3: bostri Let's right, Eric keel Rut.
Speaker 1: All right, So Russell Wilson, you've heard of this guy, right? Oh? Yeah?
Speaker 1: He now he no longer. He once upon a time
Speaker 1: was a huge star for the Seattle Seahawks. He went
Speaker 1: to the Broncos where he's expected to continue to be
Speaker 1: a huge star. That didn't work out, and now he
Speaker 1: is free to sign with any team. And the Steelers
Speaker 1: are on that list of potential teams. Beat writer Jerry Dulock,
Speaker 1: who's been there for a long time, reports that the
Speaker 1: team has interest in signing Wilson. Wilson, according to Duloc,
Speaker 1: also has interest in the Steelers. We talk about right
Speaker 1: church wrong pew I said last week when we're talking
Speaker 1: justin fields with Rodo pat that it's the worst smoke
Speaker 1: screen in Pittsburgh since the then Redskins, well then then Redskins.
Speaker 1: Then coach Mike Shanahan said he was deciding between John
Speaker 1: Beck and Rex Grossman, and he's ready to stake his
Speaker 1: reputation up on it. That's how it feels like with
Speaker 1: the quarterback room in Pittsburgh right now. They have to
Speaker 1: bring somebody in or we simply cannot take the Steelers seriously. However,
Speaker 1: Mark Sessler, I'm not sure if Russell Wilson joining the
Speaker 1: gang that leads us to take them seriously. But it
Speaker 1: would be an upgrade. Let's say that.
Speaker 2: It's and that's sort of what everyone's come to agree on.
Speaker 2: It's an upgrade in theory over Kenny Pickett. It's like
Speaker 2: to me, I think it's a tough sell inside the building.
Speaker 2: It's a tough sell to your to us fan base
Speaker 2: that you know is not going to be have.
Speaker 3: The wool puled over their eyes.
Speaker 2: Like we've all watched Russell Wilson for two years and
Speaker 2: it's you can spin last season is like he was
Speaker 2: vastly improved.
Speaker 1: Like No, he wasn't. Like he he.
Speaker 3: Is a shell of what he used to be.
Speaker 2: And I think it's a tough sell for Steelers fans
Speaker 2: to say we're going this direction or it's the only
Speaker 2: thing we're gonna look at, at least explore other options.
Speaker 1: I disagree with that. I think he was much improved
Speaker 1: from year one in Denver in fact, and counting stats
Speaker 1: are they can mislead, but look at his counting stats
Speaker 1: with Hack getting your one. In Denver, he threw for
Speaker 1: over three thousand yards. He threw for twenty six touchdowns,
Speaker 1: just eight interceptions got benched down the stretch, so he
Speaker 1: could have flirted with a thirty touchdown season there in Denver,
Speaker 1: which we kind of don't even think about it that
Speaker 1: way because it didn't look so great. The tape didn't
Speaker 1: quite match some of the good production, but he had
Speaker 1: runs where he did succeed, So yes, I think I
Speaker 1: agree with you Mark that it's a hard sell, but
Speaker 1: maybe maybe it's a bigger upgrade than we think, just
Speaker 1: because we're so down on Wilson and the Wilson experience
Speaker 1: at this point.
Speaker 4: I'm closer to Mark here in the two polls, just
Speaker 4: because what's that saying, don't let perfect be the enemy
Speaker 4: of good? So that would be a reason. Okay, well,
Speaker 4: Russell Wilson's an incremental improvement. I would say, do do
Speaker 4: let perfect be the enemy of good? In this case,
Speaker 4: the whole point of a front office is to find
Speaker 4: a top ten to twelve quarterback.
Speaker 5: That's it.
Speaker 4: That's the most important thing that is in your entire organization.
Speaker 4: Until you have one, you need to have a shot
Speaker 4: to go find one, And signing Russell Wilson is giving
Speaker 4: up on that shot. To me, he's not a big
Speaker 4: enough upgrade to me from Mason Rudolph. To me, he
Speaker 4: is the Kenny Pickett of like veteran quarterback options, where
Speaker 4: Kenny Pickett was like this guy that no one really
Speaker 4: wanted to take in the first round and he's the
Speaker 4: twentieth pick in the first round. He wasn't like a
Speaker 4: real exciting quarterback prospect. It was like kind of aiming
Speaker 4: for the middle, and that's Russell Wilson. There's no point
Speaker 4: in signing a mid level quarterback because that's gonna stop
Speaker 4: them from going after a great quarterback, which is what
Speaker 4: they need to do. Like they need to spend all
Speaker 4: their resources on that.
Speaker 1: Think. I think you might I could have this wrong.
Speaker 1: But perfect is the enemy of good would mean that
Speaker 1: they are only going for the best possible. And because
Speaker 1: they're only going for the best possible, they're not looking
Speaker 1: at getting something good or close to.
Speaker 4: Me, like, don't ignore better. I think Russell Wilson in
Speaker 4: theory is getting better. So I say that does not
Speaker 4: apply here.
Speaker 1: I want the words flipped. No, I say what I've
Speaker 1: heard before is good is the enemy of great.
Speaker 5: Well, that's it's all in the Saint don't know.
Speaker 1: If you settle for Wilson, you're not going for the great,
Speaker 1: which would be the top ten quarterback. Yeah, perfect is
Speaker 1: the enemy of good.
Speaker 5: It's all in the same idea.
Speaker 1: I'm more side with Mark on this side of the poll.
Speaker 4: This is going full Tare is the man who is
Speaker 4: most commonly attributed to So.
Speaker 1: I wish I wish we could dig it, dig him
Speaker 1: up and ask him right.
Speaker 4: I don't know where if bull Taire had Russell Wilson
Speaker 4: on his free agency reagons, but it's like, to me,
Speaker 4: it's not high, it's not enough, higher than then Russell,
Speaker 4: than h Kenny Pickett or or Mitchell Tribbat And well.
Speaker 3: According to your race, you'd rather have Jacoby percent.
Speaker 1: Oh absolutely, we'll get to that.
Speaker 4: I mean, Russell Wilson also had one of the highest
Speaker 4: sack percentages in the NFL in each of the last
Speaker 4: two years. For attemph last year were actually down from
Speaker 4: the year before.
Speaker 1: I like Jake Brisky, but I mean, is he going
Speaker 1: to be the new Teddy? Now We're gonna be talking
Speaker 1: about him twelve years from now.
Speaker 5: No great options, But my point is you'll get me started.
Speaker 1: Tyrod Taylor in your top eight we please.
Speaker 5: He's top eight free agent quarterbacks.
Speaker 4: He played great last year in his limited time, so
Speaker 4: he's a great back walks of the limp backups are
Speaker 4: worth something. But ja Kobe, to be fair, would kind
Speaker 4: of be in the same bucket for me where you're
Speaker 4: not really trying for a great quarterback either. I think
Speaker 4: it'd be a better option. But the point is you
Speaker 4: need to be putting bigger resources into taking a big swing.
Speaker 4: You're not gonna win with defense and running.
Speaker 3: In that division two. Please all right?
Speaker 1: So yes, as we talked about at the beginning of
Speaker 1: yesterday's show, the decision to trade for Russ Wilson and
Speaker 1: Denver and then give him the massive contract will have
Speaker 1: continue to reverberate with that organization for years because they
Speaker 1: have eighty five million dollars in dead cap money. A
Speaker 1: It not to bum out, you know, my neighbor or whatever, but.
Speaker 2: It sounds like he's already going some things.
Speaker 1: They have no chance to win the Super Bowl in
Speaker 1: the next two years in my opinion, and and I
Speaker 1: think deep down they know too. So is it affecting
Speaker 1: some roster decisions now as they look ahead to the
Speaker 1: next season. The Broncos release safety Justin Simmons. This man
Speaker 1: was a second team All Pro in four of his
Speaker 1: last five seasons. He's been to the Pro Bowl multiple times.
Speaker 1: He's not young, but he's not old. He's turning thirty
Speaker 1: at the start of next season. Had another productive season
Speaker 1: last year, but the Broncos move on Greg. I think A.
Speaker 1: Simmons got to be in a good place on the
Speaker 1: one oh one and b Is this a direct correlation
Speaker 1: to Russ.
Speaker 4: I think it's a close correlation to Russ. I think
Speaker 4: they viewed Simmons. It was written by one of the
Speaker 4: Beat reporters as a luxury that they could no longer afford.
Speaker 4: I think it's a little more compated in that he's
Speaker 4: turning thirty one this year and he's coming off probably
Speaker 4: his worst season. I know he got that second team
Speaker 4: All Pro that might have been off a little bit
Speaker 4: off reputation if you talk to some people, so like
Speaker 4: you saw some decline and he's getting older at a
Speaker 4: cheap position. Would he have been released though, if they
Speaker 4: just had like eighty million dollars in cap space, No,
Speaker 4: probably not. So this is a rare case. I think
Speaker 4: it is a cap cut. But if he was playing
Speaker 4: at his very best level, he wouldn't be cut every
Speaker 4: time these cuts happened.
Speaker 5: Like some people point out to see, the cap is real.
Speaker 5: All you people that say the CAP's not real, it's real.
Speaker 5: I get that.
Speaker 4: But there's always like context to it, which is these
Speaker 4: players still never get released if the teams really want
Speaker 4: to keep them. I don't think they really wanted to
Speaker 4: keep Justin Simmons. They didn't really view him as a
Speaker 4: difference man.
Speaker 2: Yeah, just against the combination of his age, his position,
Speaker 2: and the fact that they like they lived like legit
Speaker 2: did need to make some tough decisions with the Russell
Speaker 2: Wilson situation and fourteen point five in cap savings, is
Speaker 2: that matters well?
Speaker 4: And to Dan's you know, good point yesterday, take all
Speaker 4: the medicine you can now. So it's like, we're not
Speaker 4: winning the super Bowl this year. Justin Simmons at most
Speaker 4: probably has one more year left with us based on
Speaker 4: this contract. It's like through the Patriots thing where maybe
Speaker 4: we'll risk getting rid of them a year too early,
Speaker 4: but it's probably not and just moving.
Speaker 3: Because they can.
Speaker 2: They can have it be a fifty three million dollar
Speaker 2: price tag this year, and they'd have to make some
Speaker 2: more cuts, but it's like they can they can make
Speaker 2: it not just split down the middle for Russell right right,
Speaker 2: and Russell's part of it, but that would have that
Speaker 2: affects the rest of their financials.
Speaker 3: But I'm I'm I totally agree with Dan.
Speaker 2: It's like, use this year to get as healthy as
Speaker 2: you can for next year.
Speaker 4: So they I'm with you, they can't win a super
Speaker 4: Bowl in the next two years kind of of course,
Speaker 4: But I don't think it's not just because of Russell Wilson.
Speaker 4: It's just because they had He's inheriting a pretty bad roster.
Speaker 4: It is crazy to me, and this is an anomaly.
Speaker 4: Last year the Bucks had seventy six million dollars in
Speaker 4: dead cassy seventy six.
Speaker 5: The Rams had over seven. They both made the playoffs.
Speaker 4: The next two teams on that list were the Packers
Speaker 4: in the Eagles, who had nice seasons, you know, because
Speaker 4: they ate a lot for Aaron Rodgers over fifty five.
Speaker 4: So I think there's a route to being competitive. Not
Speaker 4: winning a Super Bowl is certainly not this brother. Were
Speaker 4: those teams again, the Rams, the Rams and the Bucks
Speaker 4: established star quarterback bucks, sure, but over under like win
Speaker 4: total was the lowest. I guess what I'm saying is
Speaker 4: when we're a surprise.
Speaker 1: Why I'm especially strong on that with Denver is not
Speaker 1: only did that move backfiring kill you? Financially, you're starting
Speaker 1: over again at quarterback, so it's like unless something falls
Speaker 1: into your lap, it's it was a five year mistake.
Speaker 5: Their route is the Baker in there.
Speaker 4: It's the Baker route where they the Bucks stumbled on
Speaker 4: Baker for that amount of money, got decent quarterback play.
Speaker 5: Could they do that certain Yes with Sean.
Speaker 1: P or a rookie.
Speaker 4: I mean they could do it with Baker, right. The
Speaker 4: problem is the rest of the roster. I'm with you,
Speaker 4: the Bucks, the Rams. Now, in hindsight, the Packers had
Speaker 4: a lot more going on.
Speaker 2: We also spent about four off seasons in a row
Speaker 2: suggesting that the Broncos looked like an AFC title type
Speaker 2: roster and it never panned out. None of these guys
Speaker 2: ever panned out across the board.
Speaker 1: Uh.
Speaker 4: That always bothered West. West was always kind of big
Speaker 4: on the Broncos. They just looked loaded in the automate
Speaker 4: Joe Flaco Broncos. He was like, thinking they might might
Speaker 4: turn it around.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think we're done with a off season hype
Speaker 1: pieces around Jerry, Judy and Courtland's so yet, I think
Speaker 1: we got a little tired. Yep, it's time. Uh you
Speaker 1: know what else, It's time for mark Ezra Cleveland update Bang.
Speaker 1: The Jaguars signed the Guard to a three or twenty
Speaker 1: eight and a half million dollar contract. Rap sheet says
Speaker 1: that deal includes fourteen and a half million in guaranteed money.
Speaker 1: So the Jags who got Cleveland from the Vikings at
Speaker 1: the deadline. They lock them up before he reaches the
Speaker 1: open market. Bullyed to them, and I'm sure bully to
Speaker 1: you know, Trevor Lawrence.
Speaker 5: A lot of guards are gonna get paid.
Speaker 4: I don't think Jaguars fans are too excited about this,
Speaker 4: but this is an indication that a lot of.
Speaker 1: I've spoken to several and they are over the moon. Greg.
Speaker 4: I'm really thinking John Shipley, who is a great reporter
Speaker 4: and his he didn't seem too excited.
Speaker 5: He's a reporter, not a writer.
Speaker 1: But I think I just say, listen, I just root
Speaker 1: for good storylines. Okay. I mean when I was a kid,
Speaker 1: you know, when I was a teenager, yeah, I had
Speaker 1: favorite teams. But then I grew up and you know,
Speaker 1: I'm not out of here rooting for laundry, I feel,
Speaker 1: and you know, but the storylines that that I root for,
Speaker 1: I root for the I root for the players. You know.
Speaker 1: I root for certain players that are good guys, but
Speaker 1: root for a team. Why can I ask you one question?
Speaker 5: Why do you take this so well? They do what
Speaker 5: they want?
Speaker 1: Are you asking me or that guy?
Speaker 2: I'm asking you? As the portrayal of that person. Every
Speaker 2: time someone's coming up with a viewpoint that you don't
Speaker 2: quite agree with, they like suddenly barely passed high school
Speaker 2: from Hackensack, New Jersey.
Speaker 1: I'm saying that's that's just a very standard block and tackle. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean explanation.
Speaker 4: I feel I feel a little attack because I almost
Speaker 4: feel like at this point I have to I actually
Speaker 4: have to pretend I'm more of a fan of the
Speaker 4: Patriots than than I am. Just dissatisfied Dan's cravy.
Speaker 1: No, you've got a little bit of the diet, you
Speaker 1: got a little bit of the Sessler in you where, yes,
Speaker 1: your true feelings betray how you're trying to put out
Speaker 1: sometimes depending on how the Pats are playing, and you
Speaker 1: have a little more energy about them still when you talk.
Speaker 4: Absolutely I'm going to be following them and more into
Speaker 4: them than any other team.
Speaker 1: But it's just laundry.
Speaker 4: But it's just the volume is so far down than
Speaker 4: where it was that it's just it's tough.
Speaker 3: Well, you're you're not a child at that.
Speaker 5: I don't.
Speaker 1: I'm a grown man. I don't root it. Colors on, Oh,
Speaker 1: I like their colors.
Speaker 5: Forget child.
Speaker 4: Oh, I'm just a front runner, because it's like I
Speaker 4: was just as big a fan in sixteen and an eighteen.
Speaker 4: It was just like, okay, we've we've accomplished at all.
Speaker 4: What's the point.
Speaker 1: You can't be taken seriously in this business unless you
Speaker 1: really take a step back. I can't take him seriously
Speaker 1: in this business.
Speaker 3: That's how he performs.
Speaker 4: I also feel bad, though, Dan, because sometimes I realized
Speaker 4: I put the news run down in the wrong order,
Speaker 4: and I and I did edit in our slack channel.
Speaker 5: I did not intend to have Ezra Cleveland.
Speaker 1: That that's true.
Speaker 4: That's I moved it back down and later edit. But
Speaker 4: I don't think you you saw that that probably should
Speaker 4: have been. That was just that was an odds and
Speaker 4: ends on me. It's in our pot now it is.
Speaker 4: There's the latest UH Bill's news.
Speaker 1: UH. We talked about Jordan Poyer being cut yesterday. I
Speaker 1: don't think this falls on the wrong side of the
Speaker 1: vengeance scale. But there was more to come from Buffalo
Speaker 1: starting yesterday. They also cut cornerback T Davis White, big
Speaker 1: name Mitch Morse. They rework Von Miller's deal. We talked
Speaker 1: about how that was a mistake that they were living
Speaker 1: with UH and they also bring back Mitch t I
Speaker 1: mean that in all this like news to get to Mit,
Speaker 1: gotta get gotta get Mitch lockdown before the open market.
Speaker 1: Uh really gets the size up where he fits in. UH.
Speaker 1: And Tell Rap also signed by Buffalo, So a bunch
Speaker 1: of moves there. And you know this is a team
Speaker 1: very clearly managing their salary cap and also Mark looking
Speaker 1: to take things in a slightly different direction next year.
Speaker 1: You know the coach is going to be there. You
Speaker 1: know there the play caller, you know, the quarterback, and
Speaker 1: but there's a lot of other things. You get the
Speaker 1: idea that Buffalo is a team to keep an eye
Speaker 1: on how they attack this offseason. After yet another really
Speaker 1: painful playoff Ouster.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you saw this coming because this was another case
Speaker 2: where we left the building and then the Bills, you know,
Speaker 2: flooded the newswire with additional cuts. But they were like
Speaker 2: when we finished our show from in terms of over
Speaker 2: the cap, like in the worst cap situation in the league,
Speaker 2: they shaved thirty seven million off of that.
Speaker 3: That helps.
Speaker 2: There's more work to do, but it is interesting because
Speaker 2: reading some stuff from people in Buffalo right now that
Speaker 2: like Sean McDermott who is has not nothing but success
Speaker 2: if you go globally compared to what the Bills were before.
Speaker 2: Sean McDermott seems to be about on as big of
Speaker 2: a hot seat as there is right now. I think,
Speaker 2: like fans are going absolutely crazy. He just seems to
Speaker 2: be under a lot of pressure.
Speaker 4: I know, and I get it. There are some things
Speaker 4: about him that are frustrating to me. And you know,
Speaker 4: the nine to eleven story and how he runs that
Speaker 4: team pointed out some of his weaknesses. But I also
Speaker 4: think like you got to give teams credit that are
Speaker 4: right in the mix every year, Like that's the whole goal.
Speaker 3: Right, he succeeded.
Speaker 4: I know, we're in the season after the only super
Speaker 4: Bowls matter. It's like, no, that twenty seventeen season was
Speaker 4: magical when they first made the playoffs, and then in
Speaker 4: the last four seasons they've been right there and it's
Speaker 4: very frustrating. But this was a I think a necessary
Speaker 4: day for them where they had to change eras a
Speaker 4: little bit. Poyer was part of that era. Tredevious White
Speaker 4: made some All Pro teams, but he just tore his achilles.
Speaker 4: He had a torn acl Like this is a move
Speaker 4: they would have made in any season. Mitch Morris I
Speaker 4: thought was interesting because he's played like twelve hundred snaps
Speaker 4: the season for four or five straight years, and he's
Speaker 4: a solid center, but just maybe a little overpaid, so
Speaker 4: that was a cap space thing. And then von Miller
Speaker 4: only is keeping his job because he had all this
Speaker 4: guaranteed money, and I was curious he actually took less
Speaker 4: money in this deal. Why did that happen? That's that's weird.
Speaker 4: Just and someone inside the league text and me he
Speaker 4: could get suspended and this will the way they structured it,
Speaker 4: He's going to get guaranteed that money. So he took
Speaker 4: like three million dollars less, but if he does get suspended,
Speaker 4: he'll end up with more. So you know, it works
Speaker 4: out for these players with a guaranteed.
Speaker 1: I know that football is completely different than basketball, but
Speaker 1: I don't feel that Sean McDermott hot takes on nine
Speaker 1: to eleven notwithstanding, should be on the hot seat. I'm
Speaker 1: going to use my own fandom parallel in the NBA
Speaker 1: when Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley and John Starks and
Speaker 1: whether it's Doc Rivers or Derek Harper could not could
Speaker 1: not get over the hump against the Bulls and Michael Jordan,
Speaker 1: and I don't remember anybody in that in that media
Speaker 1: market ever saying we got to fire pat Riley because.
Speaker 3: But pat Riley had won like five titles.
Speaker 1: What I'm saying like it was it was I understand that,
Speaker 1: but it's sometimes my point being you get good at
Speaker 1: the wrong time, and buffalo running into the teeth of
Speaker 1: the Patrick Mahomes era is really tough, and I understand that,
Speaker 1: Like you could say, well, then you got to bring
Speaker 1: somebody in that could figure out how to beat Pat
Speaker 1: Mahomes and maybe that time will come. But I'm just
Speaker 1: giving McDermott and the Bills fans in general, and Eric
Speaker 1: Roberts behind the glass, this is just a very frot.
Speaker 1: I've been there in different way as a fan, Like
Speaker 1: it's so frustrating to be here at this moment because
Speaker 1: if there was no Mahomes, yeah, the Bills probably get
Speaker 1: over the hump once or even twice by now, but
Speaker 1: they haven't been able to.
Speaker 2: I guess Also, what I was noting was that like
Speaker 2: Bills fans in that region. I'm not saying, you know,
Speaker 2: high thinking Bills fans from you know, other parts of
Speaker 2: the country, but it's like there isn't a level of agitation.
Speaker 2: I don't know, how do we how do we decide
Speaker 2: if he's on the hot seat or not. He just
Speaker 2: I think there's a fair amount of pressure and a
Speaker 2: tightening vice around the Bill's experience.
Speaker 4: And he he adds to that because he's just as
Speaker 4: about as tightly wound as ever. I'm feeling basketball reference closer.
Speaker 4: I consider the Bills, the Lob City Clippers and Patrick
Speaker 4: Mahomes Steph Curry in the War yea, like you.
Speaker 1: Can't even get out of the West.
Speaker 4: They never even write they never even got to a
Speaker 4: conference final. But that that's fair. I I was thinking about, uh,
Speaker 4: my Celtics right now. We've had a ton of success.
Speaker 5: Fall is completely different than anything.
Speaker 4: Sort of a championship has got to be disappointing when
Speaker 4: you're the big there the sign BRender doctrine. You must
Speaker 4: win the finals at this point this season, which is
Speaker 4: which is not a great place to be. It's not
Speaker 4: it's not great because if they lose to the Nuggets,
Speaker 4: it's like, that's totally understandable.
Speaker 1: And yet you know who found I.
Speaker 2: Also sound like an idiot and that clip, by the way,
Speaker 2: I don't think so. Football is completely different than basketball.
Speaker 2: That is an embarrassing sound.
Speaker 1: But it's fine. It's fine, You're fine. Now. I forgot
Speaker 1: what he was gonna say, but it was probably trenching.
Speaker 1: All right, that's what's happening in the news. We'll take
Speaker 1: a break and then we'll welcome in Mina Chimes. Welcome back.
Speaker 1: Sausage fingers getting a lot of use on the acts
Speaker 1: recently cause we've been having a lot of great guests
Speaker 1: and that role continues for Around the NFL. Back for
Speaker 1: another appearance. Oh, it seems like so long ago that
Speaker 1: Mina Chimes was coming into our old studio in Culver City.
Speaker 1: We had stopped at a gas station and got us
Speaker 1: some hip hop themed potato chips, and it began a
Speaker 1: wonderful relationship the ESPN Star and the NFL heroes. So
Speaker 1: what's up, Mina Kimes. Welcome back to around the NFL.
Speaker 6: Hey know, if that was the beginning of our relationship,
Speaker 6: I don't even know if that was my first close.
Speaker 1: I think it was your first appearance.
Speaker 2: And also I believe you'd had a rough and tumble
Speaker 2: time at that seven eleven before picking up those chips.
Speaker 6: That is true, that is lore now in our relationship
Speaker 6: that I was so determined to make it that.
Speaker 4: I mean, you'll you'll find out Dan likes to create narratives,
Speaker 4: which over the years, you know, just start forming into
Speaker 4: total fictions that create narratives.
Speaker 1: This is just storytelling me. You know, pop quick pop quiz.
Speaker 1: What was the the hip hop star who was on
Speaker 1: those potato chips?
Speaker 6: I think it was Cardi b.
Speaker 5: Oh incorrect, Greg, Well, I don't know if I'm right.
Speaker 5: This came up. We were talking about it.
Speaker 1: You spoke complently about it. I thought it was mean
Speaker 1: egos chips. That sounds potentially right, right, No, but you
Speaker 1: spoke with confidence when we talked about it last time.
Speaker 6: One of your listeners, you guys have a very active,
Speaker 6: engaged fan base. I'm sure one of them. Good call
Speaker 6: and you know and remembers your can dip go back
Speaker 6: into the archives.
Speaker 3: Oh you got that right.
Speaker 1: Let us know who is correct? All right, Mina. You
Speaker 1: have taken some time out of your busy schedule, and
Speaker 1: thank you for that to help us dig in on
Speaker 1: the updated rankings. And by the way, just to put
Speaker 1: it on your radar, Mina, because you're a major national personality.
Speaker 1: Mark Sessler and I are going to be putting out
Speaker 1: our free agency two thirteen at midnight on Tuesday. So
Speaker 1: just let's let if you want to us on one
Speaker 1: of your programs. Yes, still working on it. Where where available?
Speaker 4: Uh, Tuesday seems like a bad time for it. So
Speaker 4: it's like kind of all that happen.
Speaker 1: Don't need it, don't need it here from are we? Anyway?
Speaker 1: Greg's one oh one is updated? So Greg, why don't
Speaker 1: you get us going here? How do we want to
Speaker 1: attack what's going?
Speaker 7: All?
Speaker 1: Right?
Speaker 4: So I want to I thought it'd be fun we
Speaker 4: go through by position. Now that all these free agent
Speaker 4: tags have been you know, put on, we've had some
Speaker 4: interesting players added to the list, like Justin Simmons is
Speaker 4: now in the in the top fifty.
Speaker 5: Uh, and maybe go through by positions?
Speaker 4: Good, just to a quick run through of like a
Speaker 4: top ten by positions and then you guys throw out
Speaker 4: what you don't like or any sleepers, any bus and
Speaker 4: he fits that you like. I think defensive end is
Speaker 4: probably still the deepest, even though the top of the
Speaker 4: lot got taken away. So at defensive end edge, I
Speaker 4: have danil Hunter out there at number one. Jonathan Garnard
Speaker 4: you boy Mina at number two. I don't know if
Speaker 4: he's your Broy, Bryce Huff, Chaise Young, for Zideria Smith five,
Speaker 4: Andrew van Ginkel six, Genevian Clowney, josh Uch Dorns Armstrong,
Speaker 4: Marcus Davenport. I mean, even guys like Shaq Beart and
Speaker 4: Leonard Floyd Whor are good, good players, are not on
Speaker 4: the list. This is a position where you can still
Speaker 4: find some players in free agency. I think Grenard especially
Speaker 4: had a nice week that he's kind of the only
Speaker 4: guy in the sweet spot that is hitting free agency
Speaker 4: at this time, and there's going to be a bidding war,
Speaker 4: and I think the Texans are comfortable letting him go
Speaker 4: for whatever reason.
Speaker 6: Gernard, I don't know if he's my boy. He's kind
Speaker 6: of like an NFL Twitter sweetheart, right. He is well
Speaker 6: last Obo Camaranquo was Jonathan Grenard before Jonathan Gard and
Speaker 6: incidentally on the same team. He's like, I'll watch the
Speaker 6: tape and you see how good he is, how complete
Speaker 6: he is a good player. Though he is a good player.
Speaker 6: I agree with you in Houston, especially since you got
Speaker 6: Will Anderson Junior. They do have a lot of cap space,
Speaker 6: so I like this group, it's a lot of one
Speaker 6: bees and two's hunters. I think the only like real superstar,
Speaker 6: a guy like Bryce Huff is someone who you guys know,
Speaker 6: you know, small sample size all star question. Did New
Speaker 6: York just have too much depth obviously they like to
Speaker 6: rotate their pass rushers or did they feel he wasn't
Speaker 6: an every down player. That's the kind of question the
Speaker 6: acquiring team will have to answer. Just looking at this list,
Speaker 6: I think that Andrew Banking was like surprising great last year.
Speaker 6: That's a player that I feel like could be had
Speaker 6: at a reasonable price.
Speaker 5: H He's a Mark favorite is.
Speaker 2: It's not just his name. He sounds good, came from
Speaker 2: a child's fable, but like at the same time, like
Speaker 2: I feel like it's years in a row when you're
Speaker 2: watching the Dolphins and he pops up once a game
Speaker 2: or twice a game doing something completely different. It's like
Speaker 2: Greg notes in this that if Bill Belichick was still
Speaker 2: in New England, he'd be going to the Patriots like
Speaker 2: today right now.
Speaker 3: But I think he can help.
Speaker 2: He's a kind of free agent pick up I like
Speaker 2: because you don't have to like blow your budget for him.
Speaker 2: But he always seems to make a difference.
Speaker 1: I think Huff is a guy you want to take
Speaker 1: a swing on. I think as a jetsman, I saw
Speaker 1: how constant he was in terms as a pass rusher,
Speaker 1: and yeah, like they didn't trust him against the run.
Speaker 1: So that is you know, you got to watch your
Speaker 1: tape and make a judgment on you on your own
Speaker 1: outside the building. But twenty six years old with like
Speaker 1: win rates that are as good as like almost any
Speaker 1: player in the league, if you can get him, he's
Speaker 1: gonna be expensive. But if you can get him in
Speaker 1: a little bit less than you know where the top
Speaker 1: names are going, you might get the most productive, you know,
Speaker 1: sax specialist of any of them. So I understand why
Speaker 1: the Jets might be going walking away, But I also
Speaker 1: could see it ended up being a big mistake.
Speaker 4: It matters so much like when you hit free agency,
Speaker 4: because like josh ushe coming off last year would have
Speaker 4: been ye towards the top of the list, and then
Speaker 4: the Patriots like, you never just played him that much
Speaker 4: and he's still a good pass rusher, but do you
Speaker 4: trust him? I have a little bit of like Chase Winovich.
Speaker 4: I don't know if fatigue is the right word or
Speaker 4: just remembering how poorly his post Patriots career went, and
Speaker 4: he was kind of a similar type player.
Speaker 5: But it is a position.
Speaker 4: You need three edge players essentially in the NFL, three
Speaker 4: good ones, and and these guys can all be number twos.
Speaker 4: There's guys who aren't even on the list, like you know,
Speaker 4: Engakway is still out there at Panessa, Charles Harris like
Speaker 4: that are decent. It's deeper than other positions. You can
Speaker 4: actually find guys unlike receiver. Let's talk receiver.
Speaker 1: Wait, can we just I have one last idea for
Speaker 1: Jadavian Clowney, who's coming off a really good year in Baltimore.
Speaker 1: Can we you know how what's the name of the
Speaker 1: event on NFL network where we come back to camp,
Speaker 1: back to training camp or something.
Speaker 5: Itc inside training camp.
Speaker 2: But like the big launch day, I think it's like,
Speaker 2: we're all back together. I get back together.
Speaker 6: Saturday together that's what you guys call you.
Speaker 5: Yeah, so we're never actually back together there. We're just
Speaker 5: stealed here.
Speaker 1: Everybody, but atn back together Saturday. But you you, Jadavin
Speaker 1: Clowney is at the event wherever one of the camps
Speaker 1: and you get a big wheel and whoever it lands
Speaker 1: On gives him a one year, seven million dollar contract.
Speaker 5: Mmm.
Speaker 1: Bang, I feel like he'll sign that and everybody wins.
Speaker 6: I would not mind him for my Seahawks reunion with
Speaker 6: Mike Mack, who I thought got the most out of him.
Speaker 6: That was a tremendous marriage of defensive coordinator with his
Speaker 6: skill set because he's so versatile, he can cover, he's
Speaker 6: so athletic, already has a jersey, right if you kind
Speaker 6: of forget to David Clowney era in Seattle. But yeah,
Speaker 6: either that's something that they need to augment, and that
Speaker 6: strikes me as like you said, like that one year,
Speaker 6: single digit millions maybe high within tis kind of deal,
Speaker 6: but the coach already knows how.
Speaker 1: To use in best good good news for you under
Speaker 1: my Plan one and thirty two chips.
Speaker 7: Right.
Speaker 5: That is the way the value is an agency.
Speaker 4: It's like you're not going to get stars at good prices,
Speaker 4: but you can get especially these older defensive linemen or
Speaker 4: older defensive players in general, and you get them on
Speaker 4: one year contract. The Browns loved it last year with
Speaker 4: him in Zadarius Smith. Let's talk receiver where there won't
Speaker 4: be cheap contracts. The top ten now has been decimated
Speaker 4: and now Calvin Ridley's the best receiver available. In my opinion,
Speaker 4: markis Brown, who I heard MINA you and our friend
Speaker 4: Patrick Claybonn dismissing on your podcast. It's a whole atn
Speaker 4: Mina Times Crossover this week because you have our regular
Speaker 4: Patrick on your show and we'll have to check that out.
Speaker 6: You know, when you have a player that you and
Speaker 6: a friend or a colleague, the media are obsessed with,
Speaker 6: and whenever they do something good, you text it's I'm sure,
Speaker 6: like Greg Rosenthal and Stephen Luiz anytime Gino Smith did everything,
Speaker 6: I'm sure you guys got in touch because he's your guy.
Speaker 6: So Marky Sprown is like the opposite for me in Playbo,
Speaker 6: and I think it's because we were kind of Lamar
Speaker 6: Stands and we were constantly let down by his drops,
Speaker 6: and every time he would have a drop, instantly I
Speaker 6: would pull up my phone and one of us would
Speaker 6: text the other and upset be angry about it. I
Speaker 6: look at the scrip of receivers and I look at
Speaker 6: the draft, and I just don't see why you would
Speaker 6: pay a significant amount of money for them.
Speaker 5: I think that you got the.
Speaker 6: Guys at the top, you're Higgins Evans, They're probably gonna
Speaker 6: you know, India has money and they can keep Pittman Junior.
Speaker 6: We'll see for how much. But beyond that, guys, wouldn't
Speaker 6: you rather have a rookie on a cost controlled contract
Speaker 6: given how well they've played in recent years.
Speaker 5: Yeah, So the rest of the listen, they are candidates
Speaker 5: to get overpaid. Gabe Davis.
Speaker 4: I have third Curtis Samuel, who will never give up
Speaker 4: on it somehow, still only twenty eight years old and
Speaker 4: is a great role player. Actually probably won't cost that much,
Speaker 4: so I think he's not a bad pick up. Darnell Mooney,
Speaker 4: kJ Osborne, Odell Beckham, Tyler Boyd, Michael Thomas, who we're
Speaker 4: going to get to a little later for Flaming. It's
Speaker 4: a bunch of malcontact, Jeff Duncan, Kendrick Bourne, who I
Speaker 4: always think is good, and then Josh Reynold did it
Speaker 4: falls off for there, So it's like a bunch of
Speaker 4: role players. Brown Ridley and I think Gabe Davis are
Speaker 4: probably going to be that guy you're talking about mina
Speaker 4: where they get paid a ton of money without you know,
Speaker 4: having had a ton of production.
Speaker 5: I like Marky's Brown, Like he's like you have to
Speaker 5: keep him happy.
Speaker 2: Though it's like it's like, no matter what situation he's in,
Speaker 2: like you're playing with one of the best quarterbacks of
Speaker 2: our generation, and by the end of it, he's like
Speaker 2: tweeting stuff and he's, you know, just an adjutant. So
Speaker 2: it's like, you can't. You gotta be careful if you're
Speaker 2: gonna go give him a ton of money.
Speaker 1: Is this the year where Odell's market finally kind of
Speaker 1: matches up with where he is or where you know
Speaker 1: where is that he's still even another year later and
Speaker 1: he's still only he's thirty one. Like what we did
Speaker 1: see some things mina from Odell, but then he was
Speaker 1: also losing playing time down the stretch in Baltimore and
Speaker 1: Greg as you pointed out, and you're one on one
Speaker 1: right up, which I agree with. I wonder if they,
Speaker 1: if they could do it over again, would Baltimore get
Speaker 1: new Hopkins and maybe things are different there? But that's
Speaker 1: the past. Where do you think Odell's market is this offseason?
Speaker 6: I think this is the year that it drops off
Speaker 6: because last year it was mystifying to me who Baltimore
Speaker 6: was bidding against when they paid him, what was it
Speaker 6: sixteen million if I remember correctly, it actually almost felt
Speaker 6: like like a Lamar cost to get the deal with Lamar.
Speaker 6: That's total speculation, but you remember at the time when
Speaker 6: they signed Odell.
Speaker 5: Then it was worth it.
Speaker 1: But yeah, it was worth it. They might have been
Speaker 1: they might have been negotiating a little bit against Aaron Rodgers,
Speaker 1: general manager of the Jets back then. He was reported
Speaker 1: connected to them a lot. And then Baltimore went and
Speaker 1: got him. That's how I remember that.
Speaker 6: Maybe he'll be a Jet, but yeah, I just again
Speaker 6: like I don't there were moments where you saw with
Speaker 6: the ball in his hands, still looks really good, but
Speaker 6: he's so he was so inconsistent for Baltimore. And then
Speaker 6: at the end, you know, you did just games where
Speaker 6: he wasn't used at all.
Speaker 2: Here at NFL Network, they've got paintings all up and
Speaker 2: down the hallway of NFL Legends and at one point
Speaker 2: they've painted initially and this got on my radar, Salt
Speaker 2: the yarn Well Odell Beckhan was painted as a Cleveland
Speaker 2: Brown because that's when we kind of landed here in theory.
Speaker 2: And then you know, by the end of the season, someone,
Speaker 2: some painter to come in and change him to a
Speaker 2: ram and then they just stopped changing the outfit because
Speaker 2: it's like he's going to be on his you know,
Speaker 2: multiple teams since then.
Speaker 1: So they made the mistake. They should have just used
Speaker 1: the image on the wall of him doing the one
Speaker 1: head to catch the giant and away we go.
Speaker 4: When I was writing that write up, I actually was
Speaker 4: thinking about, you know, a theory which seems obvious enough,
Speaker 4: but as I get older, I think it's more and
Speaker 4: more true, Like how much money would have how much
Speaker 4: money less would Odell have made in his career if
Speaker 4: he wasn't so good looking? This is coming up on you,
Speaker 4: you know, your pet project love his Bland. I think
Speaker 4: I think it really. I think if he was like
Speaker 4: an unattractive guy all along, he would have made like
Speaker 4: less money.
Speaker 1: Okay, he's attracted a lot of attractive guys in the NFL,
Speaker 1: but he also has I think I just mentioned the catch.
Speaker 1: The catch gave him a he made him electric catch.
Speaker 6: Yeah, it's the marketing aspect of the catch, but again but.
Speaker 5: That all contributed to it.
Speaker 6: Good theory, Greg, great, Greg, though, I feel like is
Speaker 6: as much of a looker and he might get iced
Speaker 6: out here. Although if you know, I think the Big
Speaker 6: Data Bowl is over. But if someone who goes to
Speaker 6: MIT Sloan wants to test Greg's theory and see whether
Speaker 6: pretty privileged exists in the NFL, obviously Jimmy G's gonna
Speaker 6: drag up those averages, but beyond that you might be
Speaker 6: onto something well.
Speaker 4: And even Saquon maybe he wouldn't have been as big
Speaker 4: a star coming out of college. You wouldn't have had
Speaker 4: as much hype, like all feeds into it up, Let's
Speaker 4: talk running backs while we're here that, by the way,
Speaker 4: I mean it.
Speaker 1: Can you come back a Saturday night live show at
Speaker 1: Jockxers Daily in Culver City. Greg's gonna unveil his top
Speaker 1: ten babes of the NFL. If you could join us
Speaker 1: for that show, get a babysitter.
Speaker 6: And you know, I'm looking at this free agent now
Speaker 6: wondering who is going to be the pretty privileged pick
Speaker 6: of this class.
Speaker 5: Kirk's done pretty well in this career or two?
Speaker 4: Okay, top ten running back Saquon Derrick, Henry Josh Jacobs,
Speaker 4: Tony Pollard, Austin Eckler, DeAndre Swift, JK. Dobbins keeps going
Speaker 4: Devin Singletary, AJ Dillon. I'd go even Zach Moss is
Speaker 4: in my top ten. I mean outside the ten is
Speaker 4: Antonio Gibson, Gus Edwards.
Speaker 5: This is one where.
Speaker 4: The the veterans seem like they're better than the rookie class.
Speaker 4: So not like they're gonna get paid because there's so
Speaker 4: many of them, but this is the year. For instance,
Speaker 4: I would like to get Tony Pollard. That would be
Speaker 4: the guy if I was a GM out of that group,
Speaker 4: and maybe DeAndre Swift would be a close second of
Speaker 4: Like he's not gonna cost that much, but Tony Pollard
Speaker 4: a year removed from that injury. People didn't really give
Speaker 4: him much leeway for coming off the injury a year ago.
Speaker 4: I would go after Tony Pollard.
Speaker 5: No, I don't know. I like your one B like
Speaker 5: you have like I don't know.
Speaker 4: Like for instance, the Patriots, they could they could put
Speaker 4: a one B with Ramandre Stevenson and that's a nice
Speaker 4: one two punch.
Speaker 6: Increasingly amove the mind that that two track sort of
Speaker 6: approach to running back is the way to do it.
Speaker 6: You get a veteran who's kind of a mid tier
Speaker 6: running back contract, so not that much and then you
Speaker 6: draft your running back in the mid to later rounds.
Speaker 6: So what Miami has right with with Mostert and a
Speaker 6: Chan for example. So yeah, if you could grab like
Speaker 6: Apollard on a reasonable deal to pair with a rookie
Speaker 6: Henry and Spears and Tennessee this past year as another
Speaker 6: team that did that, I think that makes sense. I
Speaker 6: don't think any of these guys are going to command
Speaker 6: huge contracts because as you said, there's so many of
Speaker 6: them and the draft is not great.
Speaker 1: Can I throw out one prediction there are some guys
Speaker 1: that are going to up getting paid a little bit
Speaker 1: more than we're expecting. I think Saquan of the guys
Speaker 1: on this list, there might be a general manager to
Speaker 1: that view him as a little different and with a
Speaker 1: higher ceiling, and then right offense they should it could
Speaker 1: be better looking a little different Bronx state of like that.
Speaker 1: Maybe he can be somebody that gets a bigger deal,
Speaker 1: not a monster contract, but a contract where it's like,
Speaker 1: oh he got an extra year, it's some more guaranteed
Speaker 1: than we expected. He's different.
Speaker 2: I we mentioned this yesterday, Like, I love the idea
Speaker 2: of him on the just plug him into the Houston
Speaker 2: Texans who have like the most second third most cap
Speaker 2: money in the league and are to come out of this.
Speaker 5: Like some reporting they're not into him.
Speaker 2: But I think they're gonna That team is gonna come
Speaker 2: out of this like March to May process as like
Speaker 2: the Darlings, the uprising Darlings. But because the NFL probably
Speaker 2: is just a sigh up, of course Saquon Barkley will
Speaker 2: wind up in the the Dallas Cowboys them.
Speaker 6: The nerd numbers actually liked Saquon more than I thought
Speaker 6: this year. Obviously super frustrating offense to watch. There were
Speaker 6: still games this year where Sequon would just take over
Speaker 6: right and it was very obvious he was still the
Speaker 6: best weapon in New York, but bad run blocking. The
Speaker 6: basic numbers were not good. The next gen stat metric
Speaker 6: that I like, return over rushing yards over expected, which
Speaker 6: accounts for locking and the position of the defenders, still
Speaker 6: had Saquon as I believe, the top ten back amongst
Speaker 6: the high volume backs, which was actually better than anyone else.
Speaker 6: I think of these free agents when I looked it up,
Speaker 6: so different. Yeah, yeah, so I think he's not one
Speaker 6: of those guys. But I'm saying, who's like all fluff
Speaker 6: and all fame and looks. I do think he's still
Speaker 6: a really good player.
Speaker 4: I think he's better in some ways than he was
Speaker 4: as a rookie and is a smarter runner, like takes
Speaker 4: what's given.
Speaker 5: I thought he ran really well last year.
Speaker 4: Actually thought Josh Jacobs ran well enough in the last
Speaker 4: month of the season that you were like, ooh, that
Speaker 4: was Josh Jacobs again. That I was that he missed
Speaker 4: the last month concerned or his last his last games
Speaker 4: of the season. He finally started making people miss it
Speaker 4: like he used to.
Speaker 1: Okay, let's take a quick break here with Mina and
Speaker 1: we'll be right back with more discussion of the Greg
Speaker 1: one oh one, all right, welcome back.
Speaker 5: Let's let's go to safety.
Speaker 4: I want to that's this is the deepest position, just
Speaker 4: because teams don't care about it. There's so many players available,
Speaker 4: it's kind of crazy. I have Chauncey Gardner Johnson at
Speaker 4: one I feel like. So I did check out the
Speaker 4: rankings of other places after I put mine up, and
Speaker 4: people are way down on Chauncey Calder Johnson. Now he's
Speaker 4: no longer like in the top fifties in any of
Speaker 4: these other lists.
Speaker 5: So I guess I'm on a limb.
Speaker 4: There, Zabry McKinney, who's great, Cam Curl who's great, Julian
Speaker 4: Blackman who quietly had a really nice season. Then Justin Simmons,
Speaker 4: Jordan Fuller, Jeremy Chin, Gino Stone, Jordan Whitehead, Lowhee, Gilman.
Speaker 4: It goes on and on, your boy, Kwandrey Diggs. Maybe
Speaker 4: he should be on this list too, mikel Hyde. We're
Speaker 4: not sure if he's going to retire. There are a
Speaker 4: million safeties out there. Mean a pick, pick something you
Speaker 4: don't like about my list. I just that's what is
Speaker 4: my love language. I miss Wes used to just at
Speaker 4: this point in the show, just tell me what I
Speaker 4: had wrong.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean CJD Like, I think you're right. People
Speaker 6: are probably too low on him because because last we
Speaker 6: saw of him when he did come back from injury
Speaker 6: was very late the season, and he wasn't quite himself.
Speaker 6: Still a really good player, but I don't I would
Speaker 6: put him outside of the top five, to be honest.
Speaker 6: I mean, these are some really good safeties, Like Justin Simmons.
Speaker 6: I know he's thirty years old, he still plays at
Speaker 6: such a high level and he's so versatile. You look
Speaker 6: at I really think he could probably play in any defense.
Speaker 6: But I mentioned on Twitter today that you know, the
Speaker 6: Packers are team that are going to be linked with
Speaker 6: a lot of safeties. They're switching to new scheme with
Speaker 6: their defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, more single high. Simmons is
Speaker 6: a guy who can play the post, he can drop
Speaker 6: down into the box. He's still a really really good tackler.
Speaker 6: He's really really smart. He called the defense to me,
Speaker 6: Maybe McKinney and Curl I would put above him just
Speaker 6: because they're young and also very talented. But if you're
Speaker 6: a team where you're just like McKinney's really good, if
Speaker 6: you're just like a safety away though, and you're kind
Speaker 6: of filling out the roster like Green Bay, I would
Speaker 6: love like a Justin Simmonsons.
Speaker 2: And Simmons is like a like Walter Payton Man of
Speaker 2: the Year locker room guy, like is the that you
Speaker 2: just anchor your defense around and like you plug it
Speaker 2: into the screen.
Speaker 3: Bay team that's on the rise.
Speaker 4: I like that Green Bay does not have a safety
Speaker 4: really on their roster oh right now, because the and
Speaker 4: they struggled last year at maybe they think they don't
Speaker 4: need one right and the ones yeah, yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 6: What doesn't it feel like that defense just they keep
Speaker 6: throwing draft, first round draft picks at it and it
Speaker 6: just never clicks. And there's always these coverage busts. And
Speaker 6: I know they hate Joe Berry defensive coordinator, but the
Speaker 6: problems precede that. Doesn't it feel like they need that
Speaker 6: veteran cerebral presence. I know Gile Alexander is forever my
Speaker 6: honorary captain of that defense, but a guy to really
Speaker 6: be the leader of the defense't like for me, like
Speaker 6: a guy you have a lot of youth, bring in
Speaker 6: that sort of veteran presence, super smart player, a guy
Speaker 6: who's seen it all. And I feel like this roster
Speaker 6: is so close.
Speaker 4: Right they they should do what the best thing to
Speaker 4: do in free agency is, which is just get role
Speaker 4: players like that. That's the best free agency is to
Speaker 4: fill role players like lower level starters. You just it
Speaker 4: just made me think, though we're everyone's gonna be so
Speaker 4: high on the Packers this year, I just really I'm
Speaker 4: gonna I'm going to be because there are pretty easy
Speaker 4: fixes here. The coordinator on defense, the safety position, like
Speaker 4: stuff you can actually do to fix this team and
Speaker 4: so many good things that every they are going to
Speaker 4: be the trendy, like they make the Super Bowl team
Speaker 4: in in September.
Speaker 1: Let let's do.
Speaker 4: Let's do uh, let's do quarterbacks. So Kirk's actually gonna
Speaker 4: become a free agent. I do wonder if Denver is
Speaker 4: sitting out there as the team that like is getting
Speaker 4: no buzz, which is often the team that actually sign
Speaker 4: makes the big signing because they keep it in house.
Speaker 4: And I just think Denver Atlanta, in my mind, are
Speaker 4: the two most likely places now with Minnesota, then it's
Speaker 4: Jacoby Brissette, Baker, Tannehill, Russ Jamis Winston, Minshew Tyrod.
Speaker 5: I got Josh Dobbs and Sam Darnold.
Speaker 4: There's a lot of people out there, Drew Lockes and
Speaker 4: even Mason Rudolph.
Speaker 5: There's a lot of backup quarterbacks available.
Speaker 4: Do I have your Do I have Russell Wilson in
Speaker 4: the right spot here, like I Dan, I think.
Speaker 6: I would put him over Tannehill. Tannehill was really bad
Speaker 6: last year.
Speaker 5: It's fair really bad.
Speaker 6: I mean Jacoby over Baker is so spicy Craig.
Speaker 3: That just stood out to all of us.
Speaker 1: He just skated over.
Speaker 6: He's like, yeah, then I got Jacoby, Then.
Speaker 5: I got Baker.
Speaker 1: Though we've been trying to reason with Greg for years
Speaker 1: on this, I.
Speaker 4: Don't think you totally disagree who has been better when
Speaker 4: he I.
Speaker 1: Mean I kind of think she does based on the
Speaker 1: way she reacted.
Speaker 5: Just I don't believe it. I don't believe it.
Speaker 6: I would rather have Jacoby at the contract that I
Speaker 6: think you'll command relative to Baker. In a vacuum, I
Speaker 6: would probably go with Baker. I thought he put together
Speaker 6: some really nice performances last year. But Baker at like
Speaker 6: thirty five versus Jacoby at ten. Give me Jacoby all
Speaker 6: day long.
Speaker 2: I want to ask you a question, do in your
Speaker 2: world do you think it matters at all that Kirk
Speaker 2: Cousin's wife is from Georgia.
Speaker 6: Uh. This was a concern with Mike mack by the
Speaker 6: way in Seattle because his wife is from Georgia and
Speaker 6: Seahawks Hans are very concerned about the Falcons, the lure
Speaker 6: of Atlanta, I mean less so than that. To me
Speaker 6: is the Zach Robinson offensive coordinator, the ramsification of the Falcons.
Speaker 6: It just seems like Kirk Cousins is such a natural
Speaker 6: fit for what they're gonna want to do on offense,
Speaker 6: and they have the money to do so. I feel
Speaker 6: like they have They're the obvious leader in the clubhouse
Speaker 6: of Minnesota. Doesn't bring him back. You mentioned Denver, I think,
Speaker 6: I mean they would have to go full Saints cap
Speaker 6: to try to make that work. Pittsburgh, to me, makes
Speaker 6: way more sense than I don't think they're gonna do
Speaker 6: it because it seems like they don't want to take
Speaker 6: a big swing. But that to me makes a lot
Speaker 6: more sense than any other team.
Speaker 1: But Atlanta. I'm trying to wrap my head around. We
Speaker 1: were just talking about how Denver just really screwed the
Speaker 1: pooch with Russell Wilson. That's messed them up in a
Speaker 1: lot of ways. We're gonna get now. We're gonna break
Speaker 1: the bank for a thirty six year old quarterback coming
Speaker 1: off in Achilles.
Speaker 5: Okay, I don't if.
Speaker 1: I'm a dinner Van. I don't know if I like that.
Speaker 1: By the way, the top eight of this list of
Speaker 1: quarterbacks Cousins, Rossett, Baker, Tannehill, Wilson, Jameis, Winston, Gardner, Minshew
Speaker 1: Tyrod Taylor, what about this guy?
Speaker 5: Come on?
Speaker 1: You know vic Fanjoe in the secondary as well, he's
Speaker 1: been trying to just piece this defense together as besty
Speaker 1: cats plant. You can't take down Sam right. Oh he
Speaker 1: makes a guy miss Thousan in space now excel rates
Speaker 1: still going inside ten for the record, Arnald, that is
Speaker 1: all Sam Darnold.
Speaker 6: I'm still so mad we were robbed of Sam getting
Speaker 6: a real start in Sam Francis goes the few days
Speaker 6: where it looked like that might happen.
Speaker 1: Thank you mean him, that's all. I wanted me to
Speaker 1: just give him one shot and see if he could
Speaker 1: light it up. And I got these bozos saying shut
Speaker 1: up about that. He stinks. If he had a chance
Speaker 1: in San Francisco could have been different maybe, but another year,
Speaker 1: another chapter of frustration for the Donald Hive Mark.
Speaker 6: The discourse would have been.
Speaker 4: Like they're out there, though they're all there, they're a
Speaker 4: sleeper cell. They're waiting men as part of it. I've
Speaker 4: noticed or Lavsky, Daniel Jeremiah.
Speaker 5: They're all out there.
Speaker 4: Waiting, and that means there's some in front offices somewhere,
Speaker 4: so you might you might get your wish, but can't.
Speaker 1: You just put it clearly a shot against me that
Speaker 1: you couldn't just put him at eight that that felt
Speaker 1: definitely personally.
Speaker 6: He doesn't have pretty privilege. No offense to say, but
Speaker 6: he doesn't. I think I'm stealing some love. Somebody pointed
Speaker 6: out he looks like a lego policeman, and I've never
Speaker 6: that's pretty good. But he does have a pretty pick privilege.
Speaker 6: I mean, you just saw Mitched Trubisky resound with Buffalo.
Speaker 6: I had a lot that in pretty pick privilege.
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's a real thing. That is more of a.
Speaker 6: Thing than right.
Speaker 4: We didn't We didn't get the dinosaur. I would have
Speaker 4: liked to see that, just I would have been curious.
Speaker 4: We didn't get the Teddy starting ted in Detroit, which
Speaker 4: I wanted.
Speaker 1: Fine with up just.
Speaker 4: Just one last one linebackers, very deep. We'll do the
Speaker 4: top ten at that position. Frankie Luvu. I went with
Speaker 4: number one, Patrick Queen.
Speaker 3: Who I see.
Speaker 4: Patrick Queen's been so up and down in his career
Speaker 4: that I don't even feel good about my own ranking there.
Speaker 4: I got to bring Roquan Swift with this one, I know,
Speaker 4: but then his coach, so maybe if he if he's
Speaker 4: in Seattle, great, but I don't know Roquan smith Man.
Speaker 4: People just forget he was getting benched like a before
Speaker 4: Roquand showed up. Jordan Brooks, Levante, David Aziz, al Shaier
Speaker 4: who are old producer Justin is really high on how
Speaker 4: he played in Tennessee, Drew Trankll, Devin White, who a
Speaker 4: couple of years ago was an All Pro, Bobby Wagner,
Speaker 4: Willie Gay, Josie Jewel.
Speaker 5: You can get a linebacker.
Speaker 4: There's like a million two to three round linebackers down linebackers.
Speaker 4: It didn't even include Blake Cashman or Tyrol Dotson or
Speaker 4: Kyle Vannoy if you want to call him at linebackers.
Speaker 4: So there are a million linebackers out there and none
Speaker 4: in the draft. And the the top guys on this list,
Speaker 4: at least the top three. I think we'll get a
Speaker 4: decent amount of money. Who would you take out of
Speaker 4: that list as your number one?
Speaker 5: MINA Well, I.
Speaker 6: Probably would have put Doddson and Cashman in the top ten.
Speaker 6: I think they're both really good ascending players. Lou Vu
Speaker 6: to me like he is the other like NFL hipster Fave.
Speaker 6: You gotta have the right defense where you're asking him
Speaker 6: to rush the passer and you know, cause he's got
Speaker 6: kind of Swiss army knife type player. I don't think
Speaker 6: he's a guy you just PLoP down and you're like,
Speaker 6: all right, you're the mic, you're leader of the defense.
Speaker 6: We're gonna build around you necessarily. I am. I think
Speaker 6: you got the rankings correct. It really depends on what
Speaker 6: your needs are on defense. But I really like Patrick Queen.
Speaker 6: I thought he played so well this year. And it
Speaker 6: wasn't just when rokwand first came in. It was like, okay, great,
Speaker 6: now Patrick Queen is this incredible athlete. We can just
Speaker 6: point and shoot right. He can play fast, and he
Speaker 6: can just get out. He can just play with his
Speaker 6: hair on fire. But this year I think you saw
Speaker 6: him take another step in coverage, diagnosed, diagnosing routes, reading
Speaker 6: the quarterback, reading the run so well. He's sort of
Speaker 6: on that trajectory now we're seeing with linebackers where it
Speaker 6: takes him three or four years to really learn how
Speaker 6: to play the position.
Speaker 4: I want to know what Mark Mark's questions for me are.
Speaker 4: Mark is a is an ultra preparer. He makes well
Speaker 4: pages and pages and I know it might not have
Speaker 4: to do what the group we're talking about, but I
Speaker 4: want to hear these questions.
Speaker 1: And also Mina You should know that Mark usually goes
Speaker 1: with Levi his UH jacket of choice, but he was
Speaker 1: wearing the blazer today, which is kind of out of
Speaker 1: season for him. But I think it connects to you
Speaker 1: and the level of steam that you bring.
Speaker 3: That's not untrue.
Speaker 2: But we are also leaving on Sunday for Austin, Texas,
Speaker 2: and so I'm just wearing I have to think I
Speaker 2: have to wear this in Austin.
Speaker 1: So I'm just going to drive home. And that's the move.
Speaker 6: You're going to drive home all the way in a blazer?
Speaker 2: Well, I mean to where I live in Los Angeles,
Speaker 2: but yeah, yeah to that home.
Speaker 3: Sure, I'll do that.
Speaker 5: You want to take it off before the getty in there.
Speaker 2: I don't know, like you're it was a decision. I
Speaker 2: made it, Like, so we have suits to this thing.
Speaker 5: Well that's it.
Speaker 6: I'm not I'm not order driving a blazer. Then it's
Speaker 6: all stiff and you.
Speaker 2: Stick it over the top of the passenger seat and
Speaker 2: then when you get out of the car you put
Speaker 2: it back on.
Speaker 1: Do you think we're nominated for Best Sports Podcast? Where
Speaker 1: the iHeartMedia Awards are going to Austin on Monday for
Speaker 1: the show. If we don't win, Mina, do you think
Speaker 1: we should do a like Kanye Taylor Swift? I mean
Speaker 1: it's bad. It might be you. It's Kelsey Brothers are
Speaker 1: involved like every other.
Speaker 4: It's hard Kelsey Brothers, it's we are this I think
Speaker 4: probably the least listen to of the group. Pardon my take,
Speaker 4: I think is one of them.
Speaker 6: This is this is really the titans of the industry.
Speaker 1: We do have the We have pretty privilege, though.
Speaker 2: We also don't know who's there's no proof for investigative
Speaker 2: knowledge of who's voting for this. It's not just out
Speaker 2: there in the public. And that that probably hurts us
Speaker 2: because it's like.
Speaker 6: You like, you're kind of like the Lions of.
Speaker 1: Sure that I like that, and we're hoping that if
Speaker 1: we attend, maybe they're like throw them the bone. Hey,
Speaker 1: do you have questions? Romina?
Speaker 2: I want to talk about one team that I think
Speaker 2: has a lot to do this offseason and with yes,
Speaker 2: we know about the Dolphins, and are Blake Jeff s Reebeck,
Speaker 2: who writes for The Athletic about the Ravens. I want
Speaker 2: to read this paragraph. The Ravens unrestricted free agent class
Speaker 2: is set to include their twenty twenty three touchdown leader,
Speaker 2: their top two backs, their most accomplished wide receiver, they're
Speaker 2: two starting guards, a Pro Bowl inside linebacker, excuse me,
Speaker 2: their return specialist two.
Speaker 3: And there's just a list of so long.
Speaker 2: Two of their three leaders in sacks and the asc
Speaker 2: leader in interceptions. It's like the Ravens typically always find
Speaker 2: a way, and I just assume they'll plug these pieces
Speaker 2: in with other players and go, you know, ten and
Speaker 2: seven again.
Speaker 3: But that's a laundry list. How do you attack that?
Speaker 6: And it's our you know, with the brain drain and
Speaker 6: coaching too. It's one thing for us to say, well,
Speaker 6: you know they're bringing defensive veterans and they you know,
Speaker 6: Vanda Away has a career Clowney has a career year.
Speaker 6: But you lose not only Mike McDonald but also Anthony
Speaker 6: Weavers now the defensive coordinator for Miami. You know, they
Speaker 6: promoted internally, but there's still some change there that make
Speaker 6: things hard. I was just pulling up their cab because
Speaker 6: I wanted to see what they could do from like,
Speaker 6: you know who, they can already restructure. I think Ronnie
Speaker 6: Stanley has a pretty big contract because they tag them
Speaker 6: that a weekend, and I think that They're going to
Speaker 6: try to get something done with him. It seems like
Speaker 6: I haven't really heard his name come up in trade requests,
Speaker 6: and in doing so, they might be able to create
Speaker 6: some flexibility there. Oh yeah, okay, yeah, you can restructure
Speaker 6: some of these lamar. Anyways, I think though, that the
Speaker 6: bigger thing, more than the defense to me is the guards.
Speaker 6: Simpson is because this offensive line has sort of like
Speaker 6: kind of flown under the raider. What a strength that
Speaker 6: they've been for this team, particularly in the run game,
Speaker 6: and I feel like you got to at least bring
Speaker 6: one of them back.
Speaker 4: Right Both their starting guards are available, and John Simpson
Speaker 4: is a guy that, if I heard from people, that
Speaker 4: is going to get paid. Kevin Zeitler is one of
Speaker 4: sneaky all time bag getter. I think he's gonna hit
Speaker 4: his fourth good free agent contract, which is or fourth
Speaker 4: good contract in the NFL, which is almost impossible.
Speaker 5: Got a little bit for Lefel players.
Speaker 4: They they could have a surprising cutter two here before Monday.
Speaker 4: I don't know who it would be or else it
Speaker 4: wouldn't be surprising. I guess Marlon Humphrey would would be
Speaker 4: one that, like.
Speaker 6: I'm playing with the spow Trek tool right now. If
Speaker 6: you guys ever used this to where you restructure the contract,
Speaker 6: it's so satisfying.
Speaker 1: WHOA really? I mean, I use pow track all the time.
Speaker 1: I'd only like it like that.
Speaker 4: Ronnie Stanley could be another surprise cut. Something could happen there.
Speaker 4: Let's wrap up one last position. We'll get you out
Speaker 4: of there. Cornerback, it is hard to get a cornerback
Speaker 4: and free agency. A couple are off the board already.
Speaker 4: Kendall Fuller is sort of my number one by default.
Speaker 4: He's a good player, but he's twenty nine, and he's
Speaker 4: probably better in the slot than outside, so it's not
Speaker 4: like a number one corner. Stefan Gilmour is a good
Speaker 4: example of what I was talking about before, where like
Speaker 4: the best values in free agency are these short term deals.
Speaker 4: He's still well, but he's thirty three. Kennymore, Chadobi, a
Speaker 4: woozier who coming off a bad year, Steven Nelson, Christian Fulton,
Speaker 4: who I'm not going to give up on, who I
Speaker 4: just think has some good ball in him, Adorri Jackson,
Speaker 4: Kashawn Nixon, who's an all Pro returner, a Kella Witherspoon
Speaker 4: in Tradevious White coming off of injuries.
Speaker 5: It's not a good list.
Speaker 6: This is the worst group. Looking at your list, Oh
Speaker 6: my god, looking at I mean, I think Gilmore's the
Speaker 6: best player, but you know you can play obviously man coverage.
Speaker 6: You don't want to sign him to like a multi
Speaker 6: year deal though, probably so your hope is that he's
Speaker 6: going to ring Chase and maybe. I mean seeing this list,
Speaker 6: my only talk takeaway is the Chief should probably trade
Speaker 6: l Jerious Need because some team is going to give
Speaker 6: up some ridiculous for him because he's so much better
Speaker 6: than most of these players.
Speaker 5: They and they will, I think they will.
Speaker 4: It seems like they are certain like that they're just
Speaker 4: allotting for Chris Jones to get resigned and then them
Speaker 4: to trade. But just corn if everywhere, if all cornerbacks
Speaker 4: are bad, then they're not all and then like guys
Speaker 4: like Steven Nelson are actually good because they're just like
Speaker 4: not the worst thing ever in the It's just so
Speaker 4: hard to find cornerbacks.
Speaker 1: All right, Mina, We're gonna let you go because you
Speaker 1: got a lot to do. You get any plugs in there?
Speaker 4: You got NFL LA what's with Ron Rivera?
Speaker 6: My NFL Live in fifty minutes with Ron Rivera, as
Speaker 6: we discussed check out the latest episode of the Minichime
Speaker 6: Show featuring Lenny, featuring the great Patrick Claiban, who is
Speaker 6: always a delight talking about free Agency. Yeah, you can
Speaker 6: also watch it on YouTube. Thank you so much for
Speaker 6: having you guys.
Speaker 1: Thank you, Mina. Remember Mark and I have our Free
Speaker 1: Agency two thirteen coming out midnight Tuesday. If you need us,
Speaker 1: let us know. Mina times everybody there, She goes, thanks, Vienna,
Speaker 1: thank you best that seeing that cornerback route, my god,
Speaker 1: well let's take a break and when we get back,
Speaker 1: we'll wrap things up. It will come back. Yes, you
Speaker 1: just heard the great Menac Himes and seeing that cornerback
Speaker 1: group reminded me that it won't be long before Zuzzar
Speaker 1: will be putting together his graveyards twenty twenty four roster.
Speaker 1: And it is always the back end of the defense
Speaker 1: that I feel I most worry about. And I'm I'm
Speaker 1: feeling like I'm gonna be in a position where I'll
Speaker 1: have I don't know, Antonio Cramarti in the slot at
Speaker 1: this point on you once the bones are picked from
Speaker 1: that group.
Speaker 2: This is an old group. This is an older group
Speaker 2: of I mean, you know that's how free agency works.
Speaker 2: Not going to be twenty two.
Speaker 4: But it just shows you how it's so hard to
Speaker 4: find cornerbacks, Like it just feels like it's like an
Speaker 4: impossible position. I think about it too, when they do
Speaker 4: the combine. They're the best athletes. I mean you could
Speaker 4: make an argument for the defensive ends or or the
Speaker 4: tight end like in different ways.
Speaker 5: But I think if it receivers, I think if you're.
Speaker 4: Judging just total athleticism, and it's I think it's the
Speaker 4: hardest position. It's sort of an impossible position. I think
Speaker 4: they are the best at.
Speaker 2: That's what I played in high school. By the way,
Speaker 2: there you go under back. You played a little line too,
Speaker 2: is that running back? But then they then it became
Speaker 2: we would just take anyone that is of a certain
Speaker 2: size and stick them at corner.
Speaker 4: You like the corner like some cornerbacks they get they
Speaker 4: you know, stick their nose in it, and other cornerbacks
Speaker 4: is like, oh, they don't really want to know.
Speaker 2: I was the cornerback that they would do it all
Speaker 2: all things under heaven to not put on the fields.
Speaker 1: I'd love to play a little fly on the wall
Speaker 1: with the coaching staff of camp happy and is high
Speaker 1: and just be like, you know hear them, be like
Speaker 1: with Sessler's athleticism, we got to get them in an
Speaker 1: impact position, number one corner, shut down half the field.
Speaker 2: No, they were like, we've got to get them on
Speaker 2: the ridgefield press beat instead of the actual playing beat
Speaker 2: as fast as possible.
Speaker 1: Speaking of Michael Thomas, by the way, we mentioned that
Speaker 1: he's you know, he's going to be out there and
Speaker 1: the Thomas Saints marriage had some really high highs. Second
Speaker 1: round pick in twenty sixteen, three times Pro Bowl or
Speaker 1: two time first team All Pro. I mean, this is
Speaker 1: a guy that once had one hundred and forty nine
Speaker 1: catches in one season, he got the bag because of it,
Speaker 1: immediately suffered an ankle injury his first game in the
Speaker 1: following season, and really ever since that moment has never
Speaker 1: been the same. A bit of a I don't think
Speaker 1: he qualifies under locker room lawyer, which is always something
Speaker 1: I love, but I think he does qualify under the
Speaker 1: column of pain in the ass and also a guy
Speaker 1: that has opinions. I saw that Jeff Duncan, I think,
Speaker 1: who had a report out there that the Saints were
Speaker 1: done with Thomas. Michael Thomas's reply under one of my
Speaker 1: favorite Twitter handles. Of course, can't guard Mike. I will
Speaker 1: read this verbatim and understand in terms of lawyers out
Speaker 1: there somebody looking to sue for libel or slander. This
Speaker 1: is Michael Thomas, not Zuzzar. Jeff Duncan is a hunt
Speaker 1: trying to stay relevant, So let's speak on it. The
Speaker 1: Saints leak information to him to try to ruin players value.
Speaker 1: But see, I'm not broke, so I can speak on it.
Speaker 1: He has broke, so he needs clicks. Go look at
Speaker 1: all his articles that never end up being true now
Speaker 1: and Thomas's defense. You know there there's a lot of
Speaker 1: business being done by Beat reporters to get favors and
Speaker 1: and and saddle up and cozy up with front offices
Speaker 1: for for work down the line. Now is is he
Speaker 1: I don't know that for sure. Is he broke? We
Speaker 1: don't know Duncan's financial situation.
Speaker 5: So I doubt it.
Speaker 7: I mean, perhaps gainfully broke his strong a little pot
Speaker 7: calling kettle black because I'm not sure the reporting, specifically
Speaker 7: the one about mister Duncan being ah can be probrated
Speaker 7: without triple sourcing it, well.
Speaker 1: How do you feel about it? How you feel about it?
Speaker 4: I don't know what what he is upset about because
Speaker 4: the article is only for digital subscribers. But the news,
Speaker 4: you know, they gotta make money, shout out to nola
Speaker 4: dot com. But the news was just that that the
Speaker 4: Saints were releasing him, which I gotta admit is a
Speaker 4: is a pretty big fly in the ointment for the
Speaker 4: old top one to one because Michael Thomas has been
Speaker 4: there at one on one this old time and I
Speaker 4: was like, release him. He's a free agent, and apparently
Speaker 4: they had this insane contract where there was sat insane
Speaker 4: contracts and his agent was quoted saying it's a one
Speaker 4: year deal, always has been. That's one hundred percent how
Speaker 4: its structured, no two ways about it. He's an unrestricted
Speaker 4: free agent like everyone else in March. But apparently he
Speaker 4: had some bogus void year that was like eighty million
Speaker 4: dollars in it and it was just like total fantasy.
Speaker 4: So technically he wasn't a free agent yet and Jeff
Speaker 4: Duncan releasing that. Maybe Michael Thomas thinks like he's putting
Speaker 4: that out there to almost make him look bad that
Speaker 4: they're not releasing him he was always a free agent
Speaker 4: all along. I don't know if there's more to it
Speaker 4: than that, other than he has been, you know, down
Speaker 4: talking Derek Carr's quarterback too for much of it.
Speaker 2: Was nice of Michael Thomas at the end of that
Speaker 2: tweet to say, you know, not just he needs clicks,
Speaker 2: but go read. I believe he said, go read all
Speaker 2: of his articles and find out if they're true.
Speaker 3: Like that's actually gonna help.
Speaker 2: Jeff Duncan say, well, you got to, like if you're
Speaker 2: a paywall person, otherwise, you know, tough, that's gonna be
Speaker 2: a tough road.
Speaker 4: He did put out an article and this might be
Speaker 4: what he was upset about about a month ago, where
Speaker 4: he said it's time for them to move on from
Speaker 4: Marshawn Lattimore and Michael Thomas with some sort of vague,
Speaker 4: you know, inside the locker room stuff, and and uh,
Speaker 4: that brings up Latimore, who, by the way, is like
Speaker 4: quietly one of the more interesting stories in the NFL.
Speaker 4: I think he's going to be traded, and yet no
Speaker 4: one is reporting about how he's going to be traded. Uh,
Speaker 4: and that seems to be more of a Dennis Allen it.
Speaker 1: Maybe you know, people don't want to be called a.
Speaker 5: Marshall.
Speaker 4: Lattimore is totally separate. He hasn't had it too well.
Speaker 4: He hasn't had any major issues other than there has
Speaker 4: been reporting that, you know, him and Dennis Allen don't
Speaker 4: get along, and Dennis kind of like this the Chauncey
Speaker 4: Gardner Johns.
Speaker 2: Every off season, Dennis Allen has stuff of falling out
Speaker 2: with a key member of the secondary.
Speaker 4: The difference is Latimore is a top tier cornerback and
Speaker 4: if he truly was available, very intriguing and I would
Speaker 4: think would should get a high draft pick.
Speaker 1: Mm hmm, absolutely, especially in this market. Haamanahamana. All right,
Speaker 1: good week of shows, huge week of shows coming up
Speaker 1: next week. Like we said, we'll be doing beginning of
Speaker 1: the week in Texas, but we'll be very quickly coming
Speaker 1: back to LA and doing a mixture of shows from
Speaker 1: Texas and mostly from here in Los Angeles in the
Speaker 1: studio starting on Tuesday. So we'll be all over the
Speaker 1: free agency picture as it unfolds and how your favorite
Speaker 1: team's fair in what is sometimes an unfair process free
Speaker 1: agency as a fan, because you get yourself excited and then,
Speaker 1: like I said, it don't always work out, but the
Speaker 1: excitement of the signings, you could always spin it in
Speaker 1: the moment, is a beautiful thing. And then draft season
Speaker 1: comes and that's hope season, and everybody's staring at a
Speaker 1: playoff roster at the beginning of June. We're not there yet,
Speaker 1: but this is the first step toward that.
Speaker 2: I mean, it's ripe ground for heartbreak, and like only
Speaker 2: at this point if you're above a certain age in
Speaker 2: life or station in life, you'd have to be almost
Speaker 2: an ultra rube to fall for some of these signings,
Speaker 2: because if you look at the vast majority of them
Speaker 2: two or three years later, their roadkill.
Speaker 5: They get well, they can help, They can help you
Speaker 5: out as like.
Speaker 1: Roll play, Mark, You're right, you're a technical lighthouse.
Speaker 4: Some of them, like the top tier, like yes, like
Speaker 4: Siju Zama probably got a little too much pop a
Speaker 4: couple of years ago for well blocking tight end to
Speaker 4: the offense.
Speaker 5: But there's a lot of good role players that you
Speaker 5: pick up.
Speaker 1: Mark. Let's close the week with something that we touched
Speaker 1: down on Wednesday Show, I believe, or maybe it was
Speaker 1: Monday Show. You had an abrupt announcement retiring from Twitter.
Speaker 1: The nature of the tweets seem to be an attack
Speaker 1: at the of the analytics community, as I recall, followed
Speaker 1: by an abrupt I believe the word only pull it up?
Speaker 1: Is it still alive?
Speaker 2: I'd rather I we loss over the actual wording. Well,
Speaker 2: it's in the it's in the discord people can go find.
Speaker 5: You couldn't delete it, Oh it's still there.
Speaker 1: No, I didn't. I didn't need to delete it. I
Speaker 1: don't need to read the thing. But the final I
Speaker 1: just the reason why I'm saying this. Uh, you ended
Speaker 1: it with this is my last tweet ever and I
Speaker 1: believe in you. So that was February twenty eighth. That
Speaker 1: is now March seventh. I don't see another tweet. Is
Speaker 1: it is need over then?
Speaker 2: Yeah, because like it's a personal thing for me. I
Speaker 2: think if you go read the guts of the tweet,
Speaker 2: or at least part of the guts, it's more a
Speaker 2: little bit about how I feel that sports in general
Speaker 2: has lost its I'm I think that numbers and analytics
Speaker 2: are fine. If I could edit it a little, I
Speaker 2: would have make taken some of that acerbic out of it.
Speaker 2: But like the like sports writing and everything is just lost.
Speaker 2: It's like beauty from the old days a little bit.
Speaker 2: And I know Greg would sayble you then go write
Speaker 2: a sports article that tries to bring that back.
Speaker 3: But it's like, I just think.
Speaker 2: That that is definitely not like the general environment has
Speaker 2: become like so you.
Speaker 1: Walk some dramatic music underneath this, go ahead.
Speaker 2: And here's the second part to it. Like I've noticed that,
Speaker 2: Like you know, I'm a fifty year old adult that's
Speaker 2: like gets every week they give you that charge light
Speaker 2: and that thing on your phone about how many hours
Speaker 2: you spent just sitting on your phone.
Speaker 1: And it's like when it comes to things like.
Speaker 2: Twitter, I no longer feel joy when I tweet something
Speaker 2: where I just sit around and find out who likes
Speaker 2: it and who responds to it for the vast majority
Speaker 2: of those tweets, to the point where I'm like, I'm
Speaker 2: kind of just post it in my life. Other people
Speaker 2: enjoy it, use it, have fun, people can find community
Speaker 2: on it. I'm not saying everyone should follow me or
Speaker 2: anyone should, but I myself am a post like sitting
Speaker 2: around looking at likes. I want to carve that out
Speaker 2: of my life and it's gone.
Speaker 4: I think I'm excited about this as Mark's friend. We
Speaker 4: have been on the end of many a text in
Speaker 4: the last ten years, furious about what other people are tweeting.
Speaker 5: So it seemed like it was an unhealthy thing. Not
Speaker 5: even so much whatever you wrote, but or when I
Speaker 5: was tweeting was, but more like what you were reading
Speaker 5: from other people.
Speaker 4: So if that is going to make your life healthier,
Speaker 4: h and be out in the world more. Yeah, interacting
Speaker 4: with the actual world, I think that's a good thing.
Speaker 5: I like Twitter.
Speaker 1: But you know, yes, I agree with everything everyone said. Mark.
Speaker 3: We don't have to agree with me.
Speaker 2: No, yeah, yeah, this is your journey right right, and
Speaker 2: it's just simply like it's a personal decision.
Speaker 3: Could I have maybe crafted a more graceful I.
Speaker 4: Just hope you're not it still reading all the tweets
Speaker 4: that annoy you.
Speaker 2: No, only I would only go on if there was
Speaker 2: like some something I had to link into that I'd been.
Speaker 3: Told is for the show or something like that.
Speaker 1: You know, well, good luck on this journey, thank you,
Speaker 1: and I believe in you. What did you write?
Speaker 2: You wrote, Well, it's I ended with a puzz note
Speaker 2: like I could have if there were an edit button,
Speaker 2: which people have always asked for, Like I would have
Speaker 2: probably made a few changes there, but I'm not going
Speaker 2: to go delete it.
Speaker 4: Five minutes later they did. They did add an edit button,
Speaker 4: but you have to pay for it. I'm not doing
Speaker 4: and then everyone can read your edits. Here's the thing
Speaker 4: that's if you can read the edit, yeah, it actually
Speaker 4: makes it work. You look and then you just check
Speaker 4: what the edit is and it's just stupid.
Speaker 1: I this morning retweeted a post from Adrian Grenier, or
Speaker 1: the actor from Entourage. Nice, and I think people should
Speaker 1: This is a good way. This might be a good
Speaker 1: way to go out of here. This exactly with the photo,
Speaker 1: so it's a picture of the guy from Entourage. Haven't
Speaker 1: been posting because I've been too present distracted by the moment. Sorry,
Speaker 1: but thank you. That's kind of what you're getting at
Speaker 1: in a way. I don't know, like that's I mean,
Speaker 1: go full Grenier is all I'm saying, Like, do a
Speaker 1: goodbye post where you say that that's that would be.
Speaker 4: My Also, you'll miss out on opportunities to do things
Speaker 4: like we can retweet. Our friend John Gonzalez just launch
Speaker 4: his own daily basketball.
Speaker 1: Podcast transition, so but he can't do that.
Speaker 5: To check that out. Yeah, I'm doing it now that
Speaker 5: I see it in my feet, I'm going to do
Speaker 5: that right now.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm going to do it myself.
Speaker 2: I could invite back to your the soccer owner friend
Speaker 2: that you have like and he probably thinks I'm not thankful,
Speaker 2: but I am.
Speaker 3: If he were to dig this.
Speaker 1: He's a listener. As I said, Chill, I think he
Speaker 1: would understand that he's aware that you actually can't reply
Speaker 1: right per ethics off the hook with him. Yes, all right,
Speaker 1: thank you everybody. I hope that clarifies everyone, though, who's
Speaker 1: wondering about that tweet? All right? Till Monday, in the
Speaker 1: beginning of free agency, here we go. He a call