WEBVTT - Happy Half Hour 73: Could Have Been Awkward 0:00:02.160 --> 0:00:03.600 You can't just hand it to him when he's had 0:00:03.600 --> 0:00:05.400 two weeks with the playbook before they get to partner. 0:00:05.920 --> 0:00:07.720 You had to give him time to learn. And I 0:00:07.760 --> 0:00:09.600 think one of the things hearing from that role, in 0:00:09.640 --> 0:00:11.879 hearing from Bien McAdoo, is how impressed they were with 0:00:11.920 --> 0:00:13.920 how quickly he learned. And it has to do with, 0:00:13.960 --> 0:00:16.320 like you said, the four different offensive coordinator. She's had 0:00:16.360 --> 0:00:20.360 time and time to really build a repetition. It's time 0:00:20.440 --> 0:00:24.480 for the Happy Half Hour with your friends Kristen Balboni, 0:00:24.920 --> 0:00:32.520 Will Brian and Darren Gant. Welcome to the Happy Half 0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:36.360 Hour podcast. Will is on special assignment this week once again, 0:00:36.400 --> 0:00:39.159 so we have got the incredible Augusta Stone here with 0:00:39.320 --> 0:00:42.280 me and Darren for the second week in a row. Augusta, 0:00:42.400 --> 0:00:44.919 it's great to have you. It's always great to be here. 0:00:44.960 --> 0:00:47.560 I'm excited to be you know. It's my the third 0:00:47.560 --> 0:00:50.919 appearance now, I think, so, you know, getting getting into 0:00:50.960 --> 0:00:52.680 the swing of it. I'm always happy to be here. 0:00:52.720 --> 0:00:55.120 How is everybody well, We're good. I mean, it's an 0:00:55.120 --> 0:00:58.280 exciting development because we are coming to you from Charlotte 0:00:58.360 --> 0:01:00.960 for the first time in a long time. We were 0:01:01.000 --> 0:01:04.800 all sleeping in our actual beds at our actual homes 0:01:05.120 --> 0:01:07.800 um for the first time in quite a bit. Darren, 0:01:07.800 --> 0:01:10.080 how good does it feel? It's pretty nice. I'm not 0:01:10.080 --> 0:01:13.039 gonna lie. There was about thirty six hours there where 0:01:13.080 --> 0:01:15.560 I was walking down to my basement wondering where the 0:01:15.600 --> 0:01:19.600 guy at the omelet station was and why I wasn't 0:01:19.600 --> 0:01:22.440 wearing the same set of clothes every day. Uh, that 0:01:22.560 --> 0:01:25.720 kind of thing. Yeah, it's weird. It's it's good to 0:01:25.800 --> 0:01:28.039 be home. But it's also one of the things you 0:01:28.080 --> 0:01:30.160 lose sight of when you're down there is when we're 0:01:30.200 --> 0:01:32.080 in training camp mode and on the road, all we 0:01:32.120 --> 0:01:34.080 have to do is work, and then you come home 0:01:34.120 --> 0:01:36.039 and it's like the fancy is falling down. You've got 0:01:36.120 --> 0:01:39.080 a call a guy about that, you know, your kids 0:01:39.080 --> 0:01:41.759 have appointments, you gotta talk, you know, all the real 0:01:41.840 --> 0:01:44.200 life stuff that we were able to forget about from 0:01:44.240 --> 0:01:46.720 moth all of a sudden is a thing again. So 0:01:46.920 --> 0:01:51.760 it never really stops, that is true. All right, We're 0:01:51.760 --> 0:01:53.840 gonna get right into it because we have got a 0:01:53.880 --> 0:01:56.400 lot of news to talk about, some of the good, 0:01:56.480 --> 0:01:58.360 some of it not so good. But we we got 0:01:58.360 --> 0:02:01.720 to start with quarterback news. Quarterback news. I was trying 0:02:01.720 --> 0:02:05.080 to do money. I was trying to do a little 0:02:05.120 --> 0:02:09.800 big voice guy there. Um alright, Baker Mayfield was announced 0:02:09.840 --> 0:02:13.400 as the starter for a week one, officially ending weeks 0:02:13.400 --> 0:02:19.440 and weeks of speculation. Darren, how long in advance had 0:02:19.480 --> 0:02:22.320 you written that article? Now? I'm just kidding, kid, think 0:02:22.320 --> 0:02:24.480 about it is and and it's interesting. I was doing 0:02:24.480 --> 0:02:27.799 a hit on Sirious last night with Alex Marvis and 0:02:27.880 --> 0:02:31.640 Ryan Leaf and they they basically asked how serious was 0:02:31.680 --> 0:02:35.400 his competition? And I said, listen, everybody expected Baker to 0:02:35.520 --> 0:02:38.640 win it, but they wanted to see him win it first. 0:02:38.800 --> 0:02:41.919 They wanted to you know, Sam was like the baseline, 0:02:41.919 --> 0:02:44.440 and it's they failed, all right with Sam. If they 0:02:44.440 --> 0:02:46.040 hadn't have made the deal, they would have gone in 0:02:46.080 --> 0:02:48.760 the season with Sam starting. So they needed to see 0:02:48.840 --> 0:02:51.200 something more than that. And I think after a couple 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:53.120 of weeks of training camp you started to see it. 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:57.720 I mean, Baker is um is a guy who is 0:02:57.720 --> 0:03:00.400 a little more willing to take chances. He's moving the 0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:03.919 ball downfield. But about two weeks into camp you started 0:03:04.040 --> 0:03:07.600 seeing at click and you started to see him do 0:03:07.720 --> 0:03:10.320 things where it's like, Okay, that's what he needs to do. 0:03:10.639 --> 0:03:12.560 To be the guy and not just win the job, 0:03:12.639 --> 0:03:15.440 but be successful in it. I mean, I think, you know, 0:03:16.040 --> 0:03:19.720 working with the first offensive line being able to throw 0:03:19.760 --> 0:03:22.840 to Dj Moore instead of the second and third groups 0:03:22.880 --> 0:03:25.560 of receivers made a huge difference. And I think it 0:03:25.680 --> 0:03:29.280 about that two week markup camp is where you saw, Okay, 0:03:29.320 --> 0:03:32.080 this is probably where this is pointed. And also just 0:03:32.120 --> 0:03:34.920 getting comfortable with the offense. So got here a couple 0:03:34.960 --> 0:03:37.920 of weeks before training camp. I asked Ben mcado, I said, 0:03:37.960 --> 0:03:40.800 you know, when do guys get comfortable in your offense, 0:03:40.800 --> 0:03:43.280 specifically quarterbacks? And he was like, you know, it's not 0:03:43.360 --> 0:03:46.360 really until their junior year. Really that I would say 0:03:46.360 --> 0:03:50.480 they have a full mastery. Um, and then what Baker had, 0:03:50.560 --> 0:03:53.200 including four different offensive coordinators and four years, so we 0:03:53.280 --> 0:03:55.800 certainly will versed in how to do this, but we 0:03:55.840 --> 0:03:58.080 also take that for granted a little bit. Augusta. Just 0:03:58.600 --> 0:04:02.840 how long it takes to to feel that's somewhat comfortable 0:04:02.960 --> 0:04:05.080 in a brand new offense. Well, that's exactly what I 0:04:05.120 --> 0:04:07.880 was thinking. It took him time to learn, Like, you 0:04:07.920 --> 0:04:11.040 can't come in even though obviously you acquire Baker Mayfield 0:04:11.280 --> 0:04:13.480 to play Baker Mayfield. You don't just get him in 0:04:13.480 --> 0:04:16.000 trade for him not to play for him. So logically speaking, 0:04:16.040 --> 0:04:18.440 it makes sense that, but but at the same time, 0:04:18.480 --> 0:04:20.000 like you can't just hand it to him when he's 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:22.120 had two weeks with the playbook before they get to Spartanburg, 0:04:22.560 --> 0:04:24.840 and so you had to give him time to learn. 0:04:24.960 --> 0:04:26.720 And I think one of the things hearing from Matt 0:04:26.800 --> 0:04:29.040 Role and hearing from Bit mccadoo is how impressed they 0:04:29.040 --> 0:04:31.360 were with how quickly he learned, how quickly he picked 0:04:31.400 --> 0:04:33.760 everything up. You know, he's and it has to do with, 0:04:33.839 --> 0:04:36.200 like you said, the four different offensive coordinators. He's had 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:39.160 time and time to to really build the repetition and 0:04:39.520 --> 0:04:41.240 you know it wasn't gonna be handed to him. But 0:04:41.400 --> 0:04:44.279 being a quick learner, having that Baker Mayfield Moxie, that 0:04:44.360 --> 0:04:46.040 the word that we've talked about. It's just one of 0:04:46.080 --> 0:04:49.240 those things where he came in and now he's already 0:04:49.240 --> 0:04:52.000 showing that command and he's really he he has that 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:54.359 mojo and he has the chemistry and he's he's building 0:04:54.440 --> 0:04:56.480 on it. But um, even like he told us this week, 0:04:56.520 --> 0:04:58.039 you know he still has the room to grow as well. 0:04:58.040 --> 0:05:00.800 But he definitely took some time to learned everything in 0:05:00.839 --> 0:05:03.200 training camp, taking those reps, splitting with Sam Donald. I 0:05:03.240 --> 0:05:05.440 think it was helpful. Yeah, And the thing that will 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:09.880 stand out to me about this training camp experience, they 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:13.120 are extremely lucky that Sam Donald is the caliber of 0:05:13.200 --> 0:05:17.680 human being he is, because this should have been awkward. 0:05:17.920 --> 0:05:21.120 This should have been cringe e to watch, and it 0:05:21.200 --> 0:05:24.480 never was. And I think people kept watching for it 0:05:24.520 --> 0:05:29.240 to be difficult and it never was because Sam and 0:05:29.279 --> 0:05:34.200 Baker both were just such adults about this thing. And 0:05:34.240 --> 0:05:37.920 I mean it's weird that we consider that unusual because 0:05:37.960 --> 0:05:41.200 that ought to be a baseline for society, but it's 0:05:41.200 --> 0:05:45.479 not always. And it's just listen, Sam's bombed out that 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:48.679 he's not the starter. He's still a little salty, uh 0:05:48.720 --> 0:05:51.840 in the right way, but he is also going to 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:54.760 be a good teammate throughout this thing. I mean, like 0:05:54.800 --> 0:05:57.360 I said, there was that point. I remember that one 0:05:57.400 --> 0:06:00.360 specific day where they were doing two minutes stuff at 0:06:00.360 --> 0:06:02.200 the end of game and Baker and Sam both got 0:06:02.279 --> 0:06:05.040 him into the end zone that day. But when Baker 0:06:05.120 --> 0:06:07.960 throws a little catching run to DJ for a touchdown, 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:10.800 Sam was back at the huddle pumping his fist. I mean, 0:06:10.880 --> 0:06:15.119 he was fired up for Baker. So that makes everything 0:06:15.279 --> 0:06:17.880 around the rest of the roster go a little bit 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:21.440 more smoothly. Because in Matt Rule talked about it the 0:06:21.440 --> 0:06:23.000 other day. He said, if a guy comes up to 0:06:23.000 --> 0:06:24.680 me ask him for more reps, all I got to 0:06:24.680 --> 0:06:26.719 do is point to those two guys and say, look 0:06:26.720 --> 0:06:29.080 at how they handled it, look at what they did. 0:06:29.240 --> 0:06:32.960 And so I think for the function of the team 0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:36.920 as a whole, having Sam being as mature about this 0:06:37.000 --> 0:06:40.039 as he's been is going to help them not only 0:06:40.200 --> 0:06:43.040 through a transition, but also if Samon's up playing again, 0:06:43.240 --> 0:06:47.480 because listen, Sam became a pinata last year. I think 0:06:47.480 --> 0:06:49.280 to a lot of people for reasons that didn't have 0:06:49.279 --> 0:06:52.520 anything to do with Sam. Christian gets hurt. You're firing 0:06:52.600 --> 0:06:55.039 offensive coordinator in the middle of the year. Fourteen lines 0:06:55.080 --> 0:06:57.560 in seventeen games. There was a lot of stuff beyond 0:06:57.680 --> 0:07:02.159 his control, and when things were going well, Sam was okay. 0:07:02.200 --> 0:07:05.440 So I think having him around in that role helps 0:07:05.480 --> 0:07:08.000 them both in terms of the locker room and what 0:07:08.040 --> 0:07:10.360 they've gotten a backup quarterback. Now, have you guys ever 0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:13.160 watched Great British Bakeoff? I promise this is going somewhere. 0:07:13.360 --> 0:07:16.560 I really love it. The one thing I love about 0:07:16.600 --> 0:07:19.160 that show, it is so soothing to me, is that 0:07:19.200 --> 0:07:22.520 it is a very high stakes competition, especially in Britain. 0:07:22.600 --> 0:07:25.600 Everyone watches it, you know, like the Royal families watching. 0:07:25.600 --> 0:07:29.000 Everyone watches it, and they are competing at at the 0:07:29.080 --> 0:07:32.320 highest level. Right, But they are so nice to each 0:07:32.360 --> 0:07:35.680 other because they know that they are competing with themselves 0:07:35.760 --> 0:07:39.640 more so than with the other people. Right. If if 0:07:39.800 --> 0:07:43.720 I performed to the best of my ability, I don't 0:07:43.720 --> 0:07:46.120 need to take you down, right, I can be supportive. 0:07:46.160 --> 0:07:47.920 I want you to do well. I want me to 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:50.400 do well, right, and so I gotta I gotta figure 0:07:50.400 --> 0:07:52.440 out what I need to do. And I got that 0:07:52.560 --> 0:07:54.240 vibe from both of those guys. And Darren, you just 0:07:54.280 --> 0:07:56.640 talked about what an adult Sam was. I think Baker 0:07:56.640 --> 0:07:58.480 would have been the same adult had it gone a 0:07:58.520 --> 0:08:01.040 different way. And I know we've talked about it. You know, 0:08:01.080 --> 0:08:03.640 if you watch Camp Confidential, you will see this, this 0:08:03.720 --> 0:08:06.480 friendship that is formed between them. But I mean, guys, 0:08:06.480 --> 0:08:09.280 when the cameras aren't rolling, we've seen it, right, we're traveling. 0:08:09.360 --> 0:08:12.000 I mean they're making jokes with each other, they're laughing. 0:08:12.000 --> 0:08:14.239 And that's not to say that the competitive spirit wasn't 0:08:14.240 --> 0:08:17.240 there all throughout training camp we all saw it. But 0:08:17.440 --> 0:08:20.960 just what a what a lovely way to handle As 0:08:20.960 --> 0:08:24.520 you said, Darren, what is an awkward situation, no doubt. 0:08:24.960 --> 0:08:28.880 And again that is genuine And I love what Confidential shows. 0:08:28.920 --> 0:08:33.199 I mean because you see those little interchanges, the interplay 0:08:33.280 --> 0:08:35.960 when they're not on the field and in different scenes. 0:08:36.040 --> 0:08:40.880 So it it's refreshing. I think for society to think, hey, 0:08:41.080 --> 0:08:44.240 we can all get along, it can work. We can 0:08:44.280 --> 0:08:47.440 get together and compete for things and still be nice. 0:08:47.720 --> 0:08:50.760 I like it. So so let's go to the second 0:08:50.800 --> 0:08:54.520 piece of quarterback news, which unfortunately isn't as great, and 0:08:54.559 --> 0:08:58.040 that is that mcarrel got injured, uh toward the list 0:08:58.040 --> 0:09:02.320 frank ligament in his left foot during the Patriots game 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:07.560 and was officially placed on injured reserve yesterday, effectively ending 0:09:07.720 --> 0:09:11.520 his season. Uh, Darren, you wrote the articles and it 0:09:11.640 --> 0:09:15.240 just it just felt just like bad luck. Man. I 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:17.599 was out on the field when when it happened, he 0:09:17.679 --> 0:09:20.120 was getting checked out, and it's just man, No one ever, 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:22.880 no one ever puts enough in this on what a 0:09:23.000 --> 0:09:26.200 role luck plays in the NFL. I mean, some things 0:09:26.200 --> 0:09:28.680 are just bad breaks and people want to yell about 0:09:28.720 --> 0:09:32.320 this or that or the other. Uh. Sometimes you get 0:09:32.840 --> 0:09:36.400 fallen upon, sometimes you get stepped on. Sometimes you run 0:09:36.480 --> 0:09:39.240 into someone at the wrong angle and you're down. And 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:43.040 it's unfortunate for Matt. I mean, realistically, I think this 0:09:43.160 --> 0:09:45.040 was going to even if he had been on the 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:47.200 fifty three man roster all year. I don't know how 0:09:47.280 --> 0:09:49.800 much he would have played. It would have been late, 0:09:49.920 --> 0:09:53.360 if at all, is my guess. Um, he needs time 0:09:53.480 --> 0:09:56.719 and and he gets time now to learn and kind 0:09:56.760 --> 0:10:00.720 of absorb what it's like being in an NFL system. Unfortunately, 0:10:00.720 --> 0:10:04.680 it's while he's also rehabbing from a pretty dramatic foot injury, 0:10:04.760 --> 0:10:08.400 which is tough for him. Um, But I don't know 0:10:08.440 --> 0:10:12.440 that it changes the trajectory of his rookie season that much, 0:10:12.559 --> 0:10:15.040 because this was gonna be a year to sit and 0:10:15.080 --> 0:10:17.760 watch anyway, and that's good for everybody. I mean, you 0:10:17.800 --> 0:10:20.360 talk about macadoo, he was in Green Bay with some 0:10:20.480 --> 0:10:25.840 cat named Aaron Rodgers. Now, neither Baker Mayfield nor Sam 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:29.880 Donald is Brett Farve. But the ability to sit back 0:10:29.920 --> 0:10:33.800 and not have to do the thing immediately is good 0:10:33.840 --> 0:10:36.920 for any rookie at any position, I think, really, and 0:10:37.480 --> 0:10:41.400 it's um you know, it's tough, it's unfortunate that he's hurt. Um, 0:10:42.120 --> 0:10:44.920 They're going to put stuff around him to support him, 0:10:45.120 --> 0:10:47.080 you know, through the injury and all that kind of stuff, 0:10:47.120 --> 0:10:49.440 and then you know he's gonna go about the business 0:10:49.520 --> 0:10:52.760 of being on the chalkboard, being in the meetings, watching 0:10:52.800 --> 0:10:54.800 the film with those guys all year and getting more 0:10:54.800 --> 0:10:58.280 comfortable with NFL offense. Yeah, Darren, that was something that 0:10:58.320 --> 0:10:59.760 I asked you, but I'm glad you brought it up. 0:10:59.800 --> 0:11:04.040 But Um, I asked you about it yesterday and I said, 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:07.120 what if if you want him to learn how to 0:11:07.240 --> 0:11:10.920 be a being, a huddle, to get under center all 0:11:10.920 --> 0:11:14.160 of those things, how much does it change that trajectory? 0:11:14.200 --> 0:11:16.520 Can can you get a good grasp on all of 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:19.760 that stuff with those mental reps as we call it, um, 0:11:20.120 --> 0:11:22.840 while you are rehabbing And you said, just like you 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:24.839 said here, which I felt very heartened. I'm sure the 0:11:24.880 --> 0:11:27.800 fans feel very heartened about. Is that, uh yeah, he 0:11:27.840 --> 0:11:30.760 can still do all those things, and hopefully by the 0:11:30.800 --> 0:11:34.000 time his rehab is is complete, he's not as far 0:11:34.040 --> 0:11:37.079 off as um as he might have been in getting 0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:39.560 a chance to sit on the bench and much right. 0:11:39.679 --> 0:11:41.800 And I thought one of the one of the things 0:11:41.880 --> 0:11:46.040 people overlook about rookie quarterbacks, especially coming into the NFL, 0:11:46.240 --> 0:11:49.800 is there there are certain parts of the job description 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:53.200 that Matt Correll has never done, like get under center, 0:11:54.360 --> 0:11:56.840 put a team in a huddle. It's just it just 0:11:56.920 --> 0:12:00.760 wasn't his offensive mechanically. He never did that in college. 0:12:00.800 --> 0:12:03.559 So of course he's taken some time to get used 0:12:03.600 --> 0:12:06.800 to that part of it during training camp. But that 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:10.079 part he'll miss. But all the stuff in the meeting 0:12:10.160 --> 0:12:13.000 room will be there, all the stuff with Baker, with 0:12:13.040 --> 0:12:15.000 Sam over the course of the year, He'll still be 0:12:15.040 --> 0:12:17.840 around for that, and I think he's going to benefit 0:12:17.960 --> 0:12:22.200 from it, because again, I think the expectation game is 0:12:22.280 --> 0:12:25.760 probably the most difficult part for so many people because 0:12:25.800 --> 0:12:28.160 when you hear of a guy who some people thought 0:12:28.240 --> 0:12:30.160 was going to be a first round pick or this 0:12:30.280 --> 0:12:32.800 or that or the other, you know, they think, oh, well, 0:12:32.840 --> 0:12:34.560 he must be ready to go right off the bat. 0:12:34.679 --> 0:12:36.760 Very few people are ready to go right off the bat, 0:12:36.880 --> 0:12:40.680 especially at that position. So I just think this kind 0:12:40.720 --> 0:12:44.360 of gives it an opportunity to be where it probably 0:12:44.360 --> 0:12:47.760 should have been to begin with. And you know, the 0:12:47.960 --> 0:12:50.400 first and foremost we want all the best for him 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:54.319 and are wishing him all the luck on his rehab journey. 0:12:54.360 --> 0:12:57.120 But Darren, as you mentioned in the articles that you 0:12:57.160 --> 0:13:00.640 wrote about this, this also does change some suster math 0:13:00.880 --> 0:13:04.160 a little bit, adds a wrinkle into it. And both 0:13:04.240 --> 0:13:07.080 of you have been covering, Okay, what does this? What 0:13:07.120 --> 0:13:08.599 does what do we think this roster is going to 0:13:08.679 --> 0:13:11.839 look like by final cuts next Tuesday? So I thought 0:13:11.880 --> 0:13:16.800 that'd be a great segue into where are we guys, 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:19.440 what are you both looking at when it comes to 0:13:19.559 --> 0:13:23.760 position groups or players, and and what should we be 0:13:23.880 --> 0:13:25.719 keeping an eye on and for the next week. Yeah, 0:13:25.880 --> 0:13:29.760 I mean, of course, the most direct impact on of 0:13:29.840 --> 0:13:33.680 the Matt Corral injuries on like Richard Higgins and Julian 0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:37.520 Stanford and John Chandler and people like that, right, I mean, 0:13:37.840 --> 0:13:41.360 not having to keep a third quarterback basically gives you 0:13:41.400 --> 0:13:44.920 another spot for something else. And we've talked a good 0:13:44.920 --> 0:13:47.280 bit about wide receivers this year, probably one of the 0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:51.080 most competitive groups. There's like eight guys for six jobs 0:13:51.240 --> 0:13:54.760 or seven depending on where you count. Andre Roberts not 0:13:54.800 --> 0:13:57.320 really receiver, but he's a return guy they want to keep. 0:13:57.360 --> 0:14:02.360 So I think, you know, it's really twisted and I 0:14:02.400 --> 0:14:04.960 hate saying it because it's horrible for that, but it 0:14:05.000 --> 0:14:08.440 does open some doors for other guys. If anytime there's injuries, 0:14:08.480 --> 0:14:11.600 the roster math changes. But when they were going to 0:14:11.760 --> 0:14:14.520 have to keep three quarterbacks, that was one less of 0:14:14.600 --> 0:14:18.400 something else. That's a tenth offensive lineman or a sixth 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:22.280 linebacker or a tenth dB. And now it opens the door. 0:14:22.360 --> 0:14:24.760 And there's a lot of stuff going into this last 0:14:24.840 --> 0:14:27.880 game that still kind of up in the air. And 0:14:27.920 --> 0:14:31.000 Nu Gusta, what have you identified, um in terms of 0:14:31.520 --> 0:14:34.280 guys you know, Shy Smith we were just talking about. 0:14:34.320 --> 0:14:36.800 You tell me what you're looking at and what you're 0:14:36.800 --> 0:14:39.880 hearing exactly. Well, I think there's so many receivers like 0:14:39.960 --> 0:14:42.720 Darren just mentioned, just across the board especially. I mean, 0:14:42.760 --> 0:14:44.840 there's been so many injuries in camp, which is gonna 0:14:44.840 --> 0:14:47.640 happen either way. But because you've had guys like Robbie 0:14:47.680 --> 0:14:50.360 Anderson Um just sideline for a minute, you get to 0:14:50.400 --> 0:14:52.680 see more of certain guys. You see more of a 0:14:52.760 --> 0:14:55.080 Shard Higgins who that he gets so many reps it 0:14:55.120 --> 0:14:57.440 feels like, you know, they're really like wanting to see. 0:14:57.480 --> 0:14:59.320 And then I think he benefits as well from Baker 0:14:59.360 --> 0:15:01.760 being QB one, just because they have that Brown's connection. 0:15:01.920 --> 0:15:04.560 One thing that both Matt Rule and Ben McAdoo, we 0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:08.520 were sitting in our preseason TV meetings and we you know, 0:15:08.560 --> 0:15:12.040 went through the receivers and they both they were not 0:15:12.080 --> 0:15:13.800 in the meetings together, right, that each o their own 0:15:13.800 --> 0:15:16.040 time slot. First word that they used to describe a 0:15:16.080 --> 0:15:19.720 Shard Higgins with savvy, He's just savvy. He just finds 0:15:19.800 --> 0:15:23.200 ways to get open. He uses his experience. We've seen 0:15:23.280 --> 0:15:24.960 him with that connection with Baker, I guess, as you 0:15:25.000 --> 0:15:26.880 were just saying, we saw him catch a touchdown pass 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:30.440 from Sam in the first preseason game. I mean, it's 0:15:30.480 --> 0:15:34.160 just he just has that innate ability to be a 0:15:34.200 --> 0:15:37.160 wide receiver. You know. It's almost like maturity too, because 0:15:37.160 --> 0:15:39.120 he's one of the older guys on the roster and 0:15:39.160 --> 0:15:41.480 that's something. I mean, it's a very young roster in general, 0:15:41.560 --> 0:15:44.040 so I feel like there's benefits to that as well. Um, 0:15:44.200 --> 0:15:46.000 but yeah, Shy Smith, I feel like the camp that 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:48.200 he's had just it can't be talked about enough. He's 0:15:48.280 --> 0:15:51.720 just had such a good camp. He's been lining up 0:15:51.720 --> 0:15:54.720 in the slot, he's been taking back kicks, he's been 0:15:54.720 --> 0:15:57.400 taking him back punts, now and um, that's something that 0:15:57.640 --> 0:15:59.360 Rule said, you know, they like to see in these 0:15:59.360 --> 0:16:01.200 preseason games because it's kind of hard for them to 0:16:01.200 --> 0:16:03.640 replicate it in practice. So he's been returning punts and 0:16:03.640 --> 0:16:07.120 that's something you know, Um with Andre Roberts out with 0:16:07.400 --> 0:16:09.160 c J. Saunders who was taking a lot of those 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:12.280 reps out until this week, you know, he's he's kind 0:16:12.280 --> 0:16:14.280 of stepped up there. So Shot Smith is really making 0:16:14.360 --> 0:16:16.960 himself versatile and useful across all of it. I think 0:16:16.960 --> 0:16:19.200 it was Matt Role yesterday said that he's competing for 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:21.360 a starting role even you know he's he's one of 0:16:21.400 --> 0:16:24.000 those guys that they just really seen a lot from. 0:16:24.000 --> 0:16:26.080 So there's a lot of receivers. I think there's a 0:16:26.080 --> 0:16:28.920 lot of good cornerback depth, ironically because you know they're 0:16:28.920 --> 0:16:31.520 Adam people. But I feel like Tay Hayes is one 0:16:31.520 --> 0:16:33.200 of those guys who's probably a custom guy that they 0:16:33.240 --> 0:16:35.560 were excited about. The team loves him first of all. 0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:38.440 At practice, Oh my goodness, you hear Tay Tay. They 0:16:38.480 --> 0:16:40.400 love him. They were so excited for the picks. I mean, 0:16:40.440 --> 0:16:42.120 but how how could you not be? But in the 0:16:42.160 --> 0:16:44.880 New England game, just that incredible play that he made 0:16:45.600 --> 0:16:48.240 the sideline erupted, and I'd say for like a good 0:16:48.280 --> 0:16:52.359 five minutes, like it was just they were so excited 0:16:52.480 --> 0:16:56.080 for him. And you can tell August exactly what you said, 0:16:56.720 --> 0:16:59.840 who are the guys that that make that locker room better? 0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:02.760 That just add a lot that we don't even see 0:17:02.800 --> 0:17:05.439 beyond the place. But he's always making a play. It 0:17:05.520 --> 0:17:08.000 was such a neat scene and one of my favorite things. 0:17:08.560 --> 0:17:12.159 Chanel Smith, Walker and Kenney Richmond, our photographers nailed it. 0:17:12.240 --> 0:17:14.200 There were two parts of that play that I love. 0:17:14.400 --> 0:17:17.920 Number One, Tay Hayes is just stiff arming Bailey's Appy's 0:17:17.960 --> 0:17:22.320 helmet off or Bailey Well he deserved it because he 0:17:22.359 --> 0:17:25.119 put fifty nine on Appalachian State in the Boca Raton 0:17:25.200 --> 0:17:28.960 Bowl last year and I'm still not over um. And 0:17:29.000 --> 0:17:31.800 then Davean Nixon picks him up in the air. It's 0:17:31.840 --> 0:17:36.080 like in dirty dancing, holding them up in mid air. 0:17:36.160 --> 0:17:38.760 It's It was just such a neat scene and and 0:17:38.800 --> 0:17:41.399 I love the fact that our photographers had both of 0:17:41.440 --> 0:17:44.240 those shots. I mean, it was just perfect because it 0:17:44.400 --> 0:17:46.800 was just a great moment for Tay and you know, 0:17:46.960 --> 0:17:51.120 he's a guy who has inserted himself in two conversations. 0:17:51.200 --> 0:17:54.080 I mean that cornerback rooms as deep as anything on 0:17:54.160 --> 0:17:57.480 this roster going into camp, and you know, he sort 0:17:57.480 --> 0:17:59.560 of made himself a guy you look at and say, 0:17:59.560 --> 0:18:02.680 what do you do with this one? Look? And yes, 0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:04.879 and the roster is deep, but there have been some 0:18:04.960 --> 0:18:07.040 injuries over the course of camp. You know, Kei Taylor 0:18:07.119 --> 0:18:09.520 is back now, c J. Henderson is back. But you 0:18:10.440 --> 0:18:12.840 can never I would I would say that Phil Snow 0:18:12.880 --> 0:18:16.639 would say probably you could never have enough enough depth 0:18:16.840 --> 0:18:20.119 at corner right the secondary in general. Now, of course 0:18:20.400 --> 0:18:23.400 it all goes back to roster. Matthew can keep everybody. 0:18:23.440 --> 0:18:26.040 But yes, exactly, you said, there are these guys that 0:18:26.640 --> 0:18:29.680 um force themselves into the conversation because of the play 0:18:29.720 --> 0:18:31.199 that they have day in and day out, and it's 0:18:31.240 --> 0:18:34.600 fun to watch them. Yeah, it's complicated now. It makes 0:18:34.600 --> 0:18:37.040 it a nightmare this weekend because, like I said, the 0:18:37.080 --> 0:18:40.359 meetings matt Rule and Scott Fitter are going to be having. 0:18:40.880 --> 0:18:44.160 You know, they're basically going to be deciding, Okay, who 0:18:44.160 --> 0:18:46.840 do we need more this tenth offensive landman or the 0:18:46.960 --> 0:18:52.000 sixth linebacker or the sixth or seventh receiver, and how 0:18:52.000 --> 0:18:54.840 do we count Andre and all the you know, there's 0:18:54.880 --> 0:18:56.760 a lot of stuff going on, and they've got to 0:18:57.119 --> 0:18:59.720 they've got to get rid of twenty seven people from 0:18:59.720 --> 0:19:03.679 this roster or in the next five days basically. So 0:19:03.960 --> 0:19:07.480 that's gonna be tough, and it's it's creating a lot 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:10.920 of anxiety, uh down there on the second floor where 0:19:10.960 --> 0:19:14.400 they're making those decisions, and you know, to sit here 0:19:14.400 --> 0:19:16.680 and say, we know exactly what they're gonna do it, 0:19:16.760 --> 0:19:19.119 most of these spots you can't right now. And I 0:19:19.160 --> 0:19:21.960 think a lot of it's going to be determined if 0:19:21.960 --> 0:19:24.640 there are any more injuries, how long is certain guy 0:19:24.760 --> 0:19:27.960 gonna be out? Uh, if he's injured right now? And 0:19:28.280 --> 0:19:30.760 I think there's still a good number of positions where 0:19:31.680 --> 0:19:34.320 uh to steal one of Dave Gettleman's lens, the answer 0:19:34.400 --> 0:19:37.840 might not be on the roster, So I mean, especially 0:19:37.920 --> 0:19:41.080 like defensive tackle, defensive end, those are probably places where 0:19:41.119 --> 0:19:43.560 they still need help from outside and are going to 0:19:43.640 --> 0:19:46.679 be looking around to see who gets cut, who can 0:19:46.720 --> 0:19:49.200 be traded for that kind of thing. But but even 0:19:49.240 --> 0:19:53.119 with that, you know, Matt Rule talked about that a 0:19:53.160 --> 0:19:55.280 couple of times over the last couple of weeks, which 0:19:55.320 --> 0:19:57.560 is over the last two years since he's been here. 0:19:57.880 --> 0:20:00.959 Team has been looking a lot more at the fifty 0:20:01.200 --> 0:20:03.159 three cuts, you know, looking to pick guys up, and 0:20:03.160 --> 0:20:06.480 he said, you know, we're not. We have depth right now, 0:20:06.560 --> 0:20:08.760