1
00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:07,440
Speaker 1: Just who is Mike Laflor, What are the Cardinals getting

2
00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:10,280
Speaker 1: in their new head coach, and maybe more importantly, what

3
00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:13,800
Speaker 1: might the offense look like? Got Zach Kershman, Whimenberg Gang.

4
00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:16,720
Speaker 1: It's been a week since Mike was formally introduced. Still

5
00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:19,640
Speaker 1: no word on a coaching staff, at least nothing official.

6
00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:22,120
Speaker 1: That will change soon, so until then, we do our

7
00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,680
Speaker 1: best to get to know Micha Laflor. Good friend Jordan

8
00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:28,200
Speaker 1: Rodrigg joins the show. She had several conversations with Mike

9
00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:31,360
Speaker 1: when he was the rams oc. It's Cardinals Cover two,

10
00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:34,240
Speaker 1: episode nine seventy seven, and it starts now.

11
00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:39,440
Speaker 2: Welcome to Cardinals Cover two.

12
00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:43,839
Speaker 3: Wood to Baker, what Heart? What rent? This guy's unbelievable?

13
00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:48,360
Speaker 2: Cardinals Cover two is presented by Hyundai, proud partner of

14
00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:54,400
Speaker 2: the Arizona Cardinals, and by Arizona Cardinals Podcast visit Azycardinals

15
00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:56,200
Speaker 2: dot Com slash podcast.

16
00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:58,640
Speaker 3: Right up the five hit to the end zone for

17
00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:02,400
Speaker 3: the Cardinal touchdown. Drey McBride, he's been an absolute monster.

18
00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:03,960
Speaker 2: Here's Craig Grioler.

19
00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:11,280
Speaker 1: So before we get to our conversation with Jordan, I

20
00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:15,080
Speaker 1: need to shut out young Zach over here. So sit

21
00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:18,880
Speaker 1: up in your chair, Zach. I'm gonna compliment you last Wednesday.

22
00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:20,840
Speaker 3: First off, I just got humbled to sit up in

23
00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:21,560
Speaker 3: your chair.

24
00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:24,880
Speaker 1: By did I just sound mind? I'm not going to

25
00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:25,280
Speaker 1: go there.

26
00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:26,520
Speaker 3: You could say it.

27
00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:27,920
Speaker 1: Nope, nope, nope.

28
00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:28,960
Speaker 3: I thought I thought it.

29
00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:30,280
Speaker 1: You have a father, that's all.

30
00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,119
Speaker 3: We're good my dad. Probably it's good.

31
00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:37,560
Speaker 1: Last Wednesday, Zach spent all day at the Waste Management

32
00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,760
Speaker 1: Phoenix Open, hung out with the A list athletes and celebrities.

33
00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:46,000
Speaker 1: Got some great stuff via your social media, stuff that

34
00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:49,200
Speaker 1: Darren used for his articles on Larry Fitzgerald. You met

35
00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:51,720
Speaker 1: fitz for the first time, you met Emmett Smith, So

36
00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:54,720
Speaker 1: you met at the time a soon to be Hall

37
00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:58,000
Speaker 1: of Famer and an actual Hall of Famer.

38
00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:01,120
Speaker 3: Do I have permission to correct you, please, because there's

39
00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:06,960
Speaker 3: a story I've met Emmitt's twenty three I was filling

40
00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:09,880
Speaker 3: in for the Associated Press during their Super Bowl coverage

41
00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:13,600
Speaker 3: and I interviewed Emmett and E. J. Smith, his son,

42
00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:16,960
Speaker 3: both of them together. Now, granted, I don't as much

43
00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:18,880
Speaker 3: as I think that they came over to talk to me.

44
00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:21,399
Speaker 3: I think they cared more about the AP logo and

45
00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:23,840
Speaker 3: the bounty with the wings that they had because in

46
00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:26,040
Speaker 3: Super Bowl row or media row, you know that they

47
00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:30,280
Speaker 3: have all these activations. However, yes, I didn't speak with Emmett.

48
00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:32,560
Speaker 3: I don't think he remembered me, so we'll say, ok,

49
00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:34,520
Speaker 3: I met him again, and you did, and I did

50
00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:35,639
Speaker 3: meet Fitz.

51
00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:39,360
Speaker 1: And at the time, although we didn't know, Fitz did know.

52
00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:42,120
Speaker 1: He'd known for probably two or three weeks that he

53
00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:44,320
Speaker 1: was going to be or had been voted into the

54
00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:46,720
Speaker 1: Pro Football Hall of Fame. But again I mentioned this

55
00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:51,720
Speaker 1: earlier on a previous Cardinals cover two with Paul and Darren.

56
00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:57,960
Speaker 1: Fits was at the open all day Tuesday, all day Wednesday,

57
00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:00,840
Speaker 1: might have done I don't know a dozen and interviews,

58
00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:06,040
Speaker 1: whether individually or in groups, and played it real cool.

59
00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:08,960
Speaker 1: He knew in the back of his mind, back of

60
00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:11,280
Speaker 1: his head that he was going to be on stage

61
00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:13,639
Speaker 1: in NFL Honors, and I think a lot of us

62
00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:15,760
Speaker 1: felt he was going to be. But because of what

63
00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:20,240
Speaker 1: had happened in the previous weeks, Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft, well,

64
00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:23,560
Speaker 1: you didn't quite know for certain until Kurt Warner made

65
00:03:23,600 --> 00:03:27,520
Speaker 1: the announcement. But yeah, it was good stuff from Fits

66
00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:30,519
Speaker 1: to you, and I know you in addition to having

67
00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:31,919
Speaker 1: a good time you learned a lot.

68
00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:34,920
Speaker 3: I did. I did learn a lot, Craig. You're definitely

69
00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:37,720
Speaker 3: right about that. I learned the type of dude that

70
00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,280
Speaker 3: Fits is. Above all, I heard all these stories about

71
00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:43,480
Speaker 3: the kind of guy Larry Fitzgerald is and how he

72
00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:47,400
Speaker 3: treats the media, and you know, it's the stuff of

73
00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:49,680
Speaker 3: legends that you hear about, and then you don't always

74
00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:52,520
Speaker 3: get the opportunity to meet some of these legends. And

75
00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:54,440
Speaker 3: I got the opportunity to meet fitz and it was

76
00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:57,360
Speaker 3: everything that everybody has said, and then some a lot

77
00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:01,400
Speaker 3: of amazing, insightful conversations about on and off the record

78
00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:04,640
Speaker 3: that I had with the seventeen year vet. But to

79
00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:07,960
Speaker 3: just see him on the day before this induction, or

80
00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:10,720
Speaker 3: at least this nomination that he was going to be

81
00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:14,440
Speaker 3: enshrined to the Hall of Fame, to just see how calm,

82
00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:16,600
Speaker 3: cool and relax he was, everyone said that that's just

83
00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:19,280
Speaker 3: kind of how Fits was as a player. To see

84
00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:21,800
Speaker 3: him out like that on the golf course was a

85
00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:23,839
Speaker 3: lot of fun. And then to see him at sixteen.

86
00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,120
Speaker 3: I got in there a few minutes earlier, about an

87
00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:29,159
Speaker 3: hour earlier, rather because I want to make sure I

88
00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,600
Speaker 3: was there for the pandemonium known as Travis Kelce and

89
00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:33,200
Speaker 3: the Swifties.

90
00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:35,040
Speaker 1: That was the A List athletes.

91
00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:38,440
Speaker 3: That was definitely one of the guys that I saw,

92
00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:40,680
Speaker 3: and so I want to make sure I had a

93
00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:43,240
Speaker 3: good spot for that. I did. I was right next

94
00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:44,719
Speaker 3: to Travis, so very good spot.

95
00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:46,760
Speaker 1: First name basis Now, I expect you to be on

96
00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:48,320
Speaker 1: that other podcast.

97
00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:50,120
Speaker 3: He did the other podcast. I like what you did.

98
00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:56,799
Speaker 3: There no free promotion, but anyway, Travis was great. Michael

99
00:04:56,800 --> 00:04:59,080
Speaker 3: Phelips was very cool to see him in action. But

100
00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:02,760
Speaker 3: then when Fitz's grew came out there at sixteen, you

101
00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:04,760
Speaker 3: could start to see, you know, everyone had a lot

102
00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:07,320
Speaker 3: of excitement when Travis was there, started to die down

103
00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:09,320
Speaker 3: a little bit, and once Fits got right back up

104
00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:12,520
Speaker 3: to the tea box, the excitement started to rise again.

105
00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:15,760
Speaker 3: You heard a couple of people doing the Larry Larry chance,

106
00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:19,200
Speaker 3: so that was definitely pretty neat to actually hear it

107
00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:21,279
Speaker 3: and to see it. I've only heard the Larry chance

108
00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:23,440
Speaker 3: once and it was when he came to a Cardinals game.

109
00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:24,839
Speaker 3: I don't believe it was this year. I believe it

110
00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:28,800
Speaker 3: was last year. Correct, excuse me. There, I got choked.

111
00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,440
Speaker 3: We almost lost almost lost me I got so excited

112
00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:37,360
Speaker 3: I skipped a breath. Wow, you know, I went back

113
00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:40,400
Speaker 3: in time and my life literally five before my eyes.

114
00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:43,040
Speaker 3: That was kind of crazy, but yeah, no, to actually

115
00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:45,479
Speaker 3: see it in person. The Larry Chance was pretty neat,

116
00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:47,760
Speaker 3: and then he had the moment with Kenny dilleyhand that

117
00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:51,000
Speaker 3: he tackled Kenny and forced him up to go to

118
00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:53,320
Speaker 3: the to the tea box and then Kenny Dillingham hit

119
00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:54,200
Speaker 3: a beautiful shot.

120
00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:56,039
Speaker 1: Yeah, without any practice or anything.

121
00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:58,479
Speaker 3: Just yeah, just it was. It was awesome all around it.

122
00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:01,800
Speaker 3: Buddha did great. McBride had a really solid outing. Zavion

123
00:06:01,839 --> 00:06:06,120
Speaker 3: Collins was also there. What you did there that daven

124
00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:09,080
Speaker 3: did good at? A lot of players are there at

125
00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:12,719
Speaker 3: support Rabbit Tator Denverson was was there. Denzel Burke was

126
00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:15,400
Speaker 3: caddying for Buddhah because that's his Rooki Hee said he's

127
00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:18,919
Speaker 3: allowed to do that. Former defensive backs coach Patrick Tony

128
00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:21,400
Speaker 3: was there. He's now on his way to Ole Miss

129
00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:24,599
Speaker 3: to become their defensive coordinator. So it was pretty awesome

130
00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:26,600
Speaker 3: to see a lot of current Cardinals, former Cardinals and

131
00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:29,279
Speaker 3: attendance cheering on their guys. Glad you had.

132
00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:32,640
Speaker 1: Fun and again great work by you. Out there on Wednesday,

133
00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:36,440
Speaker 1: because a lot of what we're seeing and reading is

134
00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:40,200
Speaker 1: because of the guy sitting across from me here in studio.

135
00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:43,560
Speaker 1: I'm glad you brought up defensive coordinator because as we

136
00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:48,360
Speaker 1: are speaking here on this Wednesday afternoon, there is still

137
00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:52,160
Speaker 1: no news on the coordinators, at least nothing official. Maybe

138
00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:55,200
Speaker 1: by the time this episode gets posted or whatnot. But

139
00:06:55,839 --> 00:06:59,080
Speaker 1: my guess is sooner rather than later, we will get

140
00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:03,640
Speaker 1: an announcement on the coordinators and then potentially later on

141
00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:04,880
Speaker 1: the rest.

142
00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:05,320
Speaker 3: Of the staff.

143
00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:07,760
Speaker 1: At least that's how it was four years ago when

144
00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:11,080
Speaker 1: Jonathan Gannon was hired. There were two announcements three really,

145
00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:15,040
Speaker 1: it was the JG announcement, then there was the coordinators announcement,

146
00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:18,800
Speaker 1: and then there was the full staff announcement. So things

147
00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:21,720
Speaker 1: aren't happening behind the scenes. Things are busy here inside

148
00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:25,240
Speaker 1: the Dignity Health Arizona Cardinals Training Center, just nothing quite

149
00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:28,720
Speaker 1: yet to announce, at least from the team side of things.

150
00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:32,000
Speaker 1: So while we wait, we are doing our best to

151
00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:35,600
Speaker 1: kind of get to know Mike Laflor, the person, the coach,

152
00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:40,119
Speaker 1: and could not think of anyone better than Jordan rod Rigg,

153
00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:44,760
Speaker 1: Senior NFL writer for the athletic We've had her on

154
00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:47,680
Speaker 1: a number of times when she was the Rams beat

155
00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:50,320
Speaker 1: rider and the last training camp, which we will get into,

156
00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:53,320
Speaker 1: but this is someone talking about Jordan that has been

157
00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:58,520
Speaker 1: around Mike as an offensive coordinator, as an assistant and

158
00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:03,840
Speaker 1: has really seen one of those young offensive minds grow

159
00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:06,280
Speaker 1: literally in front of her eyes and the rest of

160
00:08:06,280 --> 00:08:09,000
Speaker 1: the league as far as those up and comers that

161
00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:11,560
Speaker 1: kind of get pegged early on in their career and

162
00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:15,760
Speaker 1: then steadily just increase, then go step by step up

163
00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:16,520
Speaker 1: the ladder.

164
00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:18,480
Speaker 3: And it helps with the last name, and it really

165
00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:20,840
Speaker 3: helps with the coaching tree he's learned under with Sean

166
00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:23,960
Speaker 3: mcvany and Kyle Shanahan. So there's a lot of excitement

167
00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:27,680
Speaker 3: about what could be with with Michaelfor I know, there

168
00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:30,560
Speaker 3: are a lot of power rankings. You know, everybody feels

169
00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:33,160
Speaker 3: that they could start to rank some of the decisions

170
00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:35,240
Speaker 3: that these teams are making, and not a lot of

171
00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:37,959
Speaker 3: them are as high a Michael four, which I'm a

172
00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,920
Speaker 3: little bit surprised by because you'll hear from Jordan. When

173
00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:43,120
Speaker 3: you listen to what Jordan says in just a little

174
00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:45,120
Speaker 3: bit bird getting, You're going your eyes are going to

175
00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:47,440
Speaker 3: start to open a little bit more and your mind

176
00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:51,040
Speaker 3: is going to start to wander about, Okay, this guy

177
00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:54,800
Speaker 3: can find the solution here. I know it has not

178
00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:57,600
Speaker 3: been the easiest time when it comes to finding the

179
00:08:57,679 --> 00:08:59,960
Speaker 3: right guy. And Michael Bidwell said it during the Prescot

180
00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:03,320
Speaker 3: when they announced that they were relieving Jonathangana of his duties,

181
00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:05,680
Speaker 3: that it was not going the direction that he wanted

182
00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:07,200
Speaker 3: it to go. He said, we were going in the

183
00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:10,800
Speaker 3: wrong direction. Michael Floor really does seem like the guy

184
00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:13,760
Speaker 3: that he has faced tons of adversity. He was in

185
00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:17,480
Speaker 3: New York during a very tumultuous time with the New

186
00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:19,760
Speaker 3: York Jets and everything going on there with Robert Sawah,

187
00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:21,680
Speaker 3: and to see him come out on the other side

188
00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:23,800
Speaker 3: of it and now be sitting in this seat just

189
00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:26,160
Speaker 3: a few years later from his time leaving New York

190
00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:29,040
Speaker 3: to where he is now, there's a lot of excitement

191
00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:32,200
Speaker 3: about what can be. I know people are starting to

192
00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:34,320
Speaker 3: maybe lean or rely a little bit more on the

193
00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:36,400
Speaker 3: fact of, well, look at what happened in New York.

194
00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:39,000
Speaker 3: Look at what happened. You know, he didn't call plays

195
00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:42,200
Speaker 3: into Los Angeles. Everybody be surprising a little bit to

196
00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:43,840
Speaker 3: know that that's not really the case.

197
00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:48,280
Speaker 1: What can be for the Arizona Cardinals under head coach

198
00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:52,440
Speaker 1: Michae Lafloor. What can be this offense with Michae Lafloor

199
00:09:52,679 --> 00:09:56,719
Speaker 1: as your play caller, Let's dive into the person and

200
00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:00,160
Speaker 1: the coach with Jordan rod Riggs, senior NFL writer for

201
00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:05,400
Speaker 1: the Athletic so B'gang. For those long time listeners here

202
00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:08,680
Speaker 1: on Cardinals Cover two, we've had Jordan on a number

203
00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:13,240
Speaker 1: of times. Most recently though, back in training camp when

204
00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:17,360
Speaker 1: she said, and I'll quote her about Trey McBride the

205
00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:21,920
Speaker 1: presence and the future at tight end. So, Jordan, we

206
00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:27,120
Speaker 1: appreciate you getting Trey an All Pro, first team All

207
00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:29,400
Speaker 1: Pro for the first time in his career.

208
00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:30,880
Speaker 3: Take your victory lap, Jordan.

209
00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:33,920
Speaker 4: I was laughing with you guys before we started. I

210
00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:36,440
Speaker 4: was like, man, that was the easiest shot I ever called.

211
00:10:36,559 --> 00:10:39,360
Speaker 4: Like that dude became the best tight end in football

212
00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:41,520
Speaker 4: that same year, and we all, kind of those of

213
00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:43,880
Speaker 4: us who'd seen him and certainly you guys on the

214
00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:46,720
Speaker 4: ground with him every day, had seen that coming for

215
00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:49,280
Speaker 4: a couple of years. So happy for Trey because he's

216
00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:51,560
Speaker 4: a really good dude. And it's a hard year, I know,

217
00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:53,760
Speaker 4: so to have sort of that a little bit of

218
00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:55,800
Speaker 4: his own victory lap probably felt good too.

219
00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:59,040
Speaker 3: But forty nine out of fifty, well, what do you

220
00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:00,600
Speaker 3: think the one person missing?

221
00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:05,640
Speaker 4: I don't know whoever, whoever's up there in San Francisco.

222
00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:09,160
Speaker 4: You know, we got some we we got some fans

223
00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:13,199
Speaker 4: up there. I don't know, well, but you know what,

224
00:11:13,640 --> 00:11:15,439
Speaker 4: or it was a Kelsey, But I have no idea.

225
00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:17,839
Speaker 4: I didn't look at the whoever was the one who

226
00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:21,040
Speaker 4: didn't vote for him. I thought it should have been unanimous.

227
00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:23,480
Speaker 4: But you know, it's for me, that's like a little

228
00:11:23,559 --> 00:11:26,120
Speaker 4: nitpicking at this point, because I'm like, someone's gonna vote

229
00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:30,160
Speaker 4: with their with their own heart there. So there's always one.

230
00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:33,440
Speaker 3: Right, There's always there's always that one. But but Tray

231
00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:36,000
Speaker 3: seems to be, you know, that one for the future.

232
00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:39,680
Speaker 3: Like you were talking about, just how sustainable is a

233
00:11:39,760 --> 00:11:41,880
Speaker 3: season like he just had this year? Obviously you don't

234
00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:44,600
Speaker 3: expect for the Cardinals to go into next season being

235
00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:47,040
Speaker 3: down and out in as many games as they were

236
00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:50,760
Speaker 3: in as many known passing situations. But just how sustainable

237
00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:54,000
Speaker 3: is seasons like twenty twenty five was for Trey McBride

238
00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:55,319
Speaker 3: going forward?

239
00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:58,680
Speaker 4: Yeah, I don't think the volume is sustainable just because

240
00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:01,480
Speaker 4: of all the variables you just mentioned. They if they

241
00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:03,559
Speaker 4: have their way, they're going to be running the ball

242
00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:06,360
Speaker 4: more and trying to close out games. But I do

243
00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:11,240
Speaker 4: think the production efficiency, explosive play rate, success rate, the

244
00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:13,200
Speaker 4: things that he does in the run in the past game,

245
00:12:13,280 --> 00:12:16,240
Speaker 4: I think all of those things are very sustainable moving forward.

246
00:12:16,559 --> 00:12:19,800
Speaker 4: You know, we talked last off season about whether fans

247
00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:22,199
Speaker 4: liked it or not, he was going to be the

248
00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:25,840
Speaker 4: feature point of this offense because of all of those

249
00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:30,720
Speaker 4: qualities that turn this offense from you know, something that

250
00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:34,360
Speaker 4: actually could could threaten other teams even in those losing

251
00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:37,720
Speaker 4: efforts that they face, especially down the back half of

252
00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:40,560
Speaker 4: that season. So I think the volume itself, you're not

253
00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:43,839
Speaker 4: going to see the same amount of, like just strategically

254
00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:46,640
Speaker 4: applied to what the Cardinals did. They were a little

255
00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:49,960
Speaker 4: bit animalic in that sense with Jacoby Brissett, just like Seed.

256
00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:52,319
Speaker 4: It was like the game plan was just said Seed

257
00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:55,360
Speaker 4: tray on two words and the whiteboards. So but I

258
00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:57,840
Speaker 4: think I do, and I know they want more balance

259
00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:01,360
Speaker 4: at receiver too, But still, like I said, the success rate,

260
00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:04,080
Speaker 4: the overall the explosive play rate of production, the yard

261
00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:06,160
Speaker 4: doctor to catch all of that, to me, is very

262
00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:07,000
Speaker 4: very repeatable.

263
00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,640
Speaker 1: All right, Well, we had to give Jordan her credit

264
00:13:09,679 --> 00:13:13,720
Speaker 1: because she was ahead of a lot of outside media,

265
00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:16,440
Speaker 1: not those of us that follow the Arizona Cardinals on

266
00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:19,240
Speaker 1: a daily basis. We all know about Trey McBride. The

267
00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:21,640
Speaker 1: real reason, though, we wanted to have Jordan on the

268
00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:25,400
Speaker 1: show is you and Mike Laflor Before we get into

269
00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:29,160
Speaker 1: the nuts and bolts, how far back do you go

270
00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:31,800
Speaker 1: with the former Rams offensive coordinator.

271
00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:35,480
Speaker 4: Yeah. You know what's funny is I first knew about

272
00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:39,920
Speaker 4: Mike through his brother Matt, as you guys got to know.

273
00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:41,679
Speaker 4: I think he was there at the press conference that

274
00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:44,199
Speaker 4: was kind of a cool moment when Mike was introduced.

275
00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:48,560
Speaker 4: But I did a narrative documentary series podcast called The

276
00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:50,440
Speaker 4: play Callers, and so I got to talking with a

277
00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:53,120
Speaker 4: lot of those guys who were featured who were at

278
00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:56,920
Speaker 4: the time or head coaches in the Shanahan mcveay Kubiac

279
00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:59,960
Speaker 4: Coaching Tree, and Matt being one of them, of course,

280
00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:02,840
Speaker 4: But then also Mike having worked with shot with excuse me,

281
00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:06,400
Speaker 4: with Kyle Shanahan as well, and also had having cross

282
00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:09,000
Speaker 4: paths with Mike McDaniel, who was featured in the series

283
00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,520
Speaker 4: as well at the time, so all of those guys

284
00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:15,440
Speaker 4: had crossover with Mike, and he came up quite a

285
00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:18,800
Speaker 4: bit just in terms of one of those longtime assistant

286
00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:22,400
Speaker 4: coaches who cut his teeth in various iterations of this

287
00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:26,880
Speaker 4: system and really was a nuts and bolts guy, whether

288
00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:29,560
Speaker 4: it was with the receivers or in the past game,

289
00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:32,520
Speaker 4: working into the run game as well, because we all

290
00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:35,400
Speaker 4: know that system loves to marry run in pass probably

291
00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:39,120
Speaker 4: better than anyone else does. And so that was it

292
00:14:39,160 --> 00:14:41,960
Speaker 4: was funny. I'd kind of known his lore quote unquote

293
00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:44,960
Speaker 4: before actually getting to know him, and Sean McVay was

294
00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:47,880
Speaker 4: hell bent on bringing him to Los Angeles, you know,

295
00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:51,440
Speaker 4: once he became available that season when he was fired

296
00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:53,880
Speaker 4: in New York. So he was somebody who had a

297
00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:57,480
Speaker 4: really high esteem within that coaching tree, and it was

298
00:14:57,520 --> 00:14:59,960
Speaker 4: easy to see that once he got to LA.

299
00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,320
Speaker 1: Before we get into the x's and o's, your conversations

300
00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:06,760
Speaker 1: with the person, before we get to the coach part.

301
00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:08,920
Speaker 1: What kind of person is Micha.

302
00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:12,760
Speaker 4: Laflora, Oh, Yeah, he's you know what, I think it's

303
00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:16,400
Speaker 4: funny because to me, he's one of the few people

304
00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:22,800
Speaker 4: who is psychologically equipped to handle Sean and Kyle twice

305
00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:26,120
Speaker 4: a year in terms of what that takes to duel

306
00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:29,240
Speaker 4: with them, And now Mike McDonald as well, because he's

307
00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:32,080
Speaker 4: really affable, like he really is just sort of he

308
00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:35,800
Speaker 4: rides the waves. He's very even keel, he's very steady.

309
00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:37,960
Speaker 4: Once you guys get to know him a little bit better,

310
00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:41,160
Speaker 4: he's way funnier than people give him credit for. He's

311
00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:44,520
Speaker 4: got really good dry sense of humor one liner, so

312
00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:47,960
Speaker 4: media will love him, and he's good at explaining stuff.

313
00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:50,200
Speaker 4: So as a person, I always found him to be

314
00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:53,160
Speaker 4: a really open teacher of the game. Now, when you're

315
00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:54,960
Speaker 4: a head coach, you kind of are going to have

316
00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:57,760
Speaker 4: to close off a little bit, and you know that's understandable.

317
00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:01,080
Speaker 4: But for my you know what, more years knowing him

318
00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:06,200
Speaker 4: in person, he was always such a willing, open teacher

319
00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:09,680
Speaker 4: of the game and somebody who just truly loves the game,

320
00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:12,960
Speaker 4: cherishes the sport, loves the history of it, wants to

321
00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:15,440
Speaker 4: be a part of shaping its future. He holds it

322
00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:18,800
Speaker 4: in very very high esteem. Any anything, I think, I mean,

323
00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:21,720
Speaker 4: you know, you guys see Matt on the sidelines. I

324
00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:25,560
Speaker 4: think Mike's got probably got the even Keel Jeane a

325
00:16:25,560 --> 00:16:28,680
Speaker 4: little bit more even than Matt does. And I think

326
00:16:28,680 --> 00:16:31,360
Speaker 4: Matt would probably tell you that too. But yeah, he

327
00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:34,200
Speaker 4: stays really even no matter what's going on around him.

328
00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:35,920
Speaker 4: So I'm eager to see what that looks like when

329
00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:37,680
Speaker 4: he's when he's calling plays on the sideline.

330
00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:40,000
Speaker 3: Well, Craig, you heard him compliment my shirt. So if

331
00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:43,440
Speaker 3: I find out this is part of his sarcasm, If

332
00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:45,440
Speaker 3: I find out this is part of his sarcasm, I

333
00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:48,600
Speaker 3: might cry later. But but but Jordan, you mentioned a

334
00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:52,240
Speaker 3: lot of the different coaches he's warned under over the years.

335
00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:54,320
Speaker 3: I know it's early and we're not at the stage

336
00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:56,960
Speaker 3: where we could start making power statements or guarantees here

337
00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,240
Speaker 3: and there. But is there a trait of a They

338
00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:03,760
Speaker 3: coach team or Shanahan coach team that this Cardinals team

339
00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:07,280
Speaker 3: is going to resemble because of the coaches he's learned under.

340
00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:10,520
Speaker 4: Well, I don't think that you'll see it at first,

341
00:17:10,600 --> 00:17:14,320
Speaker 4: which is kind of important. And and if it goes well,

342
00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:16,440
Speaker 4: right because with all these guys, I didn't know how

343
00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:18,959
Speaker 4: good Liam Cohen was going to be. For example, Like

344
00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:21,560
Speaker 4: I knew Liam and I believed in Liam, but you

345
00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:23,679
Speaker 4: just never know right. So I know Mike, and I

346
00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:26,119
Speaker 4: believe in Mike, but you really don't know until you

347
00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:29,119
Speaker 4: start to see all these these little pieces get put together.

348
00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:31,840
Speaker 4: What I think you guys will see first, and then

349
00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:35,320
Speaker 4: I think the greater public we'll see is a different

350
00:17:35,359 --> 00:17:40,000
Speaker 4: approach to how they practice, how they install concepts, the

351
00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:44,440
Speaker 4: urgency of the practice, how fast they try to move

352
00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:47,560
Speaker 4: in the practice. Not fast for the sake of being

353
00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:51,159
Speaker 4: fast like those old Chip Kelly teams did, but fast

354
00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:53,840
Speaker 4: because there was a There's a lot of information to

355
00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:57,320
Speaker 4: get to how organized things have to be and how

356
00:17:57,600 --> 00:18:00,880
Speaker 4: the players basically are in a constant state of learning

357
00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:06,440
Speaker 4: and implementation versus there being sort of these pause periods

358
00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:10,080
Speaker 4: or break periods through the course of the day where

359
00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:13,159
Speaker 4: there may be you know, not feeling as engaged with

360
00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:16,639
Speaker 4: the material. So that's something that's really really important that

361
00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:19,080
Speaker 4: I think Mike picked up from Sean in la is

362
00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:21,720
Speaker 4: how can we make the walkthrough feel as even the

363
00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:24,520
Speaker 4: walk through feel as close to a game as possible

364
00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:27,679
Speaker 4: and empower the players to problem solve as well. One

365
00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:29,760
Speaker 4: of the things Sean started doing that I think Mike

366
00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:32,560
Speaker 4: probably will carry over with him is, first of all,

367
00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:34,280
Speaker 4: they have the video boards, they can watch their own

368
00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:37,640
Speaker 4: tape in real time around only like seven teams. They're

369
00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:40,600
Speaker 4: almost big guys do this around the league where they

370
00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:43,800
Speaker 4: watch their film in real time as they practice and

371
00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:46,800
Speaker 4: can cut it up basically as they go to really

372
00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:49,800
Speaker 4: break it down in real time as they practice. And

373
00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:54,359
Speaker 4: then also they Sean would empower players. He'd give them

374
00:18:54,359 --> 00:18:56,919
Speaker 4: a bucket of calls. And if it'd be a you

375
00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:59,920
Speaker 4: call it competitive period with the defense, so they go

376
00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:02,480
Speaker 4: so you know, either if it's a practice, they go

377
00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:04,920
Speaker 4: once on ones in a competitive period, or if it's

378
00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:08,520
Speaker 4: a walkthrough, they go ones against scout and they would say, okay,

379
00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:10,600
Speaker 4: here's the looks you're going to get from this defense

380
00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:13,760
Speaker 4: and the different tendencies that they play to you call it.

381
00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:15,440
Speaker 4: Let's talk about it the whole way through and the

382
00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:17,960
Speaker 4: walk through. The Shan's pacing the field with him, he's

383
00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:20,720
Speaker 4: listening to the quarterback. Quarterback and the receivers are talking

384
00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:23,360
Speaker 4: amongst each other. In this case, I think Trey McBride

385
00:19:23,359 --> 00:19:25,760
Speaker 4: would be a huge part of this talking amongst each

386
00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:28,159
Speaker 4: other and with the offensive linement, especially with the center.

387
00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:30,760
Speaker 4: What is the best call? What do we like here?

388
00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:32,480
Speaker 4: Do we like this? Why do we like this, and

389
00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:36,280
Speaker 4: it's a very collaborative, really cool. I don't see a

390
00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:39,440
Speaker 4: lot of other teams do that, and the players light

391
00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:42,280
Speaker 4: up from it. You guys like it is a great

392
00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:46,080
Speaker 4: way for information retention and competitiveness and making them feel

393
00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:47,879
Speaker 4: empowered as a part of the game plan because a

394
00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:50,200
Speaker 4: lot of times the things the players like to do

395
00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:53,159
Speaker 4: and feel confident in doing, and they've called it themselves

396
00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:55,600
Speaker 4: in the practice, that will make it onto the call

397
00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:58,639
Speaker 4: sheet on that Sunday. So it's a small detail that

398
00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:01,119
Speaker 4: won't be seen by the public at first, but I

399
00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:04,439
Speaker 4: think is absolutely a game changer in terms of the

400
00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:06,600
Speaker 4: process of bringing a team together.

401
00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:10,520
Speaker 1: So Mike does call plays or did call plays for

402
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:14,360
Speaker 1: the Los Angeles French because that's been the big talking point. Well,

403
00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:18,440
Speaker 1: it didn't call plays in la offensive coordinator and name

404
00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:22,280
Speaker 1: title only, but it does sound like Jordan that Mike

405
00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:26,960
Speaker 1: had more of a hands on and maybe a large

406
00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:30,560
Speaker 1: voice in what was done offensively, even though he wasn't

407
00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:32,840
Speaker 1: specifically play calling on Sundays.

408
00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:36,200
Speaker 4: Well, I think people really forget that. Sean the quote

409
00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,920
Speaker 4: unquote third highest success rate in a game of the

410
00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:43,560
Speaker 4: quote unquote Sean McVay era was when Mike Lafleur was

411
00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:46,760
Speaker 4: calling the game, so I think this was at the

412
00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:50,280
Speaker 4: end of this regular season. Sewan has gotten really good,

413
00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:53,600
Speaker 4: a lot better about that as time has progressed in

414
00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:56,720
Speaker 4: his coaching career of giving his coaches bites at the

415
00:20:56,760 --> 00:20:59,280
Speaker 4: apple in certain moments to call the game. Now he's

416
00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:02,240
Speaker 4: still obviously it's the league play caller, and play calling

417
00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:05,760
Speaker 4: and throughout the course of a season is definitely going

418
00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:09,159
Speaker 4: to be a learning curve for Mike I especially. You know,

419
00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:12,760
Speaker 4: he's in a completely different world than he was in

420
00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:15,720
Speaker 4: New York, where I would say he had a very

421
00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:19,480
Speaker 4: you know, inexperienced understanding of what it was going to

422
00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:22,359
Speaker 4: be like to sequence plays together, you know, maximize the

423
00:21:22,680 --> 00:21:24,560
Speaker 4: like maximize the floor of the quarterback or lift the

424
00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:27,680
Speaker 4: floor of the quarterback, et cetera, et cetera. In LA,

425
00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:29,919
Speaker 4: hitting the reset and kind of developing a couple of

426
00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:34,320
Speaker 4: those tools, but doing it in maybe less high stakes environments.

427
00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:36,400
Speaker 4: Like he called games he called the pre he'd called

428
00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:39,439
Speaker 4: the preseason, and he'd also call if they were if

429
00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:41,439
Speaker 4: they had already made the playoffs. He'd also call the

430
00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:44,360
Speaker 4: last game of the regular season as well, So those

431
00:21:44,359 --> 00:21:49,320
Speaker 4: were also Jimmy G games and he maximized Jimmy g

432
00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:51,760
Speaker 4: in a way that was like very Shanahan esque, I

433
00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:53,720
Speaker 4: would say, and it was kind of funny. It'd be

434
00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:55,760
Speaker 4: like a running joke. We'd say, like, oh, you look,

435
00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:57,720
Speaker 4: you know, you look like Kyle out there calling it

436
00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:00,840
Speaker 4: for Jimmy. When some of those Rams late season games

437
00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:03,960
Speaker 4: would happen. I remember them driving down the field against

438
00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:07,639
Speaker 4: Seattle almost winning that last game two years ago against

439
00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:09,360
Speaker 4: the best one of the best defenses in the league,

440
00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:12,000
Speaker 4: now the best defense in the league, and then you know,

441
00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:15,439
Speaker 4: putting a beating up this last last game of the

442
00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:18,040
Speaker 4: regular season this season, like I said, the third highest

443
00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:21,000
Speaker 4: success rated in the fay Era so far, and Mike.

444
00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:23,560
Speaker 4: I was talking to Mike about it, and Mike was

445
00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:25,760
Speaker 4: was laughing a little bit. He's like, man, he goes,

446
00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:28,080
Speaker 4: that was so much fun. And he just loved doing it.

447
00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:30,760
Speaker 4: He just loved ball, so it was a cool thing

448
00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:31,479
Speaker 4: for him to get to do.

449
00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:36,080
Speaker 1: You mentioned earlier that Sean McVeigh really wanted Mike to

450
00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:39,800
Speaker 1: join him in Los Angeles when McVeigh became head coach.

451
00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:43,760
Speaker 1: What was it about Mike that either Sean saw or

452
00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:47,000
Speaker 1: that he knew Mike could bring to the Rams. That

453
00:22:47,119 --> 00:22:51,040
Speaker 1: perhaps maybe the Cardinals now will get to see and watch.

454
00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:54,680
Speaker 4: Well, I think initially he wanted the run game right,

455
00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:58,560
Speaker 4: so he Sean at that year was overhauling the run

456
00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:01,760
Speaker 4: game for the Rams and turning it into more of

457
00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:06,919
Speaker 4: a multiple schematic attack that featured more gap concepts inside running.

458
00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:10,720
Speaker 4: They basically became one of the league leaders in duo

459
00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:14,000
Speaker 4: that year, which really maximized their guards that they had

460
00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:17,120
Speaker 4: invested in getting some size on the interior, and then

461
00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:19,720
Speaker 4: also in Tyron Williams, who became one of the most

462
00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:22,240
Speaker 4: productive backs in the league that year because he specializes

463
00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:26,479
Speaker 4: in those duo concepts. Well, Mike Lafleur had installed that

464
00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:30,600
Speaker 4: in multiple places and particularly notably to Sean in San

465
00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:34,400
Speaker 4: Francisco with Kyle Shanahan, and so Sean wanted to kind

466
00:23:34,400 --> 00:23:37,760
Speaker 4: of get into a more physical brand of run game

467
00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:41,560
Speaker 4: and running the ball, kind of a departure in some

468
00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:44,440
Speaker 4: ways from the wide and mid zone that he preferred

469
00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:47,280
Speaker 4: to run, but not totally getting away from those concepts,

470
00:23:47,359 --> 00:23:49,520
Speaker 4: just building in more of a menu for them to

471
00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:52,880
Speaker 4: do that, and it made a huge difference and has

472
00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:54,760
Speaker 4: over the last couple of years for the team. So

473
00:23:54,800 --> 00:23:57,200
Speaker 4: I think he wanted all that at first, right when

474
00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:00,040
Speaker 4: he goes out and gets Mike, but over time and

475
00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:05,360
Speaker 4: I think he became very attuned and grateful for Mike

476
00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,720
Speaker 4: as a person, like it's really really important to have

477
00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:12,800
Speaker 4: somebody who is that even keel in your building when

478
00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:16,159
Speaker 4: you're starting every season, you know, one and four and

479
00:24:16,200 --> 00:24:18,280
Speaker 4: digging yourself out of a hole the way that they

480
00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:21,480
Speaker 4: did those first those last two seasons to make the playoffs,

481
00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:25,200
Speaker 4: and then this season when they start and they basically

482
00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:28,240
Speaker 4: broadcast that, hey, we are going for a super Bowl

483
00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:31,600
Speaker 4: as early as possible in the year and staying temperamentally

484
00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:34,040
Speaker 4: even through the long haul of the season. I think

485
00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:37,080
Speaker 4: Sean really came to lean on him for that, and

486
00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:39,960
Speaker 4: in turn, you know, you see some of the decisions

487
00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:42,720
Speaker 4: that Mike's going to make for his staff. I would

488
00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:46,600
Speaker 4: not hold weight as much weight in those decisions in

489
00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:50,520
Speaker 4: terms of somebody who's going to have a oversized outside

490
00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:55,440
Speaker 4: impact on the play calling, on the scheme, on the strategy,

491
00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:58,520
Speaker 4: but more so people who can hold a team together,

492
00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:01,840
Speaker 4: who can execute the little hind the scenes details at

493
00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:04,640
Speaker 4: a high level, do the grunt work that Mike himself

494
00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:08,040
Speaker 4: has done at several stops that a head coach finds

495
00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:11,720
Speaker 4: absolutely crucial to the overall operation of keeping a team

496
00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:14,600
Speaker 4: on track every week and keeping them on the attack

497
00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:19,679
Speaker 4: versus reacting to everything. That's going to be something that

498
00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:21,720
Speaker 4: Sean really came to rely on from Mike, and that

499
00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:24,840
Speaker 4: Mike will come to develop and evolve whenever he makes

500
00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:26,320
Speaker 4: some of these hiring decisions.

501
00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:28,520
Speaker 3: Last one for me, Jordan, I'm going to ask you

502
00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:31,000
Speaker 3: to pulling your GM cap a little bit here, put

503
00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:33,960
Speaker 3: yourself in Manti Austin forts Seed. I asked Michael Floor

504
00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:37,600
Speaker 3: about thirteen personnel. Obviously that was the Rams when he

505
00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:40,560
Speaker 3: was there. They ran thirteen perconl at personnel at a

506
00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:43,520
Speaker 3: rate higher than any other team in the league. And

507
00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:45,879
Speaker 3: I asked him about how much does Trey McBride, Just

508
00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:48,080
Speaker 3: to circle it all back to the beginning of our conversation,

509
00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:50,080
Speaker 3: how much of a factor is it to have a

510
00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:52,679
Speaker 3: player like Trey McBride in the building when you like

511
00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:55,600
Speaker 3: playing in thirteen personnel as much as possible. And he

512
00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:58,520
Speaker 3: talked about how if he started the season thinking that

513
00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:00,560
Speaker 3: they were going to lead the league in thirteen personnel,

514
00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:03,720
Speaker 3: he'd be lying because he was saying that that organically

515
00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:07,879
Speaker 3: has to happen along the way you obviously have experienced

516
00:26:07,880 --> 00:26:09,800
Speaker 3: this team, seeing how the Cardinals have been able to

517
00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,679
Speaker 3: build a roster, especially at the tight end position, do

518
00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:14,919
Speaker 3: you think they're already pretty equipped to become one of

519
00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:17,800
Speaker 3: the leaders in thirteen personnel or is that something that

520
00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:19,440
Speaker 3: this team is just going to have to continue to

521
00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:22,800
Speaker 3: build for as MANI starting to put together this roster

522
00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:24,760
Speaker 3: and Mike's playing together these game plans.

523
00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:27,840
Speaker 4: It's a great question. So I'm gonna if I'm putting

524
00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:31,960
Speaker 4: on my Monti assin for hat. I'm suddenly feeling much taller,

525
00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:36,000
Speaker 4: so good for me. No, So okay, So I think

526
00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:42,399
Speaker 4: it's a two part answer for me, because one, on paper, yes,

527
00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:46,000
Speaker 4: they are a team that is ready to become a

528
00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:49,840
Speaker 4: dominating thirteen personnel team. Before the Rams took over, they

529
00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:51,840
Speaker 4: were one of the teams that was leading the league

530
00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:54,280
Speaker 4: in thirty personnel That wasn't nearly as high of a

531
00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:58,680
Speaker 4: percentage as the Rams ended up using in twenty twenty five,

532
00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:01,000
Speaker 4: but they still were among the league leaders in that

533
00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:03,719
Speaker 4: personnel grouping. You know, the three tight ends on the field,

534
00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:08,800
Speaker 4: And what I think is interesting is something that almost

535
00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:12,320
Speaker 4: people do not talk about enough. That Mike will certainly

536
00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:15,400
Speaker 4: be on Mike's radar, and I'm sure he and Maniocuport

537
00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:17,679
Speaker 4: have already talked about it, is that one of the

538
00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:21,840
Speaker 4: reasons that that worked so well for LA is because

539
00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:27,280
Speaker 4: they basically took their entire eleven personnel foundational playbook, so

540
00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:32,000
Speaker 4: the three receiver sets, and they translated it into bigger

541
00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:35,199
Speaker 4: bodies on the field and guys who had kept the

542
00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:37,639
Speaker 4: run game the same and all their cysts and their

543
00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:39,600
Speaker 4: escort motions they love to do with the tight ends

544
00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:42,520
Speaker 4: and the receivers and the blocking with receivers, kept all

545
00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:45,640
Speaker 4: of it the same, and they basically said, we can

546
00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:49,960
Speaker 4: add an entire chapter to our playbook, basically saying all

547
00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:53,159
Speaker 4: of our eleven personnel concepts are now going to be

548
00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:58,320
Speaker 4: in most facets now thirteen personnel concepts, and we can

549
00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:02,159
Speaker 4: slip back and forth between those because our receivers can

550
00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:05,960
Speaker 4: run looks that make you think this is way more

551
00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:09,359
Speaker 4: of a bigger body personnel grouping, and our tight ends

552
00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:12,080
Speaker 4: can run looks that make you think, wow, this is

553
00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:16,359
Speaker 4: way more of a smaller personnel grouping. So that interchangeability

554
00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:19,359
Speaker 4: was actually one of the reasons that that grouping took

555
00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:22,680
Speaker 4: off the way that it did. Because a they could

556
00:28:22,760 --> 00:28:25,399
Speaker 4: do eleven and thirteen and they didn't have to sub

557
00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:27,720
Speaker 4: even though you think they're an eleven the whole time.

558
00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:31,280
Speaker 4: It's the three tight ends running Sean mcvay's eleven personnel playbook.

559
00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:34,399
Speaker 4: So you think that it's going to look different or

560
00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:36,400
Speaker 4: be different, or maybe they're going to be run heavier,

561
00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:39,680
Speaker 4: but it was a pretty even split in terms of

562
00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:43,440
Speaker 4: run pass for the Rams out of those groupings, and

563
00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:46,120
Speaker 4: they could keep all the entire playbook the same. And

564
00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:48,800
Speaker 4: why that's important is not just because its disguises to

565
00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:53,040
Speaker 4: the defense, but it also simplifies everything for the offense.

566
00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:56,400
Speaker 4: You are not learning an entire new language midway through

567
00:28:56,400 --> 00:28:58,280
Speaker 4: the season. It's part of why they could pivot so

568
00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:02,239
Speaker 4: quickly and clearly to it and becomes so effective so

569
00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:05,640
Speaker 4: quickly in doing that, is because they're basically taking a

570
00:29:05,760 --> 00:29:09,720
Speaker 4: language that the entire offense already knew and saying, okay,

571
00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:13,880
Speaker 4: we are going to add one hundred pounds per receiver position, right,

572
00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:19,600
Speaker 4: And so that was like so fascinating to me. The simplicity.

573
00:29:19,680 --> 00:29:22,600
Speaker 4: That's Sean's favorite thing. When the simplest answer is the

574
00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:25,960
Speaker 4: most effective and maximizes the players you have on the roster.

575
00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:30,840
Speaker 4: So to long windedly wrap up the answer to your question, Yes,

576
00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:33,080
Speaker 4: I think they could be built to run this type

577
00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:36,480
Speaker 4: of thirteen personnel, but I think they also need to

578
00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:39,120
Speaker 4: get better out of eleven personnel in order to do

579
00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:42,720
Speaker 4: that quite so effectively. Because knowing Mike, Mike will want

580
00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:45,800
Speaker 4: to have that same multiplicity and hold those same types

581
00:29:45,840 --> 00:29:49,480
Speaker 4: of disguises. It might take a minute for this vision

582
00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:51,840
Speaker 4: to sort of clarify the way that it did so

583
00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:54,640
Speaker 4: easily for the Rams, because you have to remember, he's

584
00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:56,760
Speaker 4: not just building a new chapter in the book. He's

585
00:29:56,800 --> 00:29:59,160
Speaker 4: building an alphabet, so you got to start there first.

586
00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:01,840
Speaker 4: So that's what it was. Keep your eyes peeled actually

587
00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:03,960
Speaker 4: for a lot of eleven personnel and what they do

588
00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:07,600
Speaker 4: in the draft at receiver in OTAs. If you see that,

589
00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:10,920
Speaker 4: that also means that thirteen personnel is not off the table.

590
00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:14,040
Speaker 4: It's just they're probably building to deploying it the way

591
00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:14,840
Speaker 4: that the Rams did.

592
00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:18,200
Speaker 1: No question, Trey McBride's going to be a major focal

593
00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:21,040
Speaker 1: point of this Cardinals offense. But when you look at

594
00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:23,840
Speaker 1: the Rams and you talk about thirteen and eleven personnel,

595
00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:29,160
Speaker 1: Marvin Harrison Junior, Michael Wilson not comparing, but Could it

596
00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:34,280
Speaker 1: potentially be a Puka Nakua Cooper Cup Puka Akua DeVante

597
00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:37,720
Speaker 1: Adams kind of a thing to where if everyone is

598
00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:41,880
Speaker 1: on the same page, that eleven personnel looks the same,

599
00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:47,720
Speaker 1: even though it's not basically the same players that Mike

600
00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:53,120
Speaker 1: had in Los Angeles, but now potentially Marvin is Pookah

601
00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:57,920
Speaker 1: Michael's Cooper Cup DeVante Adams. Could that be something that

602
00:30:58,280 --> 00:30:59,880
Speaker 1: Cardinal fans pay attention to.

603
00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:03,520
Speaker 4: Well, they're going to have to block, and the thing

604
00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:07,560
Speaker 4: that brings those types of activations to life is the

605
00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:12,280
Speaker 4: willingness to block. And it's even DeVante, who I would

606
00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:16,440
Speaker 4: not say was known as somebody who like Robert Woods,

607
00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:20,120
Speaker 4: for example, would sit across and like put a HRD

608
00:31:20,160 --> 00:31:23,560
Speaker 4: on an outside linebacker right, but he was willing to

609
00:31:23,560 --> 00:31:25,920
Speaker 4: do it, and the is willing to do it, and

610
00:31:26,280 --> 00:31:29,080
Speaker 4: he can activate as an X in that way that

611
00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:32,080
Speaker 4: that sort of Odell Beckham did in that first half

612
00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:34,160
Speaker 4: of the Super Bowl before he got hurt. That was

613
00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:35,560
Speaker 4: sort of their vision for him and it and it

614
00:31:35,600 --> 00:31:37,680
Speaker 4: played out really well like that in the red zone threat,

615
00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:40,720
Speaker 4: et cetera. So I'd see Marvin Harrison Junior looking a

616
00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:45,080
Speaker 4: lot like the DeVante Adams role in this type of offense,

617
00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:48,920
Speaker 4: especially in the initial phase where you're teaching the fundamentals

618
00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:51,840
Speaker 4: of Hey, if we really want the entire surface of

619
00:31:51,880 --> 00:31:54,160
Speaker 4: this offense to come to life, we are going to

620
00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:57,000
Speaker 4: need just as much blocking from our receivers as we

621
00:31:57,040 --> 00:31:58,840
Speaker 4: are from our tight ends. That we already get that

622
00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:00,880
Speaker 4: from the tight ends, we're gonna need it from our

623
00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:05,280
Speaker 4: receivers too. What I really can't wait to see is

624
00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:10,280
Speaker 4: Mike specifically with his background with receivers, because he's worked

625
00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:14,320
Speaker 4: from with Hall of Famers, He's worked with guys who

626
00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:17,120
Speaker 4: he's developed. You know, he helped develop Pukainakua to be

627
00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:20,840
Speaker 4: what he is now, and he's helped along you know,

628
00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:23,920
Speaker 4: Jordan Whittington, kind of an underrated hybrid player, and like

629
00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:27,040
Speaker 4: he's worked with Cooper Cup and he's worked with Julio Jones,

630
00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:30,080
Speaker 4: like all of these really a wide range of types

631
00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:34,120
Speaker 4: of receiver. And he really comes to life when he's

632
00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:38,280
Speaker 4: talking about teaching receivers and getting the most out of receivers.

633
00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:41,320
Speaker 4: And I think, I say that super respectfully. I think

634
00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:44,560
Speaker 4: that's what Marvin Harrison Junior needs. I think that he

635
00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:49,880
Speaker 4: needs to have that bolt of lightning come come alive

636
00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:54,120
Speaker 4: for him to see his role specifically, how he can

637
00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:58,440
Speaker 4: not only be in an offense but bring an element

638
00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:00,360
Speaker 4: to an offense to life in a way way that

639
00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:05,280
Speaker 4: feels alive and exciting and collaborative, and that he is

640
00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:08,880
Speaker 4: just as important in that offense as the next guy,

641
00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:11,360
Speaker 4: as the next guy, as the next guy. And this

642
00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:15,479
Speaker 4: is important in a McVeigh offense because even when Cooper

643
00:33:15,520 --> 00:33:19,800
Speaker 4: Cup was the triple Crown winner, Robert Woods, you know,

644
00:33:19,920 --> 00:33:22,000
Speaker 4: by the time he got they got to the middle

645
00:33:22,040 --> 00:33:25,280
Speaker 4: of the season where we were seeing Robert Woods as

646
00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:28,880
Speaker 4: the dependable two before he got injured and then Odell

647
00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:32,880
Speaker 4: coming in. It was never about like, oh, it's the

648
00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:36,280
Speaker 4: it's the star power. Everybody, even if the target share

649
00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:39,640
Speaker 4: was different, everybody felt like they were contributing in a

650
00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:43,160
Speaker 4: really valuable way to the offense. And I think coming

651
00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:46,120
Speaker 4: to life in that way, or bringing an entire like

652
00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:49,440
Speaker 4: canvas to life in that way for a player who

653
00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:53,240
Speaker 4: I think needs it in Marvin Harrison Junior, will be important.

654
00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:55,320
Speaker 4: I think Mike. That's where Mike's one of his as

655
00:33:55,320 --> 00:33:57,600
Speaker 4: they say in LA, one of his superpowers is is

656
00:33:57,840 --> 00:34:01,200
Speaker 4: communicating to a player, Hey, it's not always going to

657
00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:05,040
Speaker 4: look like the stat sheet for you. But here is

658
00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:08,719
Speaker 4: all the ways where you are actually the engine that's

659
00:34:08,719 --> 00:34:11,040
Speaker 4: making this play go, or here's the way, here's what

660
00:34:11,080 --> 00:34:13,480
Speaker 4: we need you to do here. And this sets up

661
00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:15,480
Speaker 4: this other concept that we're going to run in the

662
00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:18,040
Speaker 4: third quarter, and that's your time to shine. You know.

663
00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:21,920
Speaker 4: It's a it's a collaborating process and a one that

664
00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:24,680
Speaker 4: players feel really empowered in. And that's where I think

665
00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:28,560
Speaker 4: some of these players who have not reached their potential

666
00:34:28,640 --> 00:34:32,120
Speaker 4: yet in this Cardinals offense might might be starting to

667
00:34:32,120 --> 00:34:33,319
Speaker 4: get excited about this thing.

668
00:34:33,680 --> 00:34:37,120
Speaker 1: That's excellent to hear, especially for Cardinal fans who've been

669
00:34:37,160 --> 00:34:40,960
Speaker 1: following this team and last season certainly was a struggle

670
00:34:41,400 --> 00:34:44,279
Speaker 1: at times to watch this offense. Jordan kept you a

671
00:34:44,280 --> 00:34:48,759
Speaker 1: lot longer than anticipated, but tremendous information before we let

672
00:34:48,840 --> 00:34:51,239
Speaker 1: you go. You brought it up once already plug it

673
00:34:51,280 --> 00:34:56,200
Speaker 1: again your play Caller series featuring, among others, Mike Laflor.

674
00:34:57,280 --> 00:34:59,320
Speaker 4: Yeah, it was great. If Cardinals fans, thanks Craig, I

675
00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:03,960
Speaker 4: appreciate you man. If people want to go listen to

676
00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:07,840
Speaker 4: Michael Floor talk ball for about an hour, maybe hour fifteen.

677
00:35:08,800 --> 00:35:12,040
Speaker 4: He did a bonus batch episode of the play Caller series.

678
00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:14,359
Speaker 4: You can find that wherever you get your podcast. He

679
00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:17,440
Speaker 4: was super honest. He's got some good sort of coaching

680
00:35:17,560 --> 00:35:20,279
Speaker 4: upbringing stories and you really get a picture of how

681
00:35:20,280 --> 00:35:22,320
Speaker 4: he looks at offense and how he looks at coaching

682
00:35:22,360 --> 00:35:25,719
Speaker 4: as teaching and some of the light bulb moments that

683
00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:27,960
Speaker 4: have shaped him along the way. So highly encourage that.

684
00:35:28,120 --> 00:35:29,759
Speaker 4: And I think you guys are gonna have a lot

685
00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:32,440
Speaker 4: of fun with Mike. You know, like I said, it's

686
00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:35,719
Speaker 4: a process. He's creating an alphabet right now, so I

687
00:35:35,719 --> 00:35:38,520
Speaker 4: hope there's some patients. But I do think you guys

688
00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:40,920
Speaker 4: are in that market. Really really gonna like him as

689
00:35:40,920 --> 00:35:44,600
Speaker 4: a person, as a teacher, as a coach. Be nice

690
00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:46,040
Speaker 4: to him out there. He's one of the good ones

691
00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:46,840
Speaker 4: because we're.

692
00:35:46,680 --> 00:35:50,680
Speaker 1: Going to ask the tough questions and if there's ever

693
00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:53,800
Speaker 1: a problem or an issue, we'll just say, well, Jordan

694
00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:55,960
Speaker 1: said it was okay, and we.

695
00:35:55,880 --> 00:35:57,880
Speaker 4: Do whatever you to do that you could do that,

696
00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:00,719
Speaker 4: and I look forward to that angry phone call later.

697
00:36:02,080 --> 00:36:05,359
Speaker 1: Always a pleasure, Jordan. Look forward to chatting with you

698
00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:08,600
Speaker 1: real soon. In the meantime, Enjoy I'd say you enjoy

699
00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:10,120
Speaker 1: the off season. But we all know there is no

700
00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:12,840
Speaker 1: such thing as an offseason in the NFL, so enjoy

701
00:36:12,880 --> 00:36:16,400
Speaker 1: whatever downtime you get here before training camp begins.

702
00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:18,319
Speaker 4: Thanks, guys, always appreciate it.

703
00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:21,720
Speaker 1: Take care well if that does not get you fired

704
00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:26,160
Speaker 1: up or at least excited about the prospects of what

705
00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:29,399
Speaker 1: the Arizona Cardinals might look like in twenty twenty six

706
00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:32,840
Speaker 1: and hopefully beyond with Michae Laflora as the head coach

707
00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:37,480
Speaker 1: and maybe more importantly at the play caller. Fascinating stuff

708
00:36:37,719 --> 00:36:40,759
Speaker 1: from Jordan there, and you look at what the Cardinals

709
00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:44,680
Speaker 1: have offensively. Yes, we know quarterback needs to be figured out,

710
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:50,240
Speaker 1: but the cornerstones, at least for me, Trey McBride, Michael Wilson,

711
00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:54,600
Speaker 1: Marvin Harrison Junior. That Now, of course, again you need

712
00:36:54,640 --> 00:36:58,080
Speaker 1: a quarterback, you need an offensive line, but as far

713
00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:02,839
Speaker 1: as individuals that if you're Michael Floor and you're trying

714
00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:07,160
Speaker 1: to scheme up how to get those playmakers involved and

715
00:37:07,239 --> 00:37:09,880
Speaker 1: have success, not a bad place to start.

716
00:37:09,920 --> 00:37:11,600
Speaker 3: Well, it's also going to be interesting to see how

717
00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:15,600
Speaker 3: the running backs mesh into all of this because thirteen personnel,

718
00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:18,879
Speaker 3: as much as we talked about, and Jordan's saying that,

719
00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:22,080
Speaker 3: you know you're actually sometimes always in eleven personnel more

720
00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:24,279
Speaker 3: than you were in thirteen personnel because your tight ends

721
00:37:24,280 --> 00:37:26,880
Speaker 3: were serving as your wide receiver targets in a lot

722
00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:30,160
Speaker 3: of different ways. And how that does not provide any

723
00:37:30,239 --> 00:37:33,359
Speaker 3: tells to an opposing defense about what you're running. All

724
00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:36,520
Speaker 3: that also depends on not only who your quarterback is,

725
00:37:36,600 --> 00:37:39,640
Speaker 3: not only about what your offensive line situation is, but

726
00:37:39,760 --> 00:37:42,120
Speaker 3: how stout you are in the rushing attack as well,

727
00:37:42,120 --> 00:37:44,160
Speaker 3: and you need to have a really solid backout there.

728
00:37:44,400 --> 00:37:47,200
Speaker 3: James Connor is still coming back from his injury, his

729
00:37:47,200 --> 00:37:50,560
Speaker 3: foot injury. How has he progressed Trey Benson with the

730
00:37:50,600 --> 00:37:52,840
Speaker 3: need that he was dealing with. That's something that the

731
00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:54,319
Speaker 3: Cardinals are going to need to keep an eye on.

732
00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:57,040
Speaker 3: I did tweet it out about Mike Carter that I

733
00:37:57,080 --> 00:37:59,440
Speaker 3: think is something that many should keep an eye on.

734
00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:02,040
Speaker 3: He's assumed to be free agent once the league year begins,

735
00:38:02,520 --> 00:38:05,359
Speaker 3: Mike Carter could test the market. But they was shared

736
00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:07,160
Speaker 3: a lot of time together in New York and Michael

737
00:38:07,160 --> 00:38:10,640
Speaker 3: Carter tweeted our commented underneath the Cardinals Instagram and he

738
00:38:10,760 --> 00:38:12,680
Speaker 3: said something along the lines of that this guy is

739
00:38:12,719 --> 00:38:16,080
Speaker 3: cut from the right cloth. And during that time, like

740
00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:18,480
Speaker 3: I was just alluding to a few minutes ago, it

741
00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:21,239
Speaker 3: was not easy for Michael Floor in New York with

742
00:38:21,320 --> 00:38:24,200
Speaker 3: the situation with the cards that they were dealt there,

743
00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:27,400
Speaker 3: Zach Wilson as their starting quarterback and everything of that nature.

744
00:38:27,719 --> 00:38:30,480
Speaker 3: The one bright spot for them they actually had two.

745
00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:32,279
Speaker 3: It was Garrett Wilson and what they were able to

746
00:38:32,360 --> 00:38:35,600
Speaker 3: do unlocking him as a wide receiver and Michael Carter

747
00:38:35,680 --> 00:38:38,200
Speaker 3: a lead being the Jets first time since two thousand

748
00:38:38,200 --> 00:38:40,360
Speaker 3: and six out a rookie had led the team in

749
00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:43,040
Speaker 3: rushing and Michael Flour was able to unlock that. For

750
00:38:43,160 --> 00:38:46,040
Speaker 3: Michael Carter, there is there a world where Michael Carter

751
00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:49,879
Speaker 3: can return. I think there is a very realistic opportunity

752
00:38:50,120 --> 00:38:53,360
Speaker 3: for that to happen. The Cardinals, the fan base really

753
00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:55,920
Speaker 3: does enjoy Michael Carter, and I think you were able

754
00:38:55,920 --> 00:38:59,080
Speaker 3: to see him deliver in many different, many different ways.

755
00:38:59,239 --> 00:39:02,080
Speaker 3: But to swing it back to how this conversation started here,

756
00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:04,799
Speaker 3: there's a lot of excitement, but now it's a matter

757
00:39:04,840 --> 00:39:07,880
Speaker 3: of building the roster, building the staff, and ultimately, like

758
00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:10,120
Speaker 3: Jordan alluded to, I loved how she said there, you're

759
00:39:10,120 --> 00:39:12,160
Speaker 3: not just putting in one play, You're putting in the

760
00:39:12,200 --> 00:39:16,239
Speaker 3: whole alphabet. You're learning everything from scratch. That's something that everybody.

761
00:39:16,239 --> 00:39:18,920
Speaker 3: Everybody is now at square one, and I think everyone's

762
00:39:18,920 --> 00:39:23,440
Speaker 3: going to be learning together. It'll be an exciting, interesting process.

763
00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:27,040
Speaker 1: The eleven personnel thirteen personnel, what does it look like

764
00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:29,960
Speaker 1: three tight ends or is it three wide receivers or

765
00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:34,680
Speaker 1: how do you configure those eleven people on the field

766
00:39:34,760 --> 00:39:38,200
Speaker 1: to where as Jordan described, it's not a tell. The

767
00:39:38,280 --> 00:39:42,319
Speaker 1: defense has no idea and maybe more importantly, if you're

768
00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:46,080
Speaker 1: not subbing, the defense doesn't have a chance to step.

769
00:39:46,160 --> 00:39:47,920
Speaker 1: They can if they want to, but then they run

770
00:39:47,960 --> 00:39:50,360
Speaker 1: the risk of having too many men on the field

771
00:39:50,440 --> 00:39:56,200
Speaker 1: or being off sides. And it does, it does make

772
00:39:56,320 --> 00:40:00,439
Speaker 1: you excited again what it potentially could look like. We're

773
00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:03,120
Speaker 1: not gonna know for certain until games are played, and

774
00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:06,000
Speaker 1: then maybe you're gonna need a couple of games to

775
00:40:06,120 --> 00:40:08,360
Speaker 1: kind of get things going. Because it's one thing to

776
00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:10,840
Speaker 1: be taught it in the classroom, another thing to go

777
00:40:10,880 --> 00:40:13,319
Speaker 1: out on the field in practice to do it, and

778
00:40:13,360 --> 00:40:15,719
Speaker 1: then another thing to do it in real time with

779
00:40:15,840 --> 00:40:18,759
Speaker 1: a real defense that's trying to prevent you from doing

780
00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:19,440
Speaker 1: what you want to do.

781
00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:23,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, all around, but what it comes down to ultimately

782
00:40:23,560 --> 00:40:25,760
Speaker 3: is just building this staff and starting to piece together

783
00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:29,400
Speaker 3: this identity. I'm very interested to see what the reported

784
00:40:29,800 --> 00:40:32,719
Speaker 3: edition of Nathaniel Hackett is going to be and how

785
00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:36,239
Speaker 3: that ultimately comes together. Obviously, that was something that was

786
00:40:36,280 --> 00:40:39,440
Speaker 3: reported while I was at the waste management open last week,

787
00:40:39,640 --> 00:40:42,239
Speaker 3: So we'll see what ends up coming from there. But

788
00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:45,439
Speaker 3: you need the pieces, you need the players to buy

789
00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:49,080
Speaker 3: into it, and like Jordan said, it comes down to simplicity,

790
00:40:49,360 --> 00:40:52,360
Speaker 3: and that's something when you're able to make the simple

791
00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:56,719
Speaker 3: stuff effective stuff, you become a totally different team. These

792
00:40:57,719 --> 00:41:00,680
Speaker 3: forty nine ers teams, these San Francisco team, they have

793
00:41:00,719 --> 00:41:03,480
Speaker 3: a lot of San Francisco forty nine ers obviously, and

794
00:41:03,480 --> 00:41:06,160
Speaker 3: then these Rams teams they obviously have a lot of

795
00:41:06,239 --> 00:41:08,799
Speaker 3: layers to them that can be difficult, but at the

796
00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:12,040
Speaker 3: end of the day, their identity is simple stuff and

797
00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:15,840
Speaker 3: that's what this Cardinals team. Maybe that was part of

798
00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:18,160
Speaker 3: the problem from this past season. Remember we were talking

799
00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:20,319
Speaker 3: about at the beginning of the year adding so many

800
00:41:20,320 --> 00:41:23,400
Speaker 3: different elements to it. You know, Drew Petsen was talking about,

801
00:41:24,080 --> 00:41:26,400
Speaker 3: we've already gone through phase one of this. Now we

802
00:41:26,440 --> 00:41:29,719
Speaker 3: could go into something totally different. Maybe that was part

803
00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:32,600
Speaker 3: of the problem. I don't know right now. Hindsight is

804
00:41:32,640 --> 00:41:35,080
Speaker 3: obviously twenty twenty, but it's a matter of piecing together

805
00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:37,920
Speaker 3: this roster and seeing what do you put out there.

806
00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:42,239
Speaker 1: Certainly sounds like Mike Lafleur is ready and prepared to

807
00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:46,120
Speaker 1: be a head coach. Certainly want nothing but the success

808
00:41:46,120 --> 00:41:49,120
Speaker 1: for him here with the Arizona Cardinals. He always talked.

809
00:41:49,160 --> 00:41:51,680
Speaker 1: He talked about at the introductory press conference and in

810
00:41:51,719 --> 00:41:54,319
Speaker 1: both the one on one conversations that he had with

811
00:41:54,320 --> 00:41:57,400
Speaker 1: Paul and myself and with Danny about the urgency. The

812
00:41:57,520 --> 00:42:01,120
Speaker 1: daily urgency makes sure you maximize what you're doing each

813
00:42:01,239 --> 00:42:04,200
Speaker 1: and every day. And again we've heard this from previous

814
00:42:04,239 --> 00:42:08,200
Speaker 1: coaches as well across sports. It's not so much the

815
00:42:08,280 --> 00:42:11,640
Speaker 1: destination but the journey, the process to get to where

816
00:42:11,680 --> 00:42:12,719
Speaker 1: you want to be and that.

817
00:42:12,800 --> 00:42:15,480
Speaker 3: But that destination is one that I think owner Maco

818
00:42:15,520 --> 00:42:18,439
Speaker 3: Bidwell is not shying away from. He made it very

819
00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:22,080
Speaker 3: clear in the press conference for Jonathan Gannon when they

820
00:42:22,080 --> 00:42:24,799
Speaker 3: announced he was that they were parting ways. He said

821
00:42:24,840 --> 00:42:27,320
Speaker 3: he wants a turnaround, and he wants to turn around

822
00:42:27,360 --> 00:42:30,000
Speaker 3: fast because he has seen it happen throughout the league

823
00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:31,719
Speaker 3: and that the Cardinals have been, you know, on the

824
00:42:31,760 --> 00:42:35,520
Speaker 3: receiving end of that turnaround as well in recent history.

825
00:42:35,719 --> 00:42:39,120
Speaker 3: Michael Bidwell wants a solid team out there, many Austin

826
00:42:39,200 --> 00:42:41,560
Speaker 3: Ford wants to put a competitive team out there. And

827
00:42:41,640 --> 00:42:44,440
Speaker 3: Michael Flor he's not afraid of what this NFC West,

828
00:42:45,080 --> 00:42:48,800
Speaker 3: how daunting it might seem, he seems pretty ready employees

829
00:42:48,800 --> 00:42:49,680
Speaker 3: for the opportunity.

830
00:42:49,880 --> 00:42:53,239
Speaker 1: Can't thank Jordan Rodrigg enough for joining us here on

831
00:42:53,280 --> 00:42:57,160
Speaker 1: this Wednesday, and of course Zach always thank you for

832
00:42:57,200 --> 00:42:58,080
Speaker 1: being a part of the show.

833
00:42:58,160 --> 00:43:00,560
Speaker 3: Thank you. I am a little bit surprised that I

834
00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:01,799
Speaker 3: almost died on this show.

835
00:43:02,920 --> 00:43:06,200
Speaker 1: Coffee overly dramatic over here, Zach Ershman.

836
00:43:06,080 --> 00:43:08,279
Speaker 3: Was terrifying, But I'm glad I made it through.

837
00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:12,040
Speaker 1: Okay, well, we are glad you didn't die on Cardinals

838
00:43:12,040 --> 00:43:13,680
Speaker 1: cover too. That would have been a that'd have been

839
00:43:13,680 --> 00:43:17,080
Speaker 1: a would have been a viral moment. Maybe maybe next time, Zach.

840
00:43:17,680 --> 00:43:18,680
Speaker 1: There's always next show.

841
00:43:18,920 --> 00:43:22,600
Speaker 3: You know what I'm won for now knowing viral moments,

842
00:43:22,600 --> 00:43:23,720
Speaker 3: So I will try my best.

843
00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:26,680
Speaker 1: That is true. See if you could do another one

844
00:43:26,719 --> 00:43:29,600
Speaker 1: that's got what is it five that's not much higher

845
00:43:29,680 --> 00:43:31,560
Speaker 1: than what it was five point three million.

846
00:43:31,320 --> 00:43:32,640
Speaker 3: Or whatever, like five six.

847
00:43:32,680 --> 00:43:34,800
Speaker 1: I think, oh, someone's keeping track.

848
00:43:35,400 --> 00:43:38,000
Speaker 2: I'm not sure Lebron James would retweet that one.

849
00:43:38,239 --> 00:43:39,080
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's fair.

850
00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:42,400
Speaker 1: On that note, we will put a lid on this

851
00:43:42,600 --> 00:43:45,800
Speaker 1: edition of Cardinals Cover two presented by Hyundai, probably partner

852
00:43:45,960 --> 00:43:48,719
Speaker 1: of the Arizona Cardinals. As always, special thanks to our

853
00:43:48,760 --> 00:43:52,040
Speaker 1: executive producer jimal one Hunter. By the way, where is Omo?

854
00:43:52,200 --> 00:43:55,080
Speaker 1: I'm not seeing him in like two days. Forget Omo,

855
00:43:55,560 --> 00:43:58,800
Speaker 1: our executive producer. There we go, Cody Fincher.

856
00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:00,360
Speaker 3: Congratulations, you've been promoted.

857
00:44:00,640 --> 00:44:03,160
Speaker 1: Alongside Zach Gershman. I'm Craig Real Louis. Will talk to

858
00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:05,160
Speaker 1: you next time here on Cardinals Cover two