WEBVTT - Happy Half Hour Episode 31: The Search Narrows 0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:03.760 Mr Jenkins told me. Mr Jenkins told me. Mr Jenkis 0:00:03.760 --> 0:00:06.680 told me to always make it easy for the customer. 0:00:06.920 --> 0:00:10.600 That's you alive person will always be here to answer 0:00:10.680 --> 0:00:13.800 the phone. We're here till midnight, seven days a week, 0:00:14.000 --> 0:00:17.080 so you never have to take off work, and it's 0:00:17.120 --> 0:00:19.840 the same prices in the daytime. We're the ones you 0:00:19.880 --> 0:00:22.160 want to call. We're the ones you want to call. 0:00:22.480 --> 0:00:25.520 We're the ones you want to call. You're gonna love 0:00:25.560 --> 0:00:36.960 these people. I guarantee. Go to Morris Jenkins dot com. 0:00:37.040 --> 0:00:40.640 It's time for the Happy Half Hour with your friends 0:00:40.840 --> 0:00:52.160 Kristen Belboni and Will Brian presented by Morris Jenkins. That's right, 0:00:52.240 --> 0:00:54.040 it's that time of the week, The Happy Half Hour 0:00:54.120 --> 0:00:56.920 podcast presented by Morris Jenkins and Mr Jenkins told me 0:00:56.960 --> 0:01:00.000 his plumbers and a c text secretly where panthers jerseys 0:01:00.040 --> 0:01:02.680 under their uniforms. When you're plumbing or air conditioning is 0:01:02.720 --> 0:01:06.839 acting up? Called Morris Jenkins or visit Morris Jenkins dot com. 0:01:06.920 --> 0:01:10.040 Kristen here with Will and Matt and guys. I feel 0:01:10.720 --> 0:01:13.240 a little silly because at the end of the last 0:01:13.280 --> 0:01:17.080 episode last Wednesday, I was like, gosh, who knows how 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:20.320 different this next Wednesday's podcast is going to be We're 0:01:20.319 --> 0:01:22.679 going to have all this breaking news with with the 0:01:22.720 --> 0:01:25.520 GM search. But um, there's still kind of in this 0:01:25.560 --> 0:01:29.280 holding pattern. Yeah. I mean it's it's interesting and but 0:01:29.280 --> 0:01:32.000 but by the time you hear this today, there there 0:01:32.040 --> 0:01:34.400 may be something new. UM. But you know, as we're 0:01:34.440 --> 0:01:38.399 recording here at nine am Wednesday morning, you know, there 0:01:38.440 --> 0:01:42.040 there's uh, we haven't haven't inked inked to deal yet, 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:44.120 but I think there there are some reports out there 0:01:44.200 --> 0:01:46.360 that that are kind of leaning some certain ways, so 0:01:46.400 --> 0:01:49.720 we can certainly look at some of those absolutely. So 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:52.360 what we know for sure is that the Panthers have 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:57.640 interviewed fifteen total candidates. Um, they have continued interviews into 0:01:57.760 --> 0:02:01.480 this week. And well, as you said, are various reports 0:02:01.680 --> 0:02:04.440 out there and we might know more by the time 0:02:04.480 --> 0:02:07.640 this episode airs. Various ports out there from from the 0:02:07.680 --> 0:02:11.679 likes of Ian Rappaport and Adam Schefter that it seems like, um, 0:02:11.720 --> 0:02:14.360 they are kind of honing in on this group that 0:02:14.440 --> 0:02:18.600 might include Monty Austin Fort, Scott Fitterer, Adam Peters. UM. 0:02:18.639 --> 0:02:20.520 And that's just that's just what we know. That's just 0:02:20.600 --> 0:02:24.920 what's out there. By no means is that um confirmed. 0:02:25.240 --> 0:02:27.240 I mean, I don't I don't believe any news until 0:02:27.280 --> 0:02:31.280 I see it straight from the tweets of panther stats guy. So, um, 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:35.120 we don't know for sure yet, but but that's a 0:02:35.200 --> 0:02:39.799 good direction to kind of look into. UM and will 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:42.000 Montie austen Fort was one of the first candidates that 0:02:42.080 --> 0:02:45.959 was interview while Adam Peters kind of in that middle group, 0:02:46.000 --> 0:02:49.359 and then Scott Fitter a very recent Yeah. So that 0:02:50.080 --> 0:02:52.800 since last Wednesday there have been kind of more interviews 0:02:52.800 --> 0:02:54.440 done at the end of last week and then at 0:02:54.480 --> 0:02:57.480 the beginning of this week. UM. And you know, according 0:02:57.480 --> 0:03:00.799 to some of these reports from from Schefter and rappaport Um, 0:03:01.200 --> 0:03:04.520 it sounds like the group that you just mentioned they're 0:03:04.600 --> 0:03:07.240 kind of looking at for a second round or some 0:03:07.360 --> 0:03:10.880 follow up things. UM. So I think it's really interesting 0:03:10.919 --> 0:03:13.920 because so much of what I was saying last week 0:03:14.000 --> 0:03:16.600 was that, you know, with with Dave Tepper, with the 0:03:16.639 --> 0:03:20.760 way this organization found and then really kind of signed 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:23.840 Matt Rule last year, you know, things happened really quickly. 0:03:24.600 --> 0:03:27.200 I'd be curious kind of what kind of the anatomy 0:03:27.240 --> 0:03:30.400 of this process, because you know, this really is this 0:03:30.480 --> 0:03:34.840 is uh the new owners first time hiring a general manager. 0:03:35.080 --> 0:03:36.880 You know, Marty Herne was here. You know, he talked 0:03:36.880 --> 0:03:39.480 so much about the way that Marty Herney kind of 0:03:39.520 --> 0:03:43.760 helped him learn about this process, learned a little bit 0:03:43.800 --> 0:03:46.960 about the year a year in football and kind of 0:03:47.000 --> 0:03:49.480 the way things go. And this is also you know, 0:03:49.480 --> 0:03:51.560 this is just Matt Rules second year as an NFL 0:03:51.560 --> 0:03:54.440 head coach and working with the GM. So I think 0:03:54.480 --> 0:03:58.280 there's certainly wanting to make sure they're really doing their 0:03:58.360 --> 0:04:03.120 due diligence. They're really examining um options, really examining the 0:04:03.360 --> 0:04:06.120 people that they're looking at, and making sure they're they're 0:04:06.120 --> 0:04:09.320 making the best possible decision um, which is I think 0:04:09.320 --> 0:04:11.520 maybe different from last week where it felt like you 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:13.520 just kind of had to race and get the first 0:04:13.520 --> 0:04:17.039 person that really felt good. UM. And So I I 0:04:17.080 --> 0:04:19.640 will certainly admit I think my hunches about how this 0:04:19.680 --> 0:04:22.559 would go we're completely wrong. Um And I'm pretty okay 0:04:22.560 --> 0:04:26.200 with that. Yeah, I don't mind this at all. You Know, 0:04:26.240 --> 0:04:30.880 something uh Dave Tepper said to me previously was that 0:04:31.640 --> 0:04:35.320 for him, he sees it as a much more um, 0:04:35.320 --> 0:04:39.880 time consuming and tougher higher than a head coach, because, 0:04:39.920 --> 0:04:42.960 as he put it, there's a lot more information out 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:45.280 there about head coaches, and I think you can look 0:04:45.320 --> 0:04:46.960 at that, you know, just on its face in terms 0:04:46.960 --> 0:04:48.640 of win loss record and what they've been able to 0:04:48.720 --> 0:04:53.000 do UM with the program. And that was evident with 0:04:53.000 --> 0:04:54.960 with Matt Rule, and then he flew down there to 0:04:54.960 --> 0:04:57.800 to Waco last year and that's when Matt Rule said 0:04:57.800 --> 0:05:00.080 he knew that it was the right thing. So but 0:05:00.120 --> 0:05:02.239 that's interesting that you know, it was. It does seem 0:05:02.320 --> 0:05:06.239 like it was very quick last year with Rule once 0:05:06.279 --> 0:05:08.760 that in person meeting happened, But he also had all 0:05:08.760 --> 0:05:12.440 this data to go on in terms of what Matt 0:05:12.520 --> 0:05:14.640 Rule had done it previous stops, the type of coach 0:05:14.680 --> 0:05:16.039 he wanted to bring in. And I thought it was 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:18.000 interesting that he said, you know, the information just not 0:05:18.120 --> 0:05:21.320 as readily available on GM candidates, and I think that's 0:05:21.400 --> 0:05:24.200 led to UM talking to so many and then you've 0:05:24.200 --> 0:05:26.160 got to analyze fit and then you've got to analyze, 0:05:26.240 --> 0:05:27.800 you know, how do you think they would come in 0:05:27.880 --> 0:05:31.200 and what their role would be in the Panthers organization. 0:05:31.279 --> 0:05:33.240 And and Dave Tepper has also said, you know, he 0:05:33.480 --> 0:05:35.800 he doesn't necessarily just want to look at it as 0:05:35.880 --> 0:05:39.520 the way a GM role is traditionally always operated. So 0:05:39.760 --> 0:05:41.479 I think it's great. I think it's great that they've 0:05:41.520 --> 0:05:45.479 interviewed so many and I would guess will when we 0:05:45.520 --> 0:05:47.640 talked about last week and how quick they got into 0:05:47.640 --> 0:05:49.679 the interviews. You don't want to lose out on someone, 0:05:50.320 --> 0:05:53.040 you know, Um, so you don't want to not interview 0:05:53.160 --> 0:05:55.599 Nikissario and then he goes to the Texans and you go, Okay, 0:05:55.640 --> 0:05:57.520 well that could have been our guys. So they had 0:05:57.520 --> 0:05:59.720 a chance to interview someone like him. So to me, 0:05:59.760 --> 0:06:02.000 I order, if that's it, which is like, we want 0:06:02.000 --> 0:06:06.680 to meet with everyone immediately so that someone doesn't get 0:06:06.720 --> 0:06:08.920 taken out from under our nose. That could have been 0:06:08.960 --> 0:06:11.240 our perfect candidate. But at the same time, you know, 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:13.040 once we've gotten those initial meetings out of the way, 0:06:13.040 --> 0:06:15.080 we've scheduled interviews with everyone we want to talk to, 0:06:15.760 --> 0:06:17.760 let's really make sure that we're making the right decision. 0:06:17.760 --> 0:06:19.599 It's one of the most important jobs in the organization. 0:06:19.680 --> 0:06:22.160 So I say, take as long as you need to 0:06:22.240 --> 0:06:24.800 make sure that that you're getting this right. Yeah, And 0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:27.720 I think that that might have there might be a 0:06:27.800 --> 0:06:30.400 larger view at stake here, you know, think of this 0:06:30.480 --> 0:06:32.799 group of you know, of the fifteen. You know, obviously 0:06:32.839 --> 0:06:35.960 they're not necessarily looking at all fifteen in the same 0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:40.440 way you know them. But there aren't there aren't that 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:43.719 many GM positions that are getting filled quickly around the NFL. 0:06:43.760 --> 0:06:46.440 You know, you think of Houston, and that's the only 0:06:46.480 --> 0:06:48.640 one right now, isn't it the only one? So I 0:06:49.040 --> 0:06:52.600 think maybe somewhat of the kind of feeling out the 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:56.800 pace of everybody else and feeling that out and saying, okay, 0:06:56.920 --> 0:06:59.160 we we might have a little we might have another 0:06:59.240 --> 0:07:00.800 day or two. Well, what do you think of have 0:07:00.839 --> 0:07:02.720 a little bit more time? What do you think about 0:07:02.760 --> 0:07:05.280 the fact that the interviews thus far have been on 0:07:05.400 --> 0:07:08.400 zoom not in person. Now, I know everything has been 0:07:08.400 --> 0:07:11.600 on zoom since March, and certainly we're all used to it. 0:07:11.640 --> 0:07:13.480 I've done all my interviews, and you can certainly get 0:07:13.520 --> 0:07:16.840 the sense of who a person is um and and 0:07:16.920 --> 0:07:21.160 create that um that bond with them, get a sense 0:07:21.240 --> 0:07:23.680 of of how they want to operate. But maybe it 0:07:23.720 --> 0:07:26.120 just takes a little bit longer when you're hiring for 0:07:26.200 --> 0:07:31.080 a role that is this important to the franchise to 0:07:31.200 --> 0:07:33.920 just really make sure when you've never met this person 0:07:34.280 --> 0:07:37.680 in person before. Yeah, and I would imagine that while 0:07:37.720 --> 0:07:40.360 there certainly have been zoom interviews with the candidates themselves, 0:07:40.400 --> 0:07:42.120 you know, you would think that there'd be some background, 0:07:42.160 --> 0:07:44.960 there's going to be some other conversations going around that 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:46.800 kind of, you know, try to help fill in some 0:07:46.840 --> 0:07:49.880 of those gaps. One thing I would caution our fans, 0:07:49.960 --> 0:07:52.440 you know that might be worried about, oh my gosh, 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:55.400 fifteen you know, what are they doing. I think that 0:07:56.240 --> 0:07:59.360 there's at least with the zoom, you know, the numbers 0:07:59.480 --> 0:08:02.640 this year versus what you would think like a normal 0:08:02.680 --> 0:08:05.680 amount of interview candidates would be are gonna be inflated 0:08:05.720 --> 0:08:09.320 because of how easy this is. You just roll through exactly. 0:08:09.360 --> 0:08:11.600 You know, you don't necessarily hear that many in terms 0:08:11.640 --> 0:08:14.679 of other searches. When in the past, in a different 0:08:14.880 --> 0:08:17.760 age in time, you were flying people in or you 0:08:17.800 --> 0:08:20.880 were flying out, you were flying around. You know, when 0:08:20.920 --> 0:08:23.800 you can go four interviews in an afternoon, just one 0:08:23.800 --> 0:08:26.520 by one by one, you know, everything becomes a little 0:08:26.560 --> 0:08:28.720 bit easier. The candidates, maybe you can interview with more 0:08:28.720 --> 0:08:31.880 people because they can do it by zoom. Um. So 0:08:32.040 --> 0:08:34.200 I do think that, you know, we kind of have 0:08:34.280 --> 0:08:37.800 to take take that number and take these circumstances with 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:40.959 a wider view of you know, what's really going on 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:43.640 in Yeah, I personally like it. I know that may 0:08:43.640 --> 0:08:45.920 not be the popular opinion, as you said, among fans, 0:08:45.920 --> 0:08:48.360 but I like it. I think turn over every stone 0:08:48.440 --> 0:08:51.680 or whatever, all of the you know, corny ways of 0:08:51.720 --> 0:08:53.440 saying that kind of thing is, but I really do 0:08:53.520 --> 0:08:55.920 believe it. It's it's such an important position, will impact 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:58.600 this franchise for for years and years to come and 0:08:59.520 --> 0:09:01.800 talk to buddy UM. Like you said, you got you 0:09:01.880 --> 0:09:04.000 got an hour and a half, two hours, whatever it is, 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:06.960 and you roll through zoom calls. I think it's great 0:09:06.960 --> 0:09:10.760 that they are really searching far and wide for this UM. 0:09:10.760 --> 0:09:13.160 But as you said, we may know more UM even 0:09:13.160 --> 0:09:17.440 by the time this podcast comes out, as as the 0:09:17.600 --> 0:09:21.800 list inevitably starts to narrow, and you know, the official 0:09:21.840 --> 0:09:24.080 word is that they will make a decision by the 0:09:24.200 --> 0:09:27.200 end of this week, so we'll know something soon. Yeah, 0:09:27.520 --> 0:09:29.960 hold on and hopefully come back next week to get 0:09:29.960 --> 0:09:34.320 the exclusive inside interview. I'm just clicking refresh on Panther stats. Guy. 0:09:34.360 --> 0:09:37.600 I want to see. I want to know the Kristen 0:09:37.640 --> 0:09:41.800 Balboni YouTube. That's what I want to see. We just 0:09:41.880 --> 0:09:46.000 break it. We just break the news. Also, more news 0:09:46.400 --> 0:09:48.640 this week is that the Panthers staff was picked to 0:09:48.720 --> 0:09:51.840 coach in the Senior Bowl, which is exciting. It's something 0:09:51.840 --> 0:09:57.439 that Matt Rule is very excited about, very enthusiastic about, 0:09:57.840 --> 0:10:02.240 especially this year when there are so many unknowns leading 0:10:02.320 --> 0:10:05.400 up to uh, the draft and leading into this season. 0:10:05.520 --> 0:10:07.640 You know, what is the combine gonna look like? Is 0:10:07.640 --> 0:10:09.319 it going to happen at the normal time, is it 0:10:09.320 --> 0:10:12.600 gonna happen at all? Um. So it's a great opportunity 0:10:12.640 --> 0:10:14.440 for the Panthers to to get in front of a 0:10:14.440 --> 0:10:18.240 lot of these prospects and I get to know them. Yeah, 0:10:18.320 --> 0:10:20.679 And I think that it's funny because I was kind 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:23.480 of trying to draw into the GM conversation too. I 0:10:23.520 --> 0:10:27.040 think sometimes even in my head, you seem to think 0:10:27.080 --> 0:10:29.959 that because we've been doing people have been doing mock 0:10:30.160 --> 0:10:34.560 draft season since November and everyone thinks they know everything 0:10:34.640 --> 0:10:37.920 about every college football player. And the fact that the 0:10:38.000 --> 0:10:41.560 last game was on Monday and that was what everything 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:44.160 you need to see from Mac Jones and that was that, 0:10:44.320 --> 0:10:47.120 you know, was the definitive statement on Davonte Smith. You 0:10:47.160 --> 0:10:51.400 know all these guys. It's amazing how much. Guess what, 0:10:51.480 --> 0:10:53.480 at the end of the day, you still need things 0:10:53.520 --> 0:10:56.040 like the Senior Bowl and whatever the combine ends up 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:58.559 being this year. You know, those things really do make 0:10:58.600 --> 0:11:01.920 a difference. And being able to actually sit in a 0:11:02.040 --> 0:11:05.200 room or sit socially distanced from a guy and talk 0:11:05.280 --> 0:11:07.960 to him. You know, all of the stories last year 0:11:08.600 --> 0:11:12.240 about Derek Brown where that you know, meeting the guy 0:11:12.480 --> 0:11:15.720 made the difference. You know, it wasn't just looking at tape. 0:11:16.000 --> 0:11:18.760 It wasn't just seeing what he did in a bowl game, 0:11:18.920 --> 0:11:21.480 you know, or seeing what he did against Alabama or whatever. 0:11:21.559 --> 0:11:24.840 It was meeting Derek Brown that really made the difference, 0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:27.440 you know, and and potentially meeting some maybe some other 0:11:27.480 --> 0:11:30.439 players you might have thought were great fits and then realizing, 0:11:30.480 --> 0:11:32.640 you know, maybe maybe that isn't as much of a fit. 0:11:33.160 --> 0:11:36.360 So I think that being able to go down there 0:11:36.360 --> 0:11:39.280 to be the ones that are that are directing these guys. 0:11:39.400 --> 0:11:41.160 You know, when you're out in the field and you 0:11:41.160 --> 0:11:43.160 know you're running guys through drills and you can see 0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:46.520 the way that they interact with you, they react to 0:11:46.600 --> 0:11:49.800 your direction, um, all of that stuff, you can get 0:11:49.800 --> 0:11:53.480 a really good feel for, um for for how these 0:11:53.520 --> 0:11:56.839 players react to coaching for for who they are as people. 0:11:57.080 --> 0:11:59.199 And I think that's been so much of what the 0:11:59.760 --> 0:12:03.040 bet uh. You know, the bedmark of this UM franchise 0:12:03.160 --> 0:12:04.720 is going to be moving forward is you know, who 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:07.040 are they as people? So that they can grow into 0:12:07.040 --> 0:12:10.439 really great football players? Absolutely, and how can you develop 0:12:10.559 --> 0:12:14.040 talent that maybe other people don't see. I was talking 0:12:14.080 --> 0:12:17.200 to to coach Rule on the one year anniversary of 0:12:17.240 --> 0:12:19.960 his hiring, which was on January seven of last year, 0:12:20.559 --> 0:12:23.040 and um, you know, we kind of walked through the 0:12:23.120 --> 0:12:27.840 season and how crazy everything was and how different and unique, 0:12:28.360 --> 0:12:31.320 and um I asked him about the draft and drafting 0:12:31.320 --> 0:12:33.640 from home, and he said the thing that stood out 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:35.480 to him the most that he'll take away from that 0:12:35.559 --> 0:12:39.800 draft is just what great players they got and you know, 0:12:40.080 --> 0:12:42.199 really uh and he said, you know, if we can, 0:12:42.320 --> 0:12:44.719 if we can do that this year, and if these 0:12:44.720 --> 0:12:48.679 guys can all play and really contribute with no O, 0:12:48.880 --> 0:12:51.400 T A S, no preseason, just imagine what we could 0:12:51.440 --> 0:12:53.240 do with more time. And then he even talked about 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:59.360 some of the undrafted guys Joe Charlton, Um Miles Hartsfield, 0:12:59.480 --> 0:13:02.080 like those guys as well, and so this is just 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:06.280 more of an opportunity for this Panther staff that can 0:13:06.480 --> 0:13:11.160 develop young talent quickly, um, to to get in front 0:13:11.240 --> 0:13:14.640 of of more of those guys. As you said, well, yeah, 0:13:14.679 --> 0:13:16.720 I mean, and it's gonna be tough again. You know, 0:13:16.840 --> 0:13:19.400 I think the Senior Bowl is going to be even 0:13:19.480 --> 0:13:23.160 more important this year with so many question marks around 0:13:23.200 --> 0:13:26.480 what the Combine may or may not be. So, oh, 0:13:26.520 --> 0:13:27.959 that's a great point. I might have just said that 0:13:28.000 --> 0:13:37.040 about three minutes ago. Okay, I'm teasing you. I'm teasing, 0:13:37.320 --> 0:13:42.280 but you're absolutely right. Um, you're absolutely We're both absolutely right. 0:13:43.080 --> 0:13:45.800 But let's let's talk about the Combine versus the Senior Bowl. 0:13:45.840 --> 0:13:48.880 Do you have a preference? I would say in a 0:13:49.000 --> 0:13:53.640 normal year, I would say the Combine because there I 0:13:53.679 --> 0:13:56.640 think there might be a little bit more time in 0:13:56.760 --> 0:13:59.120 terms of like the one on one interviews with guys. 0:14:01.440 --> 0:14:04.880 But at the same time, I think that I think 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:07.720 that maybe for a coach that's within, you know, an 0:14:07.720 --> 0:14:10.120 actual coach that's coaching, that's out in the field rather 0:14:10.160 --> 0:14:12.160 than you know, maybe in the stands or something, I 0:14:12.200 --> 0:14:14.280 think you can see a lot with some of the 0:14:14.360 --> 0:14:17.160 drills and some of the actual football things versus a 0:14:17.240 --> 0:14:19.920 cone drill or you know, when you're when you're going 0:14:20.040 --> 0:14:24.840 up against another really really good lineman in blocking drills. 0:14:25.560 --> 0:14:26.960 You know, I'm not going to write a guy off 0:14:27.000 --> 0:14:29.920 because he got beat by the really good lineman from Alabama. 0:14:30.240 --> 0:14:33.320 But you can see maybe more than just let's compare 0:14:33.800 --> 0:14:36.880 tents of a second on a cone drill um. And 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:39.800 so I think there's there's some different things that each 0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:43.440 each set of activities gives you. I think traditionally the 0:14:43.480 --> 0:14:47.200 combine has really been important for for interviews with players, 0:14:47.800 --> 0:14:51.520 and because there's a there's something about the combine where 0:14:53.360 --> 0:14:58.040 this collection of player personnel, staff, coaching staff, media, they 0:14:58.080 --> 0:15:02.800 all kind of create these narratives that kind of feed 0:15:02.840 --> 0:15:05.640 into each other, and it's this interesting sort of wave 0:15:05.720 --> 0:15:08.640 of information that kind of comes out of the combine 0:15:08.680 --> 0:15:10.320 that are you know, some of it's a little bit 0:15:10.920 --> 0:15:13.520 false to throw somebody else off, but for for the 0:15:13.560 --> 0:15:17.400 most part, it's it really drives the narrative towards the draft, 0:15:17.520 --> 0:15:19.880 and it kind of drives the way that the draft 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:23.160 sometimes ends up happening. You know, just all of those 0:15:23.240 --> 0:15:26.120 late nights in Indianapolis, there's a lot of interesting things 0:15:26.160 --> 0:15:29.200 that kind of start spurring interest one way, or spurring 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:32.560 interest a different way. Um that I think is unique 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:35.960 to what the Combine has been is there was it, 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:38.600 right Thompson that wrote an article, a really in depth 0:15:38.680 --> 0:15:41.960 article for ESPN on it a few years ago. Was 0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:44.480 that what was it? Just a fascinating That's what it 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:47.720 reminds me of. If anyone wants to to read more 0:15:47.720 --> 0:15:49.720 into what we was talking about. I still remember that 0:15:49.840 --> 0:15:53.440 article being just really incredible in terms of, like you said, 0:15:53.480 --> 0:15:55.800 all of the I don't want to say wheeling and dealing, 0:15:55.920 --> 0:15:59.280 but all of the different stuff that happens at the 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:02.080 Combine every single year, what it's like behind the scenes, 0:16:02.160 --> 0:16:05.760 very very interesting stuff. All right, let's take a quick 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:07.600 break and we'll be back in a second with more. 0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:12.080 Mr Jenkins told me. Mr Jenkis told me. Mr Jenkis 0:16:12.120 --> 0:16:15.000 told me to always make it easy for the customer. 0:16:15.240 --> 0:16:18.600 That's you. A lave person. Will always be here to 0:16:18.640 --> 0:16:22.120 answer the phone. We're here till midnight, seven days a week, 0:16:22.360 --> 0:16:25.400 so you never have to take off work, and it's 0:16:25.440 --> 0:16:27.840 the same price as in the daytime. We're the ones 0:16:28.080 --> 0:16:30.480 you want to call. We're the ones you want to call. 0:16:30.840 --> 0:16:33.840 We're the ones you want to call. You're gonna love 0:16:33.880 --> 0:16:39.480 these people, I guarantee gotta Morris Jenkins dot com. All right, well, 0:16:39.520 --> 0:16:40.880 I don't know if you've heard, but there's plenty of 0:16:40.880 --> 0:16:44.040 other football stuff going on outside of the world of 0:16:44.080 --> 0:16:47.040 the Panthers. A little something called Super wild Card Weekend, 0:16:47.080 --> 0:16:51.320 a little something called college Football Playoff Championship game. So 0:16:51.760 --> 0:16:54.520 what is your level of interest in all of those things? 0:16:54.520 --> 0:16:56.680 How much of everything did you watch over the weekend 0:16:56.720 --> 0:17:00.000 and then Monday? I was very upset that my current 0:17:00.240 --> 0:17:04.160 subscription plan does not include Nickelodeon. That's that's why had 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:06.920 we had it at my house. Oh my god, I'm 0:17:06.920 --> 0:17:11.359 so jealous. The I mean just there's just something about 0:17:11.440 --> 0:17:15.479 our entire generation, like this group from of like twenty 0:17:15.520 --> 0:17:17.840 six to maybe like thirty eight year olds, of all 0:17:17.880 --> 0:17:21.440 of us engaging in football and then having Nick bring 0:17:21.480 --> 0:17:24.040 back like all of this to us. I think it 0:17:24.119 --> 0:17:26.040 was so much fun. Oh yeah, all the slime and 0:17:26.080 --> 0:17:29.399 everyone doing their Top five Nick shows and just just 0:17:29.440 --> 0:17:32.080 a lot of nostalgia over the weekend. Matt, you're younger 0:17:32.119 --> 0:17:35.400 than Will and I were you a Nick person or not? Yeah? 0:17:35.480 --> 0:17:39.159 I didn't watch Disney Channel. I watched Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, 0:17:39.320 --> 0:17:41.679 but I was with my father in law this weekend 0:17:41.760 --> 0:17:45.080 and I had to settle for the CBS broadcast or 0:17:45.160 --> 0:17:48.159 the whichever. I think it was CBS. But yeah, I 0:17:48.200 --> 0:17:50.000 was a little disappointed. I wanted to watch Nickelodeon, but 0:17:50.040 --> 0:17:53.119 I couldn't talk I couldn't talk Wayne into it. Wayne 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:55.960 not a big nick fan, understandable. No, I thought it 0:17:56.000 --> 0:17:58.480 was great. I remember when the news first came out about, 0:17:58.880 --> 0:18:02.240 you know, the simulkust on Nickelodeon. I was like, that's 0:18:02.240 --> 0:18:04.280 that's strange. You know my husband I was like, what 0:18:04.600 --> 0:18:06.600 is this? And then when you get into it, I 0:18:06.640 --> 0:18:09.240 completely agree it was. It was so fun and what 0:18:09.320 --> 0:18:13.040 a great way to to bring young kids, potentially young 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:15.639 fans into the fold in a different way. Absolutely. I 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:17.480 thought Sean Payton was a pretty good sport after the 0:18:17.480 --> 0:18:19.560 game for getting a bucket of slime dumped on them too. 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:22.440 I was surprised him, of all people to be such 0:18:22.480 --> 0:18:25.440 a good sport about that. I mean, look, who's gonna 0:18:25.440 --> 0:18:27.720 say no to the slie? I would I would definitely 0:18:27.760 --> 0:18:30.560 get slimmed. Oh absolutely, It's like a it's everyone our 0:18:30.600 --> 0:18:33.600 age is dream I think, right, well, I mean that 0:18:33.800 --> 0:18:37.680 and or watching your team from your basement and having 0:18:37.720 --> 0:18:40.280 the very first play from scrimmage be hyked over Ben 0:18:40.400 --> 0:18:45.080 Roethlisberger's head and having your kids go nuts seconds behind them. 0:18:45.119 --> 0:18:47.639 I mean, this it was an incredible weekend. You go 0:18:47.880 --> 0:18:53.040 straight from Nick into the Browns being this ridiculous underdog 0:18:53.680 --> 0:18:57.880 and having the type of game that they did nothing 0:18:58.000 --> 0:19:00.640 at the before it was nine o'clock at night. I mean, 0:19:00.680 --> 0:19:02.800 it was nuts and and and to not even have 0:19:02.880 --> 0:19:05.520 your head coach there, and to have Pittsburgh, you know, 0:19:05.760 --> 0:19:07.880 feeling like it was potentially at the end of an 0:19:07.920 --> 0:19:11.199 era after starting undefeated for so long, I mean, it 0:19:11.280 --> 0:19:13.800 was just it was an incredible weekend of storylines. And 0:19:13.800 --> 0:19:18.199 how about former Panther Taylor Heineke absolutely bawling out That 0:19:18.240 --> 0:19:21.000 was incredible that that robe he dove from like the 0:19:21.040 --> 0:19:24.119 five yard line and made it in. That was incredible. Yeah, really, 0:19:24.119 --> 0:19:25.399 I mean and then you have you know, you have 0:19:25.440 --> 0:19:29.600 Buffalo that you know, holding off Philip Rivers and potentially 0:19:29.960 --> 0:19:32.960 what could be his last game and a fantastic opener 0:19:33.000 --> 0:19:36.440 on Saturday, and you know the Bills and Sean McDermott 0:19:36.520 --> 0:19:40.280 and Josh Allen and Mario Addison, you know the obviously 0:19:40.359 --> 0:19:43.199 the huge list of Panthers up there, um, seeing what 0:19:43.240 --> 0:19:45.679 they're doing. I mean, it's it was a really great weekend. 0:19:45.720 --> 0:19:48.240 I mean, after all that, just the the snooze fest 0:19:48.320 --> 0:19:51.440 on Monday, to watch Davante Smith just run by. Everybody 0:19:51.520 --> 0:19:54.159 was like, okay, Alabama, what was that? They did not 0:19:54.280 --> 0:19:56.080 cover him at all? You'd think you would want to 0:19:56.119 --> 0:19:58.159 cover the Heisman Trophy winning. I don't know how you 0:19:58.240 --> 0:20:00.159 cover him. Yeah. I think that might have in it. 0:20:00.200 --> 0:20:02.440 I think they might have been trying and it just 0:20:02.600 --> 0:20:06.199 didn't work out. Um. I love Yeah, I mean everyone 0:20:06.280 --> 0:20:09.000 loves wild Card weekend, but Super wild Card week and 0:20:09.080 --> 0:20:11.600 it's just great. You just roll into the next one. 0:20:11.640 --> 0:20:15.160 It was, it was awesome. It's so much fun. But well, 0:20:15.240 --> 0:20:18.080 you brought up a good point. Um, as you said, 0:20:18.119 --> 0:20:21.119 it's already mock draft season. It has been mock draft season, 0:20:21.720 --> 0:20:24.600 um for a while now. Um, but you brought up 0:20:24.600 --> 0:20:27.000 a good point with the Super wild Card weekend about 0:20:27.000 --> 0:20:31.400 the eighteen draft and how many of the guys represented 0:20:31.400 --> 0:20:33.960 in that draft or were out there this weekend. Yeah, 0:20:34.040 --> 0:20:36.119 I mean you think of Lamar Jackson. Oh yeah, I 0:20:36.119 --> 0:20:38.840 forgot about the Ravens. Of course, you have Lamar Jackson, 0:20:38.880 --> 0:20:41.760 you have Baker Mayfield with a big Win, Josh Allen, 0:20:42.160 --> 0:20:45.200 you know, really kind of three of the five major 0:20:45.280 --> 0:20:50.440 quarterbacks from that draft, which also included Sam Donald and 0:20:50.560 --> 0:20:53.520 Josh Rosen. But you know, to have three of those 0:20:53.520 --> 0:20:56.520