WEBVTT - Happy Half Hour Episode 70: Checking Boxes 0:00:01.760 --> 0:00:05.840 It's extremely unusual or a team to be able to 0:00:05.960 --> 0:00:08.600 find the top left tackle on their board the top 0:00:08.680 --> 0:00:12.240 quarterback on their board in a single draft. If those 0:00:12.280 --> 0:00:15.000 guys both work out, you'll look back on this one 0:00:15.040 --> 0:00:17.480 and say, Holy cal how did all the pieces fall 0:00:17.560 --> 0:00:22.079 into place. It's time for the Happy Half Hour with 0:00:22.200 --> 0:00:32.240 your friends. Kristen Belboni, Will Brian, and Darren Gamp Welcome 0:00:32.280 --> 0:00:34.959 to the Happy Half Hour. It's Will Brian, Darren gent 0:00:35.159 --> 0:00:38.559 with you. It is May, right, yeah, it's May. When 0:00:38.560 --> 0:00:41.080 made that happened that that we woke up and it 0:00:41.159 --> 0:00:44.400 turned to May. And we're sincerely apologized that we slept 0:00:44.400 --> 0:00:46.680 through April and didn't talk to you all. But here 0:00:46.680 --> 0:00:49.560 we are. So this is gonna be like the live 0:00:49.760 --> 0:00:52.400 concert album. We're gonna go two and a half hours 0:00:52.479 --> 0:00:55.000 of the Happy Half Hour. As far as you know. 0:00:55.280 --> 0:00:57.400 We also looking at me like we're doing what it's 0:00:57.440 --> 0:01:00.600 live action. It's I have a meeting after this. I 0:01:00.640 --> 0:01:03.840 can't do that. But here we are. We have a 0:01:04.000 --> 0:01:06.320 we have a full draft class, we have rookie minicamp 0:01:06.400 --> 0:01:10.039 starting in forty eight hours. We have things to talk about, 0:01:10.400 --> 0:01:13.920 things to describe. Darren, where do you want to start again? 0:01:14.000 --> 0:01:17.760 It seems like it's there's so many things that have happened. 0:01:17.800 --> 0:01:20.319 But I mean, we did cover the last time we visited. 0:01:20.800 --> 0:01:23.479 We did talk a lot about the free agents see 0:01:23.520 --> 0:01:25.960 class and all the blanks they filled in that way. 0:01:26.840 --> 0:01:29.119 I the thing I keep coming back to on this 0:01:29.280 --> 0:01:34.280 draft classes. These things just don't happen. The Carolina Panthers 0:01:34.360 --> 0:01:37.800 walked into a draft with the only two reel boxes 0:01:37.840 --> 0:01:39.560 to check off. They need a left tackle and they 0:01:39.560 --> 0:01:42.720 needed a quarterback. Of course, simple as that sounds easy 0:01:42.760 --> 0:01:45.400 when you say it that way, but it's it's rare 0:01:45.600 --> 0:01:48.560 to be able to do one of those things in 0:01:48.600 --> 0:01:52.240 a draft. And again I say this with the with 0:01:52.360 --> 0:01:54.280 the preface of we don't know if these guys can 0:01:54.280 --> 0:01:56.760 play yet or not. We're pretty sure Ikey a Kwantu can. 0:01:57.520 --> 0:01:59.919 Jury is still out. We'll see what happens with Matt Correll, 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:04.600 We'll see how Matt Cooral develops. But it's extremely unusual 0:02:05.040 --> 0:02:08.640 for a team to be able to find the top 0:02:08.720 --> 0:02:11.400 left tackle on their board the top quarterback on their 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:15.560 board in a single draft. It's it's pretty unheard of, 0:02:15.680 --> 0:02:19.640 to be honest with you. And if those guys both 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:22.320 work out, you'll look back on this one and say, 0:02:22.760 --> 0:02:25.120 holy cow, how did all the pieces fall into place? 0:02:25.200 --> 0:02:28.920 But to have gotten Nikkia Kwantu sixth overall. If you 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:32.960 only do that, it was a successful weekend. Because you 0:02:33.120 --> 0:02:34.920 roll your eyes at me every time I bring up 0:02:35.000 --> 0:02:38.240 Jeff Otab. But it's been since two thousand eight that 0:02:38.320 --> 0:02:41.000 the Carolina Panthers have drafted a tackle in the first round. 0:02:41.360 --> 0:02:44.160 Not only did you draft a tackle, and they were 0:02:44.240 --> 0:02:47.040 kind of prepared to draft a tackle one of those 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:49.720 three guys we talked about a lot, but then they 0:02:49.760 --> 0:02:53.200 got the tackle. They got the first offensive player. They 0:02:53.240 --> 0:02:55.240 got the guy who was the highest rated player on 0:02:55.280 --> 0:02:57.920 their board, the guy if they would have picked first, 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:02.920 they would have chosen first. And now, all of a sudden, 0:03:03.240 --> 0:03:06.400 all that instability that we talked about last year, thirteen 0:03:06.440 --> 0:03:10.400 offensive lens in seventeen games, all the different people who 0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:13.880 have started at left tackle since Jordan Gross retired, there's 0:03:13.880 --> 0:03:17.760 an opportunity now for all that settled down a little bit. 0:03:17.880 --> 0:03:23.760 And suddenly what was in stable all last season now 0:03:24.120 --> 0:03:27.480 instable in stable unstable Anyway, I just made up a word, 0:03:28.040 --> 0:03:31.720 um and a word for a living um. What was 0:03:32.760 --> 0:03:37.000 not great, Bob last year is suddenly looking like an 0:03:37.040 --> 0:03:40.119 area of depth. Yeah, I mean you think you think 0:03:40.200 --> 0:03:42.560 that word is now in play. Depth. I mean you 0:03:42.840 --> 0:03:46.240 Brady Christensen, Deante Brown, Michael Jordan's, all of these guys, 0:03:46.720 --> 0:03:49.960 Cameron Irving, you know that can now be used kind 0:03:50.000 --> 0:03:52.880 of what they were, Pad elf Line and Bradley Boseman, 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:55.640 Austin Corbett. You know, all of these guys in there 0:03:55.680 --> 0:03:57.960 that can be used as depth, that could be used 0:03:57.960 --> 0:04:01.160 in different places. But you have this group that can 0:04:01.240 --> 0:04:03.720 start and be really good. I mean they went through 0:04:03.720 --> 0:04:06.119 stretches last year and no offense to any of these 0:04:06.120 --> 0:04:08.600 guys who have worked hard to try to achieve their 0:04:08.680 --> 0:04:10.840 dream of playing in the NFL. But they were literally 0:04:10.920 --> 0:04:14.200 dragging guys in off the street last year to have 0:04:14.440 --> 0:04:18.120 seven or eight dressed for a game. And they some 0:04:18.160 --> 0:04:21.320 of the people they dragged in tested positive for COVID 0:04:21.360 --> 0:04:23.160 and never saw the light of day, and you had 0:04:23.200 --> 0:04:25.960 to turn them around and bring somebody else in and replace. 0:04:26.080 --> 0:04:29.679 So last year was on the fly. But now after 0:04:29.839 --> 0:04:32.800 going out early in free agency, you know, when you 0:04:33.080 --> 0:04:35.919 when you stand up and say our priority this offseason 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:38.799 fixed an offensive line, you go out and signed Brett 0:04:39.279 --> 0:04:42.360 Austin Corbett. Day one of free agencies. It's like, Okay, 0:04:42.400 --> 0:04:44.479 here's a guy who started every game for the Super 0:04:44.480 --> 0:04:48.039 Bowl champions last year at guard, so good step. Then 0:04:48.080 --> 0:04:50.520 you get Bozeman on a cheap one year deal when 0:04:50.560 --> 0:04:53.720 his market doesn't develop the way you he thought it might. 0:04:54.640 --> 0:04:56.760 And those are two pretty good pieces in the middle. 0:04:56.880 --> 0:04:59.640 And then you add ikey a quanto to that, and 0:04:59.680 --> 0:05:03.320 now of a sudden, as you said, you're imagining guys, 0:05:03.760 --> 0:05:06.520 guys who were just written in the starting lineup as 0:05:06.600 --> 0:05:11.839 best case scenario, are now competing for backup jobs. So 0:05:13.160 --> 0:05:15.760 they're in a much better spot. And when you talk 0:05:15.839 --> 0:05:19.240 about those three big editions, then plug in a sixth 0:05:19.320 --> 0:05:23.760 rounder like Cad Maze, throw him in the group with 0:05:23.839 --> 0:05:27.479 Deante Brown, Michael Jordan's you know, I think pat lf line. 0:05:27.880 --> 0:05:30.359 You know, all of a sudden, the second line is 0:05:30.440 --> 0:05:33.920 almost as good as what the first line was at 0:05:33.960 --> 0:05:35.960 times last year. And that's probably a little bit of 0:05:35.960 --> 0:05:40.600 a stretch, but um, it is a It is definitely 0:05:40.640 --> 0:05:44.480 a better offensive line situation than it was a year ago. 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:47.880 And if that's all that happened on draft weekend, you 0:05:47.960 --> 0:05:50.880 take it and you run and you don't apologize, and 0:05:50.920 --> 0:05:54.000 you're just gleeful for the rest of the spring, Darren. 0:05:54.560 --> 0:05:57.040 For those that haven't, and I assume everyone that is 0:05:57.080 --> 0:05:59.640 dedicated to The Happy Half Hour has read every single 0:05:59.640 --> 0:06:02.000 word of it, of course, but you wrote about eighteen 0:06:02.040 --> 0:06:06.400 thousand words, all the words used, every word in the 0:06:06.440 --> 0:06:09.080 English language at one point in that story. You really did. 0:06:09.240 --> 0:06:11.240 And for those that haven't read it or read it 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:13.279 and still want to hear about it, give me something 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:16.080 that you pulled out of that night or those sets 0:06:16.080 --> 0:06:17.920 of nights that you were able to put into that 0:06:18.000 --> 0:06:20.719 story that you know, really kind of encapsulates what you 0:06:20.839 --> 0:06:23.200 saw and what you experienced, and you know, really to 0:06:23.240 --> 0:06:25.560 kind of give our readers a look into that draft room. 0:06:25.640 --> 0:06:28.479 I think if if you, if you've ever had the 0:06:28.520 --> 0:06:32.800 opportunity to witness what happens in that room and all 0:06:32.880 --> 0:06:35.599 the and not just that night while they're on the 0:06:35.600 --> 0:06:38.000 clock during the draft, but in the weeks leading up 0:06:38.000 --> 0:06:41.960 to it. Probably the word that gets tossed around the 0:06:42.000 --> 0:06:47.200 most is conviction And do you have conviction about this guy? 0:06:47.720 --> 0:06:51.720 And we sort of in talking about offensive tackles before 0:06:51.720 --> 0:06:54.200 the draft, we talked about a Quantu and Evan Neil 0:06:54.480 --> 0:06:58.719 and Charles Crosses, like this unit of human beings like 0:06:59.120 --> 0:07:01.840 pick one from Allah May and that's what it would be. 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:05.520 But Ikey was the guy everybody in that room loved. 0:07:05.560 --> 0:07:09.479 I mean it's like like him, like him, really like him, 0:07:09.680 --> 0:07:12.920 sort of think. And it kind of fell that way 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:15.560 with Matt Correll as well. I mean there were there 0:07:15.640 --> 0:07:20.600 were quarterbacks in parentheses. There were a group of quarterbacks 0:07:20.640 --> 0:07:23.680 that we talked about in mass a lot, but corral 0:07:23.800 --> 0:07:26.640 was kind of the guy that separated himself in the 0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:30.120 minds of the evaluators, in the minds of the coaches 0:07:30.320 --> 0:07:32.680 because of some of the things he can do. I mean, 0:07:32.800 --> 0:07:35.920 he's got a unique ability to get the ball out 0:07:35.960 --> 0:07:40.040 in a hurry. And we're still waiting to see what 0:07:40.120 --> 0:07:44.120 the Ben maca Do offense looks like. But I think 0:07:44.120 --> 0:07:46.320 in general, based on what he did in New York 0:07:46.640 --> 0:07:49.400 and the success he had calling place for Eli up 0:07:49.440 --> 0:07:53.320 there before he became the head coach, um, I think 0:07:53.360 --> 0:07:56.040 we can generally assume it's gonna be a lot of 0:07:56.080 --> 0:07:58.840 first read, second room boom boom, get it out, get 0:07:58.840 --> 0:08:00.960 it out quick, keep it moving, put it in the 0:08:01.000 --> 0:08:04.080 hands of guys like d J. Moore who can make 0:08:04.080 --> 0:08:06.760 a play, like Christian McCaffrey, who can make a play 0:08:06.800 --> 0:08:10.800 and let them get out in space and do their thing. Uh, 0:08:10.920 --> 0:08:14.840 Matt Corral's ability to get the ball out quick suggest 0:08:15.160 --> 0:08:17.960 that that could be a fit. Now, they're not gonna 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:22.000 rush Matt Corral. In fact, everything from the moment they 0:08:22.040 --> 0:08:25.200 go through that process decide on Matt. Draft Matt. The 0:08:25.280 --> 0:08:27.920 first words out of their mouth where Sam Darlen's gonna 0:08:27.920 --> 0:08:30.960 open the season, start, gotta play today. Sam's a starter. 0:08:31.240 --> 0:08:34.520 Now Matt's gonna have chances. I mean, everything around here 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:36.280 is going to be competitive. That's just kind of the 0:08:36.280 --> 0:08:40.120 culture they want to have. But there's no rush. I mean, 0:08:40.280 --> 0:08:42.839 if Matt Corral is not ready to go in week 0:08:42.880 --> 0:08:47.599 one against filling the blank um, they'll start Sam and 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:50.400 kind of bank on some of the things they were 0:08:50.400 --> 0:08:53.959 talking about last year, which is put playmakers around Sam. 0:08:54.000 --> 0:08:57.520 They've certainly protected Sam a lot better now than they 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:00.360 did a year ago with the people they put in place, 0:09:00.920 --> 0:09:03.760 so you you can kind of it gives Matt Corral 0:09:03.840 --> 0:09:09.319 an opportunity to bed down. But that conviction was real. 0:09:09.520 --> 0:09:12.480 I mean it was not. Once you see it, and 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:14.760 once you talk to those guys and the build up 0:09:14.760 --> 0:09:18.320 to the draft, when you're picking six, you can't lock 0:09:18.440 --> 0:09:21.439 in on one guy. You can't say, oh, man, if 0:09:21.480 --> 0:09:24.200 I could now, And that's what I asked Scott at 0:09:24.240 --> 0:09:26.880 the owners meetings about a month before the draft. I said, 0:09:26.920 --> 0:09:29.240 if you're picking one instead of six, who's your guy? 0:09:29.800 --> 0:09:32.760 And he was like, oh, yeah, I mean it was. 0:09:33.120 --> 0:09:35.760 It was without a doubt. And I think as you 0:09:35.800 --> 0:09:38.640 talked to coaches, as you talk to people who are 0:09:38.640 --> 0:09:41.320 down in that room, they felt kind of the same 0:09:41.320 --> 0:09:44.480 way about Corral, like among that group, that was the 0:09:44.520 --> 0:09:48.320 one right there, that's the one we want. And there's 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:50.480 you know, not to put any more pressure on ache 0:09:50.520 --> 0:09:52.200 than there already is, because there probably is a lot 0:09:52.280 --> 0:09:55.520 you know, hometown guy and see state. You know, this 0:09:55.640 --> 0:09:58.120 Panther fan growing up, went to Providence Day, you know, 0:09:58.160 --> 0:10:01.360 all these these things that are kind endemic with what 0:10:01.520 --> 0:10:04.640 it is. But the thing that people kept talking about was, 0:10:05.280 --> 0:10:09.400 you know from your story that this personality of leadership, 0:10:09.640 --> 0:10:14.520 this this taking on of the responsibility to lead others 0:10:15.320 --> 0:10:18.280 from his position, which is not always the case for 0:10:18.679 --> 0:10:23.080 offensive lineman. And you know, it's hard for a year 0:10:23.080 --> 0:10:25.360 old rookie to come in to a locker room and 0:10:25.400 --> 0:10:27.880 say all right, like I'm gonna help turn this around. 0:10:28.000 --> 0:10:31.120 But I think if anyone has the gumption or has 0:10:31.160 --> 0:10:32.680 the ability to kind of step in and be at 0:10:32.760 --> 0:10:35.440 least be a part of it, if not the guy, 0:10:35.480 --> 0:10:37.880 but to be a part of leading. I think it's him. 0:10:38.240 --> 0:10:40.400 And it is a lot of pressure. I mean, because 0:10:40.440 --> 0:10:42.920 of all that build up and all the time that's past. 0:10:43.440 --> 0:10:46.160 You know, it is tempting to say, all right, kid, 0:10:46.160 --> 0:10:50.240 go b Jordan gross right exactly. You know, play hard. 0:10:50.920 --> 0:10:53.199 That's a pretty big job. We've just asked you to 0:10:53.240 --> 0:10:56.120 feel right there to you know, replace a hall of 0:10:56.160 --> 0:11:00.760 honor guy. And and if there is, based on what 0:11:00.880 --> 0:11:02.920 we know about him right now, based on what we've 0:11:02.920 --> 0:11:06.040 seen it in see State, he does have that characteristic 0:11:06.200 --> 0:11:09.360 of this ain't too big for him. He does lead people, 0:11:09.800 --> 0:11:12.880 you know, everybody. The other thing they all say about Ikey, 0:11:13.000 --> 0:11:14.840 all the scouts and that, and that was one of 0:11:14.880 --> 0:11:17.240 my favorite parts of that kind of behind the scene 0:11:17.280 --> 0:11:20.960 story is talking to four layers of scouts, you know, 0:11:21.040 --> 0:11:24.320 the guys who see him progressing up the ladder as 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:27.160 this thing goes on, and every one of them used 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:30.079 the phrase tone center, home center. Ikey's a tone sitter, 0:11:30.559 --> 0:11:34.000 and he's mean and he enjoys putting people on the 0:11:34.040 --> 0:11:38.640 ground and he plays violently, which is one of those 0:11:38.640 --> 0:11:44.000 coach words, um, but he enjoys too dominate people. I 0:11:44.040 --> 0:11:46.760 remember at the combine he talked about growing up as 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:49.440 a Panther fan watching the Panthers, and he and he 0:11:49.520 --> 0:11:54.560 talked about Steve Smith dominated people physically. Well, Steve is 0:11:54.679 --> 0:11:57.760 much different in terms of size than Nicky, but they 0:11:57.800 --> 0:12:01.040 dominated people in different ways. But he he's got that vibe. 0:12:01.120 --> 0:12:04.319 I think it's real and we'll see. I mean, nobody 0:12:04.320 --> 0:12:06.679 ever wants to turn a rookie into a leader. You know, 0:12:06.800 --> 0:12:09.079 Taylor Moten sitting in that room and he'd been pretty 0:12:09.080 --> 0:12:11.720 good at this for a minute, so you know, that's 0:12:11.800 --> 0:12:14.720 kind of the personality of that room right now. But 0:12:14.800 --> 0:12:18.160 I think adding somebody like that, adding a little bit 0:12:18.200 --> 0:12:21.920 of edge to that group, is certainly something they needed 0:12:21.960 --> 0:12:25.720 because Corbett and Bozeman are both long term starters for 0:12:25.840 --> 0:12:28.320 great franchises. I mean, Rams just want a Super Bowl. 0:12:28.400 --> 0:12:31.680 The Ravens most consistent team in the NFL probably for 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:34.920 the last twenty years, who are built on running the ball, 0:12:35.440 --> 0:12:38.800 and those are nice, but this is a different personality. 0:12:38.960 --> 0:12:42.120 This is that kind of lead dog personality that they 0:12:42.160 --> 0:12:45.320 just introduced to the room. And I think that's what 0:12:45.480 --> 0:12:47.800 you know. I had people in personnel tell me over 0:12:47.840 --> 0:12:51.240 the offseason, we need uh filling the blank word you 0:12:51.240 --> 0:12:55.440 can't say on a family podcast, but we need one 0:12:55.440 --> 0:12:59.000 of those. And they may have gotten one. And as 0:12:59.080 --> 0:13:02.160 you talked about on the Thursday before all this stuff 0:13:02.200 --> 0:13:05.000 went down, they maybe they're getting one back on the 0:13:05.000 --> 0:13:07.000 defensive side of the ball. In a way that's almost 0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:10.560 like another first round pick. It's almost like you're adding j. C. Horne, 0:13:10.840 --> 0:13:13.560 who's this lead dog kind of guy back in the 0:13:13.640 --> 0:13:17.040 room yet again this offseason. Oh, by the way, j C. Horn, 0:13:17.160 --> 0:13:19.920 And and it is almost like a bonus draft pick 0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:22.839 because he only plays three games last year and and 0:13:22.920 --> 0:13:27.679 he is he's also got that kind of burns hot personality. 0:13:27.720 --> 0:13:31.480 I mean, it's not as visible because of his job description. 0:13:31.520 --> 0:13:33.920 He doesn't put people on the ground the same way 0:13:33.960 --> 0:13:37.400 Ikey does. But when you see him out on the field, 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:39.240 it's easy to point to j. C. Horn and say 0:13:39.280 --> 0:13:42.640 that one over there, that one is different. The other 0:13:42.720 --> 0:13:46.520 kids are not like that, and just out there watching 0:13:47.320 --> 0:13:50.280 during off season workouts now, I mean they're out there 0:13:50.280 --> 0:13:52.080 on the field a little bit. And there was a 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:54.719 scene this week where somebody threw a ball and j 0:13:54.880 --> 0:13:58.000 C just sort of casually twist his body about two 0:13:58.400 --> 0:14:01.200 seventy degrees around and pulls one out of the air 0:14:01.240 --> 0:14:04.040 one handed. And I'm re enacting this in the studio. 0:14:04.160 --> 0:14:06.360 It's like theater of the mind. You have to believe 0:14:06.400 --> 0:14:10.080 you're seeing it. But he just casually does this incredible 0:14:10.120 --> 0:14:13.640 body control move where he talks himself around and reaches 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:16.880 behind him and catches the ball one handed, and it's like, yep, 0:14:17.200 --> 0:14:21.240 could use one of those. Everybody could, so um, you 0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:24.400 hope that And again, it was kind of interesting. It 0:14:24.440 --> 0:14:26.480 did get lost a little bit in the course of 0:14:26.480 --> 0:14:28.640 the draft weekend, and you sort of knew it would, 0:14:28.680 --> 0:14:32.880 but talking to him about his rookie season, it was 0:14:32.920 --> 0:14:34.640 a little bit of an eye opener because it does 0:14:34.720 --> 0:14:37.520 remind you of, oh, hey, that's a pretty good when 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:41.200 coming back, and you just hope everybody stays healthy and 0:14:41.240 --> 0:14:43.840 he can deliver on it this year. As we say 0:14:43.840 --> 0:14:47.360 this on Wednesday morning, we're in the midst of probably 0:14:47.400 --> 0:14:50.120 maybe two to three days of of the things that 0:14:50.160 --> 0:14:53.160 are big things that really aren't things at all, And 0:14:53.200 --> 0:14:58.000 so I'm curious of like Darren's draft of the things 0:14:58.080 --> 0:15:03.840 we do that don't matter between rookie Jersey numbers, Rookie Minicamp, 0:15:04.280 --> 0:15:07.520 and Schedule Release, all of these things happening in the 0:15:07.560 --> 0:15:09.840 next three days that are going to get you all 0:15:09.880 --> 0:15:11.880 of the clicks on your website so you can do 0:15:11.920 --> 0:15:15.520 the business. Yeah, man, that like it's you said the 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:19.360 other day, like schedule release. We've known these matchups for 0:15:19.400 --> 0:15:21.720 at least four years, Like we know who they're gonna play, 0:15:21.840 --> 0:15:23.880 and then we added one more and it's like, oh cool, 0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:26.720 that's that's that's fun. Let me let me preface this 0:15:26.800 --> 0:15:31.320 all by saying schedule Release is a huge deal and 0:15:31.360 --> 0:15:34.480 you should absolutely spend the next seventy two hours of 0:15:34.520 --> 0:15:37.400 your life on Panthers dot Com and the Panthers App 0:15:37.560 --> 0:15:41.680 to find the latest information and entertainment regarding this life 0:15:41.760 --> 0:15:47.080 changing event. The I would trade Schedule Release day for 0:15:47.120 --> 0:15:54.880 a seventh round pick, and I don't value Um Yeah, 0:15:54.920 --> 0:15:58.760 I'm just kind of I guess, having done enough of them, 0:15:59.160 --> 0:16:03.200 I'm sort of still in disbelief that this is a thing. 0:16:03.400 --> 0:16:05.560 It's like the NFL has turned this into a tent 0:16:05.680 --> 0:16:09.120 pole event. We already know who the Carolina Panthers are playing. 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:11.280 We're just finding out when and it's a huge deal 0:16:11.320 --> 0:16:14.640 for fans because you book travel schedules, you plan your 0:16:14.680 --> 0:16:17.280 fall schedule. You know, my wife's looking at me, like 0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:21.040 when do I know what weekends I have available in 0:16:21.080 --> 0:16:24.840 the fall, and so those things are all important, but 0:16:24.880 --> 0:16:28.480 I'm just kind of baffled. I look at it like 0:16:28.800 --> 0:16:31.640 I watch it the way I would watch a sport 0:16:31.760 --> 0:16:35.200 in a foreign land, played in a language, played by 0:16:35.240 --> 0:16:38.040 people who speak a language I do not understand. By 0:16:38.200 --> 0:16:41.200 rules I've never been able to comprehend. I mean, it's 0:16:41.240 --> 0:16:44.160 just weird to me that people are into this, but hey, 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:48.200 they seem to like it, so it must be cool. Um. Yeah, 0:16:48.240 --> 0:16:51.240 and that's coming and it sort of washes over us 0:16:51.280 --> 0:16:53.480 like a wave, and it's a huge deal. And from 0:16:53.520 --> 0:17:00.520 the portions I've seen of our plan, it's going to 0:17:00.720 --> 0:17:05.320 be amazing. You are going to love this. And this 0:17:05.400 --> 0:17:07.800 is coming from someone that was actually in the video 0:17:07.920 --> 0:17:10.040 last year, so I obviously took a lot of pride 0:17:10.119 --> 0:17:13.160 in that one, but I can swallow it to tell 0:17:13.200 --> 0:17:16.560 you that this one tops it for sure. It's pretty cool. 0:17:16.880 --> 0:17:19.680 People are gonna dig it. I don't have any doubt 0:17:19.720 --> 0:17:23.520 about that. But yeah, it's scheduled release week it's rookie 0:17:23.640 --> 0:17:26.720 numbers week. Matt Crowd's number nine. What does that mean 0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:30.480 to you? Uh? The last quarterback that war number nine 0:17:30.520 --> 0:17:33.879 in a regular season game was Rodney Pete. And I 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:38.600 say this and I and I feel secure saying this 0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:41.760 this podcast. Family, I mean, you're like my family. Yeah, 0:17:44.280 --> 0:17:46.920 I have. I have already said this at home. One 0:17:46.920 --> 0:17:50.240 of the most inspiring sites I've ever seen personally in 0:17:50.320 --> 0:17:54.280 Bank of America Stadium was Holly Robinson Pete wearing an 0:17:54.280 --> 0:17:57.760 extremely fitted Rodney Pete jersey to sing the national anthem 0:17:57.800 --> 0:18:00.920 before a game in oh two or three something like that. 0:18:01.240 --> 0:18:03.960 And it was Rodney looked at me after the fact. 0:18:04.000 --> 0:18:06.639 I said, nice jersey, and he said, you like that, 0:18:06.760 --> 0:18:13.119 did you? I was like, Holly Robinson beat and in 0:18:13.240 --> 0:18:16.320 your jersey. It never looked quite like that on you, Rodney. 0:18:16.680 --> 0:18:19.840 But I remember saying, mac corral in a very fitted 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:22.720 number nine jersey is going to be something fans will 0:18:22.720 --> 0:18:25.199 want to see. It might hit different, but I hit different. 0:18:25.400 --> 0:18:27.920 But I think people will be interested in that. Yeah, 0:18:28.240 --> 0:18:32.400 and it'll be curious. I mean I'm anxious to see 0:18:32.440 --> 0:18:34.840 what he looks like on the field. Yeah, because the 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:37.320 guy made plays at a high level and oh, miss so, 0:18:37.760 --> 0:18:40.320 and that's what And he's kind of got that another 0:18:40.480 --> 0:18:42.720 version of that thing we were talking about with Ikey 0:18:42.800 --> 0:18:46.480 that people follow him vibe and that happens on Friday. 0:18:46.520 --> 0:18:48.119 You know, I remember last year you said, you know, 0:18:48.160 --> 0:18:50.160 the main thing you took away as we just kind 0:18:50.160 --> 0:18:52.159 of talked about when the rookies came out there and 0:18:52.280 --> 0:18:54.440 you know, shorts and T shirts and hats was J. C. 0:18:54.560 --> 0:18:57.960 Horne is big. You can see him when you look 0:18:58.000 --> 0:19:00.159 at it. Just a bunch of field of dudes. That 0:19:00.200 --> 0:19:03.679 guy is different. You know, I'll be curious how you know, 0:19:03.840 --> 0:19:06.760 offensive lineman don't do a lot in these rookie minicamps. 0:19:06.840 --> 0:19:10.040 You know, they're not they're not touching, they're not contact contact. 0:19:10.080 --> 0:19:13.159 There's no there's often not even a defensive line in 0:19:13.240 --> 0:19:16.760 front of them, right, So what will we be looking 0:19:16.800 --> 0:19:19.160 at and seeing from a corral from an Ikey from 0:19:19.200 --> 0:19:21.800 I mean even a guy like Brandon Smith who might 0:19:21.840 --> 0:19:23.640 need to play a role this yere. Yeah, and I'm 0:19:23.680 --> 0:19:26.560 kind of curious about Brandon Smith, to be honest with you, 0:19:26.640 --> 0:19:29.840 because what does he do? I mean, he is a 0:19:29.920 --> 0:19:34.080 different size human being than a lot of the other 0:19:34.160 --> 0:19:37.399 linebackers they have around here. I mean, this is a 0:19:37.440 --> 0:19:41.720 big old Jamie Collins sized man in a place where 0:19:41.760 --> 0:19:46.360 the linebackers have been maybe too thirty over the last 0:19:46.400 --> 0:19:49.639 couple of years. And he's just this big, you know, 0:19:49.920 --> 0:19:55.960 long armed, massive dude who can run. And so we've 0:19:56.000 --> 0:19:58.359 talked a lot about Phil Snow and how he moves 0:19:58.359 --> 0:20:01.040 people around and matches up and looks for different things. 0:20:01.600 --> 0:20:04.760 If they can get this guy trained up, now he 0:20:04.960 --> 0:20:07.840 is more you know, the back of his football card 0:20:07.880 --> 0:20:11.040 at Penn State is not full of stuff. Uh. He 0:20:11.280 --> 0:20:14.119 is athletic, he is toolsy. Let's see if he can 0:20:14.160 --> 0:20:16.840 play football. Uh that it's hard. I've seen some of 0:20:16.840 --> 0:20:20.679 those heads. That'll be the next challenge. But again, a 0:20:20.760 --> 0:20:24.280 big old what is it, six four to fifty body 0:20:24.400 --> 0:20:27.320 that can run a four or five forty those don't 0:20:27.400 --> 0:20:31.159 happen a lot, and I ask, it's kind of an 0:20:31.240 --> 0:20:34.160 unfair game sometimes. But when you ask scouts or coaches 0:20:34.680 --> 0:20:37.720 four comps, you know, and a couple of guys were 0:20:37.800 --> 0:20:41.600 just scratching their heads because there's just not one it 0:20:41.640 --> 0:20:44.200 looks like him on this roster or on a lot 0:20:44.200 --> 0:20:47.240 of rosters, honestly. So I'll be interested to see kind 0:20:47.240 --> 0:20:49.800 of where phil puts him and what they ask him 0:20:49.840 --> 0:20:52.400 to do. And you know, once they get deeper into 0:20:52.400 --> 0:20:54.520 O T A s and mini camps and stuff like that, 0:20:55.600 --> 0:20:58.359 what it looks like, I mean, is he is he 0:20:58.440 --> 0:21:01.360 the guy Frankie Luvu is walking around and teaching how 0:21:01.359 --> 0:21:04.280 to do Frankie Luvu stuff? Or is he out here 0:21:04.280 --> 0:21:07.560 in space and Shack Thompson's trying to teach him how 0:21:07.560 --> 0:21:09.600 to be a linebacker and that kind of stuff. So 0:21:09.880 --> 0:21:13.120 he's an interesting it's an interesting mix as a lot 0:21:13.119 --> 0:21:16.760 of those second day guys are. And obviously keep it tuned. 0:21:16.960 --> 0:21:19.880 We have tons of stuff coming for the next couple 0:21:19.920 --> 0:21:25.680 of days for you, many exciting developments. Click click click 0:21:25.800 --> 0:21:29.520 click them. All of your clicks belong to us. Now 0:21:29.720 --> 0:21:31.919 it's gonna it's gonna be fun. I mean there is 0:21:31.960 --> 0:21:34.919 many camp stuff. You know, we can joke about it 0:21:35.160 --> 0:21:38.639 because I've seen a million football practices in my life 0:21:38.640 --> 0:21:41.880 and these are going to be two of them. Um, 0:21:42.400 --> 0:21:46.560 these are two. And it's always but there's something new. 0:21:46.640 --> 0:21:49.240 There's a first day of school five about them all 0:21:49.320 --> 0:21:52.080 every year where it's like okay, ikey a kwantu has 0:21:52.119 --> 0:21:55.320 existed as this abstract concept and now we can point 0:21:55.320 --> 0:21:57.680