Speaker 1: They Around the NFL podcast, Dan, Greg, all the guys,
Speaker 1: theyo from across America. Welcome to Around the NFL. My
Speaker 1: name is Dan hansis got two heroes here, Greg Rosenthal,
Speaker 1: and you know who it is. It's Mark Sessler.
Speaker 2: Hey boys, Hey, Now I also have a live studio audience.
Speaker 2: I'm taping in the garage a La Dan and his
Speaker 2: old place, and my son Walker is sitting on the couch.
Speaker 2: So we got to keep the swearest to a minimum today.
Speaker 3: Okay, well you do, Greg, he can't hear what we're saying.
Speaker 2: It's true. That's a great point. It's a great point. Mark.
Speaker 1: I am in Texas, and I have to tell you something.
Speaker 1: Texas is a beautiful place. Texas features people like my
Speaker 1: wife and her family who welcomed this yankee into their lives,
Speaker 1: and very sweet, good people and in general a very
Speaker 1: friendly place to visit. But I don't know how these
Speaker 1: people do what they do, which is live here. Let
Speaker 1: me read to you. I'm about sixty miles northwest of Austin, Texas,
Speaker 1: which is you know, Centralish Texas. Here's the five day
Speaker 1: forecast and it's been like this since I got here
Speaker 1: today Tuesday. Hi have one hundred and six degrees. What
Speaker 1: is eric behind the virtual glass? Please find out what
Speaker 1: that means for people that don't do fahrenheit one hundred
Speaker 1: and two Wednesday ninety nine. Oh, it cools off on
Speaker 1: Thursday ninety nine, Friday one hundred, Saturday one oh two,
Speaker 1: Sunday one oh three, Monday one oh four, and then
Speaker 1: I come home and the heat goes up from there
Speaker 1: to one o five. So maybe I'm catching a break.
Speaker 3: What have you been? Have you do? You spend most
Speaker 3: of your time in this situation.
Speaker 1: I'm wearing a bathing suit bottom right now. There's a
Speaker 1: pool outside that I will be spending much time, and
Speaker 1: I'm drinking an iced tea. There's air conditioning that I've
Speaker 1: been living in. It's it's not it's not great.
Speaker 3: It doesn't sell that bad.
Speaker 1: Well, that part of it is nice. It could be worse,
Speaker 1: and it is for a lot of other people. So
Speaker 1: I'm not complaining. Oh yes, I am complaining. It's too
Speaker 1: damn hot here.
Speaker 2: I like a little weather pop at the start of
Speaker 2: every show. I think we should introduce that every day
Speaker 2: every time.
Speaker 1: Well, Greg, you jerk, It's a little different when it's
Speaker 1: one hundred and six degrees.
Speaker 2: I'm just saying, no, I surely do listen to some
Speaker 2: podcasts that start with like, oh it's really hot that
Speaker 2: you know, this spring like every time, so I'm more
Speaker 2: making for it.
Speaker 1: All. This is extreme weather, this is this is newsworthy
Speaker 1: weather for a podcast, I thought, But maybe it doesn't
Speaker 1: reach your standards. And I'm sorry.
Speaker 2: I was just having a little fun. No, I'll be.
Speaker 2: I'll be in similar weather in Tokyo next week.
Speaker 1: I's a drink. I gotta say.
Speaker 2: It's like ninety five degrees and humid there, so let's go.
Speaker 1: How about you, Mark? How are you?
Speaker 3: I'm fine.
Speaker 4: I'm in you know, a section of Hollywood where it's
Speaker 4: very temperate. I think it's probably like seventy seven degrees,
Speaker 4: some clouds, some sun I.
Speaker 1: Could tell you. I could tell this would be an
Speaker 1: issue for you if you were down here, Mark, because
Speaker 1: you know who's not taking the trip to Texas. LEVI
Speaker 1: and that jacket, which is remador image in so many
Speaker 1: positive ways, simply couldn't wear it down here. And you
Speaker 1: need to innovate once again. So maybe you're more fortunate
Speaker 1: than anyone right now.
Speaker 3: Well, No, I mean I I do.
Speaker 4: I did spend that one year in Arizona, where weatherwise
Speaker 4: it was essentially compared nightly on the news to the
Speaker 4: Iraq War.
Speaker 3: So I do understand what you're going through.
Speaker 1: So this is yes, our summer of remote shows and
Speaker 1: and mini camps are now over? Is it over yet?
Speaker 2: Oh?
Speaker 1: Yeah? Yeah?
Speaker 2: Is over?
Speaker 3: Over?
Speaker 2: Is off off?
Speaker 1: Yes, the off season over and we hope now everyone
Speaker 1: cross our fair league is on their best behavior between
Speaker 1: now and mini camp. And you know, one series, I
Speaker 1: would say Boys, perhaps the most enduring series and the
Speaker 1: history of around the NFL when you look at it
Speaker 1: as a component, not just as the podcast, which we've
Speaker 1: done what like sixteen hundred episodes are so now over
Speaker 1: the last ten plus years, but also as writers on
Speaker 1: NFL dot com making the leap hallowed, GREGI hallowed. And
Speaker 1: today we're going to offer and this is a big deal.
Speaker 1: And I don't think this is something that the people
Speaker 1: involved today should treat lightly. I think it's a real honor.
Speaker 1: We're each going to nominate three making the Leap candidates
Speaker 1: for the twenty twenty three NFL season.
Speaker 2: Are you suggesting that one of us in particular is
Speaker 2: taking it lately? And who is that person?
Speaker 3: Which of the three is on your radar, it's probably
Speaker 3: not yourself. So which of the two.
Speaker 1: I'm taking it very lightly for starters, but I'm referring
Speaker 1: to the actual players themselves. Oh, I hope out when
Speaker 1: the word gets to them. I hope they understand the
Speaker 1: honor that's been bestowed upon them, and I hope the
Speaker 1: pressure doesn't break them. You know that what was the
Speaker 1: old RG three, that summer of ridiculous quotes going into
Speaker 1: his second year, no pressure, no diamonds.
Speaker 4: Well, and also the third yeah from a flip side,
Speaker 4: because you know, there were years where this went through
Speaker 4: different versions on NFL dot com. But I remember one
Speaker 4: summer where the three of us and Wes put out
Speaker 4: forty candidates, and I mean some of the ones that
Speaker 4: I totally got wrong.
Speaker 3: I've been dragged for those for years since.
Speaker 4: I mean, so it's like it's important for us to hit,
Speaker 4: you know, three home runs each, but you never know.
Speaker 2: Like when you might be proven correct, because that four
Speaker 2: game stretch of Gino Smith back in twenty fourteen or
Speaker 2: twenty fifteen that made me right of making the leap
Speaker 2: about of it finally cashed in in twenty twenty two,
Speaker 2: seven years later.
Speaker 4: Well, you also picked Chase Daniels. So, I mean it
Speaker 4: was just all a little bit of a bit.
Speaker 2: He was like number thirty nine. I was having all
Speaker 2: the fun there.
Speaker 1: I think the uh, I think that and Mark, I
Speaker 1: know this will bring back some harrowing memories. But how
Speaker 1: many articles we wrote about RG three after his reconstructive
Speaker 1: knee surgery and his endless rehab that summer and then
Speaker 1: he you know, he bottomed out the rest of his
Speaker 1: career with Washington. But I think the catchphrase that always
Speaker 1: stuck with me for just how stupid it was and
Speaker 1: with you know, the straight face in which he delivered
Speaker 1: it to the assembled media was It's not about the grind,
Speaker 1: It's about the find.
Speaker 4: Yeah, these athlete phrases. We just were enduring these phrases
Speaker 4: at this point.
Speaker 1: And I still don't know what that means.
Speaker 3: I think he does maybe or did.
Speaker 2: That was on Wes's radar in a huge way. He
Speaker 2: would get sick of the bumper stickers. I would love
Speaker 2: to hear Wes's thoughts on our burgeoning broadcast career. He's
Speaker 2: doing a nice job over there at ESPN.
Speaker 1: Is he doing a nice job?
Speaker 2: Yeah? I think you feel like he's a rising he's
Speaker 2: a rising guy, gets a lot of attention. I don't
Speaker 2: know if he, you know, breaks up those phrases as
Speaker 2: much anymore.
Speaker 1: All Right, before we do any of that, though, let's
Speaker 1: get to the news.
Speaker 3: Snap the hell comes his first pass over the middle.
Speaker 2: Fife Terry McLaurin, the dead fuck touchdown touchdown, Washington. Sam
Speaker 2: Holl's first career pass.
Speaker 1: Is a sixteen yard touchdown to Terry McLaurin. Hey, what
Speaker 1: a start to a career for the fifth round pick.
Speaker 1: Sam hal who uh for the Washington Commanders last year
Speaker 1: stepped in threw that touchdown to Terry McLaurin. I would
Speaker 1: say it was probably boys the highlight of his short
Speaker 1: time as a starter, but it did give the people
Speaker 1: a taste of what he could be because despite being
Speaker 1: a fifth round pick, some people thought entering the draft
Speaker 1: process last year he could go very high, and when
Speaker 1: he fell to Washington it was seen as maybe a
Speaker 1: steal and Greg. The Commanders feel good about how, to
Speaker 1: the point that in this year of transition for the organization,
Speaker 1: with new ownership coming in, they seem to be set
Speaker 1: on giving how the starting job, or at least that
Speaker 1: how That's how it looks he took all of the
Speaker 1: first team reps in mandatory mini camp.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and Ron Rivera says they'll enter training camp as
Speaker 2: the starter, so they're not messing around with this whole,
Speaker 2: like let's make them battle for it just for the
Speaker 2: show of it. Like let's say they're doing with Bryce
Speaker 2: Young in Carolina for now though he's already the first
Speaker 2: team and we know samow as a second year player.
Speaker 2: But I've found that a little surprising after giving to
Speaker 2: Kobe Brissett seven and a half million dollars guaranteed, which
Speaker 2: is more than any other backup got this offseason, they're
Speaker 2: not and I like that they're definitive about it. I
Speaker 2: don't think this really is a battle, and so there's
Speaker 2: very little news I feel like, other than injuries that
Speaker 2: come out of OTAs in mini caamp. But this qualifies
Speaker 2: to me as news that it is gonna be how
Speaker 2: week one, barring total disaster in the preseason in training camp.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I just think if you're this coaching staff and
Speaker 4: Ron Rivera, for the good things that he's done and
Speaker 4: is consistent and steady as he's been for Washington through
Speaker 4: a really rocky tenure, they've never found a quarterback that
Speaker 4: done a terrible job at that. So if I'm Ron Rivera,
Speaker 4: how do you want to this? If this is your
Speaker 4: last chance? No matter what Jacoby Brissett does, and he
Speaker 4: played much better than people expected a year ago.
Speaker 3: But if you hit on a rookie.
Speaker 4: And it brings excitement and energy to that fan base
Speaker 4: that's been so long lost, then you have a chance
Speaker 4: to stick around because then you've done something different and
Speaker 4: unique versus just floating on through the season with which
Speaker 4: I expect kind of both of them to play. But
Speaker 4: if you hit on Howell, it's like you're part of
Speaker 4: the reason that happened.
Speaker 3: Stick around.
Speaker 1: I don't. Yeah, we'll see. I mean I think best
Speaker 1: case scenario, well, best case scenario is he's a star.
Speaker 1: I think the most likely scenario or something that Washington
Speaker 1: might even sign off on if you really cornered them
Speaker 1: privately and got down to the nitty gritty, is he
Speaker 1: does some things this year and then when the new
Speaker 1: owner is in place and they want to make the
Speaker 1: big splash quarterback, you have a cheap contract, controlled young
Speaker 1: backup on your roster, and how that's kind of how
Speaker 1: I see it turning out personally, because it just feels
Speaker 1: like such a we're neutral in the Marina set up
Speaker 1: for Washington and going with the former fifth round pick
Speaker 1: as your day one starter screams that out despite Greg,
Speaker 1: I know in your projected roster series you kind of
Speaker 1: were taken aback by how the rest of the roster
Speaker 1: seems ready to go, and maybe that will demand a
Speaker 1: veteran like Jake Briskett gets in the lineup if House
Speaker 1: struggles early.
Speaker 2: Well, like how he would be a good making the
Speaker 2: leap guy. I thought about him. We're just basing on nothing.
Speaker 2: You're basically on college where he was fun. You know,
Speaker 2: he runs more than you would expect in terms of
Speaker 2: running aggressively and almost looking for contact, and you're gonna
Speaker 2: have to worry about that. But that one game, it's
Speaker 2: like that one game was more intriguing to me than
Speaker 2: any game Kenny Pickett played, or any game Desmond Ridder played.
Speaker 2: So it was something he has, like big time tools.
Speaker 2: He seems like he wasn't odd by the occasion, and
Speaker 2: it was one game, So you don't base too much,
Speaker 2: but that one game was more exciting to me. And
Speaker 2: he's set up well, I think with Eric b Enemy
Speaker 2: as his coordinator with a good offensive line with good
Speaker 2: weapons to possibly be good, like if he's gonna be intriguing,
Speaker 2: like he is set up in a nice spot and
Speaker 2: we might get to know him a lot better because
Speaker 2: I don't know if you saw this Commander's buzz about
Speaker 2: hard knocks, Danny, because they're the one team out of
Speaker 2: the four that that HBO could make do it, that
Speaker 2: see that is open to it. But they're kind of
Speaker 2: waiting for this ownership situation and they might be the
Speaker 2: in season hard knocks because they don't want to mess
Speaker 2: around waiting for the ownership and training camp.
Speaker 1: Conig Way, thank you, Okaggie, well done. Reports surface late
Speaker 1: last week that the NFL is really struggling to find
Speaker 1: a team that wants to do hard knocks, and the
Speaker 1: four teams that are could be compelled to do it
Speaker 1: or told to do it, the Jets, Bears, and Saints.
Speaker 1: Those three teams. Three of the four teams said no.
Speaker 1: They've been vocal no. The commanders, according to Pro Football
Speaker 1: Talk Mike floya or reported on this last week, were
Speaker 1: told they would do it if selected. But the NFL,
Speaker 1: I think you were saying there, Greg, they're not that
Speaker 1: keen on doing it. When ownership isn't resolved. They might
Speaker 1: also do it during the end season Hard Knocks. So
Speaker 1: I don't know, I would be uh, I don't know.
Speaker 1: I wouldn't be pumped if the Commanders were the choice
Speaker 1: for Hard Knocks. But in general, and this is something
Speaker 1: I kind of mentioned Mark early last week's show. I'm
Speaker 1: nervous about the Hard Knocks as an entity, that this
Speaker 1: is a story that's leaking out. It's now June twentieth.
Speaker 1: They announced the lines on Hard Knocks in March of
Speaker 1: last year. So at some point a team needs to
Speaker 1: be told and at some point these cameras need to
Speaker 1: get in there. And if it's going to be a
Speaker 1: fight like this every year, maybe it's just not meant
Speaker 1: to be anymore.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean it's unprecedented. I think there've always been
Speaker 4: a couple teams if it was a wider net of
Speaker 4: available teams, and it's thin right now that there was
Speaker 4: always some ownership group or someone that said, like, let's
Speaker 4: go do it because we're the we're a team kind
Speaker 4: of trying to find show our identity. And like I'm
Speaker 4: just standing looking at the I don't I feel like
Speaker 4: the New York Jets, I could see why Robert Solid
Speaker 4: doesn't want to do it, the coaches don't want to
Speaker 4: do it, But you have got the perfect team right there.
Speaker 4: I mean, I cannot think of a juicier entry than
Speaker 4: four or five weeks of what's going on with that team,
Speaker 4: and it's like, it's a shame that you can't marry
Speaker 4: the potential there with the team wanting to do it,
Speaker 4: because I I think they were saying a hard no before.
Speaker 1: We talked to a little birdie actually at the office
Speaker 1: on Friday, Mark who mentioned that the owner of the
Speaker 1: Jets wants to do it, but maybe there's a little
Speaker 1: disconnect there between ownership and everyone else that's on the
Speaker 1: ground floor of trying to make that team a playoff
Speaker 1: squad for the first time in over a decade. We
Speaker 1: shall see, all right. In other news we have.
Speaker 2: They're ad an update on the temperature situation. By the way,
Speaker 2: our good friend Randy Chavez and Eric behind the glass,
Speaker 2: it translates to forty one degrees celsius right now where
Speaker 2: you're at in Texas. That's that would be higher than
Speaker 2: the hottest recorded temperature in the entire UK, which was
Speaker 2: last year forty degrees point three. Since nineteen eleven. So
Speaker 2: that's like hotter than it ever gets overseas.
Speaker 1: And that that was a deadly heat wave that hit
Speaker 1: the UK last year. So bet that was bad. But
Speaker 1: that was excellent research from Randy and Eric Roberts. All right,
Speaker 1: So in other news report out there, Greg, you're gonna
Speaker 1: help me out with who reported it? The Bengals and
Speaker 1: Joe Mixon. Despite Mixing still being on the roster, his
Speaker 1: his place on the team remains not firm. It appears
Speaker 1: because according to a report, the Bengals will tap into
Speaker 1: quote veteran backwaters, which is kind of gross if Mixon
Speaker 1: doesn't agree agree to take a pay cut. Mixing coming
Speaker 1: off a tough year, he's had some legal issues, Gregy,
Speaker 1: and now perhaps he will be out the door if
Speaker 1: he doesn't work out something new financially.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it was Paul Daaner from The Athletic who's one
Speaker 2: of the best beat beat guys out there. Trust the
Speaker 2: Fat him on the podcast too, And yeah, yeah, rare
Speaker 2: sort of mid June drop. This has been hanging like
Speaker 2: Lyell Collins was another one that was hanging. Jonah Williams
Speaker 2: now looks locked in to write Tackle. It appears Lyle
Speaker 2: Collins is gonna stick around in some capacity. Maybe you
Speaker 2: get cut if you had a bad camp, but mixing
Speaker 2: he threw out there, like still has to take a
Speaker 2: pay cut, or they're gonna scale the veteran backwaters like
Speaker 2: what who? I don't even know who's in the veteran backwaters?
Speaker 2: But it does sound gross.
Speaker 4: Like back Yeah, it sounds hideous visually, but I guess
Speaker 4: like you've got guys.
Speaker 3: Like Kareem Hunt sitting out there.
Speaker 1: Yeah, insults. Honestly, when does the when do the backhanded
Speaker 1: and quite frankly front handed insults of running backs end?
Speaker 1: I mean, now we refer to the free agent pool
Speaker 1: is backwater?
Speaker 4: Yeah, they can't get anyone to buy them a drink.
Speaker 4: It's been it's been like an outstandingly horrible off season
Speaker 4: three like.
Speaker 2: A Bengals move by the way, Yes, I think so
Speaker 2: I could see that.
Speaker 1: And can we and can someone Mark? Can someone give JK.
Speaker 1: Dobbins the heads up because he skipped mandatory mini camp
Speaker 1: over contract issues. He's currently the league's twenty fourth highest
Speaker 1: paid running back. I mean, he missed twenty seven games
Speaker 1: in three years before staying on the field last year.
Speaker 1: But it's not going to happen, and all you're doing
Speaker 1: is incurring fines and potentially putting yourself further down the
Speaker 1: depth chart. Not trying to be mean JK. Dobbins, but
Speaker 1: you gotta read the temperature. It is not exactly forty
Speaker 1: degrees celsius for running backs right now.
Speaker 4: No, And he also said that he would report to
Speaker 4: training camp because the way the CBA is set up now,
Speaker 4: the fines are outrageous.
Speaker 1: You know.
Speaker 4: To me, this is just like you're posturing and hoping
Speaker 4: maybe they give you give you something if you come
Speaker 4: to training camp and do not even a holding, but
Speaker 4: just a show of good faith. But he doesn't have
Speaker 4: the resume right now to ask for that. The thing
Speaker 4: about him, though, is that I still see him as
Speaker 4: like talk about him making the leap type guy because
Speaker 4: he's removed another year from the injury. He has like
Speaker 4: a five point nine yards per carry in his career
Speaker 4: in the NFL, and he was an explosive college player
Speaker 4: who just lacks some of that last year. But if
Speaker 4: you get that back, like I think it's a very
Speaker 4: dangerous like top five running back in the AFC type character.
Speaker 2: Right, Like he could get a good contract. He's not
Speaker 2: gonna get it.
Speaker 1: Now.
Speaker 2: He must have a powerful agent, because I mean I
Speaker 2: had good contract for a running back, not right now,
Speaker 2: I just mean eventually. Because he's a good young player.
Speaker 2: He must have a good agent. Because people were banging
Speaker 2: this drama about like how well, and they were like
Speaker 2: parrotying the same sort of phrases of how he finished
Speaker 2: last year. And he did finish last year fantastic, but
Speaker 2: he missed all of twenty one and he had ninety
Speaker 2: two carries last year. There's no way he's getting a contract.
Speaker 2: I do love me some JK. Dobbins, though he could
Speaker 2: have a nice season.
Speaker 1: Wait Mark, did you say that you think Dobbins could
Speaker 1: be a top five running back in I do?
Speaker 3: I think in that I think I could.
Speaker 4: I could see that without any problem, and I think
Speaker 4: he would have been last I mean last year I
Speaker 4: was talking him up and we did it on an
Speaker 4: NFL network piece, and I got totally banged for it
Speaker 4: because clearly it didn't pan out. But I do think
Speaker 4: that when you see these little moments like he fits
Speaker 4: in their offense, They're gonna throw a lot more to
Speaker 4: running backs under Todd Monkin, and I just see flashes
Speaker 4: and I think that he would have had a completely
Speaker 4: had a not for the injuries, we'd be talking about
Speaker 4: a star running back.
Speaker 1: But I just and this is kind of setting up
Speaker 1: our segment after the break even more beautifully. Mark Sessler
Speaker 1: believed JK. Dobbins could be one of the greatest running
Speaker 1: backs in the NFL in twenty twenty three. And it
Speaker 1: doesn't even sound like he made the cut for making
Speaker 1: the leap.
Speaker 2: Wow.
Speaker 3: I said top five in AFC, which is not unheard of,
Speaker 3: So what is.
Speaker 1: The top eight? It's pretty good.
Speaker 2: He's on my le he'd be on my long list.
Speaker 2: He was on my long list for making the leap.
Speaker 2: The Bengals have fifteen million dollars in cap space. By
Speaker 2: the way, if they cut mixin, I know where I'm
Speaker 2: circling back DoD Dalvin Cook. Maybe that's a Dalvin Cook spot.
Speaker 1: Maybe maybe Dalvin Cook is out there saying how cool
Speaker 1: it would be to play with DeAndre Hopkins. And it's
Speaker 1: all the backwaters are combining. The wide receiver backwaters are
Speaker 1: flowing into the running back backwaters and it's very smelly.
Speaker 2: Leonard Fournette is out there too, Leonard Fournette. I forgot
Speaker 2: about him. I was like who's a free agent right now.
Speaker 1: No, you know what it's like a fresh wide receiver
Speaker 1: where it's like a babbling stream is a bubbling stream.
Speaker 1: I always get that wrong. Going down a creek like beautiful,
Speaker 1: you could drink right out of it. Because Odell Beckham
Speaker 1: skips a year after blowing out his knee a second
Speaker 1: time and he gets like fifteen million guaranteed dollars. Meanwhile,
Speaker 1: Dalvin Cook is like on a Hall of Fame trajectory
Speaker 1: for his first five years and he's in the sewers
Speaker 1: below Gotham by that.
Speaker 4: Yes, it's a gross territory to be but you know,
Speaker 4: there were twelve or thirteen other positions he could have
Speaker 4: chosen to pursue as an athlete before he became.
Speaker 2: A WHOA my old boss, and he's doing fine. I
Speaker 2: mean releve know compared to other positions. They don't get
Speaker 2: they're fine, My old boss. Florio actually suggested in a
Speaker 2: piece last week that the running backs should form a
Speaker 2: committee or something a group essentially a union, and bargain
Speaker 2: separately as running backs because they're taking advantage of And
Speaker 2: you know, I love the content pro football talk is
Speaker 2: keeping fresh. But if if that doesn't scream like this
Speaker 2: is the most ultimate late June Mike Florio article. I
Speaker 2: don't know what was.
Speaker 1: That's very loyery, and I mark even though it was
Speaker 1: it was harsh. The you made your bed, now lie
Speaker 1: in it, bitch explanation, that's fair as well.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm not sure that I'm banging the table so
Speaker 4: hard on that, but I'm just saying that, you know,
Speaker 4: maybe players stop choosing to be running backs at this.
Speaker 2: Point, goes to the gym a few times, he just
Speaker 2: starts talking tough to these players all of a sudden
Speaker 2: over here.
Speaker 3: Times in like February, the uh.
Speaker 1: In over in the Blotterer Stupid, we talked about how
Speaker 1: it's these guys keep on getting in trouble for gambling.
Speaker 1: Don't go to an airport with a gun. Patriots cornerback
Speaker 1: Jack Jones was arrested at Logan in Boston for attempting
Speaker 1: to bring two firearms onto a plane. And that's you know,
Speaker 1: you hear about this and it's always like huh, And
Speaker 1: then I'm reading a little more about it. Because he
Speaker 1: posted bail of fifty thousand, he's got an arraignment set.
Speaker 1: It might have even happened by now, but it's coming up.
Speaker 1: The chargers against Jones are listed as possession of a
Speaker 1: concealed weapon, possession of ammunition without an ID card, unlawful
Speaker 1: possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm, possession of
Speaker 1: a large capacity feeding device put us on the plane.
Speaker 1: The Patriots are aware of the situation. Obviously. He's a
Speaker 1: twenty twenty two fourth round pick. He played twelve games
Speaker 1: as a rookie, made two starts, and Gregie, we might
Speaker 1: not see him for the start of the season. The
Speaker 1: league doesn't does not. They're not cool about guns and players,
Speaker 1: as all leagues are not.
Speaker 2: No and John Moran lawyer made some statements today because
Speaker 2: he had a court date as we're taping on Tuesday,
Speaker 2: and she actually thanked the Patriots for not releasing them essentially,
Speaker 2: so I guess, I guess their plan is to keep
Speaker 2: him that like she was blaming on social media for
Speaker 2: portraying her client as.
Speaker 1: A thug.
Speaker 2: But he's someone that if he didn't play well, so
Speaker 2: you always every every time you're playing in the NFL,
Speaker 2: it matters a lot because I have a feeling if
Speaker 2: Jack Jones wasn't excellent last year when he played and
Speaker 2: he was excellent by the way. I know it was
Speaker 2: only two starts, but he was one of the highest
Speaker 2: ranked PFF cornerbacks for much of the season, and he looked,
Speaker 2: you look like a future starter, a really good player.
Speaker 2: I don't know if he would still be on the roster,
Speaker 2: but like most teams, I feel like the Patriots have
Speaker 2: a sliding scale with this stuff and they're gonna keep
Speaker 2: him because of that. And he has a He also
Speaker 2: got suspended at the end of last year for supposedly
Speaker 2: not showing up to rehab. He also was arrested when
Speaker 2: he was at usc for breaking into a restaurant. Bounced
Speaker 2: around because of academic issues, so that's why he fell
Speaker 2: to the fourth round in general. And so it's I
Speaker 2: guess if a Patriots player was gonna get in trouble
Speaker 2: with the lots not shocking, it's Jack Jones. And I
Speaker 2: think they're keeping him because as he looks darn good.
Speaker 4: Well you can connect those dots. There are some dots
Speaker 4: to connect there. But I I I'm just I'm mystified
Speaker 4: to some degree that anyone over a certain age, it's
Speaker 4: not been drummed into our heads that you don't bring
Speaker 4: automatic firearms and like a bounty of weapons to an airport.
Speaker 4: It just it's not something that works out. You may
Speaker 4: you miss, you're gonna miss your flight. But beyond that,
Speaker 4: there are much more concerning pressing issues.
Speaker 2: They do have signs now, they do have signs about
Speaker 2: the firearms in every airport, you know, right as you're
Speaker 2: going through. And I noticed that, Lax. They now have
Speaker 2: signs about the weed too, you know, whis that that's
Speaker 2: a new one. That's like, don't bring your weed in,
Speaker 2: we'll kick you off the flight. And it's very specific. LIX.
Speaker 3: Well, I know some people not following that role.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's fair.
Speaker 1: Finally, in the news Welcome Back Supplemental Draft, the NFL
Speaker 1: informed its clubs that the Supplemental Draft will return and
Speaker 1: take place on July eleventh. NFL Network inside or Ian
Speaker 1: Rappaport reported on Friday. This is the first year supplemental
Speaker 1: Draft is taken play since two thousand nineteen. That year,
Speaker 1: perdue wide receiver shout it out if you know it.
Speaker 3: Milton Wright.
Speaker 1: Milton Wright, he was reading off a laptop. That doesn't count.
Speaker 1: Has been confirmed to study the story, but as eligible
Speaker 1: as of now. The original supplemental Draft was held in
Speaker 1: seventy seven to serve prospects who were not eligible for
Speaker 1: the annual spring draft for various reasons. I don't care
Speaker 1: really about it, but I will say this, if this
Speaker 1: brings back the Henry Hotgson aared supplemental mock draft to
Speaker 1: NFL dot Com, that makes it a success no matter
Speaker 1: who is taken or not taken.
Speaker 2: Well, that's the only reason I wanted to just mention.
Speaker 2: Sources close to the situation says nfl uk Hank is
Speaker 2: aware of this, He's monitoring this situation. He's starting to
Speaker 2: do deep dives. We might have to have him on
Speaker 2: the podcast. He's the best in the game when it
Speaker 2: comes to the supplemental draft, and he was all over
Speaker 2: Jalen Thompson back in twenty nineteen, who's turned into a
Speaker 2: nice player for the Cardinals, a starter as a fifth
Speaker 2: round supplemental pick.
Speaker 4: One thing I like about the supplemental draft is it takes,
Speaker 4: on average, roughly about ten minutes, right, And like, all
Speaker 4: I'm saying is like, I get the first and second
Speaker 4: day of the NFL Draft, But what if we entered
Speaker 4: a world where that Day three of the draft took
Speaker 4: on more of a supplemental form. And we you know,
Speaker 4: it didn't need to be nine and a half hours long.
Speaker 4: I mean, this is a television product.
Speaker 2: Right, It's basically like a group email or group text.
Speaker 2: It's like anyone want them in the third round, It's
Speaker 2: like no one answers, Oh, anyone want him in the
Speaker 2: fourth round, and then no one answers, and then then
Speaker 2: we're good.
Speaker 1: So I texted Henry this morning, early this morning Central
Speaker 1: time here in Texas, which was before his bedtime over
Speaker 1: there in London, asking if he could send a video statement,
Speaker 1: and he no, replied me, and.
Speaker 2: Go ahead, I do well, I'll let you finish. I
Speaker 2: want to hear it.
Speaker 1: No, And I'm just and I'm concerned because now that
Speaker 1: Henry has this fancy job, that he's just going to
Speaker 1: be a little more buttoned up, and we won't get
Speaker 1: that statement from Henry, and we might not even get
Speaker 1: the NFL dot com right up because it's not becoming
Speaker 1: of a suit at his level. I'm concerned about that.
Speaker 1: I'm putting that on the record on the show. Hopefully
Speaker 1: he'll surprise me.
Speaker 2: I I'm not as concerned. I also reached out to
Speaker 2: Henry like we're just two minds here. There's not much
Speaker 2: going on in late June in the NFL, and he
Speaker 2: unfortunately told me he was actually on his way to
Speaker 2: New York yesterday and he is in executive meetings all
Speaker 2: day in New York, because I was thinking maybe he
Speaker 2: could even pop on today. So that's he was probably
Speaker 2: meeting with Roger Goodell about the future of the NFL.
Speaker 2: But to your point, that's what he's busy doing.
Speaker 4: Yeah, but I think we're forgetting about the incredible passion
Speaker 4: that Henry showed multiple years in a row to create
Speaker 4: that piece. I think he's gonna do.
Speaker 1: It well that My concern is, like you know that
Speaker 1: a beautiful, you know, wild horse, once you put it
Speaker 1: inside you know borders, like you know the stall if
Speaker 1: you will, or you put him in between these fence posts,
Speaker 1: He's just not the same beast anymore. We'll see. I
Speaker 1: even I will say this. I texted him the unreplied text,
Speaker 1: could you send a professional video statement from your office
Speaker 1: Rogers style? And you're telling me he's actually in New
Speaker 1: York meeting with Roger, probably in Roger's office. Well, why
Speaker 1: don't we just connect the dots here and really roll
Speaker 1: the dice in terms of professionalism? Do it for Roger's
Speaker 1: office for our next show.
Speaker 2: That's what a true secretariat would do, you know, a
Speaker 2: real real wild horse.
Speaker 1: All right, let's take a break and then we will
Speaker 1: nominate so making the leap candidates. That right, we are
Speaker 1: back and again. As I said at the top of
Speaker 1: the show, this is a very special honor. To quote
Speaker 1: Dick Banks in his description of the team of around
Speaker 1: the NFL being nominated, simply being nominated as of making
Speaker 1: the leap candidate is I think how Lamar Miller felt
Speaker 1: years ago when he was nominated three, four, five times,
Speaker 1: four of those by myself, all of them by you, Yeah,
Speaker 1: on NFL dot com. But you know, not all these
Speaker 1: guys are going to have breakout years. But you figure,
Speaker 1: if we can just nail one or even two, I
Speaker 1: think we show our bona fides as podcasters.
Speaker 2: I remember the hits I've learned over the years. Just
Speaker 2: remember the hits. People will remind you of the misses enough,
Speaker 2: but just hold on to those hits. Pete Pete Warner
Speaker 2: was one last year. I think that hit pretty well.
Speaker 2: I remember that that was a good one.
Speaker 3: Do you.
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm gonna leave this totally up to you,
Speaker 1: because this is not a hit piece on Rosenthal. But
Speaker 1: you did do an article last summer, last July with
Speaker 1: some candidates. Do you you care to see if we
Speaker 1: had any hits.
Speaker 2: I mean, I haven't looked at it. So yeah, is
Speaker 2: that here?
Speaker 3: We are?
Speaker 2: All right? Is it the assignment list? Let's see, well
Speaker 2: I did I did it a little different where now
Speaker 2: they want me to do one for every team, which
Speaker 2: is like, kind of look, it's probably good for metrics,
Speaker 2: but you know, I see you're stretching. They just like
Speaker 2: it that way. It was just fine.
Speaker 1: You did have Davis Mills last year. I'm not going
Speaker 1: to go through them all because it is a little different.
Speaker 1: You had Trevor Lawrence. That was a good one.
Speaker 3: Dingo.
Speaker 1: Were we okay with the Rocky you sin last year?
Speaker 1: I don't know.
Speaker 2: You had Tua always like Rucassin. I was thinking of
Speaker 2: him this year.
Speaker 1: There's that man again, Elijah Moore. He's going to show
Speaker 1: up on a lot of lists this year too. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I don't know what Miles Jacket is. Here a lot
Speaker 1: of names. It's hard to get it right, and it's hard.
Speaker 1: It's easy to get sucked into the off season hype machines.
Speaker 1: So we're going to try to cut through all that. Mark.
Speaker 1: I know you would be the person out of the
Speaker 1: three of us most stressed about one of your choices
Speaker 1: being picked before you got to go. So we're going
Speaker 1: to have you go first for your own mental mindset.
Speaker 2: I got a tongue of Biloa on it last year,
Speaker 2: by the way, So there we go. There's a win.
Speaker 1: Bang.
Speaker 3: That's a big victory.
Speaker 4: Greg Well, I actually came up with like thirteen or fourteen,
Speaker 4: and I find a lot of them very juicy. But
Speaker 4: I'm going to go with a player that had one
Speaker 4: hundred and seventy one yards through the area year ago,
Speaker 4: has battled durability issues and there are question marks.
Speaker 3: About how he can last through NFL season.
Speaker 4: But when we've seen Kadarius Tony in that Chiefs offense
Speaker 4: and what we saw what he did down the stretch,
Speaker 4: and when you've seen Juju Smith Schuster exit stage left
Speaker 4: and all the whispers are whether or not they have
Speaker 4: a number one, he's going to be treated that way.
Speaker 4: And I just think that what we saw live at
Speaker 4: the super Bowl in that stadium, but just the way
Speaker 4: they used him and Andy Reid's hyper creativity in general,
Speaker 4: and the idea that Patrick Mahomes makes everyone around him
Speaker 4: so much better that have Kadarius Tony, who in the
Speaker 4: past couple of years has had quad, hamstring, oblique thigh
Speaker 4: issues and a minor knee surgery. That's a that's an issue.
Speaker 4: But if he can stay healthy, I think this can
Speaker 4: be one of the more electrifying guys around. I mean,
Speaker 4: we've already seen it. He's just a special athlete. It's
Speaker 4: just about staying on the field.
Speaker 2: I think he's had a good offseason because I think
Speaker 2: there were different ways this offseason could have gone. And
Speaker 2: maybe they will add Hopkins, whereas they've been in the
Speaker 2: mix for these right wide receivers, but they haven't closed
Speaker 2: the deal and there's going to be more opportunities for Tony.
Speaker 2: I just did look through my list. He was on
Speaker 2: it last year, actually, so I don't know if that's
Speaker 2: a hit or not. He did have a nice moment
Speaker 2: in the Super Bowl, certainly, but he was on He
Speaker 2: was on the list last year. I like him better
Speaker 2: this year as a choice though.
Speaker 1: Yeah, a class act move by old Zeusser because I
Speaker 1: was gonna go with this one and I just wanted
Speaker 1: to make sure Mark had an opportunity canarious Tony. Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's weird, Mark, because it's like everything else is there,
Speaker 1: So I don't I don't foresee a situation where he
Speaker 1: stays healthy and isn't a big time player. I just
Speaker 1: think he's too talented, and he's with arguably the greatest
Speaker 1: quarterback ever at the height of his powers, and with
Speaker 1: Juju Smith Schuster not around, it just it makes sense
Speaker 1: that he's gonna gobble up some targets and just be
Speaker 1: heavily involved with the offense. That said, the making the
Speaker 1: leap exercise when a guy is always hurt and then
Speaker 1: you know, come week four and he's hurt again and
Speaker 1: you're thinking yourself, why did I do that? Yes, this
Speaker 1: always happens, like does he how does this man stay
Speaker 1: on the stiel? Is his body just not built for that?
Speaker 1: I guess we'll find out. But you're right, everything is
Speaker 1: there for him to have that big breakthrough season. When
Speaker 1: we've done this exercise in the past, I've sometimes gotten
Speaker 1: sucked in by playoff runs as well, and then the
Speaker 1: season comes and it's like, Okay, he got hot or
Speaker 1: the stars aligned. Tony kind of qualifies for that, because
Speaker 1: would he be on this list for you, Mark, if
Speaker 1: he didn't have that memorable super Bowl.
Speaker 3: No, but I use those well. The super Bowl.
Speaker 4: That certainly was like a nice cherry on top, But
Speaker 4: even throughout the playoffs, I thought they just started to
Speaker 4: use him into diferent ways and it just seemed to
Speaker 4: me like a flash forward to what Andy Reid will
Speaker 4: create with a this offseason. But you're absolutely right, because
Speaker 4: I mean, having done these making the leaps, when you
Speaker 4: pick a guy that's sort of an injury risk, you
Speaker 4: are putting yourself into a blender half the time.
Speaker 2: Dude, dude just moves different. I've loved him since that
Speaker 2: game he had as a rookie for the Giants against
Speaker 2: the Cowboys. He just moves different. Our guy, Spice Rack,
Speaker 2: who I want to I want to get back on
Speaker 2: the show we got We got to get him back.
Speaker 2: We didn't have him on during the draft season, but
Speaker 2: he was a huge Canarius Tony guy. In terms of
Speaker 2: the way that he moves. You can just you can
Speaker 2: just see it. The only way it doesn't work is
Speaker 2: if they just spread the ball around to like five guys.
Speaker 2: And I saw someone put this post of like how
Speaker 2: well Valdez scantly played in the AFC Championship game, which
Speaker 2: I totally forgotten. If you watch that one game, you'd think,
Speaker 2: my god, that's a that's a great receiver. And it's
Speaker 2: just like sky Moore gets a little bit, their rookie
Speaker 2: Rice gets a little bit, the running backs get a
Speaker 2: little bit. Kelsey is still Kelsey, and he's just like
Speaker 2: one of those guys. I guess that's the only way
Speaker 2: you would miss if he's healthy. But I don't think
Speaker 2: that's gonna happen.
Speaker 1: It should be noted that I believe on his last
Speaker 1: the appearance on Around the NFL Spice, Rack made predictions
Speaker 1: about his contact with various people on this program, and
Speaker 1: his prediction for me is that we would have zero
Speaker 1: contact from that point forward, and he was correct. So
Speaker 1: I would say, if you want to get him back
Speaker 1: on the program, it's up to one of you guys
Speaker 1: to do it.
Speaker 2: I'll do it. I feel like maybe he could talk
Speaker 2: a little bit rookies in new places.
Speaker 4: He's a big you had you had in the past,
Speaker 4: though a mysterious not fully explained to us. I don't
Speaker 4: know ted a ted or beef with him to some
Speaker 4: degree that is that is this still a remnant of.
Speaker 1: That I I could. I wish I could tell you
Speaker 1: if that is even true. I think he made some
Speaker 1: hazy comments about our meeting in Las Vegas years ago.
Speaker 1: I remember having a good time with him, spending multiple
Speaker 1: days with him. He's a wild card, and I think
Speaker 1: to try to get inside the mind of a spice
Speaker 1: rack is to be mystified and perhaps confused.
Speaker 3: Well, that's well said.
Speaker 2: I'd like to be inside you feel like, you know,
Speaker 2: being alive.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I know what he's excited about. The Cincinnati Reed's
Speaker 1: nine straight wins. A lot of players over there. All right,
Speaker 1: GREGI you're up next.
Speaker 2: Okay, I'm gonna cheat. I just I have two guys
Speaker 2: that to me are together and I couldn't pick one
Speaker 2: between them, So I'm just gonna pick them because they
Speaker 2: fit well as a group. I know Dan doesn't like this.
Speaker 1: No, that's that's first of all. It's not what we
Speaker 1: agreed to beforehand, and you might end up picking one
Speaker 1: of your colleagues choice.
Speaker 2: Okay, I'll put the one. Then I have two different
Speaker 2: tandems like this where they both fit well together.
Speaker 3: Greg, Now Dan is automatically picking forth.
Speaker 2: Now I'm sneaking. I'm sneaking in there's no way he's
Speaker 2: picking either one of these first two. So I'll keep
Speaker 2: the big name, the bigger name guys off the shelf
Speaker 2: for now. I'm gonna go linebackers, middle linebackers. Caden Ellis
Speaker 2: for the Atlanta Falcons, who I love with that extra
Speaker 2: s on his name. I love a little extra, totally
Speaker 2: unnecessary consonant at the end of a name. It's Ellis,
Speaker 2: my daughter's name, with an extra esque it's it's forty
Speaker 2: percent Elis or something like that. And then as he's
Speaker 2: Alsha here for the Titans. No, that's not right. Actually
Speaker 2: it's thirty three percent, thirty three percent, thirty three percent, yes,
Speaker 2: And then Azi's alsha here for the Titans. So they're
Speaker 2: both a little random, they're both under the radar. Caden Ellis,
Speaker 2: if you go back and watch when he came in
Speaker 2: as a replacement for Pete Warner and Demario Davis in
Speaker 2: the middle of last season, he had about a four
Speaker 2: game stretch where he looked like Fred Warner. I was like,
Speaker 2: this guy's insane, and it was like, where have they
Speaker 2: been hiding? Kaden Ellis all these years, like he moves
Speaker 2: to the ball so well that he can do a
Speaker 2: variety of roles. He reminds me a lot of Pete Warner,
Speaker 2: which is why I don't think they resigned him when
Speaker 2: he got to free agency. And Warner was one of
Speaker 2: my hits on making the leap last year. And I
Speaker 2: think ellis who got a nice deal from the Falcons.
Speaker 2: There's some carryover in terms of the front offices New
Speaker 2: Orleans in Atlanta, So I think they've looked for anbacker
Speaker 2: like for that for a while and it's just someone
Speaker 2: people don't know about. And I think idp leagues like
Speaker 2: if you're into fantasy. He could rack up tackles and
Speaker 2: he's just a good young player. And it reminds me
Speaker 2: a little bit of Aziz alsha Here, who whenever he
Speaker 2: played for San Francisco was just looked like a star.
Speaker 2: And he was on a team which had two of
Speaker 2: the best linebackers in the league in terms of Werner
Speaker 2: and Dre Greenlaw. And so now he's in Tennessee and
Speaker 2: these are guys that will show up. I'm basic when
Speaker 2: I'm watching defenses, like guys who make tackles, who are
Speaker 2: in the middle of the field, who are the quarterback
Speaker 2: of the defense. Those are the guys are easier to notice,
Speaker 2: and I could see both of these guys getting talked
Speaker 2: about a lot during the season. So I'm pairing him together.
Speaker 2: And I know I didn't take one from you, Dan.
Speaker 1: No. In fact, you could do as many like linebackers
Speaker 1: as you want.
Speaker 2: Greg, those were the under the radar, but they felt
Speaker 2: like they were similar, like their fifth year players actually
Speaker 2: going to a new team. So I just was pairing
Speaker 2: you thought.
Speaker 1: About it all because again, the nomination process is sacred.
Speaker 1: How do they feel? Like how did Steve mcne Steve
Speaker 1: McNair and Peyton Mann feel when they were co MVPs.
Speaker 1: It took a little of the luster off, And I'm
Speaker 1: wondering if your two young men here are feeling the
Speaker 1: same way right by.
Speaker 3: Now, that's another way to look at this.
Speaker 2: If I had just picked one, yeah, I think I
Speaker 2: would have gone with Elis. I guess if I had
Speaker 2: Now it now it makes also you're feeling worse now, sorry, And.
Speaker 1: Now he's in a back sewer with the running backs.
Speaker 2: He's gonna be great. That's gonna be great.
Speaker 1: All right, that's good, Greg. It's very important you bring
Speaker 1: that nitty gritty football guy vibe to the show. Getting
Speaker 1: the linebackers in I'm gonna get right back onto basic
Speaker 1: Boulevard and let's move to that's where I like to
Speaker 1: be real basic, and I'll do one. Maybe maybe this
Speaker 1: will hurt Greg, will make him feel good, but also
Speaker 1: he'll be like, oh, I wanted to nominate this player,
Speaker 1: so that's good. Romadre Stevenson mm hmm, New England Patriots.
Speaker 1: You never you never know how Bill is gonna gonna
Speaker 1: to dole out his running back work. But I think
Speaker 1: there's a lot to be said for the tape Stevens
Speaker 1: to put out there. And and then two other outside factors. One,
Speaker 1: Damien Harris is no longer there. He's with the Bills.
Speaker 1: You know. Actually, I need give me a little juice,
Speaker 1: Eric behind the virtual glass, give me a little nomination music.
Speaker 1: This will make this, will sell this better. Yes, Rondre
Speaker 1: Stevens in fresh off that one thousand yard season and
Speaker 1: now he has a clear path to bulk carries. And
Speaker 1: in Bill O'Brien as the new offensive coordinator. Bob is
Speaker 1: not the most you know, you know, innovative play caller
Speaker 1: when it comes just opening things up. And he has
Speaker 1: Mac Jones at quarterback coming off a rough season that
Speaker 1: I think he wants to ease into the mix and
Speaker 1: give plenty of help. So I think Stevenson it's gonna
Speaker 1: be his show on the offense more than it's going
Speaker 1: to be an aired out passing game type situation. And
Speaker 1: he's a three down type back. And when Stevenson has
Speaker 1: thirteen hundred, fourteen hundred total yards this season, he will
Speaker 1: absolutely qualify as a man that we will see making
Speaker 1: the leap in twenty twenty three.
Speaker 3: I like it a lot.
Speaker 4: I think, first of all, a good making leap candidate
Speaker 4: has given us a fair amount of proof that they
Speaker 4: can make the leap versus just something from out of
Speaker 4: the darkens. He looked great at times last year in
Speaker 4: a totally non functional attack. So there's sort of an
Speaker 4: arrow air up feel with Bill O'Brien there, and I
Speaker 4: think it will be a healthier environment and there is
Speaker 4: less of a clown car of runners this time around,
Speaker 4: because that would be my one thing with Bill Belichick,
Speaker 4: and we've just seen it going back to you know,
Speaker 4: ten years ago.
Speaker 3: Plus it's just like I'll use six.
Speaker 4: Running backs then on some random Monday night game, our
Speaker 4: fourth string guy will get thirty five carries and run
Speaker 4: for one hundred and eighty yards. So if he's if
Speaker 4: Bill's a little over some of that nonsense, and you
Speaker 4: stick with Stevenson, I think you got something.
Speaker 1: Let me ask you, Greg, because you follow the team
Speaker 1: as closely as anyone is this one. Should this not count?
Speaker 1: Do you think Stevenson made the leap already?
Speaker 2: Yes? But that means and I'm glad you asked, because
Speaker 2: when I do that written piece, there's different types of
Speaker 2: leaps for him to make the leap. Forget fourteen hundred
Speaker 2: yards he got that last year, actually yards from scrimmage.
Speaker 2: That's out goodnyway. He was kind of under the radar
Speaker 2: fantasy heads though, but he ended up with fourteen hundred
Speaker 2: yards from scrimmage and sixty nine catches. He has to
Speaker 2: make it to what Mark was talking about, top five
Speaker 2: running back, right. I actually think I think he could
Speaker 2: do it. I think he could do it.
Speaker 1: Bring me my music back. I guess I gotta clean
Speaker 1: this up a little bit.
Speaker 2: Why do you get the music? By the way it sounded,
Speaker 2: I thought of better because I thought of it.
Speaker 1: You could have it. You could borrow it if you
Speaker 1: want fair dollars borrow it.
Speaker 4: I don't claim that I agree that you thought of it.
Speaker 1: Fourteen hundred yards a season ago with six touchdowns, five
Speaker 1: on the ground. This year he surpasses eighteen hundred and
Speaker 1: fifty total yards and fifteen total touchdowns. He becomes a
Speaker 1: true star running back, which means he'll be released a
Speaker 1: year later salary cap considerations.
Speaker 2: I could see it when Bill talks. When Bill Belichick
Speaker 2: talks about Stevenson, you could just tell it's his guy.
Speaker 2: Like he always talks about how he doesn't make any
Speaker 2: mental errors. He did fumble a lot, but he just
Speaker 2: like understands every play and in a way that almost
Speaker 2: hasn't happened since Corey Dillon. I could see them just
Speaker 2: trusting him every single down and just going for it
Speaker 2: because he's he's not great at anything, but he makes
Speaker 2: you miss. He's a power back, he's a receiving back.
Speaker 2: He's good at everything, and that's exactly what Belichick loves.
Speaker 1: Well rounded a couple woe games that twenty nine nothing
Speaker 1: went over to true. In Week five, he went twenty
Speaker 1: five for one sixty one that absurd loss to the Raiders.
Speaker 1: The Chandler Jones game, he was nineteen for one seventy
Speaker 1: two nine yards a rush. It's there. It's there, and
Speaker 1: if you want to load him up and make him
Speaker 1: the guy, he could become a true star running back.
Speaker 1: In fact, next week, Mark, we'll be rolling out the
Speaker 1: uh Superstar Club twenty twenty three. I feel like I
Speaker 1: backed myself in a corner here a little bit because
Speaker 1: if I'm gonna say he's making that leap to eighteen
Speaker 1: hundred total yards and fifteen tds, does that put him
Speaker 1: in the Superstar Club? I mean I gotta get a
Speaker 1: little more risky.
Speaker 3: Yeah, you can't have it both ways. I mean, he's
Speaker 3: he's getting close to that club.
Speaker 2: All right, You're like, you can't have it both ways.
Speaker 2: That's that's a lot to ask Superstar Club for her mind.
Speaker 3: I want that music, by the way, I mean I
Speaker 3: understand the day.
Speaker 1: Hey, let me wait, hang on, let me let me
Speaker 1: think internally. All right, you could have it?
Speaker 3: All right?
Speaker 4: Well, I'm going running back too, because I see a
Speaker 4: chance for this player who has really never done anything
Speaker 4: beyond five hundred yards on the ground in a season,
Speaker 4: always held back behind the person in front of him.
Speaker 3: That person is gone.
Speaker 4: Dalvin Cook is gone, and so Alexander Madison, who watching
Speaker 4: running backs whenever I've watched him, I've I've loved it
Speaker 4: and wished he were a starter earlier, had a chance
Speaker 4: somewhere else. Kevin O'Connell has been glowing about him all
Speaker 4: off season, saying that he's absolutely stepped in and showed
Speaker 4: the ownership that a three down back needs to show
Speaker 4: inside of offensive meetings. That's he's known he could do
Speaker 4: this for a long time, and this is going to
Speaker 4: be an offense that runs the ball. It's like they
Speaker 4: didn't get rid of Dalvin Cook because they're just gonna
Speaker 4: go pass heavy alone and not use a running back
Speaker 4: like Alexander Madison's already shown he can do it. I
Speaker 4: would point to the twenty twenty two campaign where he
Speaker 4: or one where he came in for a injure Dalvin
Speaker 4: Cook and had four hundred and fifty one yards, two
Speaker 4: hundred and twelve yards through the air, and five touchdowns
Speaker 4: in five starts. I thought that stretch was what frustrated me,
Speaker 4: because it's like then he was put back into the shadows. Largely,
Speaker 4: this is a starting NFL running back in a good
Speaker 4: position to have obviously his biggest year, but not just
Speaker 4: some milk toast season. I think he could be something special.
Speaker 2: Now as someone who loaned that song out, Dan, Yeah,
Speaker 2: do you think people that use the song do we
Speaker 2: need to finish by the end of the song, and
Speaker 2: then if you keep talking after the end of the song,
Speaker 2: it's not fair, not fair use do you have to
Speaker 2: like pay extra.
Speaker 1: Little backhanded shot the old cestog there?
Speaker 3: Well, wait, yeah, I would.
Speaker 4: I want to go check the tape and see if
Speaker 4: you if you did, I'm assuming you did, but I
Speaker 4: don't clearly remember that.
Speaker 1: Let it be not to let the record state that
Speaker 1: that was I was not adding that the notation for
Speaker 1: the usage of the song. I would say, i'd write,
Speaker 1: I think it's more important to the listeners and the
Speaker 1: nominee that you get those thoughts out.
Speaker 2: So okay, I mean I'm in trouble me with my
Speaker 2: double dippers. I'm not exactly short winded. Is that a word?
Speaker 2: You know?
Speaker 1: Uh?
Speaker 2: I just made it up, you know, I'm overleave for both.
Speaker 2: I thought that was well said on Madison. I'm surprised,
Speaker 2: like there's not a little more hype about him, even
Speaker 2: among Vikings fans, Like they don't seem always that excited,
Speaker 2: and I really like him. Reminds me a little bit
Speaker 2: of a Chester Taylor former Raven who got a chance
Speaker 2: to be the guy in Minnesota way back in the
Speaker 2: day when he got a chance to step up. He
Speaker 2: was a fantasy star, can do everything. And I'm with you.
Speaker 2: I'm with you on Madison.
Speaker 1: All right, that's good, all right, Gregie, Well you're up again.
Speaker 2: And uh well, I'm afraid you don't like this double
Speaker 2: dipping thing. Why don't I ask, do you have any
Speaker 2: wide receivers from the NFC South.
Speaker 1: I don't. I don't.
Speaker 3: You'd be free on lie list.
Speaker 1: Okay, I have a wide receiver that I'm still even
Speaker 1: as we're going through this episode, trying to fight against
Speaker 1: throwing out there. But he's not in the South.
Speaker 2: Okay, let's hit the music. All right, I'm going double
Speaker 2: dipping from the NFC South. It's the wide receivers, Chris
Speaker 2: o'lave and Drake London. This music does make me feel excited.
Speaker 2: You know, when I watched Desmond Redders tape, London just
Speaker 2: stuck out. You look at his numbers and he got
Speaker 2: overshadowed a little bit by Garrett Wilson and Olave and
Speaker 2: my god, like he gets open way better than I expected.
Speaker 2: The Mike Evans comparisons make a lot of sense. If
Speaker 2: he wasn't stuck on the Falcons, I think we would
Speaker 2: have looked at his rookie season as a huge, huge success.
Speaker 2: He had some key fumbles at points, but he attacks
Speaker 2: the ball, he runs with it. He's a red zone
Speaker 2: guy like Drake London did everything even better than I
Speaker 2: expected coming out of the gates, made the Kyle Pitts
Speaker 2: slow start look bad and then Olave. Yeah, he got
Speaker 2: votes for Rookie of the Year, but I still think
Speaker 2: people under sell them. They look at him as like
Speaker 2: almost like a number two that's gonna get a thousand,
Speaker 2: eleven hundred yards every season. I think he could be
Speaker 2: like a true number one Marvin Harrison fourteen hundred and
Speaker 2: fifteen hundred yard receiver. To me, he is gonna be
Speaker 2: the guy in New Orleans racking up stats, getting open,
Speaker 2: and it's not gonna be flashy. It's gonnall lot to
Speaker 2: be a lot of thirteen yard gains, a lot of
Speaker 2: thirty yard plays. He's gonna be avoiding hits like that's
Speaker 2: He's not gonna be flashy, but he's gonna make catches.
Speaker 2: He's gonna get open. O Lave and London twenty twenty
Speaker 2: three for president for making the league.
Speaker 1: I don't get. I don't get the pairing thing.
Speaker 2: But well they're both, you know, second year receivers from
Speaker 2: the South. They couldn't choose between them. I loved them
Speaker 2: both so much. It's you know, who do.
Speaker 1: You like more?
Speaker 2: Well, London the academy will reflect that a lave. But
Speaker 2: London surprised me more. I didn't expect him, especially because
Speaker 2: of his numbers and his profile coming out of college.
Speaker 2: I think he is a little better of a fit
Speaker 2: actually for making the leap, because he kind of got
Speaker 2: overshadowed by the other rookie receivers and I think he's
Speaker 2: gonna make a big step up.
Speaker 4: I guess it's just like it comes down to like
Speaker 4: an output thing too, because watching a lobb a, I
Speaker 4: kind of felt like he made a rookie year leap
Speaker 4: in terms of watching him.
Speaker 3: But I get you, I get part of.
Speaker 4: The exercises, the production could be, you know, incrementally bigger London.
Speaker 3: I'm with you on London too.
Speaker 4: I think there were I just remember watching Marcus Mariota
Speaker 4: for QBAN next week after week and they we're like,
Speaker 4: it's obviously a Mariota thing.
Speaker 3: So there's a lot of that.
Speaker 4: But London seemed to have occasionally key drops and lose
Speaker 4: the ball here and there. But you also see I
Speaker 4: think that go that's kind of go away after your
Speaker 4: rookie year in a weird quarterback situation. Although it's still
Speaker 4: a little a little strange, but there's a lot of
Speaker 4: weapons there. I mean, he's got a chance, I think,
Speaker 4: to be the lead guy there, no question.
Speaker 2: He's still twenty one years old. He's about to turn
Speaker 2: twenty two in late July, but that to do that
Speaker 2: as a twenty one yeard. You're right, there were some
Speaker 2: big moments. He lost that Saints game with a fumble,
Speaker 2: yet he had a couple key dropped, right, you know,
Speaker 2: I can live with that with the plays that he made.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think with maybe a lave more than London,
Speaker 1: he's more maybe in the Madre Stevenson category, where he's
Speaker 1: already proven himself that he's going to be a big
Speaker 1: time player in the league. When you come out as
Speaker 1: a rookie playing on a mediocre team and you finished
Speaker 1: seventy two for one thy forty two and four touchdowns,
Speaker 1: I expect you to make that leap in year two
Speaker 1: like I could have. I could have went obviously Garrett Wilson,
Speaker 1: going from Zach Wilson and Joe Flacko and Mike White,
Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers. I expect him to be knocking on the
Speaker 1: door of the Superstar Club this year, but I don't
Speaker 1: want to go too heavy on those guys that have
Speaker 1: kind of made the leap but are going to the
Speaker 1: next level. But I agree a lave I think is
Speaker 1: a slam dunk Drake London. Yeah, I still I worry
Speaker 1: about that QB room and how that will depress in
Speaker 1: deflate numbers and maybe added stress in that building to
Speaker 1: finally not only give touches to this dynamic young running
Speaker 1: back you just brought in, but finally make sense of
Speaker 1: the Kyle Pitts era in the NFL, and if that
Speaker 1: could end up depressing some of the targets for Drake
Speaker 1: London that would not stun me. But obviously very talented
Speaker 1: player as well.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I was hesitant on a lobby, but I think
Speaker 2: it's because I'm basic on what I hear about a lobby,
Speaker 2: which is I think there's this feeling that he's like
Speaker 2: DJ Moore, that he was a huge double right off
Speaker 2: the bat. He's going to be a good receiver forever,
Speaker 2: and I think he could he could be a superstar
Speaker 2: that he could be leading the league and receiving.
Speaker 1: Also like a football head if you're paying attention, like
Speaker 1: all the people that love to write about the game
Speaker 1: and pound table for guys and the analytics pop in
Speaker 1: the hood. I'm sure Matt Harmon his reception perception was
Speaker 1: very kind for Chris Alave. Everyone sees it as a
Speaker 1: guy that has a chance to be true.
Speaker 2: You called me too basic. I get it, I shout
Speaker 2: up somewhere under the radar.
Speaker 1: Guys, No, listen, you just came off a double linebacker
Speaker 1: nomination that this is fair. That was fine. I liked it.
Speaker 1: I liked it. I'm up, all right, Shoot, this is
Speaker 1: hard because we're doing three each. I'm gonna save my.
Speaker 2: Last is doing six each, But yeah, we'll do my
Speaker 2: last one is Actually he's by himself. I could try
Speaker 2: to I could try to find a combo, but it
Speaker 2: would be a stretch.
Speaker 1: Oh do I want to do it? Oh God, all right,
Speaker 1: I'll do it last time at the rodeo.
Speaker 3: You could renominate Kaden Ellis.
Speaker 1: Last time at the rodeo. Jerry Judy, let's oh, I
Speaker 1: like it? It can we can we finally be And
Speaker 1: I think he's been on what is this his fourth
Speaker 1: year now or is his third year?
Speaker 2: It's only his third year, right.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think he's was on everyone's making the leap
Speaker 1: list for the most part last.
Speaker 2: Year year fourth season. This would be his third potential
Speaker 2: making the lead.
Speaker 1: Isn't that crazy? He's already in year four now? And
Speaker 1: you heard the rumors music please, I mean I I
Speaker 1: should get it without without saying it just should go,
Speaker 1: just should fill the room. It goes without saying that
Speaker 1: Judy has talent, former first round pick. And we all
Speaker 1: remember when Russell Wilson joined the team and everyone thought
Speaker 1: they were going to make magic. Didn't work out. Russell
Speaker 1: Wilson's still there. Russell Wilson, by the way, remember what
Speaker 1: he was called? This hang on Detective Culties.
Speaker 2: So you got to watch the YouTube Dan Mike exploding
Speaker 2: out of no.
Speaker 1: This is even sadder when this inspirational music is played.
Speaker 3: I am enjoying this.
Speaker 1: Now. I'm holding a mic like Freddie Mercury. Remember when
Speaker 1: Russell Wilson was called a sack of potatoes at the
Speaker 1: back end of last season, which felt like a dig
Speaker 1: his build and how hard he might have been working
Speaker 1: a lot of reports at a Denver that he's down
Speaker 1: serious pounds and is light and moving moving his feet.
Speaker 1: Maybe the light turned on, knowing all of a sudden
Speaker 1: his whole football career is up in the air. So
Speaker 1: if it's Russell Wilson, lighter, peppier, more focused, Sean Payton
Speaker 1: and what he brings to any offense that he runs.
Speaker 1: And then Jerry Judy, a great route runner, a playmaker,
Speaker 1: a guy that has already flashed in his career when
Speaker 1: he has a dealt with injuries himself. Yes, Judy, I'm
Speaker 1: doing it one last time at the Rodeo making the
Speaker 1: leap in year four.
Speaker 4: The video of Russell Wilson proves what you're pointing to
Speaker 4: those reports. He looks tangibly different to me physically. I
Speaker 4: think he's, you know there obviously couldn't have been humbled anymore.
Speaker 4: He's got some sort of hashtag tagline out there about
Speaker 4: it being like a redemption season two. I don't remember
Speaker 4: the exact verbiage, but it's very.
Speaker 1: Rough the grind it's about to find it.
Speaker 4: Wasn't quite that on the nose but it was pretty
Speaker 4: much on the nose. But I mean everything there should
Speaker 4: be a little bit more controlled, a little bit better.
Speaker 4: I still trust Sean Payton. Jerry Judy to me, like
Speaker 4: from the minute he hit the league, he could do
Speaker 4: these fascinating things and then beguile you with terrible drops.
Speaker 4: I just never really had like the right quarterback situation there.
Speaker 4: So this environment feels positive compared to the horror show
Speaker 4: we witnessed a year ago.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and you know he he was better last year.
Speaker 2: Like his numbers yards per route, ron yards per target,
Speaker 2: it was so much better than Courtland Sutton for instance,
Speaker 2: or anyone else on that team. He did have his
Speaker 2: career high in receptions and yards, didn't break a thousand yards,
Speaker 2: but he was better. I have not given up on
Speaker 2: Jerry Judy either. I'm sure he's been on my making
Speaker 2: the leap, but maybe I'll bring him back on if
Speaker 2: I need one for every team. Although I like another Bronco,
Speaker 2: Greg Dolci. The tight end is on my longer list, So.
Speaker 1: It's almost like if he doesn't this year, if Judy
Speaker 1: once again is inconsistent as their producer or struggles to
Speaker 1: stay on the field, he deserves to go in this
Speaker 1: other like category you don't want to be in. Maybe
Speaker 1: Lamar Miller's in it, like making the leap guys that
Speaker 1: repeatedly trick people into being that they were that guy
Speaker 1: and it never really happened. But I'm gonna say there
Speaker 1: are enough factors in play, and is either clear Number
Speaker 1: one Sutton obviously is still there too, But I think
Speaker 1: I think Judy is a nice scheme fit with Sean
Speaker 1: Payton also in terms of what he does, is his
Speaker 1: skill set. I'm in, let's go, let's go, buddy, do it.
Speaker 2: If for some reason he got to free agency, which
Speaker 2: you could actually see happening, like let's say has a
Speaker 2: similar year this year to next year, they don't want
Speaker 2: to pay, Like people will still pay Jerry Judy a
Speaker 2: ton of money. Receivers are just worth that much now
Speaker 2: and they never get the good ones. It's hard to
Speaker 2: get them in free agency, Like there will be seven
Speaker 2: gms out there who are huge, making the leap fans
Speaker 2: that are like, screw it, let's give him twenty million
Speaker 2: dollars a year, Like it's still it'll still happen.
Speaker 1: And I could see it. I could see it. But
Speaker 1: you know what, maybe if not to skew negative again.
Speaker 1: But if if he has Sean Payton and Wilson's Better
Speaker 1: and it still doesn't happen, maybe that would depress his value.
Speaker 2: I guess.
Speaker 1: I hope we don't find out. I hope he just
Speaker 1: lights it up.
Speaker 3: The Wilson's Better part is a complete mystery.
Speaker 1: Yeah, all right, it is time now for the final
Speaker 1: nomination once again, Mark, this is the floor is yours.
Speaker 1: No one could take anything from you. You're at complete
Speaker 1: ease as you nominate your final player for making the
Speaker 1: Leap twenty.
Speaker 4: I'd like the music to be added on top of Yes, please, miss.
Speaker 4: I am picking between two George's because I really wanted
Speaker 4: to go. George karloftis of the Chiefs who I think
Speaker 4: has a real opportunity with Frank Clark gone to be.
Speaker 4: I just found am so disruptive to watch, and there's
Speaker 4: something about him that like Parkens back to an old time.
Speaker 4: But I'm going George Pickens eight hundred and one yards
Speaker 4: a year ago, fifty one catches four touchdowns.
Speaker 3: I mean, we saw it.
Speaker 4: The thing is, you can't say you made the leap
Speaker 4: last year because I think a lot of it happened
Speaker 4: when Kenny Pickett got involved, they showed chemistry. I mean,
Speaker 4: I could just see these two being together for a
Speaker 4: long time. There isn't a team in the league. I
Speaker 4: trust more to develop wide receivers. But beyond that, like
Speaker 4: what we see him doing from a hand eye coordination, angle, athleticism,
Speaker 4: acrobatic catches, He's just.
Speaker 3: Made to be an NFL start.
Speaker 4: And I guess you have to trust that Kenny Pickett
Speaker 4: picks up where he left off.
Speaker 3: But I do m.
Speaker 2: I hope my comments about the you know, finishing before
Speaker 2: the song was over, and yeah, because you were on a.
Speaker 4: Roll, you were on clipped No, I felt like I
Speaker 4: was ready to stop speaking.
Speaker 1: Because I can I want to be I'm relieved Mark
Speaker 1: that you went with a Pittsburgh Steeler beca because I
Speaker 1: was going to, uh, if you didn't nominate either Picket
Speaker 1: or someone connected with the team, I was gonna accuse
Speaker 1: you of doing the old move that many people, the
Speaker 1: trap people fall into in this business, which is the
Speaker 1: old Remember the Contras spread gun? Maybe Yeah, it was
Speaker 1: like we have the spread remember that one, and just
Speaker 1: the bulls shot everywhere.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a great weapon.
Speaker 1: And you've you're already on record on the show saying
Speaker 1: that the Steelers are winning twelve plus games and Kenny
Speaker 1: Pickett's taking the leap, so somebody had to be in
Speaker 1: the making the leap. Conversation from Mark as a nomination
Speaker 1: and going with his potential number one ride receiver checks
Speaker 1: the box. So I'm just I'm giving you a compliment.
Speaker 1: You you're a man of your word.
Speaker 4: Well thanks, guns down when it comes to Picket, Like
Speaker 4: I think when we talk about making the leap as
Speaker 4: a quarterback, like there's a lot of competition in real estate,
Speaker 4: Like I he can kind of just be who he
Speaker 4: was last year for the most part, and they're functional.
Speaker 4: But like do I don't see, I'm not. It's tougher
Speaker 4: for me to project Kenny Pickett making a massive like
Speaker 4: josh Allen Lake leap.
Speaker 2: Hmmm. Pickens is a good one. I like that he's
Speaker 2: different than other receivers too, Like the analytical consensus is
Speaker 2: sort of like guys who in contested catches are a
Speaker 2: little more unreliable, Like there's only so many contested catches.
Speaker 2: You'd rather have a guy that just gets open or
Speaker 2: wins after the catch, like those are more valuable skill sets.
Speaker 2: George Pickens is a throwback in some ways to guys
Speaker 2: from the nineties where it's just like just throw it
Speaker 2: up to him and he's gonna go get it. He is,
Speaker 2: that is his superpower, and he's gonna learn and get
Speaker 2: better at receiving, kind of like DK metcalf Is. I
Speaker 2: know he's not as physical, but that is a superpower
Speaker 2: that it carried over and I have no reason to
Speaker 2: think it's not gonna keep carrying over like that choice.
Speaker 2: All right, Greg, So last year I did check that
Speaker 2: making the Leap, you know list had some hits. Tua,
Speaker 2: Zach Allen was on there.
Speaker 1: He actually you already brought up You brought on Tua.
Speaker 1: You're making it sound like.
Speaker 2: That Jalen Hurts, Jalen Hurts I had on there. You
Speaker 2: had Hurt, had Hurt. I mean I was banging the
Speaker 2: drune for Hurts last offseason, Auk and then like twenty
Speaker 2: six other guys.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: But I'm going to go back to quarterback. And I
Speaker 2: debated this because you know, I could go for more
Speaker 2: under the radar ones and maybe this is predictable, maybe
Speaker 2: it's not. I think Mack Corgile Jones is making the Leap.
Speaker 2: I think people threw away his last season and put
Speaker 2: it all on him. At the same time, they're saying
Speaker 2: Matt Patricia is the worst offensive coordinator in the history
Speaker 2: of the league. It's the biggest mistake ever. And I
Speaker 2: hear this quarterback draft of starters where he came in
Speaker 2: twenty ninth and I think Lawrence was six. And I'm
Speaker 2: not saying he's Trevor Lawrence. He's not going to have
Speaker 2: the career. But like when Lawrence had a total abortion
Speaker 2: as a head coach, you we threw that away when
Speaker 2: when Mac Jones had Matt Patricia. He needs to have
Speaker 2: a good system around him. He is a system quarterback.
Speaker 2: His leap is to a Kirk Cousins like level, where
Speaker 2: he's a slightly above average quarterback who has already shown
Speaker 2: a couple of things, which is tough reading the defense quickly, touch, timing, accuracy.
Speaker 2: He did that at a Rivera's Philip Rivers like level
Speaker 2: as a rookie. That made me excited. And it's not
Speaker 2: just because I'm a Patriots fan. I like quarterbacks like
Speaker 2: this often, and people have really kind of given up
Speaker 2: on him having a good career. And I think this
Speaker 2: situation with Bill O'Brien's gonna be much better, and I
Speaker 2: think he can bounce right back into being a solid,
Speaker 2: better than average quarterback third year in the system, touch,
Speaker 2: timing and accuracy, mccorkoll, don't let me down.
Speaker 3: I mean.
Speaker 4: The only place I'd push back Greg a little bit
Speaker 4: is that I feel like people were critical of Trevor
Speaker 4: Lawrence for up through the midpoint of last season because
Speaker 4: we were seeing things that were suggesting that there issues,
Speaker 4: and when it came to mac Jones, like I feel
Speaker 4: it from mid season on, it was kind of like, well,
Speaker 4: he's in a disaster situation, like this is a you know,
Speaker 4: this year is a throwaway year.
Speaker 3: This year doesn't count.
Speaker 1: He gets a do over.
Speaker 4: I just like that was the language that I heard
Speaker 4: and spoke more about mac Jones, where it's like you
Speaker 4: can't blame him for what's going on that stead. I
Speaker 4: still see him as like a top fifteen, sixteen seventeen quarterbacks.
Speaker 2: Right well, that would be I feel like, though, if
Speaker 2: you actually write him down and maybe we'll do this exercise,
Speaker 2: I guess I'd be curious if you really would have
Speaker 2: him there. I wouldn't even have him there yet because
Speaker 2: it's a it's a pretty deep crop of quarterbacks now
Speaker 2: and I get that, but I kind of look at
Speaker 2: him versus the other you know, rookie quarterback, you know,
Speaker 2: guys from that year, and I just think he's put
Speaker 2: good football on tape. And that's one thing I think
Speaker 2: it's helped me doing making the leaps. When a guy
Speaker 2: at some point has shown a high level of play
Speaker 2: at any point in their career, like they can get
Speaker 2: back to that. He's put it on tape as a rookie,
Speaker 2: and I think now the knowledge and hopefully the system
Speaker 2: really helps him out.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he has done no favors last year with the
Speaker 1: way Belichick botched the offense.
Speaker 2: He's stunk though I'm not arguing, but.
Speaker 1: He Yeah, he did not play well. I yeah he
Speaker 1: the rookie season. Definitely. There were moments where he played
Speaker 1: really well during that year as well. But I don't know, man.
Speaker 1: I mean what you say, Kirk Cousins, he could have
Speaker 1: a Cousins like career, and that that feels a little
Speaker 1: rich to me. I'm wondering if one aspect of him,
Speaker 1: like is he likable? Does teammates like him? Does his
Speaker 1: coach like him?
Speaker 2: I think that's a fair question.
Speaker 1: Is this personality does it. It seems to to just
Speaker 1: walk the line between fiery, competitive guy with some swag
Speaker 1: and kind of a guy that maybe is writing what
Speaker 1: do they say, writing checks with his mouth that his
Speaker 1: body can't cash a little bit. I'm very conflicted because
Speaker 1: I see what you're saying, and would it surprise me
Speaker 1: if the Patriots end up being a competitive team and
Speaker 1: Jones bounces back? No? But is he also just like
Speaker 1: a middle of the road guy who talks too much?
Speaker 1: And I think that could be true too. I'm leaning
Speaker 1: in that direction that he's not the answer in New England,
Speaker 1: so we'll see.
Speaker 3: That could be true.
Speaker 4: But I would also say that like some of his
Speaker 4: fire from last season and some of his comments were
Speaker 4: just completely warranted, and he didn't come in with that
Speaker 4: out of the gate. That was as things really started
Speaker 4: to break apart, and I if anything, they went out
Speaker 4: of their way to pair him with Bill O'Brien, a
Speaker 4: play caller who knows him. They're implementing Alabama elements to
Speaker 4: the offense, like they're gonna give it a try and
Speaker 4: we'll find out.
Speaker 2: But like just get I could see them yelling at
Speaker 2: each other back and forth too. Though they're they're both fiery.
Speaker 2: I think Dan's right that he was in last year.
Speaker 2: There might be a question of whether his teammates like
Speaker 2: and I think it was immaturity last year. He does
Speaker 2: some mature things on the field. He's still a young
Speaker 2: guy who I think hopefully learned a lot last year.
Speaker 2: You're right, Dan, If he goes another year with being
Speaker 2: a pain in the butt like his career, this is
Speaker 2: a huge year for his career. His career is going
Speaker 2: to take. Yeah, he's going to be a backup.
Speaker 1: I would just say to what you said, Mark, that
Speaker 1: he did while he was sold down the river in
Speaker 1: some ways by his coaching staff. I just fundamentally disagree
Speaker 1: with like he was okay or in the right to
Speaker 1: act out on the field, and the report about him
Speaker 1: reaching out to other coaching staffs from his past, Like,
Speaker 1: take that and compare that to Trevor Lawrence the previous
Speaker 1: year when he was an even worse situation with Urban Meyer,
Speaker 1: who wasn't even a real human being coaching that team
Speaker 1: and making a mockery of Lawrence's rookie season. And the
Speaker 1: guy never said anything, He never publicly spoke out in
Speaker 1: a way that kind of made himself a distraction even
Speaker 1: though he was going through hell, and then he got
Speaker 1: a better coach, Doug Peterson, and some better players, and
Speaker 1: then he really got his career going. I didn't love
Speaker 1: how Jones kind of made it a show of look
Speaker 1: how up this scene is here and I and I'm
Speaker 1: gonna point it out because I am who I am.
Speaker 1: Why I see why it could happen, Because I like
Speaker 1: in sports, even though I'm at a far lesser level
Speaker 1: like when I was, you know, playing even in intramural sports,
Speaker 1: sometimes you kind of lose yourself a little bit, but
Speaker 1: like when you're the quarterback, there's just a higher level
Speaker 1: I think of accountability that he lacked last year.
Speaker 4: I guess all I'm trying to say is that, like
Speaker 4: when I first of all called him like somewhere in
Speaker 4: the low low teens, if you get the rookie version
Speaker 4: of him, I think he is around there. And I'm
Speaker 4: willing to forgive what happened last offseason and just kind
Speaker 4: of like see where we go because we might feel
Speaker 4: differently about him the leader and the person, but I
Speaker 4: guess some of that comes out and you learn about
Speaker 4: them in the tough situations. And it was a tough
Speaker 4: situation and there were endless gifts and memes of him,
Speaker 4: like blowing up at Matt Patricia from the middle of
Speaker 4: the which is not what you want on a weekly.
Speaker 2: Bus, no, but Belichick was so sick of him. I
Speaker 2: think he'd be an ex patriot if the right situation
Speaker 2: had landed for them this offseason, but it didn't, And
Speaker 2: I do I think he was immature too, because he
Speaker 2: was trying to list like he was too aggressive at first,
Speaker 2: and he kept making big mistakes and then he pulled
Speaker 2: it in too much and was just trying to avoid mistakes.
Speaker 2: And if you watch the last four or five games
Speaker 2: of the season according to PFF, I think he had
Speaker 2: counting it up now ten eleven big time throws or
Speaker 2: nine big time throws, two turnover wheth. He plays like
Speaker 2: he cleaned it up by the end of the season.
Speaker 2: And I'm still basing on what I saw as a rookie.
Speaker 2: He's an interesting test case because he has he just
Speaker 2: can't make can't He's not a playmaker, like can you
Speaker 2: win in twenty twenty three with a quarterback that can't
Speaker 2: make plays? Because to me, when I see him, I
Speaker 2: think he could be a better version of Jimmy g
Speaker 2: too touch, accuracy, getting rid of the ball quickly. Like
Speaker 2: can a Jimmy g really succeed in twenty twenty three?
Speaker 2: I don't know. There's not really many. We have those
Speaker 2: examples coming up that are having a lot of success
Speaker 2: that can't make plays. So he's a good test case.
Speaker 1: Okay, my last one in our final nominee, and again,
Speaker 1: congratulations all the nominees and good luck in the upcoming season.
Speaker 1: I thought, maybe I'll go with a defender. You know,
Speaker 1: got Greg Russeau and Buffalo seems like a guy who
Speaker 1: could do something I think a lot of people are expecting.
Speaker 1: Maybe I'll go Homer and go with a jet and
Speaker 1: Elijah Vera Tucker definitely somebody I think who could be
Speaker 1: an All Pro guard if they just leave him be
Speaker 1: and he stays healthy. But I'm gonna also go quarterback
Speaker 1: Greg the place where I thought you were going, because
Speaker 1: I'm looking for a true star making the leap situation
Speaker 1: at QB. So let's head to Chicago, and let's head
Speaker 1: to Justin Fields because Fields didn't get as a fan
Speaker 1: of a team that does a bad job building around
Speaker 1: young quarterbacks. Chicago did it wrong in his first two years.
Speaker 1: You had Matt Naggie there and then by the time
Speaker 1: new leadership took over, the roster was in a total
Speaker 1: tear down. So there goes year two. But even with
Speaker 1: year two having a situation where they I think they
Speaker 1: lost ten straight games in the year, we saw special things.
Speaker 1: And going back to what you were saying, Greg, it's
Speaker 1: good to see it, to see a guy be special
Speaker 1: and then say can he build on that? And I
Speaker 1: think Chicago finally did it right. It's better late than
Speaker 1: never with their moves here trading out of the number
Speaker 1: one pick and making that decision. We are standing behind
Speaker 1: fields and we're gonna build around him. That trade resulting
Speaker 1: in Dj Moore a true number one wide receiver. They
Speaker 1: added right tackle Darnell Wright, another wide receiver in Tyler Scott.
Speaker 1: They added Bobby Tanian. Danta Foreman is in for David Montgomery.
Speaker 1: You have Khalil Herbert, who really flashed last year, another
Speaker 1: guy who you could have nominated in this exercise at running.
Speaker 1: And if you improve the blocking in front of him
Speaker 1: and you prove the skill players, now you could properly
Speaker 1: evaluate justin fields and he has things to clean up.
Speaker 1: He was very bad in terms of his completion rates
Speaker 1: with a clean pocket. He needs to be better out
Speaker 1: of play action. But these are things that with a
Speaker 1: better supporting cast. Good reports coming out through spring practices
Speaker 1: about him starting to understand things more. I just think
Speaker 1: the talent is going to break through here in a
Speaker 1: more professional setup for him, Justin Fields becomes the star.
Speaker 1: The Bears desperately need him to be my final end
Speaker 1: to me, the most important making league candidate candidate, because
Speaker 1: Chicago football deserves a true shining star at signal caller.
Speaker 1: Let's do it Justin Fields.
Speaker 4: I love this because I think of everyone that we've
Speaker 4: named like the ceiling. If it works, he is the ceiling.
Speaker 4: Like he becomes a transcendent player. And I think what's
Speaker 4: lost little bit from last season was we saw the
Speaker 4: power on the ground, the total disruption, the way that
Speaker 4: he would just completely baffle defenses. I think he grew
Speaker 4: as a passer down the stretch, and it just makes
Speaker 4: me think a little bit of where we were a
Speaker 4: year ago. This time with Jalen Hurts, it was still like, well,
Speaker 4: not necessarily trying out for his job, but kind of
Speaker 4: like they had flatlined against the Bucks in the playoffs,
Speaker 4: and they added some weapons and then he made that
Speaker 4: leap as a passer, and you're looking at an MVP candidate.
Speaker 4: So if he can grow justin fields can mimic that,
Speaker 4: I think you're looking at a star, And like, when
Speaker 4: is the last time there.
Speaker 3: Was a true star quarterback in Chicago?
Speaker 4: And so I think the ceiling here, like I said,
Speaker 4: is just the highest of any player we've talked about.
Speaker 2: Yeah, he plays quarterback in said a different way. He
Speaker 2: holds on to the ball forever, and I feel like
Speaker 2: you've got to improve that a little bit. Like his
Speaker 2: time to throw was higher than any quarterback in the league.
Speaker 2: Deshaun Watson was close, and you're trying to, like Survey,
Speaker 2: you're trying to make plays. He's such a naturally talented thrower.
Speaker 2: When he sets up and aims it, it goes where
Speaker 2: he wants to go. So I think all the things
Speaker 2: that he has to improve on are improvable with the experience,
Speaker 2: and his life is going to be easier like Jalen
Speaker 2: Hurts and Lamar Jackson because he's one of the greatest
Speaker 2: running quarterbacks in the history of the league. Every good
Speaker 2: running quarterback is now. I mean, he's put up the
Speaker 2: numbers and it just is going to open up options
Speaker 2: and make it more decisive. I guess in terms of
Speaker 2: the reads that he makes it should and that's not
Speaker 2: his fault, Like he's the one setting that up with
Speaker 2: his talent. He should make it easier to be a pastor.
Speaker 2: But he needs to take a step as a passer,
Speaker 2: because he didn't take as big as step as a
Speaker 2: passer last year as I expected.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and he can't give him a total pass and
Speaker 1: I mean his QB record if that matters at all,
Speaker 1: and I don't think it does for him because, like
Speaker 1: I said, they didn't set him up well. But he's
Speaker 1: lost twenty of twenty five starts so far, so he's
Speaker 1: been around a lot of losing also, And just looking
Speaker 1: at his Pro Football Reference page, I don't know if
Speaker 1: you guys know this. He finished in the top ten
Speaker 1: MVP voting last year. He's at number nine, and that's
Speaker 1: solely because of that's yeah, that's that's very strange, But
Speaker 1: that's solely because of how much he flashed some some
Speaker 1: weirdo like radio guy from Chicago probably did that like
Speaker 1: snoozer in the morning. But when he had before he
Speaker 1: got hurt, he was kind of taking things over and
Speaker 1: fantasy heads know that because anybody that had him in
Speaker 1: November or so last year said, oh, I'm winning my
Speaker 1: league because this guy is blowing up defenses and then
Speaker 1: he got hurt. So again, injuries is something that have
Speaker 1: to be considered here because he plays physically. He runs
Speaker 1: a ton. He's coming off an eleven heart eleven hundred
Speaker 1: yard season rushing. Maybe they'll look to tone that down
Speaker 1: a little bit and develop them more as a passer
Speaker 1: and give him that balance. But don't take him away.
Speaker 1: Don't do the thing I worry about with Henry where
Speaker 1: they put him in the old what do they call it,
Speaker 1: the corral? Don't corral them.
Speaker 3: Talk about Henry Hodgson now has been putting.
Speaker 1: Henry Watson, vice president of the UK. I'm challenging Henry
Speaker 1: at this point. It feels like a full on challenge
Speaker 1: and one of those things where he might be mad
Speaker 1: at me. But I want to see that that great
Speaker 1: Henry spirit come out with his official statement on the
Speaker 1: supplemental Draft and let's get back to that.
Speaker 3: I like that.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he's a great friend of mine, one of my
Speaker 1: closest friends. So I hope he understands this is not
Speaker 1: a needling. But it's it's a challenge as friends need
Speaker 1: to do sometimes to each other.
Speaker 2: I've done some research on this MVP vote here. Yeah,
Speaker 2: Justin Fields was one of eight men who received one
Speaker 2: fifth place vote, so we added you could vote one
Speaker 2: through five. Now that's kind of fun. I like, oh wow,
Speaker 2: And so they all tied for ninth, also receiving one
Speaker 2: fifth place vote. And yeah, I'm sure there was a
Speaker 2: Chicago person that did it that was stupid. I mean,
Speaker 2: in what world was he even a top five quarterback?
Speaker 2: Stop a stupid A. J. Brown got one, Derrick Henry
Speaker 2: got one, Justin Herbert got one, Tyreek Hill got one
Speaker 2: that I think Tyreek.
Speaker 3: Kell a problem with the rest of those. Maybe Henry
Speaker 3: Hill I.
Speaker 2: Actually think was on. I think I did a ballot
Speaker 2: for something, and I think he might have been fifth
Speaker 2: on mine. I don't think that's crazy. Gina Smith had one.
Speaker 2: That's a little silly, but I like it. Tua got one,
Speaker 2: and Danny Kellington from Buffalo, who I believe was the
Speaker 2: e M. T the medical personnel who helped save DeMar
Speaker 2: Hamlin's life, got one.
Speaker 1: I mean, and that's that's incredible. What what that man did?
Speaker 3: Uh?
Speaker 1: And it's way more important than football. But in no
Speaker 1: world should he have gotten an MVP vote. Let the
Speaker 1: record state it's a little.
Speaker 2: Odd and justin fields, they were all a little weird.
Speaker 2: Trevor Lawrence actually got a fourth and a fifth.
Speaker 1: I'm surprise this is that run by the way for
Speaker 1: fields when it was just like what is happening here?
Speaker 1: Starting in a blowout loss of the Cowboys where he
Speaker 1: went seventeen of twenty three with two touchdowns and then
Speaker 1: went eight for sixty on the ground with a score,
Speaker 1: and it was like, wow, he filled up that box score.
Speaker 1: Then the following week he threw three touchdown passes and
Speaker 1: then rushed fifteen times for one hundred and seventy eight
Speaker 1: yards and a touchdown. The following week he threw two
Speaker 1: more touchdowns and a narrow loss to Detroit and ran
Speaker 1: thirteen times for one hundred and forty seven yards and
Speaker 1: two scores. And then the following week against the Falcons,
Speaker 1: he got hurt and you didn't really see that guy again.
Speaker 1: But imagine if we see some version of the guy
Speaker 1: that seemed to be taking flight in the second half
Speaker 1: of last season. I mean, he could be if you
Speaker 1: want to talk about I don't. I don't do Vegas stuff.
Speaker 1: I'm not even allowed to. But you look at what
Speaker 1: Jalen Hurts did last year, like Justin Fields, in terms
Speaker 1: of a long shot for MVP. If everything fell into place, Maron.
Speaker 4: Yep, because you all have a team that had the
Speaker 4: worst record a year ago in a shaky NFC, they
Speaker 4: could contend for a wild card, Coach of the Year,
Speaker 4: assistant Coach of the year, comeback Players of the year,
Speaker 4: filling the blank MVP candidate.
Speaker 3: You can see it.
Speaker 2: The funny thing is when he was coming out, like
Speaker 2: anyone that mentioned his running ability, it was essentially was like, well,
Speaker 2: that's just not who he is, Like he's he's a
Speaker 2: deep ball thrower. And I look at and it's funny
Speaker 2: thinking back, like people were slammed. It's like, well he
Speaker 2: didn't show that. You're you're kind of stereotyping because he's
Speaker 2: an athletic, you know, young black quarterback. And it's true.
Speaker 2: And now I look at c J. Stroud too, and CJ.
Speaker 2: Stroud will not be like Justin Fields. He doesn't have
Speaker 2: that sort of talent. But Ohio State essentially tells their quarterback,
Speaker 2: don't do that, don't risk getting hurt. He's just you know,
Speaker 2: his coach Ryan Day has talked about it since that,
Speaker 2: like he tells their quarterbacks like, don't risk it, don't run,
Speaker 2: And so it makes me think about Stroud a little bit.
Speaker 2: He doesn't have nearly the athleticism of Fields, but like
Speaker 2: no one saw this coming with Fields because he was
Speaker 2: told essentially, just stay healthy and be a pocket quarterback
Speaker 2: at Ohio State. Just hit the open receivers.
Speaker 1: All right, there you go. Good stuff. We'll be back
Speaker 1: on Thursday with another and hopefully I'll still be alive.
Speaker 1: It's very warm here. Did I mention that Greg the
Speaker 1: tent here?
Speaker 2: I think it was. I think it was a little
Speaker 2: slice of life people. You know, they don't just listen
Speaker 2: to us for the football takes. It's like what's happened
Speaker 2: in their lives, their relationships. That's the podcast.
Speaker 1: You know. I don't like to go willy nilly and
Speaker 1: bring up weather, but when it gets to this level,
Speaker 1: when we are in a heat emergency, I'm just happy
Speaker 1: that power didn't go out. And if it goes out
Speaker 1: before Thursday, it will be a classic Rosenthal Sessler joint
Speaker 1: and I will listen to that if I'm still alive.
Speaker 4: This feels like a setup where you could text us
Speaker 4: out of nowhere. Well, the power did go out, guys,
Speaker 4: I'm shackled here. There's no way to technologically, I can't
Speaker 4: really do this from a tech angle.
Speaker 2: I hate to.
Speaker 3: Well, that's only something I do.
Speaker 1: But like, yeah, let's write out the Sessler handbook right there, Dan,
Speaker 1: It's not.
Speaker 2: As transparent Mark. Mark drops a little breadcrumbs when he's
Speaker 2: about to miss the show of possible things that was
Speaker 2: That was preture.
Speaker 1: All the lights are flickering weird.
Speaker 2: It's like, yeah, I just got a little bit of
Speaker 2: a little cough is popping up. We'll see how I
Speaker 2: feel in two days.
Speaker 1: I to you did have a right but this complicates
Speaker 1: if that was a breadcrumb my power situation compliment, that
Speaker 1: complicates your situation of an out out clause here for
Speaker 1: later in the week. So just something we're all gonna
Speaker 1: have to track together.
Speaker 3: We'll track it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, suddenly it's a it's a Greg and Walker duo
Speaker 2: power joint on Thursday.
Speaker 1: That'd be good. All right, let's go. Thank you everybody
Speaker 1: for listening. Wherever you are, Stay cool, stay safe until
Speaker 1: next time. He the call