WEBVTT - Predicting quarterback battles 0:00:01.160 --> 0:00:06.480 Me Around the NFL Podcast is tired of Bill's quarterback 0:00:06.559 --> 0:00:10.039 battle stories. Welcome back to another edition of the Around 0:00:10.039 --> 0:00:12.440 the NFL Podcast. My name is Dan Hansis and I'm 0:00:12.520 --> 0:00:16.400 joined by Room Build with heroes Lindsey Rhodes, Chris Westling 0:00:16.480 --> 0:00:20.800 and Greg Rostal. What's up boys and Earls and Lindsay 0:00:21.720 --> 0:00:26.160 and Lindsay you're a woman. Yes, I was just saying 0:00:26.200 --> 0:00:29.760 that that was the and girls was the boys and Lindsay, 0:00:29.840 --> 0:00:31.880 I don't want to be you're calling me out of sexist. 0:00:31.920 --> 0:00:33.320 I feel like right at the top of the show, 0:00:35.479 --> 0:00:39.440 Andrew Siciliano downstairs giving us a little grief that Lindsay 0:00:39.520 --> 0:00:41.479 keeps being on but she comes with you. You're not 0:00:41.520 --> 0:00:44.600 even You're not even on air today on NFL Network. 0:00:44.640 --> 0:00:46.960 You just came. I am once again off and here 0:00:47.000 --> 0:00:49.680 just for you, which I think makes my life kind 0:00:49.680 --> 0:00:52.600 of sad, Like at a certain point the people that 0:00:52.640 --> 0:00:55.320 are listening and watching are going to be like, could 0:00:55.360 --> 0:00:58.280 you just plan something on your off days? Like I 0:00:58.280 --> 0:01:01.160 feel bad for you. Well, listen, I don't look at 0:01:01.200 --> 0:01:04.240 it that way. I think you see the opportunity of 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.319 not just a career, but a lifetime to be involved 0:01:07.360 --> 0:01:10.080 with our show. I gotta get in that studio. I 0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:12.280 gotta get a taste of that magic. It's a ship 0:01:12.400 --> 0:01:17.520 just taken off. Well, jump up rocket, Yeah whatever, spaceship, 0:01:17.560 --> 0:01:20.440 you can go spaceship all right. So yeah, this is 0:01:20.480 --> 0:01:23.520 the Around the NFL Podcast and we have a great 0:01:23.520 --> 0:01:26.920 show with Linz with us today. Um, a lot to 0:01:27.000 --> 0:01:29.279 get to a lot. I got a lot of papers 0:01:29.280 --> 0:01:31.000 in front of you right now. It's almost a little 0:01:31.040 --> 0:01:33.360 bit intimidating. We have, you know, we have the Hall 0:01:33.400 --> 0:01:36.959 of Fame induction this weekend. Mark Sessler was in Canton 0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:39.840 and now he's in Cleveland at that old Indian burial 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:42.720 ground in Barria. So we're gonna touch base with Sessler, 0:01:42.760 --> 0:01:45.480 talk about the big weekend and what he's doing out 0:01:45.480 --> 0:01:51.960 there in Ohio. We have the Position Battle awards. That excited. 0:01:52.000 --> 0:01:54.280 I'm excited for that. That's I think what the drop 0:01:54.400 --> 0:01:56.120 was coming from. We might talk a little bills, but 0:01:56.160 --> 0:01:58.000 we'll talk. We'll go out some awards of how these 0:01:58.000 --> 0:02:01.360 battles are going. That one is right in Greg's wheelhouse. 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:05.200 Because last night, late Sunday night, email lands and my 0:02:05.280 --> 0:02:07.440 Gmail and it's Greg has all these different ideas. He 0:02:07.480 --> 0:02:09.200 was on fire. I was like Wow, this is gonna 0:02:09.200 --> 0:02:11.480 be a Rosenthal show. Well, we take we're now taping 0:02:11.520 --> 0:02:13.280 early in the morning, so it's like we can't just 0:02:13.360 --> 0:02:15.679 show up and and hope TD put together for it. 0:02:15.760 --> 0:02:18.800 But you know, we know what happens then what would happen? Well, 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:22.560 I don't know, just bad things all right there at all, 0:02:23.000 --> 0:02:24.600 t D. You want to deserve that you're doing a 0:02:24.639 --> 0:02:27.000 great job. And of course we're gonna get to all 0:02:27.000 --> 0:02:30.280 the news including uh and you know the reason West 0:02:30.320 --> 0:02:32.919 hasn't really said much yet, he's still processing the information 0:02:32.960 --> 0:02:37.639 about a certain wide receiver UM in Charlotte or formerly 0:02:37.680 --> 0:02:40.400 of Charlotte now playing in Baltimore that will no longer 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:42.880 be with us too much longer looking at looking, I 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:45.200 wouldn't say that. I wouldn't say. That's why I haven't 0:02:45.240 --> 0:02:49.240 said anything. I was waiting for an opening for you know, 0:02:49.600 --> 0:02:52.520 we could have talked your party Saturday, Well we can. 0:02:52.760 --> 0:03:00.359 My Wells invited, thanks Wess, my son Jack, sweet handsome 0:03:00.480 --> 0:03:05.160 Jack Carson Hansas turning one, so we had a little party. 0:03:05.720 --> 0:03:10.680 I'm sure my invitation just cassome. Now as I know that, 0:03:10.760 --> 0:03:14.840 lindsay you have a young son yourself named Jack's I 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:18.720 believe which is nice. I don't remember getting invited to 0:03:18.760 --> 0:03:23.639 your party. Well, but really none of my coworkers were invited, 0:03:23.880 --> 0:03:27.520 so it wasn't like I invited everyone but you type 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:34.000 of situation. And Lindsey, we're getting there, all right, Let's 0:03:35.760 --> 0:03:37.720 let's cut to the chase, because West keeps on, you know, 0:03:37.800 --> 0:03:40.920 opening up all this uh you know, dirty laundry, dumping 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:43.080 out the contents. I just wanted to talk about a party. 0:03:43.960 --> 0:03:48.240 I feel like barely. Yeah, Lindsey, we're working towards something 0:03:48.360 --> 0:03:51.200 that would be building up his friendship, but I'm not 0:03:51.240 --> 0:03:53.600 there yet. Chris and Greg, you know, we worked very 0:03:53.600 --> 0:03:56.120 closely together, all right. Not just a handsome boy, but 0:03:56.160 --> 0:03:58.800 a very active boy. I mean that that kid he 0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:02.200 goes for the cake, he starts crawling around like a madman. 0:04:02.280 --> 0:04:04.280 I mean he's something. I will say the other The 0:04:04.280 --> 0:04:06.240 only other problem I had to the party was Greg 0:04:06.600 --> 0:04:09.600 brought his durable daughter, Ellis, who is two and a 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:13.240 half three and a half, and she walked away with 0:04:13.280 --> 0:04:15.960 the party. She stole the party, and I thought that 0:04:16.040 --> 0:04:17.800 was a little bit like if you're gonna bring a 0:04:17.839 --> 0:04:20.960 cute little girl, like realize who the party's for and 0:04:21.000 --> 0:04:25.200 who should be the star's leaving it there. She can't 0:04:25.240 --> 0:04:27.320 help it. She's just she seems to be um a 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:31.240 little precocious. Well he can go to her wedding someday 0:04:31.480 --> 0:04:34.400 and get her back. Oh I like that little revenge. 0:04:34.760 --> 0:04:38.080 So yeah, So that's what's going on, Lindsay. Uh, Jack 0:04:38.120 --> 0:04:39.800 turns two next year, and maybe we could work this 0:04:39.920 --> 0:04:43.880 out a whole year to build up to that. So 0:04:43.920 --> 0:04:47.200 that's everything that's cooking. And before we move on, we 0:04:47.240 --> 0:04:49.200 will check behind the glass. Every time I look behind 0:04:49.240 --> 0:04:51.800 the glasses, more and more people back there. That's how 0:04:51.839 --> 0:04:54.680 you know it's getting real. Uh TV, How you doing, buddy? 0:04:54.800 --> 0:04:57.000 What is going on? I got a whole squad with me. 0:04:57.080 --> 0:04:59.440 You know how that meme goes, squad goes. This is 0:04:59.440 --> 0:05:04.440 my squad right here. We're old. I thought maybe Lindsey 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:09.719 had a chance to know it, but squad doesn't connect 0:05:09.760 --> 0:05:14.200 with me. I'm sorry, squad goes all right? Cool. One 0:05:14.200 --> 0:05:16.440 more thing about my party. I did buy some corn 0:05:16.480 --> 0:05:20.360 hole boards and um, they had American flags on them. 0:05:20.960 --> 0:05:23.240 I spent ten extra dollars to get the ones that 0:05:23.320 --> 0:05:26.000 had the American flag on him. And Greg, who lives 0:05:26.000 --> 0:05:28.279 on the throne of ease as we know, with the 0:05:28.279 --> 0:05:32.839 Patriots teammates with West, and again Greg aligns himself in 0:05:32.880 --> 0:05:35.719 the throne of East scenarios. West is like the Michael 0:05:35.760 --> 0:05:37.599 Jordan of corn Hall, so he pretty much just show 0:05:37.680 --> 0:05:40.200 up if you're his Teammate's great, So Greg Patriots fan 0:05:40.680 --> 0:05:43.719 cornhole with West as a teammate. Like what what else 0:05:43.800 --> 0:05:45.960 is like a throne of the stuff. It's like the 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:48.479 rap where there's like the rapper and then the guy 0:05:48.480 --> 0:05:50.240 on the stage with the rapper that waves around the 0:05:50.240 --> 0:05:52.680 white towns. I don't need socialize at parties anymore. I 0:05:52.720 --> 0:05:54.360 just bring my cute daughter and she kind of does 0:05:54.400 --> 0:05:57.440 it all for me. It is pretty good. So good 0:05:57.520 --> 0:06:00.120 job with that, Greg, You got the whole thing figured out, 0:06:00.320 --> 0:06:03.039 this game called life. All right, let's do some news 0:06:03.200 --> 0:06:12.280 that what you knew that was. Is it gonna get old? 0:06:14.040 --> 0:06:15.600 I mean I like to think it's not old yet. 0:06:15.640 --> 0:06:19.680 Do you feel like it's been played out now? No? No, 0:06:19.760 --> 0:06:22.320 I don't think we're quite there yet. Does Casablanca get old? 0:06:23.520 --> 0:06:26.159 All right? So let's start. We'll start with some somber news. 0:06:26.440 --> 0:06:29.360 Hall of Famer Frank Gifford has died at the age 0:06:29.400 --> 0:06:33.000 of eighty four. A statement was released on Sunday, he 0:06:33.080 --> 0:06:37.039 died suddenly at his Connecticut home of natural causes. Of course, 0:06:37.320 --> 0:06:41.040 Frank Gifford is maybe the ultimate giant versatile star both 0:06:41.080 --> 0:06:44.880 offensive defense and defense during his time. He went on 0:06:44.920 --> 0:06:49.000 to a successful second career as a broadcaster for ABC. 0:06:49.760 --> 0:06:52.560 He was on that Monday Night football team with Howard Cosell. 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:55.640 Of course, So Frank Gifford dead at the age of 0:06:55.680 --> 0:06:58.120 eighty four, and West I thought, um, you know you're 0:06:58.120 --> 0:06:59.599 a good guy to write this stuff with your knowledge 0:06:59.600 --> 0:07:03.040 of the history. You wrote a nice retrospective piece on Gifford. 0:07:04.640 --> 0:07:07.360 You can't on on one hand you can probably count 0:07:07.400 --> 0:07:09.680 the transcendent talents who are in the College Football Hall 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:12.240 of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Sports 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:15.560 Broadcasting Hall of Fame, and were the subject of the 0:07:15.600 --> 0:07:19.040 best book in football literature, History of Fans Notes. I mean, 0:07:19.520 --> 0:07:21.760 and Frank Gifford, Really, what I wish I would have 0:07:21.920 --> 0:07:25.000 paid more attention to in the article spanned the old 0:07:25.120 --> 0:07:29.920 NFL when it was behind boxing, baseball, college football, golf. 0:07:30.360 --> 0:07:32.720 It was an afterthought. And then by the by the 0:07:32.720 --> 0:07:36.280 time he started broadcasting, NFL is already number one on 0:07:36.320 --> 0:07:38.440 the list. So his career spans that by the time 0:07:38.440 --> 0:07:41.640 he's done broadcasting, NFL leaves every other sport in the dust. 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:45.360 He is I think one of the most transcendent figures 0:07:45.360 --> 0:07:48.280 in American sports history. Well, he's one of the people 0:07:48.800 --> 0:07:52.680 that brought the NFL to the limelight, that fifties Giants team, 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:54.760 and he was the star of it. He was the 0:07:54.800 --> 0:07:57.680 Derek Jeter and the equivalent to Mickey Mantle you know 0:07:57.840 --> 0:08:01.560 of his day. Helped popularize the sport. You got Vince 0:08:01.560 --> 0:08:04.600 Lombardi as the offensive coordinator, that Tom Landry as the 0:08:04.600 --> 0:08:07.400 defensive coordinator. You're winning lots of games. Here's a great 0:08:07.400 --> 0:08:09.440 looking guy who you're putting on the cover of all 0:08:09.480 --> 0:08:12.560 the newspapers that played that made the probo at three positions, 0:08:12.560 --> 0:08:16.080 which is a mind boggling thing as it is. And 0:08:16.120 --> 0:08:18.800 he's a guy I think if you read about the 0:08:18.920 --> 0:08:21.240 NFL in that time, he was the guy. Like if 0:08:21.280 --> 0:08:23.559 you said he's one of the most transcendent guys in sports, 0:08:23.600 --> 0:08:26.640 I think of him. If you're just ranking influential guys 0:08:26.680 --> 0:08:29.360 in NFL history, he would have to be in like 0:08:29.400 --> 0:08:32.320 the twenty names that you mentioned, right, ten twenty names 0:08:32.320 --> 0:08:34.800 that you mentioned. Frank Gifford is one of those names, absolutely, 0:08:34.880 --> 0:08:36.599 and it is amazing that if you, like, if you 0:08:36.640 --> 0:08:39.280 were a kid growing up in the eighties like myself 0:08:39.320 --> 0:08:44.880 and then Greg and not West grew up in the eighties, 0:08:46.240 --> 0:08:48.480 but you were more like a child of the early seventies, 0:08:50.440 --> 0:08:53.240 wasn't born in early seventies. My point being is that 0:08:53.320 --> 0:08:56.760 I only knew Frank Gifford is as really the announcer 0:08:56.800 --> 0:09:00.199 from Monday Night Football and Cathy Lee's husband, but there 0:09:00.240 --> 0:09:03.280 was this whole other guy, really love machine, as she 0:09:03.520 --> 0:09:06.360 very publicly referred to. I gotta talk to my wife 0:09:06.360 --> 0:09:10.160 about renaming myself. We need a new nickname for you. Yeah, 0:09:10.160 --> 0:09:12.480 another new nickname. But yeah, it's it's amazing that he 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:14.679 was able to have two totally separate careers that were 0:09:14.720 --> 0:09:18.480 huge and yeah, iconic figure Frank Gifford that at the 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:20.880 age of eighty four, kind of crazy that uh that 0:09:21.040 --> 0:09:24.040 you mentioned his versatility as a player, but as a 0:09:24.080 --> 0:09:27.800 broadcaster he did play by play and was also the analyst. 0:09:28.320 --> 0:09:30.520 That's a totally different skill set. That says a lot 0:09:30.559 --> 0:09:33.600 to me about how seriously he took his uh second 0:09:33.640 --> 0:09:36.920 career of broadcast broadcast either he's the broadcaster on the 0:09:37.000 --> 0:09:40.000 number one show on TV exactly, and not everybody can 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:41.679 do it, either Lindsay or I mean, I think of 0:09:41.760 --> 0:09:44.600 Joe Namath is another try to be a broadcaster didn't work. 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:47.520 Gifford obviously had the goods and did the work. Yeah, 0:09:47.760 --> 0:09:50.560 and and it's one thing to to sit there as 0:09:50.600 --> 0:09:53.080 the analyst, and and that that it takes the skill 0:09:53.080 --> 0:09:55.160 set to be a very good analyst to know which 0:09:55.160 --> 0:09:58.640 stories and anecdotes fit where and how to get in 0:09:58.679 --> 0:10:00.600 and out and talk for the right amount of time, 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:02.719 especially when you're calling a game, so you don't want 0:10:02.720 --> 0:10:04.520 to talk. You want to get out before the next 0:10:04.520 --> 0:10:06.319 place starts, so the play by play guy can hop in. 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:09.760 But but to be the play by play person, it's 0:10:10.360 --> 0:10:13.200 obviously you need to have knowledge of the game, but 0:10:13.400 --> 0:10:15.679 you also need to kind of know your role and 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:18.000 do the traffic copying getting in and out of break Dan, 0:10:18.120 --> 0:10:22.000 as you well know as the host of this fine program, uh, 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:28.560 Gifford on the same level of very similar like definitely 0:10:28.720 --> 0:10:32.559 here and here. Can I also point out I feel 0:10:32.600 --> 0:10:36.200 like it's poetic to some degree that a Hall of 0:10:36.200 --> 0:10:41.680 Famer passes away while the fraternity is gathered, like Art 0:10:41.679 --> 0:10:45.360 Donovan did in two. This is not a small point 0:10:45.400 --> 0:10:47.280 your point about the play by play thing. I just 0:10:47.280 --> 0:10:49.480 want to say real quick. He was known as one 0:10:49.520 --> 0:10:52.720 of the classiest guys and him, he and Howard Cosell. 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:54.679 When I'm doing the Monday night football thing for love 0:10:54.720 --> 0:10:58.679 you Blue Cosell is doing the color and Gifford is 0:10:58.720 --> 0:11:01.960 doing the play by play. The player had you know 0:11:02.679 --> 0:11:08.000 enough humility to take on that rule? Alright? Moving on, Um, 0:11:08.040 --> 0:11:12.280 Steve Smith, West, your boy for years and years and years, 0:11:13.000 --> 0:11:16.520 is making the two thousand fifteen season his last. Uh. 0:11:16.559 --> 0:11:19.600 The Ravens wide receiver announced Monday he will retire at 0:11:19.600 --> 0:11:22.840 the end of the season. Uh. He said to reporters, 0:11:23.200 --> 0:11:25.200 I feel like this is the best place. If this 0:11:25.280 --> 0:11:27.160 is going to be the end, this will be the 0:11:27.240 --> 0:11:30.120 place to end it. Draft in the third round in 0:11:30.160 --> 0:11:33.240 the two thousand one draft by the Panthers. Uh. Smith 0:11:33.280 --> 0:11:35.240 has been no less than one of the most dynamic 0:11:35.280 --> 0:11:39.920 receivers and personalities of his era. And of course, UH, 0:11:39.960 --> 0:11:41.880 you know a guy that has been able to keep 0:11:41.880 --> 0:11:45.120 his career afloat and thriving well into his thirties, which 0:11:45.160 --> 0:11:47.680 is not easy to do. Uh, West, your thoughts about 0:11:47.720 --> 0:11:50.240 Steve Smith In the end, He's a no doubt Hall 0:11:50.280 --> 0:11:52.320 of Famer in my mind, which is obscured a little 0:11:52.320 --> 0:11:54.760 bit by the fact he played in Charlotte for almost 0:11:54.840 --> 0:11:58.440 his entire career and had one season ruined by a 0:11:58.440 --> 0:12:01.520 broken leg in his prime, had two more season sabotage 0:12:01.600 --> 0:12:04.000 by NFL worst quarterback play, in fact, some of the 0:12:04.040 --> 0:12:06.880 worst quarterback play we've ever seen. And he's still gonna 0:12:06.920 --> 0:12:08.679 be in the top twelve or third team when he 0:12:08.720 --> 0:12:11.520 finishes his career. In receiving yards, number one all time 0:12:11.520 --> 0:12:14.480 and receiving yards per game, well ahead of Michael Irvin 0:12:14.520 --> 0:12:16.400 and Jerry Rice, who are number two and three in 0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:19.280 postseason yards per game from two thousand five to two 0:12:19.280 --> 0:12:22.480 thousand and eight. The best receiver in the NFL, this 0:12:22.600 --> 0:12:25.640 guy's he's not a lot of people agree with you 0:12:25.640 --> 0:12:27.120 on that. A lot of people would think t O 0:12:27.240 --> 0:12:31.000 in that time or Randy number certainly wasn't the best time. 0:12:31.120 --> 0:12:33.600 Randy Moss and I agree with you, and now you're 0:12:33.640 --> 0:12:35.920 in a position where you can start banging this drum 0:12:36.000 --> 0:12:37.480 for the next five years that he's a Hall of Famer. 0:12:37.520 --> 0:12:39.040 But I don't think everyone's gonna agree with you on that. 0:12:39.160 --> 0:12:41.280 Chase Stewart, from football perspective, has done a lot of 0:12:41.320 --> 0:12:44.800 studies on this yards per team passing attempt. The Panthers 0:12:44.800 --> 0:12:47.160 were always a run heavy team. It shows that Steve 0:12:47.200 --> 0:12:50.240 Smith's dominance that number one and number two on the 0:12:50.400 --> 0:12:53.360 in modern history yards per team passing attempt Steve Smith 0:12:53.360 --> 0:12:55.679 two thousand five, Steve Smith two thousand eight, he has 0:12:55.720 --> 0:12:58.040 the top two season. Maybe he didn't have the cash 0:12:58.120 --> 0:13:01.000 a in terms of intimidation of some of those greats 0:13:01.040 --> 0:13:03.640 like a Moss or and Owens, but as a competitor, 0:13:03.760 --> 0:13:06.240 the guy was peerless. And and there was a great 0:13:06.320 --> 0:13:09.480 quote from someone on the Ravens coaching side, I think 0:13:09.480 --> 0:13:12.959 it was Harbor said, if you weren't prepared against Steve Smith, 0:13:13.040 --> 0:13:16.240 you're gonna get humiliated because that's he was so ferocious 0:13:16.280 --> 0:13:19.040 on the field. Well, he wasn't the mismatch that Teo 0:13:19.559 --> 0:13:21.520 was or that Randy Moss was. I mean, you're looking 0:13:21.559 --> 0:13:24.280 at a much smaller wide receiver here. So the fact 0:13:24.280 --> 0:13:26.840 that he's even mentioned in the same sentence that he 0:13:26.920 --> 0:13:29.839 is able to win those position battles, uh, Well you 0:13:29.920 --> 0:13:32.400 always here. Pound for pound, he wasn't pound for pound 0:13:32.440 --> 0:13:35.040 the toughest receiver in league. He was the toughest receiving 0:13:35.080 --> 0:13:40.520 the league. At five ft nine or whatever. And you know, 0:13:40.640 --> 0:13:44.120 like Taylor and Ronde Barber, who have three seventy career 0:13:44.280 --> 0:13:47.559 NFL starts, both have said Steve Smith is the hardest 0:13:47.559 --> 0:13:50.760 receiver they've ever covered. Sound sets up a scenario here 0:13:50.760 --> 0:13:52.880 where that'll be a part of the storyline, especially if 0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:55.280 the Ravens are one of the better teams in the league, 0:13:55.280 --> 0:13:56.640 which a lot of people think they are. It's like 0:13:56.679 --> 0:13:59.040 win one for Steve put him in the hall. Well, 0:13:59.080 --> 0:14:01.520 why I mentioned it now, it's a weird it's a 0:14:01.520 --> 0:14:04.199 little weird timing. I don't know, get a little uh, 0:14:04.360 --> 0:14:07.520 you know, you get a little uh. Everybody loves a 0:14:07.520 --> 0:14:09.959 little adulation, and that's what he's gonna get all year, 0:14:10.000 --> 0:14:12.480 people saying that he's been great, And I don't think 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:15.160 there's anything wrong, but I think NFL players are creatures 0:14:15.200 --> 0:14:17.760 of routine, and I think you want to have that 0:14:17.880 --> 0:14:20.560 mindset going into a season like this is my last. 0:14:20.800 --> 0:14:22.840 We're gonna just miss like the sound bites. And I 0:14:22.880 --> 0:14:24.840 don't know if you've had any interaction with him, just 0:14:24.920 --> 0:14:27.880 that and what is the bananas or well, you know, 0:14:28.320 --> 0:14:29.640 I kind of thought that he was going to be 0:14:29.640 --> 0:14:32.560 a little intimidating because he's got that edge on the 0:14:32.600 --> 0:14:34.880 field that I sort of thought he was going to 0:14:35.000 --> 0:14:37.280 come in and be maybe a little bit difficult, and 0:14:37.320 --> 0:14:40.760 he was just as nice as could be. And um, 0:14:41.360 --> 0:14:43.560 I felt like I learned a lot about his personality 0:14:44.200 --> 0:14:46.160 when he came in. He came in to do Total 0:14:46.200 --> 0:14:47.880 Access a few years ago, and he was promoting a 0:14:47.960 --> 0:14:50.520 charity that he has and I'm going to I don't 0:14:50.520 --> 0:14:52.640 know the name of the charity, but it's essentially like 0:14:53.240 --> 0:14:55.640 he and people from his church go and wash the 0:14:55.680 --> 0:14:59.080 feet of homeless people and it's a humility exercise. And 0:14:59.120 --> 0:15:00.960 it's not the kind of thing you would associate with 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:03.720 Steve Smith if you've only watched him on the field 0:15:03.720 --> 0:15:07.040 and all the trash talking and stuff his person I 0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:09.640 was telling us where to go eat and like Compton 0:15:09.880 --> 0:15:12.920 or you know some of the local places that he 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:16.240 still comes back to in frequent remember interviewing him. Maybe 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:18.080 it was last year he when he came to the 0:15:18.560 --> 0:15:20.440 to the studio. In the middle of the interview, his 0:15:20.640 --> 0:15:23.320 whole family walks into the little office and his daughter 0:15:23.360 --> 0:15:25.320 sits on his lap and he like continues interview. So 0:15:25.320 --> 0:15:27.600 it's like, this is not the Steve Smith that keep 0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:30.160 to leave, deal with, dealt with during his career. I 0:15:30.200 --> 0:15:33.200 have an anecdote on this. I I wrote last year 0:15:33.200 --> 0:15:36.080 an article on him, and I summarized all the fights 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:38.440 he's been in where he's basically left the other guy 0:15:38.480 --> 0:15:42.080 in shambles. Three fights in his NFL career, and he 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:46.120 got ahold of Panthers pr and they called me and 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:47.840 told me to take it down. He didn't want that 0:15:47.920 --> 0:15:50.720 image of him out there. Interesting. He also released a 0:15:50.760 --> 0:15:53.080 tweet today. Sometimes it's better to walk away when you 0:15:53.120 --> 0:15:55.520 hear that voice talking to you than to wait and 0:15:55.560 --> 0:15:58.040 they push you out the door. Greg. We can we 0:15:58.080 --> 0:16:04.680 can distill that down to head the call by the 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:08.400 way West, any empty nest syndrome. Famously, Steve Smith has 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:11.160 the honeymoon suite in your stable of boys? Is this 0:16:11.240 --> 0:16:14.120 in Odell Beckham connection? Is he's going to move right 0:16:14.160 --> 0:16:16.120 in to Steve spot or do you retire this? I 0:16:16.160 --> 0:16:18.120 think you have to vacate that for a while. Yeah, 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:22.640 that makes sense, all right, Steve Smith? One year to go? 0:16:23.000 --> 0:16:26.880 All right? Moving on? Uh. Nick Foles has signed a 0:16:26.920 --> 0:16:31.440 contract extension with the St. Louis Ramsas is something that 0:16:31.560 --> 0:16:35.280 was reported by Ian earlier in the summer that something 0:16:35.480 --> 0:16:37.520 was cooking, and I think we all were a little 0:16:37.560 --> 0:16:40.360 surprised that it could be something that happens, but they 0:16:40.400 --> 0:16:42.840 struck a two year deal. Nick Foles now has some 0:16:42.880 --> 0:16:46.280 security in St. Louis to go with the starting job. Greg, 0:16:46.680 --> 0:16:49.600 were you surprised that this uh happened? I mean, because 0:16:49.640 --> 0:16:52.280 we haven't seen much since from Nick Foles since last 0:16:52.360 --> 0:16:54.440 year's injury. Well, on the face of it, it seems insane. 0:16:54.440 --> 0:16:57.080 Why would you be signing up for more years of 0:16:57.200 --> 0:17:00.760 Nick Foles with Frank Signetti who has never been the 0:17:00.800 --> 0:17:06.240 offensive coordinator in a shaky It just sounds bizarre. But 0:17:06.320 --> 0:17:08.800 then when when I haven't we haven't even seen all 0:17:08.800 --> 0:17:10.600 the details, and I think there's a reason for that. 0:17:11.160 --> 0:17:14.760 There's fourteen million dollars guaranteed, and I suspect almost all 0:17:14.800 --> 0:17:16.439 of that, if not all of it, will just be 0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:18.439 this year's salary. So if you're Nick Foles, you're at 0:17:18.480 --> 0:17:20.640 the last year of your rookie contract. He's gonna get 0:17:20.640 --> 0:17:23.080 paid like a starting quarterback, which he deserves to be, 0:17:23.320 --> 0:17:26.600 and I suspect there's almost no commitment after that. So 0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:28.720 if he plays well, the Rams have him for a 0:17:28.760 --> 0:17:31.520 couple more years at a pretty low rate. If he 0:17:31.560 --> 0:17:34.679 plays terribly, I I suspect they'll easily be able to 0:17:34.680 --> 0:17:36.960 cut him and he gets to be paid this year 0:17:37.080 --> 0:17:39.360 in in a fair manner instead of like a backup. 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:41.320 Do you want your starting quarterback going into the year 0:17:41.359 --> 0:17:44.480 without a deal past this year? I mean mentally, it's like, 0:17:45.240 --> 0:17:48.199 you're gonna tell everybody, everyone who will listen, that you 0:17:48.240 --> 0:17:50.240 believe in Nick Foles, that Nick Foles is the guy 0:17:50.240 --> 0:17:51.840 that can get it done this year. You want Nick 0:17:51.880 --> 0:17:54.760 Foles to believe that you believe that, and you're gonna 0:17:54.880 --> 0:17:57.320 let him go into the year with essentially a lame 0:17:57.400 --> 0:17:59.840 duck status. That's the way I look at this. I 0:17:59.840 --> 0:18:02.080 think think this is just kind of and it's two years. 0:18:02.119 --> 0:18:04.200 It's not like they extended him for four or five 0:18:04.280 --> 0:18:05.920 or something like that. They're just giving him a little 0:18:05.920 --> 0:18:08.000 bit of security thing, we believe in. You get it done, 0:18:08.040 --> 0:18:10.120 and then we'll we'll come back to the table, we'll 0:18:10.119 --> 0:18:11.960 discuss someone. I agree. I think it's going to be 0:18:12.040 --> 0:18:14.160 very team friendly. If anything. The only person who could 0:18:14.200 --> 0:18:16.399 come out bad in this is fold if he happened 0:18:16.400 --> 0:18:18.040 to have a Pro Bowl type of season, which would 0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:20.159 be bizarre. I think Lindsay made a good point. I 0:18:20.480 --> 0:18:24.320 think it's more important to identify the right quarterback than 0:18:24.359 --> 0:18:26.960 it is to get a mediocre guy under contract. But 0:18:27.000 --> 0:18:28.920 like you said, it's only two years, and like Greg said, 0:18:29.080 --> 0:18:30.639 it could only be one year. I mean, they can 0:18:30.640 --> 0:18:32.800 cut ties after this year if they want to. But 0:18:33.080 --> 0:18:36.199 I think I've read uh Don Banks from S I 0:18:36.280 --> 0:18:38.080 talked to Jeff Fisher, and what comes across is they 0:18:38.119 --> 0:18:41.920 really like fulls height. It's weird because after Sam Bradford 0:18:41.960 --> 0:18:44.359 got hurt, they just thought, all these backups we have 0:18:44.480 --> 0:18:47.239 can't see our wide receivers when they're open. They just 0:18:47.280 --> 0:18:50.560 wanted a tall guy. They do have a lot of 0:18:50.840 --> 0:18:53.960 smaller wide receivers. Yeah, that doesn't get me excited about 0:18:54.000 --> 0:18:57.760 the St. Louis offensive minds in in place right now 0:18:57.800 --> 0:19:00.760 that we just want reivers. Yeah, that's true that he 0:19:00.880 --> 0:19:03.119 was due one point five million in the final year 0:19:03.160 --> 0:19:05.879 of his deal. That's fourteen million and guaranteed coming his 0:19:05.920 --> 0:19:08.199 way twenty four and a half over two years. So 0:19:08.400 --> 0:19:10.320 pretty nice money for a guy that doesn't have much 0:19:10.359 --> 0:19:14.719 to show for in his career. So if it, if 0:19:14.760 --> 0:19:17.080 it helps him at all this season, it's an investment 0:19:17.160 --> 0:19:20.320 that is certainly worth taking or baking. If you're the St. 0:19:20.359 --> 0:19:22.240 Louis Rams. I mean, think of how much you're investing 0:19:22.440 --> 0:19:25.080 and better, I got the Rams going to the playoffs. 0:19:25.320 --> 0:19:29.359 Go Fols. That's weird alright, Moving on, so we have 0:19:29.600 --> 0:19:32.480 Vante David has a new deal as well. This comes 0:19:32.480 --> 0:19:36.200 a week after the Lions got DeAndre Levy under contract 0:19:36.200 --> 0:19:39.040 of the big note new deal, and now according to 0:19:39.280 --> 0:19:41.800 Ran Getlin, our new guy for NFL Media, the Bucks 0:19:41.800 --> 0:19:44.240 have agreed to terms with David on a five year 0:19:44.320 --> 0:19:48.200 deal worth fifty point million with twenty five and a 0:19:48.240 --> 0:19:51.919 half million guarantee. That money from rap sheet. Uh that 0:19:51.960 --> 0:19:55.440 includes some escalators as well. Uh. Lavante David now getting 0:19:55.440 --> 0:19:59.959 paid like a superstar. Uh. Linebacker and Chris Westling does 0:20:00.040 --> 0:20:03.600 he deserved that time type of money? Absolutely? He. Thomas 0:20:03.720 --> 0:20:06.320 Davis and DeAndre Levy are the are the trio of 0:20:06.440 --> 0:20:09.520