Around the NFC in 48 Minutes: Post-Draft Edition

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Around the NFL podcast. It is going around the
NFC forty eight minutes here we are should just have
Jason do the whole show with Timber episode. I love
that from the Chris Westley podcast studio. It's around the NFL.
I am Dan Hansis got heroes here, great girls of ball,

(00:24):
Mark Cecil wearing that black button up and joining us.
A very special guest.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
We love her. She's been on the show, but never
in person. Jordan Rodrigue of the Athletic.

Speaker 3 (00:38):
Guys are all taller in person, all to a man,
all of you.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
Jordan, what is happening? This is?

Speaker 2 (00:47):
This is very fun. And Jordan, we're gonna get to
a little bit later. Who covers the RAMS and the
NFL and kills it over on the Athletic You come
up a lot on the show, which is a credit
to your work. You just came out with Finding Rams,
which was a deep dive, two part breakdown on their
entire draft process, which is awesome. Uh, and now we're

(01:10):
going to talk about not just the RAMS, but all
the NFC.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
Are you prepared for this?

Speaker 3 (01:14):
I'm very nervous because this is literally life or death
because of the Dart situation. So I am prepared to
be punctured by a dart.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Well.

Speaker 4 (01:24):
Also just that Dan is a very exacting judge on guests,
and unfortunately, as a fan of the show, you.

Speaker 5 (01:31):
Do know that that we do have importance. And it's
not a demad standards it. It really come boils down
to how Dan feels like.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
You do you bring value to the show. We have
it the famous that no one's ever seen it. Like
we talked, we're going to talk about the RAMS database.
We have our hit it and quitit list, and you know,
could Jordan end up on it?

Speaker 1 (01:54):
We don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:55):
He's already been on the show at least like four
times in person.

Speaker 1 (01:57):
Okay, now I can change it. Yeah, the pressure is
off the charts right now.

Speaker 3 (02:01):
It's an incredible pressure. I am glad you did brief
me about this when I last saw you over at
the Orphanage. So thank you.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
It was great to see you. It was great to
see you.

Speaker 3 (02:10):
I had an amazing guy right in the community.

Speaker 5 (02:13):
Well, the first thing Dan would have mentioned it himself,
so it's it's important that you bring it up.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
I did. I ran into Dabo Sweeney at the Senior
Bowl and mobile like what said he said, hey, I
heard you know Dan hands a stack guy.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
You would know he personalized the football that Jordan saw.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
So it is great.

Speaker 2 (02:32):
Whenever I run into people at the orphanage that I'm building,
it's always great. And Greg joined us at the orphan
instead of getting mad about me getting these footballs for
my work.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yeah, join me.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Oh no, I I left some You know the thing
where you lift the wooden frame of the home right,
and everybody's got to work together. Yes, there's always one
spot that's empty. That's the Greg spot.

Speaker 5 (02:52):
I don't love like you out you leave a plate
out for Jesus or a dead.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
Right or the kid that's at the recital, and there's
the seat save for dad. And they look and you see,
like the light go out behind the ice. That's that's
us with the orphanage building in.

Speaker 3 (03:04):
Greg, Greg, it was in that empty spot at the
Orphanage that I carried you.

Speaker 4 (03:11):
Oh I don't I don't like The second thing Jordan
did after taking a beat and seeing the great picture
of Chris Westling the Chris Westling Podcast. After taking a beat,
the second thing Jordan did here was take a picture
of your football. But I do like you bringing it
up because now that we know it actually was meant
for Mark, that Mark did the you know, moderate amount

(03:34):
of help for the Clemson you know, capitalists of America
Society or whatever, and it just was a mistake, and
that they actually don't know the difference between the two
of you. It actually puts you and I.

Speaker 5 (03:43):
Feel like anytime that realization, that truth, that narrative bubbles up,
it's probably scrubbed from the show.

Speaker 1 (03:49):
I don't really listen to the show.

Speaker 4 (03:50):
It's a great ending to this.

Speaker 3 (03:52):
I've never heard this. I've listened to every episode.

Speaker 4 (03:55):
It just came out then.

Speaker 1 (03:58):
I don't know. It's a baseless theory, and it's not baseless.

Speaker 5 (04:02):
You literally met the he's the one who met in
our newsroom. But the way that we have our glass cubes,
some one of their PR people probably that's probably Dan
Hands because it's our names.

Speaker 1 (04:12):
But it looks like I said it.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
This says so much more about you, Mark than anyone
and Greg less you continually.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
I've never thought about this a second time.

Speaker 4 (04:22):
For a second.

Speaker 1 (04:23):
You haven't.

Speaker 4 (04:23):
It's a delicious answer to the The best part.

Speaker 1 (04:27):
Is that I wouldn't have even said a word about
it if that was true, which is an absurd theory
that you have. It is Bryan the.

Speaker 2 (04:33):
Idea that as soon as the football showed up, Mark's
brain started and I've been overlooked once more, that the
gears turning.

Speaker 1 (04:43):
More under your skin.

Speaker 5 (04:45):
It's delicious. I would say this like I got a spill.
Hang on, I'm so happy. I just simply like, yeah, students,
So that could just be unannoying to hang out with
most of the time.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
Can I get a quick something to wipe down my laptop?

Speaker 2 (05:03):
That would be excellent. All right, So we have a
lot of work to do and we're going around the
NFC in exactly forty eight minutes, and I think it's
it's very important, Jordan, you are aware of the dart situation.
We have Big Funk behind the glass that I filling
in for ETP, and that is that's important to know

(05:26):
because ETP is reckless with the Dart. But Big Funk
has always wanted an opera Thank you. Big Funk has
always wanted the opportunity to shoot people at the Dart
in the studio, So just don't go over the three minutes.

Speaker 5 (05:39):
He's more of a like an Oswald type, so you know,
high chaos potential.

Speaker 2 (05:44):
All right, let's get into it. We've divvied up the
teams and we're gonna go through it. And we're gonna
start with the NFC East. And why don't we start
with the Dallas Cowboys. Why don't I get it going
with the Dallas Cowboys. Okay, I hope my laptop is
a play Matt.

Speaker 1 (06:02):
There we go. Hang on, We're gonna get the laptop
wipe down a little bit more. All right, here we go.

Speaker 2 (06:10):
All right, The way the running back situation has been
has played out has been yeah, minor fiasco on some level.

Speaker 1 (06:15):
I mean, they just resigned Zeke Elliott. But I think it's.

Speaker 2 (06:18):
Important to also point out the sky is not falling
in Dallas.

Speaker 1 (06:23):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (06:23):
You know you you still have uh, you still have
Dak Prescott, you still have Cde Lamb. I assume se CEEDE.
Lamb's going to be in the building when it matters.
You have questions, sure, like is Jalen Tolbert going to
be able to fill that number three wide receiver spot
the offensive line? We know Zach Martin is probably going
to be the right guard, but where does everyone else

(06:44):
fall in this mix? The defense has has some issues,
but it's not overwhelming concerns. Brandon Aubrey's on this team,
best dan kicker in the league outside of Justin Tucker.

Speaker 3 (06:56):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (06:57):
We could sit here and say the same things about
Dallas eventually falling on their face in January, but I
just want to say, like, I expect them to be
playing in mid January once again, based on where this
roster stands.

Speaker 3 (07:08):
What do you think, Jordan, I'm really curious. I mean,
there was really strong team last year obviously, but then
sputtered out at the end. And I'm really curious about
the structures of the contracts. I know, Greg, you're in
the weeds on some of those things as well. It
seems like one year left for a lot of different people,
including some of the fifth year option stuff that they've
picked up. This is not reporting, this is not source,

(07:30):
But I do wonder if they're trying to play the
string out a little bit, including aligned with the head
coach the last year on his contract. See what happens
if they're in a good shape before the trade deadline,
take a really big swing to try to push or
understand that that's about that time that you start saying
you're goodbyes.

Speaker 4 (07:46):
Which is like not the way I would run things.
The sky isn't falling now, but it wouldn't surprise me
if it is falling around the trade deadline time. Like,
I've just been looking at this organization for a long
time wondering because they used to never be able to
handle success, and they have handled it under Mike McCarthy.
They've been consistent, but this time there's just a lot
of things pulling when especially when it's pulling at your quarterback,

(08:08):
and then I do think there's questions that can Mike
Zimmer fix what was a collapsing defense at the end
of the year. Their linebacker play is what really killed them,
and they don't seem any better at linebacker right now.

Speaker 5 (08:19):
They just feel to me a little bit more directionless
than in years past. And now all that's amped up
because it's the Cowboys, But if you look at their draft,
like in their top three picks, you got to tackle
a guard.

Speaker 1 (08:29):
I kind of like what they.

Speaker 5 (08:29):
Did on that side, on that side of the ball, because
that was necessary and not everything can be some sort
of fantasy based home run in the draft, but for me,
it starts just with like you have a quarterback that
you what are you doing with the contract there.

Speaker 1 (08:42):
I mean, I really agree with.

Speaker 4 (08:44):
That is Whatdy's zick back. That's gonna make them happy.

Speaker 5 (08:46):
But that's such a Jerry Jones thing from old I
don't like it feels like like a play that hits
kind of Jerry Jones move. But I'm with Jordan, like
this feels like there's a one year window here to
find out how much things could change.

Speaker 1 (08:56):
If they don't sign an extension.

Speaker 2 (08:59):
Dak will play the final year of his contract and
counts close to sixty million against the cap. So a
lot of stuff going on there, Mark Sessler, who's em
all right?

Speaker 5 (09:14):
Some say the ancient pyramids of Egypt were actually ornately
constructed energy centers offering a brand of cosmic power. People
are not saying this about the New York Giants. Since
selecting Daniel Jones in twenty nineteen, the g Men rank
thirty first in points per game, total yards per game,
and passing yards per game. That is why I love

(09:34):
the Molik neighbors pick. I think it's a total change agent.
No Giants players had eight hundred plus yards receiving in
over half a decade. I think Theo Johnson is an
interesting tight end prospect too, Tyler Nuban was PFS top
safety prospect. The pressure is real, though the Rams and
Seahawks went through what I'd call many rebuilds in the
course of a season. They're back on their toes, rendering

(09:55):
year three of Brian Dable. There's chatter that Drew Locke
could see tangible snaps. The owner has of sugar sugar
plumps and Bill Belichick dancing in his head. The Giants
were a white hot regression candidate a year ago, but
Malik Neighbors, Brian Burns, a healthy offensive line, a healthy
Danny Dimes. Are the g Men actually an inflation candidate
one year later? If that's even a thing. Weird team,

(10:16):
weird days.

Speaker 3 (10:17):
Malik Neighbors is the type of player twenty one in
his first training camp, by the way, twenty one years old.
He is the type of player that makes you look
less wrong about whatever quarterback and look.

Speaker 4 (10:29):
I like their idea that they were going to try
to trade up for Drake May but otherwise take the
best player on the board, which is Malik Neighbors. I
thought it was alt if he was there right, I
thought it was interesting. Our frenemy Daniel Jeremiah mentioned on
his something. I guess he has a program Moved the Sticks.

Speaker 1 (10:48):
That's a radio show.

Speaker 4 (10:49):
He kind of gave the game away that he says
Drew Lockey thinks has a good chance of winning the job,
and that the Giants were literally comparing Drew Locke and
Daniel Jones, but emphasis son Drew Lock to the quarterbacks
that were gonna come out, and essentially, you know, reading
between the lines saying like Drew Lock's just as good
as JJ McCarthy. Uh so why take a quarterback? And

(11:10):
it's something to think about. Dable got Coach of the
Year because of like a run first offense with a
quarterback that now has a neck injury, has had a
neck injury and has injury guarantees in twenty twenty five.
So it'd be very risky to play Daniel Jones a lot.

Speaker 2 (11:25):
And yet I think they will. I think the I
doubt I think he's gonna play. I think they're gonna
give him a shot. I think they unless they've totally
soured on him based on six games, seven games and
an injury. I think he's going to get a chance
to play this year and rectify or and make them
look smart after he's made them look so dumb the
last year.

Speaker 1 (11:44):
I guess what this is.

Speaker 5 (11:45):
Doesn't matter that the owner seems to like him, because
that's of course it got a position which.

Speaker 3 (11:51):
A lot and Brian Burns came on Thibodeau.

Speaker 4 (11:54):
Yeah, I like that, Dexter Lawrence. I mean, that's an
awesome front line. I think getting Martin Dale out of
there is probably like positive. We don't really know what
we're getting out of Shane Bowen, who's their coordinator. I'm
predictable apparently, because Jordan says she made ten pages of
notes for this nervous and one of them was Greg's
going to bring up Drew Locke.

Speaker 3 (12:12):
It is I have to hear in parentheses. Yeah, Greg
may bring up DJ's comment about your lock be ready.

Speaker 4 (12:18):
To me, that's like he had this info the whole time,
and then he waits till after the draft because.

Speaker 2 (12:22):
They a class successor. Rub Build was in there always trips.

Speaker 1 (12:29):
Well. I think it's you can compare these.

Speaker 2 (12:31):
I was dizzy for about a minute and a half
after he hit me. Rub Build all right up next,
Jordan on the.

Speaker 3 (12:38):
Iggles first, I have no additional Howie Roseman take the
range was pretty much already coming on the show. A
big fan of the show, have listened to every minute
of this show. I do love, specifically pairing Cooper de
Jean with Vic Pongio, and in fact wonder Ifangio has
an idea to make him the star, which is a
larger framed hybrid safety and corner who in this defense

(12:58):
does not have to abide by the coverage of the
rest of the group. The idea is to make him
an unavoidable player, especially pairing him with Quinyon Mitchell. It's
an offman zone scheme that can get real matchy and
Quinon Mitchell's ability on the outside can open up more
movement for Cooper Dejene and more like dictating the throw
to where they need it they needed amp up their secondary.
I think schematically this could get really funky and cool.

(13:21):
I love the legacy pick Jeremiah Trotter, great point, Mark
and I think they're and I think they're underrated. Pick
for twenty twenty five or maybe twenty twenty six as
the edge Jlyx Hunt. Also, I met Big Dom at
a leak function.

Speaker 4 (13:35):
Oh what's he like?

Speaker 3 (13:36):
Could not have been? Kinder?

Speaker 1 (13:37):
Okay?

Speaker 3 (13:37):
Really nice man?

Speaker 2 (13:39):
Does it seem like you seely the head coach and
the centering force of the sideline.

Speaker 3 (13:43):
We didn't really interact that long, but you know, I'll
dig deeper next time.

Speaker 4 (13:46):
That's a great idea about the Gene. I mean, Bondo
is a perfect guy to use him, and then pairing
him with CJ. Gardner Johnson, whos been successful there and
is so versa like, they have a lot of options.
I wonder if James Bradbury even makes this team there
they're suddenly deep in the secondary after that being a weakness.

Speaker 1 (14:02):
I love.

Speaker 5 (14:03):
I kind of love when teams do that, and I
think that's one of the reasons someone like Roseman's getting
the praise because they rebuilt that entire secondary. Darius slay
A Bradberry too, coming off like big names but not
coming off good seasons. They only one team in the
league allowed more passing yardage per game than the Eagles,
So I think the Queny and Mitchell thing was fortuitous
to have them land on their lap in Cooper de Gene,

(14:24):
like I had them going in the first round, so
to get him at forty, it's like good timing with
good picks. That's why they're getting the praise they're getting.

Speaker 1 (14:31):
I love that for the league.

Speaker 4 (14:34):
Yes, I wonder if they're just as good on defense, though,
as like Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter get better, that's
a position it takes a little while to get better.
Jordan Davis maybe didn't make the step they hoped last year.

Speaker 3 (14:44):
Well it'll it'll open up what you can do in
the secondary, in the back half. You know this when
it's functioning at its you know, at its truest form,
like this, defense is all about tendencies. I think the
combination of the quarters they brought in are tendency breaking
or tendency forcing or dictating to the offense players. And
when you have movement like that upfront or the potential

(15:04):
of that, I think that could be really cool.

Speaker 2 (15:07):
It was good to have because we're gonna have Jordan
also handled the falcons later.

Speaker 1 (15:13):
These are these are hot button topics.

Speaker 2 (15:15):
On the show, no opinion, So as a guiding force
of the group on the show, I think that that
that's a smart move. In fact, it could be Jordan
in the role of peacemaker, and I think that's very important.

Speaker 4 (15:27):
Or you settle the ties, you know, you decide who's
right who's wrong forever more.

Speaker 3 (15:32):
We'll see we'll see.

Speaker 4 (15:34):
The great Howie Roson debate of.

Speaker 1 (15:37):
Big Funk. Come on, big Funk. That peacemaker Eagles gotta
be ready.

Speaker 6 (15:45):
I know I tried finding it. I thought I had it,
and then I'm like, suddenly it's just gone.

Speaker 1 (15:49):
So yeah, time out, time out, all right?

Speaker 2 (15:53):
So listen, this Howie thing has turned into a national
focking point.

Speaker 1 (16:00):
Interesting. Some of the takes a little bit similar to
the ones you heard Saturday. I think you had a
point there, but.

Speaker 2 (16:06):
That's beside the point. I wanted to say. This is
not me looking to do some gotcha journalism. Jordan nailed it.
This is uh, let's just take a look by the numbers.
So I hit up NFL media research. I came up
with this how we do that? A closer look at
the draft prom king. Since Howie Roseman regained personnel authority
following Chip Kelly's firing twenty sixteen, he's had eight draft

(16:29):
classes total players selections, fifty seven first team All Pro,
zero Pro Bowl players, five players who started Super Bowl
fifty two or fifty seven, twelve draft picks who signed
second contract with the Eagles, and an underrated kind of
stat When you look at this draft stuff, eleven out
of forty five eligible for guys draft that is late
as twenty twenty one. What does that tell you? I

(16:52):
guess you need to see other teams. It seems pretty normal.
It seems I would guess, probably in line with an
average type of GM's track record.

Speaker 4 (17:01):
I think the second contracts would be higher. But you're right,
we kind of.

Speaker 5 (17:03):
Need I want to see I'd want to like line
up everyone else. But those numbers are surprising, uh, compared
to the amount of gushing and praise he seems to get.

Speaker 2 (17:14):
From I mean, in eight drafts, he hasn't nobody's been Uh.
So this doesn't include when he was put out in
the shed behind them after the shed. Once he won
the shed, he's taken out of the Pocono's and returned
to Also.

Speaker 5 (17:26):
I'd also say that a lot of the how he
praised is bubbled up in like the last couple of years.
It wasn't the minute he came out of the shed
that people also, you know, he had to rebuild things.

Speaker 4 (17:34):
That's a hye bar. First team All pros like Jalen
Hurts was a pick that people really were negative about.
Why why would you do that? I mean, he's an
All Pro. So that's one. I mean, I guess they're
not counting second teams, but they've had multiple I can
think of second team too, and they had a defensive
Rookie of the Year. The eleven contracts, I think is big.
It is a reminder though, to me, if you were

(17:55):
picking what's how he'd done best, it's probably been the
trade and free agency. If I had to rank, like
how he's acquired players the best, it's and more most
creatively has been trades.

Speaker 3 (18:07):
If the media was really so high on Howie Rosman's players,
wouldn't they be voting for more?

Speaker 1 (18:15):
Just asking questions, Well it is.

Speaker 2 (18:17):
I feel like it's this time of year where the
love affair peaks right and then people get to normal
business and it's become a very safe trope to praise.

Speaker 1 (18:25):
How they don't allow us.

Speaker 5 (18:26):
Into the Pro Football Writers Association of America and beyond,
we actually had the chief of that association.

Speaker 3 (18:33):
We can't vote, but yeah, we need more writing from
Mark right, that would help.

Speaker 1 (18:38):
I'm good for I'm good with my current status. Like
a J.

Speaker 4 (18:41):
Brown is an All Pro, but that's acquired through trade.
Jalen hurts right, Yeah, does Scotter's never.

Speaker 2 (18:48):
Made And you know, the point there is not that
how he has not done a good job. He's done
a very good job by all accounts. Uh, it's just you.

Speaker 3 (18:56):
Know, I love this draft though, I mean, I he
they really spammed a need with good players, the versatile
players that match what the coach probably wants, what the
scheme is, and that that consistency is kind of what
I'm looking at here with him is you know, sometimes
there's some some you know, high value picks, and sometimes

(19:17):
there's some some wins. But if you look at the
like the meat and potatoes of the drafts that he's doing,
it's like you can understand why he made every pick.
And I think that's part of it. It makes sense.
It makes sense whether you really know a lot about
football or whether you don't. You see, Okay, this was
a need, but also these are the top players on
their board and they fit the scheme.

Speaker 1 (19:36):
Woch cool.

Speaker 4 (19:36):
How he handled last season was a huge negative though,
Like you got Jalen Carter, but the way they attacked
that secondary and gave all that money to Bradbury that
was a terrible contract. And they've been on the forefront
of like linebackers don't matter until last year when like
they were thirtieth in the league in DVOA and I
think their linebacker position was the number one really.

Speaker 5 (19:55):
Greg, that was all after Big Dom was sentenced to
Abstenia back. He was in their draft room on draft days.
So it's like, you know, you can they're back at
their back in the year. Ship Roles just become the
head coach, Sirian.

Speaker 1 (20:09):
He is like assistant, he's not assistance.

Speaker 4 (20:11):
I think, so, like that's pretty high.

Speaker 1 (20:15):
Yeah, that's true.

Speaker 3 (20:17):
I just want to really quick. It reminds me a
lot kind of when the league catches you off guards
the linebacker point that you made, Greg, that happens to
teams who play that long into the postseason. I mean
we saw it in twenty twenty two. They were caught
by everything you could not see. You couldn't see it
through all the injuries, but their offense had gotten stale.
They lost an offensive coordinator, the players were injured like

(20:38):
all spring. You couldn't see it because of what happened
right out of the gate with the injury catastrophe along
their offensive line. But they weren't running you know, new stuff.
They were still very one dimensional. Their run game wasn't
what it is now. They got caught by the league
changing and they didn't have the time to regain their
own pace because they were operating, you know, the longest
season in NFL history At that time, the Eagles, you know,

(21:00):
did the same thing. It also makes what the Chiefs
do every year that much more massive.

Speaker 1 (21:04):
But you don't hear bred Veach getting any love at
this level.

Speaker 5 (21:10):
I know when those numbers, those Howie based numbers were
generated for you, I know you had a little grin
on your face.

Speaker 2 (21:18):
No, the numbers don't look bad for him. It just
kind of bears out that we already knew that he doesn't.
They're all not home runs in reality, but they look
awesome in April. All right, Let's move to the final
team in the NFC East, the Washington Commanders, with Gray.

Speaker 4 (21:35):
Going into his Week one start. I assume Jayden and
Daniels is the starter. His left tackle will be either
Cornelius Lucas or Brandon Coleman, a third round pick who
is probably a guard, and then his right tackle is
Andrew Wiley. Overall, this looks like a bottom five offensive line.
Is this offensive line in Cliff Kingsbury putting Jaden Daniels

(21:59):
in a situation too, because I look at it and
I saw a lot of like, oh, the Patriots, that's
the worst situation at bottom five offensive line, Cliff Kingsbury
and a skilled position group that's Terry Mlorin and just
like a lot of questions like is Jaye and Daniels
set up?

Speaker 5 (22:17):
Well, well, there's not a lot of proof that the
offensive line is a big positive and Cliff Kingsbury, for me,
is the biggest question mark of new coordinator position in
the entire league. Pat matched with a when he had
Kyler it was like, there's a very specific scheme here.

Speaker 1 (22:32):
The quarterback matches it.

Speaker 5 (22:34):
And it's not that Daniels doesn't, but like, is Kingsbury
rolling that back out as he changed, as he gone
through any sort of personal growth, and now he's going
to attack teams because what he does he.

Speaker 4 (22:43):
Have the players? I mean, I don't know if he has.

Speaker 5 (22:45):
It's not a great situation, but that's why bad teams
get these quarterbacks how often.

Speaker 3 (22:49):
Yeah, it's it's going to be interesting. I mean, it's
a great point on the on the offensive line. Bang,
I guess is why I say here, Yeah, and so
I'm so nervous. I'm sorry, but I do think you
make a great point. Like everybody talks about how slight
a frame Jaden Daniels is, and you know, you grow

(23:11):
into that obviously, and you know, the medical assessments that
teams do prior to the draft tells you how much
more mass a person can put on their frame, and
so they will have some sort of guideline for that.
They'll know. But you also have to protect him, and
I think that's that's key and critical. Obviously. You don't
want a guy coming in and you know he gets

(23:32):
beat to hell and and he's scared. You know, he's
kind of seeing.

Speaker 2 (23:35):
Ghosts a little bit like that every every year, and
you saw it with the first pick last year. There's
guys that and basically every Jets quarterback that's coming too
the league in my lifetime, it seems they get stuck
with that type of team.

Speaker 1 (23:46):
It happens every year.

Speaker 2 (23:47):
You hope it's not going to be Jayden Daniels this year,
but maybe this is a dawn of a new Aaron Washington.

Speaker 1 (23:51):
While it's not going to be built overnight.

Speaker 2 (23:54):
They'll protect him enough, like the Austin Eckler move for instance,
Like I think the general consensus around Eckler now is
he lost two three steps near the end with the Chargers.

Speaker 1 (24:03):
But he also is like.

Speaker 2 (24:04):
A potential really good weapon for a young quarterback, a
guy that can has a nose for the end zone
that could catch the ball out of the backfield. You
have Brian Robinson with them, so maybe their running game
can help stabilize things while Daniels gets his feet wet.

Speaker 1 (24:18):
But you gotta protect them.

Speaker 5 (24:19):
Or that's what the Sam Howell thing like through me
as a not great move because you're you're like a
snap away from Marcus Mariota being your starter.

Speaker 4 (24:28):
It's just a lot to ask him. He's explosive. Are
any players other than mcluurin around him explosive?

Speaker 2 (24:37):
Take a break and when we return the NFC North
All right, welcome back around the NFC in forty eight minutes.
You are a fan of the show, Jordan, You're doing great.

Speaker 3 (24:59):
I just I just mouthed to Greg, do I do this?

Speaker 1 (25:03):
I would like you to so.

Speaker 3 (25:04):
I think I can actually.

Speaker 1 (25:06):
I understand the anxiety around this.

Speaker 3 (25:08):
I practiced this in my car.

Speaker 1 (25:09):
You already don't build more anxiety. Mark let let her.

Speaker 3 (25:13):
Nobody look at me right, look back.

Speaker 1 (25:22):
That's great, done, that was excellent.

Speaker 2 (25:25):
That might be the best one. There you go, big Funk.
We just went through the entire first quarter of this exercise.
The dart didn't come out once. I don't know, uh,
if you're feeling any sense of tensions.

Speaker 4 (25:40):
We were good, good men and women here guys.

Speaker 1 (25:42):
You guys are pros. There was a moment, wait, can
I please have the big Funk theme? Please? Before we
go any further said the big Funk? Are you ready
for the big Funk theme? When it's big Funk time?
You spilled water on your laptop?

Speaker 2 (25:57):
That never happened, big phonem.

Speaker 1 (26:08):
Ajp ass than.

Speaker 4 (26:14):
Bunk.

Speaker 2 (26:15):
So yeah, don't be afraid to dart, including the guests.

Speaker 1 (26:19):
But I think we were.

Speaker 4 (26:20):
Putting the host.

Speaker 1 (26:21):
I thought we were well behaved though. Yeah, I thought
we were. Yeah, you guys did a great job.

Speaker 6 (26:26):
There was a moment during the time out where I
thought about hitting you guys with it. Yeah, I don't
know the the attique time out wise.

Speaker 1 (26:33):
Yeah, he's a bit of a one man band. He's
trying to he's happening, having to do a lot back there,
so he's doing great.

Speaker 2 (26:37):
He's got the the symbols are on the knees, he's
got the accordion, he's got.

Speaker 1 (26:42):
The horn juggling, juggling.

Speaker 2 (26:45):
All right, let's get back into it, uh with the
NFC North Market.

Speaker 5 (26:49):
It's going with the bears, all right, quick little story
to get into this one. The first magazine article I
ever published on the subject of astral projection for a
publication called Fate Magazine. And I'm keeping this quid, but
I wrote about an experience I had during a long
water fast when I was living at that camp Happiness
place in the winter. Okay, I began having these intense
elusive dreams.

Speaker 1 (27:09):
Where I would load out of my body.

Speaker 5 (27:11):
I can see, I can see myself a seat in
my actual bedroom, and I was kept floating like down
the hallway. I went into different rooms, and I went
into this one room in my dream, floating above near
the ceiling, where I saw like a bookshelf tipped over.
And then when I went into this room, my friend's room,
after I woke, the bookshelf was actually tipped over. So
I described this experience, but I will say that when

(27:32):
I woke, I felt that these dreams brought incredible peace
and a feeling of complete newness and intense calm, like
everything was new upon awakening, everything and anything felt possible.
And that is how I imagine it feels to be
a Bears fan right now after so many days of darkness,
because no team in the NFC has changed more in
a calendar year. And I ask you, what is the

(27:54):
bar for a successful season? What should we reasonably expect
from this very different way Bears team.

Speaker 2 (28:00):
I'm sorry, I know we're supposed to now get to
the Bears. But when you set it up that way,
you were a camp happiness in the summer, I mean
in the winter.

Speaker 1 (28:07):
Oh yeah, was this like a delinquent boys home? No,
like there was thought. It was just like a place
you went for six weeks.

Speaker 5 (28:12):
You would do a small amount of work with school
groups that would come in on like Monday and Tuesday.
But other than that, you you know, free food, your
own room.

Speaker 1 (28:21):
Respond what unbelievable? It was wonderful.

Speaker 4 (28:24):
Yeah, it's a great question about the Bears, because.

Speaker 1 (28:29):
Sorry, Bears fans, you got one twenty two.

Speaker 4 (28:31):
Maybe maybe you get a time out here, because to me,
the answer is just Caleb Williams is great, and I
don't care anything else that happens, like that they provide
enough support offensively and that maybe he wins Offensive Rookie
of the Year and that he's the guy. And you
come out of the season just feeling like we we
got a quarterback because I think beyond that it's a
really good division. I don't put them ahead of the

(28:51):
Packers or the Lions. Do I complete? You said everything's new?
I mean Matt Eberflus isn't new. What do I he
looks new? Do I looks he looks up fresh?

Speaker 1 (28:59):
He's do?

Speaker 4 (29:00):
I fully think that, like their defense is gonna stay
at that high of a level. They don't really have
much of a pass rush. Ownership has been an issue
over the years. Like as long as Caleb Williams is
Caleb Williams, then it's a success, even if they win
seven or eight games. That's how I feel the ola
loose spruce ooh yeah, I love that.

Speaker 1 (29:15):
I don't the.

Speaker 3 (29:16):
Project we're gonna talk about later. You know, you got
to be in a lot of rooms and listen to
a lot of things and hear about just like league
wide chatter, not team specific. I did not hear people
gush as much as they did about Roma Dunze that,
I mean it blew me away. I mean I love
him as a prospect. I knew he was gonna be
a great player. I love his film. But the way

(29:38):
that people raved about him as like this is the
guy to pair with that dude, you know, and I
just think that that's gonna be really fun.

Speaker 1 (29:51):
Dock me right in the face.

Speaker 2 (29:54):
The Bears on paper are a great looking offense all
of a sudden, so much as contingent. Is Caleb as
good as people think he could be. But if he is,
this division is fun.

Speaker 5 (30:06):
I got the AFC North where any team can make
the playoffs, and I could sing any one of these
teams in the NFC North can make the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (30:13):
Absolutely. I think you get dart Mark there too. Why
why in that situation right in the eye? Gotcha in
the eye? Patch for life?

Speaker 4 (30:22):
All right?

Speaker 2 (30:23):
Up next Jordan defending Division champion Lions.

Speaker 3 (30:27):
There's really no other way to put it at this point.
The Lions know what they are about under Brad Holmes.
This is a team that is gonna flat out pick
players they like or are best available on their board,
regardless of perceived positional value or consensus charting I also
saw some commentary about the trades up. I get that,
but I want to reiterate that Holmes came up through
Less Snead and the Rams. When Sneid felt the roster

(30:48):
was ready to break through up to the next tier,
he started swinging hard regardless of the cost. And what
some don't realize is that to NFL teams, it's not
just playoff team or not playoff team. Once you become
a playoff team, there are actual tiers to the dance,
like breaking glass into legitimate Super Bowl contention. I get
the concern, and they have to be the right players,

(31:08):
but at least the Lions have told us who they
think they are. They want to win, they think they
can now, and the cost doesn't matter. Wondering about the
quarterback extension, I'm really curious to see what the framework
of a possible Jared Goff extension might be. And good
for him, by the way, absolutely, and you said it.

Speaker 2 (31:26):
I believe around Philadelphia spamming an area need. Their cornerbacks
are an issue for them last year, and they go
and they draft two quarterbacks cornerbacks at the top of
this draft. So if that defense takes a step and
the offense kind of remains where it is. Yeah, they
were final four team last year.

Speaker 4 (31:43):
They had a seventeen point lead in the NFC Championship game.

Speaker 5 (31:45):
Yeah, I think this is like, unlike some of these
other teams that spam a position, this was kind of
like their last overt position of need and they and
it happened perfectly for them, And like Terry and Arnold,
to go to them is a total coup. I would
just one question about Brad Holmes, like, because it's hard
to get to know these gms from a distance, Like
what kind of words would you use to characterize them?

(32:06):
Because I think he's been one of the quickest team
builders around.

Speaker 3 (32:08):
I think he's brilliant a lot of the stuff that
the Rams would get sort of external praise for when
they were identifying middle and late round players, Like Brad
was one of the people who helped set and identify
that framework and who really pushed for that type of
thinking along with Less and some of the other people
in that building. So this doesn't surprise me at all
to see him killing it.

Speaker 4 (32:28):
But it like the Rams, he's not afraid to do
things differently. I mean they're feeling themselves. They traded a
future third for a kid from Canada, and then they
drafted a safety who had twenty eight snaps at running
back to play running back. So it's like they're feeling themselves.
I would push back slightly that they don't have any needs.

(32:48):
I don't think. First of all, they could use another
receiver for sure, and then they absolutely need another pass
rusher like Aiden Hutchinson needs help. Maybe it's James Houston.
They put a lot of resources there. To me, they're thin.
There were reports they actually were kind of trade up
for Darius Robinson until Terry and Arnold the cornerback fell,
and so that shows that they had an internal kind
of thought too. We maybe need a little more beef up.

Speaker 5 (33:10):
They just don't have like, oh my god, this is right,
costs nothing, crazy, pretty solid all over the place.

Speaker 1 (33:14):
I agree.

Speaker 2 (33:15):
The Detroit fanbez love Love Love affair for Jared Goff
is so sweet, just chanting his name throughout the draft,
just independent of anything.

Speaker 1 (33:24):
It's just like, I.

Speaker 5 (33:27):
Mean, they had a few beers in them, I'm sure,
but that's it was. I knew it was coming, so
I stopped talking. Also, many of them were completely sober.
I would imagine there were there was just love that
this underdog quarter as much as an underdog could be.
A former first round, first overall pick, Jared Goff is
really a guy that they've gotten behind, is an overlooked

(33:49):
entity that rows up. I'm not suggesting you need drunk
to like Jared Goff. I think he's earned the many ways.

Speaker 2 (33:55):
That's important to clarify. Raggy on the rise in Green
Bay Packers.

Speaker 4 (34:00):
Yeah, I think Jordan Love's going to get a new
contract this offseason. I think Jared Goff, as we just mentioned,
will as well, and those come later in the offseason.
We talked about how the first three picks the Packers
took in this draft I think are going to be
able to play right away. They're still a little short
at cornerback. I think they could be a Stefan Gilmour team.
They would make some sense to me. But I'm looking
at their receiver group and I'm just curious, how do

(34:20):
you guys think they're gonna shake out? You got Romeo Dobbs,
Christian Watson, Jayden Reid. I feel like we kind of
know who Jaden Reid is and Doantavian Wick's Like I'm
fascinated to just see how these four line up, because
to me, they all have potential to be like twelve
hundred yard receivers, and yet it's a good problem to have.
I don't know how they're going to line up one
to four.

Speaker 3 (34:39):
To that point, I almost wonder if we see Matt
Lafleur do more with the tight ends this year. It
seemed like that was something when they drafted last year,
seemed like something that they might trend to. And then
mid season you saw them doing a lot of this
similar stuff as Sean McVay with some of that you know,
escort motion, the sifts and the run game, those types
of things as well as you know, getting those tight

(34:59):
ends going. So I think that maybe we could see
that too. And yeah, it's it's crowded, but I mean
Jordan Love can throw it all around the yard.

Speaker 4 (35:07):
So right, That's why it's like the Bears optimism is great.
It's like you look at the Packers and the lines,
those teams seem further along.

Speaker 5 (35:12):
They all grew up so quickly, and it's I guess,
you know, when it comes to the wide receivers, and
like in today's league, if you're a team without that
clear dominant number one alpha guy, like you can kind
of use him in a lot of different ways, and
I think some there was some unexpected growth and regression
by some of them last year too, So it's like
get him on the field and see what happens and
let like the hot horse run it.

Speaker 1 (35:32):
The hot horse.

Speaker 2 (35:33):
The Christian Watson side of this is kind of interesting
because they did. Everybody developed very quickly, as did the quarterback,
and Watson, who was the apparent breakout star in the
final Rogers season, was not really the guy that we
were talking about by the end.

Speaker 1 (35:47):
That's who I was, like, we're sort of pointing to
the right, so.

Speaker 4 (35:50):
Like wide receiver four at this point, I would say.

Speaker 2 (35:52):
And that's interesting, Like where does he fit in because
he's had issues staying healthy. Did you know that he
has worked with a quote spec show lab who addresses
hamstring issues.

Speaker 1 (36:03):
What kind of lab?

Speaker 3 (36:04):
A special hamstring lab?

Speaker 1 (36:06):
Yeah, hamstring lab.

Speaker 2 (36:07):
Okay, So keep an eye on on Watson and where
he fits in on this because he was super dynamic
at the end of twenty two and now maybe he's
healthy in twenty four.

Speaker 1 (36:18):
Those labs are often like in Sweden, by the way,
isn't it weird? That's always the way to get on
the plane.

Speaker 3 (36:25):
Fun fact at tip to our friend Justice over at
ACME Packing Company, the Packers have added thirty five players
in the last three drafts, most of any team since
twenty twenty two, thirteen first to third rounders and twenty
two in the other rounds. Basically, that's called dart throwing,
no pun intended for the Nature program.

Speaker 1 (36:43):
The dart fires.

Speaker 3 (36:44):
It's volume. It's volume drafting those a couple of those
guys are bound to work out out when you have
the ability to draft with that kind of a volume.
You can only draft with that kind of a volume
if you already have your QB and they have their QB.

Speaker 2 (37:01):
Unbelievably done first time in studio, doing around the NFC,
sticking the landing there.

Speaker 3 (37:07):
Like I'm gonna burst into tears at any minute.

Speaker 1 (37:10):
All right, let's move. Let's move to the Minnesota Vikings.

Speaker 2 (37:13):
Okay, I mean, if you're nervous, I'd like to see
what you're like when you're cool. Colmon, collected, you're killing it, Jordan,
give me a new clock. Give me that new clock anyway.
The Vikings deserve it.

Speaker 1 (37:26):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (37:28):
Two fun plots to track around the two time around
team of around the NFL. Okay, will Sam Darnold be
able to hold off JJ McCarthy in a summer camp competition?
Will McCarthy ever even get a true opportunity to be
the Week one starter? We know he's gonna play, but
how does this summer breakdown? And then there's the defense,

(37:49):
which was, you know, an absolute sieve in twenty twenty
two despite their great record, they improved to a middle
of the pack unit statistically under Brian Flores, and now
talent continues to flow in on that side of the ball,
and it makes a possibility that this team defense could
all of a sudden become team strength. And it's also
a reminder scheme change, coordinator change, and a few players

(38:10):
how quickly you could turn around a unit in this league.
So my general takeaway here, the Vikings are not going
to be many people's darling pick to get back to
the playoffs, especially in this division, which we've just broken
down is very competitive, But disregard them at your own peril.

Speaker 1 (38:27):
And yes, if Samwich.

Speaker 4 (38:30):
I think Sam has a little chance.

Speaker 2 (38:32):
I was surprised reading up on them ahead of this
today that I kind of assume once they took McCarthy there,
and he's a veteran guy. I mean, he you know,
played a lot in college and was a quote unquote winner.
Felt like a Week one guy. But they not necessarily
is that their path here.

Speaker 3 (38:47):
To pivot a little. I do get trading up for
Dallas Turner, great player, even though they you know, they
have defensive players. Even though the moves they made in
free agency. I do remember Van Ginkle had hurt foot
into the spring, so maybe you're kind of just making
sure you're shoring up that position just in case. And

(39:07):
you know, I think my colleague Alex Lewis at the
Athletic pointed out a little bit worried about their interior
offensive line. We're talking about another slider framed guy, Tyler Williams,
who runs their sports science department over there in Minnesota.
He will have had the DEXA scan will have He
will know like what he still needs to add and how,
and also importantly like how long it's gonna take, in

(39:28):
particular with what they're dealing with on the offensive line.

Speaker 5 (39:30):
I mean, I think the thing that could get McCarthy
in there, if not just by week one, I just
assume week one at this point. But that's fine, but
you've got Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison Hawkinson, Aaron Jones, and
you're you're right. Like their interior line, you know, per
PFF is a bit of a trouble, but this is
a good starting place for any rookie compared to some
places you could go.

Speaker 4 (39:50):
I'm it is outstanding, especially with the coaching, and I'm
really encouraged they invested so much in the defense because
I'd be worried that Floris's defense will come back to
the like you see that big one year bumped. When
you change schemes sometimes and you're doing something creative, can
you keep that going into year two? It usually doesn't
happen the way. That's why I'm a little worried about
Schwartz and the Browns too. It's just like when you

(40:11):
pop up that high and you're creative. Like but they
added Town, they added Grenard, they added Blake Cashman, they
added Van Gyinkle, they added Dallas Turner.

Speaker 5 (40:17):
You had that much talent, they should be better. They
have a lot for Dallas Turner, but they've got to
love them, I believe to that point.

Speaker 2 (40:22):
I think they only have three picks right now in
the twenty twenty five NFL Draft.

Speaker 5 (40:25):
But they didn't have to trade up a bundle to
get McCarthy at all.

Speaker 1 (40:28):
Net Holmes, he wasn't at a bounce mark. You just
shot him a glare, but he has.

Speaker 5 (40:35):
To I'm not glaring at him, but I feel like
I've been better behaved on this like quasi fugeese dart
situation than most during these.

Speaker 1 (40:43):
Quasi dart situation.

Speaker 5 (40:46):
Hey, I just has been a problem for me, and
I acknowledge that, so I'm gonna try to work on it.
The second half of the show, I think where when
you wear the black button up, you're kind of like
that bad boy Sessler comes out the Bad Angels, and
that doesn't take long. That doesn't take too much effort
for that my favorite. All right, let's take a break
and come back with the NFC South. All right, we're back,

(41:10):
Let's keep moving. We got Jordan Rodrigue here. She's killing it.

Speaker 2 (41:13):
She keeps saying she's nervous, but she's not performing as
if she's nervous.

Speaker 1 (41:17):
You wouldn't know. And she keeps reminding us that it's happening.

Speaker 2 (41:20):
Right, I would say, I would say unsolicited advice. You
don't have to keep saying your nerves.

Speaker 3 (41:26):
Just feel like you guys can.

Speaker 2 (41:28):
No, You're good, You're good, You're doing great. We're having
a great time with you. I feel like the show
has been very informative, and dare I say entertaining.

Speaker 1 (41:37):
That's what we're going for.

Speaker 2 (41:39):
Entertainment, informative, then diagram and then it's just a big
Jordan's head right in the middle. You're killing it. So
let's move forward now with utter and complete confidence.

Speaker 1 (41:48):
How about that?

Speaker 3 (41:50):
Okay, that was.

Speaker 1 (41:52):
The pep talk. Let's go into the NFC South with
the Falcons.

Speaker 3 (41:56):
I don't have much to add to the Fenix Cousins
dialogue that hasn't already been covered off this show and beyond,
but I do have one extra thought. After once watching
the Rams trade away their former quarterback, a number one
overall pick who they signed to a massive extension they
had not started paying yet that turned into a huge
amount of dead money, it's clear to me many teams
are starting to fear less and less the financial capital public,

(42:18):
questioning consequences of their own actions as long as they
ultimately get the quarterback right, and that's the big As
long as too has to still be the right guy
I'm a Michael PENNOCKX fan. I think he rules. I'm
less worried about the age and injury stuff than other
people might be. I also understand why they had went
and got cousins when they did, and why they did.
Just the decisions in sequence and not each in a

(42:40):
vacuum is what is breaking our brains, and rightfully so.
At the end of the day, someone just needs to
get the freaking ball to Kyle Pitts elsewhere in their draft.
I loved the Brandon Dorles pickup. He's super underrated in
my opinion. I heard he was popular on a lot
of teams draft boards. He can rush the heck out
of the quarterback. He's versatile. If Jimmy Lake is moving
to a three to four, it looks like the falcon
are seeking out bigger edges, dynamic three techs who could

(43:02):
possibly do some four four I stuff concerned about corner depth.
There are a couple older free agents out there, including
Akello Witherspoon, who has a connection with Raheem Morris and
Lake the like.

Speaker 5 (43:13):
There's all everything's been said about the cousins part of it.
The only thing that it's because I was supported it
when it happened, and I think, Greg, you like just
go get all the quarterbacks you need, and this is
the league today. The way it happened in the order
is you know, eyebrow raising. But there is like there
is a suggestion out there that Cousins is a little
bit more sensitive than other types of quarterbacks. And if

(43:34):
there's a reason you can't operate in the you know,
in training camp or the preseason. I think the type
of quarterback that Penix is with like these laser arm,
like the strongest arm around, like that just gets into
the mind of everyone and maybe that's there the mind
of Kirk Cousins and the fan base because it's son.
You've got this like Titanic like potential behind Kirk Cousins.
That to me is a little unsettling from a team angle.

Speaker 4 (43:55):
The human part of it is the most concerned. I
don't think you can spend too many resources and quarter
but it is concerning, especially with the guy that we
all remember, like everyone has this image of like it
was MVP candidate Kirk because like, dude, I've seen that
Kirk Cousins a ton of times over the last twelve years.
And what usually happens is like a five game slump,
Like he's not always that guy. He's also coming off

(44:15):
an achilles. So it does add a lot of drama
to the mix, especially because I don't think the defense
will necessarily support them. They need their offense to be
good talent wise, it's it's not a good defense, huh.

Speaker 2 (44:26):
And that's and that's why part of the process that
felt flawed to me and many others out there is like,
then use a top ten pick on a defensive player,
or trade down and take two defensive players. It would
have made so much more. They just to me, would
it boils down to this if you would have gotten
a lower tiered quarterback like a hold the Ford guy,
and then gotten Panix, everything makes sense, Like everything checks out.

(44:48):
It's that investment cousins that will always irk.

Speaker 1 (44:53):
Me and many others.

Speaker 2 (44:56):
I mean, we could to o it if we want,
if we want to continue to talk about it, but.

Speaker 1 (45:00):
I think we have we will yeah shah we shah.
All right, here we go.

Speaker 4 (45:07):
Greg on the Panthers, like the concept of Jonathan Brooks
behind this media offensive line that they've invested in. I
like that they kept the Giro. Everro who you're familiar with,
you know intimately there Jordan just in terms of he
was there with the Rams, But like, I don't love
that they have less talent on their defense. You know,
they did trade away Brian Burns. Lagette seems like a

(45:30):
boomer bust pick. I want to have optimism, but I'm
not feeling it, Like do we does anyone else have
any optimism here?

Speaker 5 (45:39):
I think Dave Kanalis is the reason for optimism, based
on his solely on his work with quarterbacks that were,
you know, on the edge of non existence before he
took over. I thought though the Robert Hunt signing was
really important and good along the offensive line. Yeah, we
don't know about Lagett, and but I think Jonathan Brooks
it's like, if anything, it happened almost a year or
too late in an exposed Bryce Young a year ago,

(45:59):
and we don't really have a full read on what
he is at this point.

Speaker 1 (46:02):
I'm a little concerned.

Speaker 5 (46:02):
But yes, it was the off season to throw resources
at your quarterback and get a quarterback coach that can
come in and help them.

Speaker 3 (46:09):
If Legette was going into a Frank Reich offense, I
wouldn't have liked the pick. I like the pick because
I think that they'll do more. They're going to do
more emotions, misdirection shifts, you know, stuff that makes sense.
And I think that one of the quotes from the
post draft press conference captured by the Great Panthers beat
writer Joe Person. Yes that is his real name, legend. Yeah,

(46:33):
just for the audience, Like Joe Person, You're like, okay,
I see in the Missing Person's program.

Speaker 5 (46:37):
That's like back when like like uh, when they you
get your last name based on like if you were
a carpenter.

Speaker 1 (46:42):
This like it's just this Joe Person and Island. It's like,
I don't know he.

Speaker 3 (46:48):
Is indeed a person. That's what he wants you to believe.
So this, this quote really stood out to me. You
can give them the ball in different ways including carries.
Please God, let us see more motions, misdirection sweeps, quick game,
lots of different layers, three tiers in your route concepts
and let's see. Uh this guy turned into the do

(47:09):
it all Deebo Samuel and he seems like you're great dude.

Speaker 1 (47:13):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (47:13):
And and I guess the optimism Greg is it can't
be worse than last year. And you dedicated in free agency.
You spent money to help the protection side of things.
Three or first four picks are offensive players. Hopefully the scheme,
as we're saying, is more imagined Toante Johnson and you
just you and you figure some things out. And people
that are really draft heads are saying, this kid Bryce Young,

(47:35):
do not count him out. He got screwed in so
many ways. He would drop back. His receivers are getting
no separation, he's not getting protected. Nobody would have had
a chance. So maybe this year, maybe this year, we
will be better than yours.

Speaker 4 (47:51):
He reminds me so much of Alex Smith in terms
of playing style. In terms of the catastrophic rookie year,
Alex Smith had the worst rookie year of any top
shelf quarterback I've ever seen. They brought a North Turner
his second year and suddenly he was league average.

Speaker 1 (48:06):
I think that's the path team around the NFL.

Speaker 4 (48:14):
Our original teamer around the NFL. The Carolina Panthers.

Speaker 1 (48:18):
Interesting, Okay, the Saints.

Speaker 2 (48:21):
The Saints have a lot of work to do to
get this roster back to true Super Bowl contention, and
the draft wasn't ideal toward that goal, With only two
selections out of the first one forty nine on the board. Still,
they added a blue chip, prospected offensive line potential Marshall
Lattimore successor and teammate at corner.

Speaker 1 (48:40):
That made sense.

Speaker 2 (48:42):
Keep an eye on the QB position this fall because
New Orleans drafted Spencer Rattler with one hundred and fiftieth pick.
He's a guy that's got, you know, some tools, and
people kind of into him in terms of that type
of mid round QB. Given Derek Carr and everything around
Derek Carr, You're gonna imagine if this team is middle
of the road or worse like last year, it's gonna

(49:04):
get really loud, really quickly around a quarterback change.

Speaker 3 (49:08):
Ted Wynn did an article on a bunch of people
talking about quarterback mechanics, and people were raving. Coaches were
raving about Spencer Rattler's mechanics. So might be kind of
a sneaky good I'll defer to groa things because I
know you're a fan, but.

Speaker 4 (49:23):
I'm not a fan.

Speaker 3 (49:25):
I do follow him, yeah, but I think he's maybe
maybe a sneaky maybe a sneaky good pick there.

Speaker 4 (49:30):
He reminds me of a little Sam Howell in terms of
a guy that you thought might be a first round
pick at some point and probably even more talented as
a thrower and could develop. So that was a good
dart throat. I do think the new Derek Carr contract
really slipped under the radar this year as they continued
to kick the can down the corner, down the road
or whatever. In terms of trying to save salary cap space.

(49:50):
They've had like the normal off season everyone wanted. Finally
they did stay quiet. It's a pretty normal draft, but
they did kick more future money into Derek Carr's contract
into twenty five, so it'll be more painful if they
do want to get rid of him. It feels like
he's going to be there the next two years.

Speaker 1 (50:07):
They I mean part of it.

Speaker 5 (50:08):
I kind of like their draft up top, except that
you were forced to take a tackle and they'd taking
an offensive or defensive lineman in the first round of
nine of the last ten drafts.

Speaker 1 (50:17):
So they've got a type, they've got a thing they
like to do.

Speaker 5 (50:20):
But you had to do that because of Ryan rams
Check and you had to go get Kuoloid McKinstry. Because
I'm not assuming this, but I think the Marshawn Lattimore
is sort of the last piece of drama surrounding the
NFC South.

Speaker 4 (50:31):
I'm glad you mentioned that their top four cornerbacks are
Pulse in a Day, a debo, kool Aid, mckinnistry, Marshaun
Lattimore is obviously number one, and Alontae Taylor. That is
a loaded cornerback room. It's kind of awesome, but you're right.
It makes you wonder if someone gets dealt in training camps,
and it might not be Latimore. It could be like
a debo who's in a contract ere It could be
Alontae Taylor who has been a little up and down,
but people would be into those cornerbacks.

Speaker 3 (50:52):
I like the McKinstry pick. Yeah, I think he's I
mean that dude's a badass. I think that's a great pick.

Speaker 1 (50:58):
Got him at forty one.

Speaker 4 (50:59):
Lannis Allen knows how to they know, they've known an
Mickey Loomis has known how to pick corners.

Speaker 2 (51:04):
There was, by the way, talk around Rattler and why
did he fall to the fifth round?

Speaker 1 (51:08):
And one of them was that he appeared on.

Speaker 2 (51:10):
A reality TV show in high school in which he
came off extremely PA watched I must dig it up.

Speaker 1 (51:15):
I must, I mean I think number one.

Speaker 5 (51:16):
People grow and change, and that's what his camp was
trying to stress. But it is an unpleasant watch. It's
not great for his cure.

Speaker 1 (51:26):
I let I kind of led him into not purposely,
but I was. I needed that.

Speaker 2 (51:30):
I was providing information. But you had an option. You
had an option there. You could have I.

Speaker 5 (51:35):
Gets caught staring at you and then I'm not watching
the clocks right.

Speaker 2 (51:38):
But you had the option there to to fully flesh
that out what you did, which the show needed. Or
you could have just sat there quietly and let it
the clock tick out and then it's a worse show.

Speaker 1 (51:46):
But you don't take a doctor that fight.

Speaker 6 (51:48):
If it makes you feel any better. I feel like
really bad every time I shoot the darted Mark.

Speaker 1 (51:52):
Yeah, that's that does make me. I see it coming
from like a mile away. Yeah, and I'm like, I
have to go.

Speaker 3 (51:58):
I should do better.

Speaker 1 (51:58):
I should feel bad.

Speaker 2 (52:00):
Yeah, I mean, but he like drew me into that,
Dan especially it turns his head and gives you those
Manson lamps.

Speaker 1 (52:05):
You know, I feel bad. I feel bad, all right?
That is is that the NFC South?

Speaker 4 (52:12):
No it is not.

Speaker 5 (52:14):
Uh, there is one more, one more defending champion.

Speaker 2 (52:18):
Now I'm gonna get the Manson lamps. They are the
defending division champions.

Speaker 5 (52:22):
Somehow the Bucks go Mark Goree sort of like a
meat and potatoes draft for the Bucks. I think Graham Barton,
the more I've read about him, it's like round one tough,
immediate starter at center.

Speaker 1 (52:33):
They really needed that.

Speaker 5 (52:34):
Both Bucks guards last year Brent Brettison and Cody Mack,
who I really liked the look of in terms of
his wild madness, but they were pretty, they hop but
mostly cold. A year ago they were twenty seventh in
rushing EPA. The Bucks they were twenty six and short
yarded situations. They had PFF's fifth worst run blocking great,
and it's like, if you want this Baker thing to continue,

(52:54):
I think Baker's been a little over praise for this,
like great season he had, but like for this to
happen two years ago, Baker, you got to you need
a better ground game, and so I think this was
a smart pick. I do a question for Jordan though,
because Mayfield is onto his like four hundred and forty
fourth offensive coordinator after Canalis went to Carolina, so he
does know Liam Cohen a little bit to some degree.

(53:16):
But there have been weird whispers about Cohen in other places,
not totally being a favorite of everyone. Like do you
think this can be a smooth transition for Baker? I
just don't like quarterbacks that the switch schemes and coordinators
every three hundred and sixty five days.

Speaker 3 (53:29):
I mean, I think Liam and Baker will get along
really well. And like I said, so much happened in
twenty two to the Rams, some outside their control, some
inside their control, and it just was an all around disaster.
No one person was the reason for that disaster. It
was all around to total.

Speaker 4 (53:47):
But if you had to make one person, it was
probably Liam Cohen.

Speaker 3 (53:50):
It was Greg actually spin held it. But yet no,
I mean he Baker is a player that Liam will
know how to work with and use and like it'll be,
I think it'll he will remind him of a lot
of the college quarterbacks he had great success with. Maybe
not the arm strength that he was working with with
Will Levis, but you know, the timing stuff, the quick game,

(54:13):
some of the underneath things that the Baker really can
get into a rhythm very fast doing. That's that's right
up Liam Cohen's alley. So I'm curious to see how
it works. But I do know that there they'll get along.
I mean they're they're both like they'll they'll be fine.

Speaker 4 (54:26):
Yeah, they have a ton of continuity and on both
sides of the ball, especially the defense. And I just
don't get why the Falcons are negative money to win
this division, Like no way to me, Like I would
happily take the.

Speaker 1 (54:42):
For those that don't dig in on that realm.

Speaker 4 (54:44):
Just like that it is more likely the odds are
saying that the Falcons win from an addition than the
other three teams combined. Essentially, it's it's like a greater
than fifty percent chance they win the division, and the
Bucks and the Saints are way behind them. It's just
like I don't see that like people came sleeping on
this buck S team. It's just a solid football team.

Speaker 2 (55:00):
Like people are just like throwing up their hands with
the NFC south right, So it's hard to really just
figure it out there overlooked though, they just get overlooked right.

Speaker 4 (55:08):
And to me, the three of them are in the
same ballpark where it's like you're probably a below average
NFL team, but one team's gonna win the division.

Speaker 3 (55:14):
I like the Jaylen McMillan pick one of my under
the radar favorite picks really great underneath will help with
that pop gun stuff that Baker likes to do.

Speaker 2 (55:24):
Also, why the Falcons should have taken a defensive player
and went for the division and get a home game
of the playoffs and you never know what happens. Whatever,
Let's take a break and we'll finish it out with
the NFC West.

Speaker 1 (55:40):
That right, we're back.

Speaker 2 (55:41):
We are closing out around the NFC in forty eight minutes,
exactly forty eight minutes, not a second over with the
NFC West and Greg get us going.

Speaker 1 (55:52):
With the Cards.

Speaker 4 (55:53):
The Arizona Cardinals, after they put Kyler Murray into the
starting lineup with Drew Petzing as his eyes defensive coordinator,
were ninth in EPA per play for the rest of
the season. That is buoyed by being second in rushing.
I think it's a good and Kyler is a big
part of that because to me, get dirty, Yeah, I'm

(56:13):
excited to get dirty with this UH team. Adding Marvin Harrison,
I think they're a really well run offensive team. He
was a good higher. I think they added the most
exciting running back in the draft in Benson. Is this
a top ten offense?

Speaker 1 (56:30):
Whoa all right, where were they finished? Where did they
finished after Kyler came back?

Speaker 4 (56:35):
I mean, technically they were a top ten offense in
EPA per play already, but that can you keep that
up a whole season that that's obviously not the only
stat out there. I think they got a chance to
be pretty exciting.

Speaker 1 (56:46):
Top ten feels rich, but they down the stretch.

Speaker 5 (56:49):
I think petsing is like a good play call comes
from the Stefanski tree, and that's good for tight ends,
that's good for I think, you know, we didn't like.

Speaker 4 (56:56):
Connor and Trey Benson are an awesome dude.

Speaker 5 (56:58):
Yeah, I think that's like that was a lot of
options around that, and like you know, Kyler looked good
when he came back, but it's like a full off
season together and all that. It's like there's a there's
there's signs to suggest they could like pick up where
they left off. They're well coached team.

Speaker 3 (57:11):
Yeah, to thank you for making that point. Actually that
goes into my notes, so that Mark, I knew you
would have my back on this.

Speaker 4 (57:20):
Mark.

Speaker 1 (57:21):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (57:21):
I think they have some actually really talented up and
coming coaches. Drew Tarrell, their new receivers coach Nick Rallis,
their defensive coordinator. They're young guys, but I think they're
super talented. I met Nick Rallis at a coaching incubator
a couple of years ago, and he was sitting on
the offensive side, so he was trying to learn from
from a lot of those guys. So there's there's something
cooking under the radar there on the defensive side. I

(57:43):
think Matthew Stafford said last year this was the one
defense that he saw that kind of was like, what
the hell is that? And they were kind of doing
this walk around pre snap thing. It was really interesting,
and then they just ran the ball for four hundred yards.

Speaker 2 (57:56):
So I'm curious, yeah, because it could take a big
jump if Arvin Harrison is that guy. Kyler Murray is
Kyler Murray now, like we said, full year removed?

Speaker 1 (58:05):
Is he that guy again? I'm looking at some of.

Speaker 2 (58:07):
His you know, earlier years he rushed for He had
ninety three rushing attempts as a rookie in sixteen games.
I went up to one hundred and thirty three his
second year. His third year and fourteen games, he was
on pace to go over one hundred again last year
in eight games forty four rushes, so a bit under
that one hundred pace. Where where does he now? Like
around one hundred rushes feels like a great spot for him,

(58:29):
especially if he's moving well and feels good, and if
he can add that element of his game back in
full with having a big time number one wide receiver, potentially, Yeah,
the offense could take a significant jump.

Speaker 5 (58:39):
I think one other thing, like Monte Austin, for it,
two years in a row, has had a very rock
solid plan with the draft, with the offseason, they look different,
and I think their front office we know, I mean
under Steve Kaine that was plaguing them for a long time.

Speaker 1 (58:59):
Was that to the establishment? Yeah? That was our producer.

Speaker 5 (59:02):
No, no, no, it was not to the Randy's been the
listeners about this. No, it's just Jordan, like the greater
world or universe things. They are going to catch me,
you're going beyond zero zero zero, And they didn't.

Speaker 3 (59:14):
Except they except you guys all did well.

Speaker 2 (59:16):
If there's no regard for the rules, So it's not
it's not connected directly anymore to the team. Talk's that's
a little understood.

Speaker 1 (59:24):
Aspect of all of this.

Speaker 3 (59:25):
I'm new.

Speaker 1 (59:25):
Sorry, Yeah, here we go. Jordan your team, the Rams.

Speaker 3 (59:29):
While few classes in recent history hit like the Rams
did in twenty twenty three, there's a lot to like
this year about the way they sought out the combination
of Jared Verse and teammate Braden Fisk at nineteen and
thirty nine. They overpaid to trade up for Fisk, but
I'm of the understanding that once the board fell their
way and they got Verse, one of their three favorite
players in the whole class and their top outside linebacker,

(59:51):
they were always going to try to get Fisk, and
they believed in paying more for the plug and play
chemistry on a defensive line. Now without Aaron Donald, they
did say they could never replace him with just one player,
So here are two. Blake Korum the third round running back.
Again a little high for generally what we see with
running backs, but basically gives them Karen Williams and an
intact scheme kind of left handed when Kien Williams was out.

(01:00:12):
In light of his injuries, Throy miss four games in
twenty twenty three. Also maybe wouldn't have been able to
be healthy for a deeper postseason push he got hurt
in that Detroit game. Rams fans do not want to
hear this, I understand, But on the Matthew Stafford contract situation,
Sean McVay kind of admitted that this situation is ongoing
after rap Sheets initial report last Thursday night that Matthew
Stafford wants more guaranteed money on his contract been simmering

(01:00:36):
for a little while. I don't think it's anything to
freak out about right now. He's at OTA's the Rams.
It's kind of awkward a little bit. They made a documentary.
It was really really well done. It was outstanding, but
it was also parts of it where like how beat
up he gets during a season. So when you enter
that into the guaranteed money conversation, it's just something to

(01:00:56):
keep an eye on. I do think they're going to
try to find a win win solution, that's my opinion.
The Rams spent the spring beefing up his offensive line
and his run game. There's no reason to think that
he won't or can't play a few more years. Like
I said, he's been at voluntary Otia's, he's been throwing
it around. Dude's a badass when he's healthy.

Speaker 2 (01:01:16):
Turned thirty six in February, so yeah, he's he's basically
at Kirk Cousins' age. You think these guys have their
body holds up two three more years and this is
a window for the Rams to with this high level
potential Hall of Famer.

Speaker 5 (01:01:29):
We all like watched a lot of like Rams together
in some of our Monday NFL Plus shows, and like,
he looked as good as he's ever looked last season.

Speaker 1 (01:01:38):
So I stick stayed the course there.

Speaker 5 (01:01:40):
I think a lot of people are wondering, like when
Karen Williams was not on the field, they were a
different offense, and like he led the league and yards
per game. I mean, he really hit the scene. But
with Blake Korum, is it like, what's what happens fantasy wise?
Do you think how they have both of them at
the same time.

Speaker 3 (01:01:55):
I couldn't tell you.

Speaker 4 (01:01:57):
Yeah, I just I don't know. I know you were
early on the like a big role. I might have
a bigger role than cam Akers right.

Speaker 1 (01:02:04):
Right, because they signed Boston Scott too.

Speaker 3 (01:02:06):
I mean that's just you're looking at Kirene still being
the lead rusher, the lead back. But over time, especially
a long season, they expect to go to the postseason
this year if they have Matthew Staffer a healthy Matthew Stafford.
So over time, you're probably looking at an increase in
Blake Korm's snaps. I don't know what the fantasy footballlanguage
would be for that, but like stashing him or something,
or maybe you know, get him and stash him handcuff?

Speaker 1 (01:02:28):
Is that what it is? Good time out? All right?

Speaker 2 (01:02:33):
We got to talk about this feature this monster too
parter from Jordan. The second part is coming out later
in the week. The first part dropped today Finding Rams
colon one year behind the scenes of the NFL Draft
scouting process. Comma Part one really well done, beautifully written

(01:02:54):
and reported. Even we're talking about the artwork is tremendous
by the athletic on it. Everybody's got to read it.
I think just to get into this conversation, Jordan, because
you obviously did a ton of work and you were
embedded behind the scenes. There's an irony to me that
that this team less need famously wore the f them
Picks t shirt after they won the Super Bowl. But

(01:03:14):
just because they didn't have first round picks doesn't mean
that this team doesn't absolutely value and obsess over uh
these draft classes. And you really go behind the scenes
in a way that it's really illuminating in this piece.

Speaker 3 (01:03:27):
Well, thank you. I'm happy to be here to talk
about it. First of all, I felt like last year
when we talked about the play Caller series, you, Greg,
you and Mark said some really nice things about what
it reminded you of. And Dan just was.

Speaker 1 (01:03:40):
Not on that episode.

Speaker 3 (01:03:41):
Yeah, he went with hell thumbs down. I know he
doesn't listen.

Speaker 4 (01:03:47):
It was I was, it was six am and Tokyo. Yeah,
that's so.

Speaker 3 (01:03:52):
But you guys also said something that resonated with me.
And forgive me if my voice cracks, but you said
that these are the types of things that that Wes
would really get into for me that kept me pushing
into this new space, which was very unfamiliar territory for me.
I've covered a lot about team building, but I've never
been behind the scenes in a scouting department for as

(01:04:14):
long a period of time, the ten months as this was,
And it was the entire time I was thinking, this
is the coolest thing. This is so like to get
to explain even a piece of what this looks like
and how it works, it just like lit me up
on the inside, and like I cannot emphasize enough, Like

(01:04:36):
I mean, doing this project. Just like play Callers altered
me forever, this also has altered.

Speaker 5 (01:04:41):
Me for it, Like, if you had ten pages of
notes for this episode, how much dense you know, research
and personal literature came out, do you have stashed away
somewhere like in your apartment or mansion wherever you live.

Speaker 3 (01:04:54):
Certainly not the athletic.

Speaker 4 (01:04:56):
They're paying botts their.

Speaker 3 (01:04:58):
Bucks, moving right along. So it was one hundred and
eighty six pages of notes from on site, on site reporting.
A lot of stuff was off the record, so you're
not You're obviously not, you know, recording notes at that time.
You're sort of absorbing and listening. And also I think

(01:05:18):
like thirty seven post its around on like just to
help set up structure and and all of those things.
It's really fun when a project's ever to like peel
the post its off, the off the cabinets, very satisfying
and no longer look like a serial killer in my
own home. But yeah, it was. It was an extraordinarily
cool thing to get to do. The fact that James Gladstone,

(01:05:39):
the director of Scouting, and Less Snead were open to it.
James came up to me on the sideline at training
camp and was like, love the play callers, wish there
was one about scouts. And I looked at him for
all of two seconds and I was like, can there be?
And he thought I was joking and then I pitched
it to him and Less and I think Less maybe
still thought I was joking until about six months ago,

(01:06:00):
and because I'd been in the meetings, I just kept
showing up and then it just was this very cool
There was a lot of trust there, which I don't
take for granted, but I think they understood what I
was trying to do. I wasn't trying to say this
is better or worse so the other I was trying
to amplify the process and the language of a group

(01:06:21):
of people with continuity who have created this thing behind
the scenes that works for them. Not to compare or
contrast or anything like that, but to show how something works, right.

Speaker 4 (01:06:32):
That's what I took Part one is great. I'm really
looking forward to part two, and one of my takeaways
would just be I didn't understand. I don't think the
average fan would understand just how different the rams certainly
do the evaluation process. And then it made me think, like,
there's probably they're not the only ones, and that each

(01:06:53):
team is attacking this entire process in such a different way.
And there's yeah, maybe the kind of is a way,
a conventional way to do it, but like how many
teams do you think, or like how many different ways
are there? Because the way they do it, I suspect
is totally their own way of doing it, And like,

(01:07:14):
what did you find different about it?

Speaker 3 (01:07:16):
I think there are thirty two different ways of approaching this,
And like I said, that's where I think we on
the outside we get into rankings and grades and things
like that. But like, if their process works for them
and it's different to another process and another building, they're
not weighing that or leveraging that. They're looking for what
fits them. And some teams do this very well and

(01:07:38):
have a very functional behind the scenes process for a
draft calendar. And as you see, like some teams just
can't seem to find that a momentum or can't seem
to like sort of gather themselves. One of the things
that's really I learned one of the biggest things I
learned from this reporting this out over the last year
was this isn't really about players or picks, Like the

(01:08:02):
result This is more about the process and the language
of that process, and how they basically built an alphabet
and then evolved it over time into a language that
builds out what it is exactly that they do. And
I know that sounds like kind of galaxy brain or
like you know what you were reading at Camp Happiness,

(01:08:23):
but at the same time, it's it's so it's a
living thing, this language. And I think the number one
reason why failure compounds in NFL buildings is the loss
of that language when quick too quick turnover. Whether it's
in the scouting for an office department, department, personnel department,

(01:08:43):
or even the coaching staff that also has to assimilate
and help build and evolve out that language. And this
is one of the most They've been together for so
long at this point, not just Lesson Sean, but that
entire scouting department has been together for at least a decade,
and they have built out this language that it's a
living thing at this point.

Speaker 5 (01:09:05):
One quick thing is there's also a very human element
to this, because I've always thought like the life of
a scout would be very appealing to a certain personality
if you like, don't mind being like a road Warrior
out on the grind like it's related, so you show
how much it's relationships with schools. But one little thing,
like here's what scouts do, what they like? They have
like a coda it said, stay at hotels with free breakfast,

(01:09:26):
fill an insulated coffee cup with eggs and bacon, and
bring it to the school to consume mid morning.

Speaker 1 (01:09:31):
Yeah, that one commatable psychotic.

Speaker 2 (01:09:32):
I noted that in my notes as well, what are
we doing we get a fresh breakfast.

Speaker 5 (01:09:36):
I just want to see what it looks like. You
got to save the dollars and cents.

Speaker 4 (01:09:39):
But they don't have time because they're at this place
and they're not going to get fed while they're there
all day.

Speaker 2 (01:09:43):
I guarantee you thirty one teams are reading what you wrote, Jordan,
because sorry, Less there's a reason why there's and they
weighed that, I'm sure, but like there's a reason why
good teams stay good and bad teams stay bad. And
look at and look at the Rams to go from
seventeen through twenty three without a first round pick but
remain pretty consistently one of the better teams in the

(01:10:06):
NFC shows you how they've been able to keep the
roster churning and stay competitive despite having those high end picks.

Speaker 1 (01:10:13):
I thought, that's very interesting.

Speaker 2 (01:10:14):
The other thing I want to read here, so you
were talking about this almost sentient process they have now
the most and I'm going to read Jordan's reporting here
and writing most NFL teams and by the way, this
is why Northeastern Classico two, this is why journalism matters.
Sports journal It's fun what we do, but having people

(01:10:35):
that are really smart and curious to be able to
go behind the scenes and then write something like this
and allow us to understand the sport in a different,
smarter way.

Speaker 1 (01:10:45):
Thank you, Jordan to the Athletic. Now I'm going to
read what you wrote.

Speaker 2 (01:10:49):
Most NFL teams have a data and information processing system,
usually constructed in house, in which scouts, coaches, medical staff,
front office executives, and others input notes on the players.
The RAMS is is ja RS the Joint after Action
Review system. They go on to say, it's valueized not
only in its player data, it's the keeper of an

(01:11:11):
entire language. Some RAM staffer's joke that the system will
eventually need a new, more human senting acronym to reflect
its approaching sentience. Now let me let me jump in
if I might, and you could relay this or choose
not to relay.

Speaker 3 (01:11:26):
I'm so happy now.

Speaker 1 (01:11:28):
So it's staring right at them.

Speaker 2 (01:11:29):
They want it's starting to feel like a human and
they want to make give it a name that's human.

Speaker 1 (01:11:34):
And you got jaa r S.

Speaker 2 (01:11:36):
Okay, But what if it was joint after Action review
value internalization system.

Speaker 1 (01:11:44):
Jarvis? Jarvis? Jarvis is right there, bang so close. Take
it to less, Please take it to less. We've had
less on the show.

Speaker 2 (01:11:52):
That would be my lasting input. Maybe I would get
a super Bowl ring.

Speaker 3 (01:11:56):
You get a football.

Speaker 1 (01:11:57):
It's up to our football less.

Speaker 2 (01:11:59):
If there's a football to hand out, if it becomes Jarvis,
that's all.

Speaker 4 (01:12:02):
It'd be nice if they had like a fourth round
pick that meant a lot to them, that had actually
been named Jarvis.

Speaker 3 (01:12:09):
I will tell you one last one last they probably
knowing them, they would one last thing to add to.
So much of us is still about Luck Part two,
which releases Friday. There's some some moments in there that
I think you guys will just get a kick out of,
about how you can put in like to the nth
degree amount of process and preparation and you can you

(01:12:32):
can sound you know, like you're the expert strategist and everything,
and then at the very last minute, some crazy could happen,
right and and like just and some of it does
come down to luck. I take people through the Pukina
Kula pick in the fifth round. There was actually what
people don't realize, there was actually a really interesting strategy

(01:12:53):
behind that pick. They all say, now they should have
picked them in the first but in the fifth round
with their volume in there and draft, there was an
interesting strategy that part two does go into and then
but there also was luck. There also was a a
crapload of luck in that pick as well. And they're
the first to admit it was.

Speaker 5 (01:13:14):
Less need or is less neat because he's probably reading
it right about now, annoyed that you've announced to the
world that he doesn't know how to change a tire,
which I think a lot of people I was a
bit of a lot of ravio magnific See, I think
a lot of people don't.

Speaker 1 (01:13:26):
But you don't want it on record at people just
to think that you probably.

Speaker 4 (01:13:29):
Gets pretty it's pretty privileged. Once again, beautiful man, all right,
time in great.

Speaker 3 (01:13:35):
Job, Thank you, Thank you guys, seriously, did.

Speaker 1 (01:13:37):
You have an answer on the less thing?

Speaker 3 (01:13:39):
I guess you'll find out, but yeah, you'll I took
it more as a retort. I'll get, you know, a
text maybe like I took it more as a rhetorical.

Speaker 2 (01:13:45):
And I should say that that little story ends with
less and a very masculine mess. Yes, that's hiring the
tire into the brush. Yes, so it kind of kind
of saves it a little bit. It's like, yeah, him
and his buddy couldn't figure it out, but that tire went.

Speaker 5 (01:14:00):
I'm weird because that's like the thing I'll remember the
most about the whole thing, and the eggs and bacon
in a coffee cup.

Speaker 2 (01:14:04):
It's a strange, but let's know, Jarvis, Jarvis servis one
signed football.

Speaker 1 (01:14:09):
I don't need anything else.

Speaker 2 (01:14:12):
All right, let's time back in and head to the
forty nine Ers. Drama will continue to swirl around that
wide receiver room this spring. Did the Niners take Ricky
Piersoll because they planned to trade Ayuk or Samuel or
perhaps an even more dramatic thought exercise for the rest
of us, what if Piersall is a stud and he

(01:14:32):
just makes the offense that much more wicked?

Speaker 1 (01:14:34):
Could this score? Could this team score five hundred points?

Speaker 2 (01:14:37):
You know that has not happened by the Bay since
the Steve Young Niners of nineteen ninety four.

Speaker 1 (01:14:42):
I believe they won it all that year.

Speaker 2 (01:14:44):
The pressure will be immense for San Francisco to finally
get over the hump this year. But this roster is
as good as any in football. Stay healthy, stay out
of trouble, and I think just get ready to watch
the Niners kick some more ass this year.

Speaker 1 (01:14:58):
I feel very good about this team.

Speaker 5 (01:15:00):
I'd love to see a similar article about the way
that they draft and develop talent, too, because I thought, like,
to not trade your guys. But then get Ricky Parasol,
who has dropped five passes since twenty twenty and just
looks like a Shanahan type. And then there's a second player,
Isaac Garndo, the running back who had the fastest forty
in the combine, had the best vertical jump, and like

(01:15:21):
Shanahan spoke about that player after the draft, and it
was just like this was just another Shanahan guy. And
it's like they added more nine er z stuff to
a roster without stripping away sick.

Speaker 2 (01:15:31):
When you start to think about it, because you're talking
about a running back. They have the best running back
on the planet right there, so you could use that
guy exactly where you want to dot him into the offense.

Speaker 1 (01:15:40):
It's it's an embarrassment of riches.

Speaker 3 (01:15:42):
Yeah, it's interesting. Tim Kawakami, who works with me at
the Athletic, he wrote some really interesting stuff about how
you could really pinpoint some of their draft class this
year and project them a year or two years from
now as replacements for some people on their current roster,
and like trade identification seemed very similar in that way.

(01:16:03):
I found that to be fascinating, and it is interesting.
They're looking they're trying to win the whole thing and
trying to stay in that, like I said, that top
tier of contention, but they also at the same time
have to start looking toward the future too, and this
draft class seemed like they're kind of doing that right.

Speaker 4 (01:16:20):
It wasn't just pearsall. They had a fourth round pick,
what was a cowing in the fourth round, like at
wide receiver too, so you're trying to do both at
the same time. I do just don't buy any trade talk,
including for Juwan Jennings, who's entering a free agent year.
And is going to get paid somewhere next year, probably
not in San Francisco. Like there, all systems go. And
if it had happened that they could have replaced it

(01:16:40):
in the draft. Maybe it was a possibility, but they
didn't get the right price. Like, no, they they know
their window is now. There's no way to me that
those guys are getting traded between now and week one.

Speaker 3 (01:16:53):
No chance.

Speaker 1 (01:16:54):
Not now.

Speaker 4 (01:16:54):
By the way, maybe been an offer, Oh there there was,
and by the way, the last guy. And now I
forget as any one find it that I remember Peter
King was in the draft room for the forty nine
ers when Kyle Shanahan like probably annoyed the entire scouting
process and stood on the table for this running back
that he wanted to trade up for. It was a
big thing, and like the fourth round was like he
was out of a league in a year.

Speaker 1 (01:17:15):
That happens too.

Speaker 2 (01:17:18):
Now I don't do this, Jordan, And on that side
of table, sometimes there's some heat when certain individuals look
at other people's laptops. We do have one remaining timeout,
and I thought I saw it in bold like there
was like time out here for the Niners.

Speaker 3 (01:17:32):
Was that not for the Niners. I was stuck in
traffic for a long time today. Yes, I matched all
of you guys to quarterbacks, like if you.

Speaker 5 (01:17:42):
Got time out, hold on, we've got a time Sorry.

Speaker 1 (01:17:45):
Seahawks, we will not be getting to you today.

Speaker 2 (01:17:47):
In fact, let's just cut everything that we've done to
this point right out of the intro, right into what
Jordan said.

Speaker 1 (01:17:54):
Cut everything I just said, just now.

Speaker 3 (01:17:56):
I can't believe you looked at my computer.

Speaker 1 (01:17:57):
To revealing okay, apologizing.

Speaker 3 (01:18:01):
So this, uh if you three were quarterbacks, and like
I said, very this is all a compliment, Okay, Just
so you're right. And also I listened to the show
and and I have for a long time, and you know,
we talk about things.

Speaker 1 (01:18:18):
And Mark's entire may is on the line. Right.

Speaker 3 (01:18:20):
But also but also I can't pretend to know you
on like the deepest personal level. So if I'm wrong,
I'm so sorry. But I think I'm right. Okay, Greg
Rock Party short king who loves proving people wrong, Dan
Dan Josh Allen, fun bit aficionado, Golden Retriever parentheses compliment.

Speaker 2 (01:18:43):
Yeah no, there's also the like a guy like a
Kato Kalin Golden Retriever type. But I'll take that and
I'll see Josh Allen's better than brock Party.

Speaker 1 (01:18:50):
So okay, right now.

Speaker 4 (01:18:51):
We're always I was smart that you understood Dan needed
to be puffed up the most of any of us,
So that makes the most.

Speaker 1 (01:18:57):
Listen, you're hitting out again.

Speaker 3 (01:18:58):
That's saying I called you a king.

Speaker 2 (01:19:00):
Do we can we get a little drum roll, little
timpany for the Mark Sessler?

Speaker 1 (01:19:04):
Uh, this is really important.

Speaker 4 (01:19:07):
Mark.

Speaker 1 (01:19:07):
Wait, let's wait for the drums. We have them, then
actual band back. They're big funk all right, here we go, Jordan,
Here we go, Mark.

Speaker 3 (01:19:15):
Matthew, Stafford, Salt and Pepper bearded gunslinger with an appreciation
for chaotic darkness.

Speaker 5 (01:19:21):
Totally in Yeah, I was I had in my mind,
Stafford is what I was hoping for.

Speaker 4 (01:19:26):
Right, No, I think those are a few that's both
great choices and I got a system creation that no
one would want on their team with very few physical talent.

Speaker 1 (01:19:36):
Whispers of bench in December, one.

Speaker 3 (01:19:40):
Short king.

Speaker 1 (01:19:42):
About the story of rock Perky.

Speaker 4 (01:19:43):
If we're going on height, you know, then there's no
one well, Kyler, I guess you could if you wanted to.
You know, Uh, there's no there's no short quarterbacks.

Speaker 1 (01:19:51):
I think this.

Speaker 3 (01:19:52):
I also I also had it that you were most
likely to correct my assessment.

Speaker 1 (01:19:57):
Oh no, talk about the scouting fact.

Speaker 2 (01:20:01):
This seems to have actually bothered you more than perhaps
you were expecting it to.

Speaker 4 (01:20:04):
I mean, Brock pretty the tough spot.

Speaker 2 (01:20:09):
All right, excellent, great time out come on, Josh Allen.
Now now I'm a Bills fan. All right, Time in
and let's close it out. We have just enough time
for the Seattle Seahawks and Matthew stat I feel.

Speaker 1 (01:20:23):
Like if if we did some AI.

Speaker 2 (01:20:28):
Like best case scenario for Sessler looks wise and you
just change some things around. Okay, it's it's Stafford with
those you know, gleaming new white teeth. He's gotten everything
like that. That that would check out as well.

Speaker 5 (01:20:40):
I don't think Matthew Stafford would play me if there
was a film version.

Speaker 1 (01:20:44):
Of me like.

Speaker 4 (01:20:46):
Foot in eighty pounds.

Speaker 2 (01:20:47):
But we just we film up, We film up, are
tilted upward anyway.

Speaker 5 (01:20:53):
Think I'll take that as a positive from you, Dan,
I will assess that comment later.

Speaker 1 (01:20:57):
Well, it's camera magic. It's a go ahead.

Speaker 3 (01:21:04):
Oh by the way, you're looking at my screen again,
I know what you're doing.

Speaker 1 (01:21:09):
I know that. Start this over all right, Mark started over.

Speaker 3 (01:21:13):
Sorry Mark, Sorry, Mattler.

Speaker 1 (01:21:18):
Here we go. We're not going to start it over
the cloud.

Speaker 4 (01:21:22):
Let's start this clock over the.

Speaker 1 (01:21:24):
Closs and here we go, you know, sorry.

Speaker 5 (01:21:26):
Talking about Seattle's draft, one executive told Mike Sando, you're
co worker at the Athletic.

Speaker 1 (01:21:32):
Nice guy. Mike is a very nice guy. Mike.

Speaker 5 (01:21:35):
The scout set of Seattle's draft. It looks like they
went Baltimoreish meeting, build up both lines.

Speaker 1 (01:21:41):
And I love the Byron Murphy.

Speaker 5 (01:21:42):
This is me talking now, not the anonymous scout or
Matt Stafford or Matt Stafford, but I like Byron Murphy
is one of the guys that we were like catching
up and watching him. I'm like, I love this dude,
Like he is a chaos maker and like the kind
of like a beating heart of the front seven.

Speaker 1 (01:21:56):
And other people are talking, you know, not Tepper.

Speaker 5 (01:21:58):
Maybe Tepper be talking about guard Christian Haynes as a
steal at pick eighty one. And it's never too early
for me to talk talk about roughly twenty two coaches
as my Coach of the Year candidates, even here in
early May. There we go, here's one early vote for
Mike McDonald. I think I am a total believer and
what he did in Baltimore, he systematically milks the very
best out of his defensive roster.

Speaker 1 (01:22:20):
Plus, it will tell a good story.

Speaker 5 (01:22:22):
When Gino Smith is benched for Sam Howell prior to
Week eleven is the five and five Seahawks rip off
seven straight wins and route to a wild card Berth
Welcome to tomorrowland.

Speaker 2 (01:22:32):
Ooh okay, the last time you got behind a coach
with no experience was Brandon Staley, So maybe this will
be this will be different.

Speaker 1 (01:22:40):
I you never know, Matt Ruhle.

Speaker 4 (01:22:43):
I hope that you know that's not the route that happens.
He's intriguing. They've they've kind of had a quiet offseason.
They kept their players, they haven't had a lot of
people coming in or out, and yet I'm intrigued by
them because of the coaches like Ryan Grubb is one
of the biggest X factors in the entire NFL this year.
What he did at Washington was super creative and just different,

(01:23:04):
and he has a lot of talent to work with.
Like Gino, there's continuity on the offensive line. I'm not
sure if it's great, but the skill position continuity is fantastic,
and this group has been together and they're talented like
him with like an electric coach, could be exciting.

Speaker 3 (01:23:19):
Yeah, I'm a Gino Smith fan, so maybe I'm back
in your good grace.

Speaker 4 (01:23:23):
Oh yeah, just give me Gino at least for the question.

Speaker 3 (01:23:26):
So, but grub Is, I think, like you said, I
agree with you one hundred percent, Greg in this topic
and most things in life. Probably I'm sweating. You know.
It's an X factor here, especially with you know everyone
when people watch Washing the Washington Huskies. Obviously Michael Penick
stood out because of what he can do with the football,
but if you look past that and you look at

(01:23:48):
some of the route concepts, some of the pre snap movements,
some of the alignments and the spacing that they were getting,
I think that's perfect with Gino, and I think that's
going to be really really fun to watch. I am
curious see if Mike McDonald's defense is truly the Shanahan Killer.
I know that that was sort of the the energy
of it in terms of why you make a higher

(01:24:09):
like that and swing and swing like that, So it'll
be I'll be curious.

Speaker 1 (01:24:14):
Got her by milliseconds.

Speaker 3 (01:24:17):
I got kicked off the Wi FI.

Speaker 1 (01:24:18):
I will say two things, Gino.

Speaker 2 (01:24:21):
The off season worked out great for Gino, right he
Sam Howe's is backup. They didn't draft anybody of note,
and then as much as we could spend. That was
a pretty positive assessment of Seattle to me, clearly the
third best team in the division.

Speaker 5 (01:24:36):
That's tough, tough division. But yeah, and the Niners are
one of those teams. I like teams that feel different.
And I've always liked Pete Carroll. It's not a Pek
Carroll thing, but it kind of is time and Mike McDonald,
like they had this pre draft thing with him and
John Schneider. It's like, you forget he's thirty six and
he looks like really young, and it's like, wait a minute,
what these coaches are like just just past that's agis.

Speaker 1 (01:24:58):
I like it. I'll say go for it, Pete Carroll.

Speaker 4 (01:25:01):
They remind me a little bit of the Cowboys, though,
just in that they're Bill.

Speaker 2 (01:25:05):
And Pete shipped out of town, earned seventy bye bye.

Speaker 4 (01:25:09):
Like Seahawks could be very good. I think I don't think.
I don't see them in the rams, like in a
different tier of each other. They're they're both a different year.
But if I had to put them in a pecking yard, right,
I don't struggle put it this way, if either of
them were in the NFC South, then I'm putting them
as negative money to win the division money, including the Seahawks,
I would I would put in that category. But the
Seahawks feel a little bit of like the Cowboys, where

(01:25:30):
there could be a lot of stress if things don't
go right this year. There's just like Tyler Lockett, DK
Gino some of the players on the defense, like are
they gonna be with this regime long term? Is kind
of open question?

Speaker 2 (01:25:44):
All right, we just went around the NFC in around
forty eight minutes. Uh, let's give it up for Jordan
Rodrigue and again check out her incredible deep dive journalism
in sport Alive because of people like Jordan Rodrigue finding
let me.

Speaker 1 (01:26:04):
Read it like that headline too. But what what what
are you shaking your head for here?

Speaker 2 (01:26:09):
I'm trying to get a plug in a big spot,
the biggest of all spot.

Speaker 1 (01:26:14):
Greg's gotta go, oh yeah, I'm good.

Speaker 2 (01:26:17):
Finding Rams Colon One year behind the scenes of the
NFL draft scouting process. COMMA Part one. Check that out.
Check out all of Jordan's coverage of the Rams and
her NFL projects like this, and uh, you've said it all, Jordan.
What else can I say.

Speaker 1 (01:26:33):
I'm so happy she did it, folks, that.

Speaker 2 (01:26:36):
She was great, and I hope everybody enjoyed it. We'll
be back next week. Until then, you know what you
must do.

Speaker 1 (01:26:42):
Say it, Jordan, Heat the call bang,

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