Latest / Football Junkies podcast / Ep.80: A broken standard

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Ep.80: A broken standard · Football Junkies podcast

0:03
Double bag alert, double bag alert, double bag
0:05
alert, folks. That's right. A .J. Cole resets
0:08
the punter market. Ryan Newsle stays in Atlanta.
0:10
Terry Bradshaw speaks on the whole Aaron Rodgers
0:13
debacle, as well as Kenny Pickett taking a jab
0:17
at the Steelers. And we're doing a double draft
0:20
grade for both the NFC and AFC South. OK, all
0:24
of this and more on the 80th episode of Football
0:27
Junkies podcast. OK, that's right. We have made
0:29
it to 80 episodes, folks. And we still got a
0:33
whole lot more episodes to go. So guess what?
0:35
You already know my spill. So let's just get
0:37
into it. Because guess what? I'm your chief bag
0:40
roll dominance. I'm your chief head of the table.
0:42
Anything and everything related to the bag and
0:44
more. I am also your GM who currently is not
0:48
on a team right now. But don't you worry about
0:50
it, okay? Don't you worry about it. Because guess
0:53
what? I am all these things and more. But most
0:56
importantly, the most important thing that you
0:58
must remember is I am your host, Kale. You already
1:01
know how these... episodes are about to go i
1:03
don't know how long or short this episode is
1:05
going to go but guess what we're just going to
1:06
see how it goes so guess what on three one two
1:08
three let's lock in The rifles are just getting
1:38
to the meat and potatoes of everything that is
1:40
going on in the league right now. So we have
1:43
to get into these bag alerts before we get into
1:46
the controversy and the destruction that is going
1:49
on in the Steelers right now. Because man, oh
1:52
man, is the Steelers fan base on fire. It is
1:55
a heaping pile of burning trash right now. And
1:59
people are trying to put it out with water. People
2:02
try with flour. People have tried it with everything.
2:05
And guess what? The fire is still burning because
2:07
we still got a lot to talk about when it comes
2:09
to the Steelers. So before we get into that,
2:13
let's get into these bag words. Former three
2:15
-time Pro Bowler, two -time All -Pro punter for
2:18
the Raiders, A .J. Cole, inks a four -year $15
2:21
.8 million deal, $11 million guaranteed, and
2:24
he'll be making $3 .9 million a year. When we
2:27
look at his stats from this past season, 65 punts
2:30
for 3 ,304 puntage yards. 50 .8 yards per punt.
2:35
He had his longest punt, which was 71 yards,
2:39
eight touchbacks, and his inside to 20 percentage
2:42
was 41 .5%. Folks, this is somebody who actually,
2:47
believe it or not, is a sleeper of a punter.
2:50
I had to look at some of the clips from this
2:52
past season. He got a leg, all right? He can
2:56
punt it. And I'm just talking about just do just
3:00
enough. Like, no, when you need him to punt at
3:03
a certain yardage, he gets it. I see why the
3:06
Raiders gave him the deal that they gave him
3:08
because he is definitely one of the best punters
3:10
in the league right now. Am I saying he's probably
3:13
top five? I don't know. I would have to look
3:15
at all the other punters in the league because
3:18
punters really don't get talked about as much,
3:21
unfortunately. They probably should. But the
3:23
fact of the matter is what we're starting to
3:25
see now is teams starting to really value special
3:29
teams. When it comes to punters, when it comes
3:32
to kickers, placeholders, whomever, they're all
3:35
starting to get a bag because usually they'll
3:38
be the ones that'll be making pennies on the
3:40
dollar. No, they're making some legitimate money.
3:42
4 .7 million a year, that's not bad. It's not
3:45
bad at all. So all in all, congratulations to
3:47
him. Now let's get to the second bag alert, and
3:50
that is Ryan Neusel, Center for the Falcons,
3:53
inks a two -year $9 .5 million deal, $6 .2 million
3:56
guaranteed, and he'll be making $4 .7 million
3:59
a year. When we look at this, this was probably
4:01
going to happen at some point, especially with
4:04
the departure of their other center, who was
4:06
a free agent as well. This was the more cheaper
4:09
option, team -friendly deal, doesn't break the
4:12
bank. really productive player. That's it. That's
4:15
all. But I will say this just briefly about,
4:17
you know, OTAs and whatnot. There are a few people
4:20
that are holding out because they're looking
4:21
for a new deal. And then there's others that,
4:24
you know, are just aren't going to OTAs at all
4:26
because they're just doing their own thing and
4:28
that's perfectly fine. But For the majority,
4:30
a lot of people are at OTAs right now getting
4:33
themselves prepared for, you know, mandatory
4:35
minicamp and then training camp and then eventually
4:37
the season. So former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback
4:40
Terry Bradshaw was on a local radio show and
4:43
gave his thoughts about the whole Aaron Rodgers
4:45
debacle. And I think he has said what everybody
4:48
has been thinking this entire time. So here's
4:51
what he says. And I quote, that's a joke. That
4:53
is just, to me, a joke. What are you going to
4:56
do? Bring him in for one year? Are you kidding
4:58
me? That guy needs to stay in California, go
5:01
somewhere, and chew on bark and whisper to the
5:03
gods out there, end quote. If that is the most
5:06
country -est thing I've ever heard in my life,
5:09
I don't know what is. I've said some country
5:11
things before, but that right there, that takes
5:14
the cake. When we look at this from the outside
5:17
looking in, Everybody is just tired of talking
5:22
about Aaron Rodgers. Everybody is just tired
5:25
of talking about the Steelers and their quarterback
5:28
woes. And granted, I understand everyone is going
5:31
to say, well, it's just OTAs. It's optional.
5:33
You don't have to be there. Well, here's the
5:35
thing. You would want your quarterback to be
5:38
there because if the quarterback is there, that
5:41
means there is no excuse for anybody else to
5:44
not be there. Now, granted. If you're in a contract
5:47
negotiation, you probably want to be there. Okay,
5:49
fine. If you have something already pre -planned,
5:53
okay, fine. But the fact of the matter is your
5:57
supposed quarterback one is not there. But the
6:01
person who should be quarterback one is there.
6:05
Day in and day out and has been there for a while.
6:09
And the fact that this team has not moved on.
6:13
And it's continuing to show grace to Aaron Rodgers.
6:16
Shows you how weak and how small this team is.
6:21
I'm sorry, folks. This is the worst the Steelers
6:25
have looked in all the 29 years that I've been
6:29
on this earth. This is the worst that I've ever
6:32
seen the Steelers be. Because why are you continuing
6:35
to wait for a 41 -year -old to make his decision?
6:38
At this point... It is time to pull the plug.
6:42
It is time to move forward and go in a different
6:45
direction. Am I saying go after Kirk Cousins?
6:48
No. Bring in Ryan Tannehill. Bring in Carson
6:52
Wentz. Because right now what you have is a quarterback
6:56
who is showing you his ass every single chance
7:00
that he gets. He can make time to go on Joe Rogan
7:04
and do a three -hour podcast with him. He has
7:07
time to go to people's concerts. He has time
7:09
to go to Q &As. He has time for everything else
7:13
but commit to football. That is not somebody
7:17
that I want in my locker room. And granted, this
7:21
is somebody who supposedly is very detail -oriented
7:25
and expects his wide receivers to know exactly
7:29
what he wants. Well, guess what? Nobody will
7:33
be able to be on the same page as you if you're
7:35
not there, if you're not building rapport with
7:39
your teammates. The one thing I can say about
7:42
Russell Wilson is that the minute that he signed,
7:46
he was fully committed. From the moment that
7:49
he inked his name on that piece of paper, he
7:53
was committed through and through with the Steelers.
7:57
He made it a priority to develop chemistry with
8:00
each and every one of his teammates. He took
8:03
them out to dinner, took them out to games, was
8:07
around them a lot, practiced with them, worked
8:10
on reps, did everything you could possibly think
8:13
of to develop that chemistry with each and every
8:16
one of his players. Where is that? Because Mason
8:21
Rudolph is there. Where's Aaron Rodgers? Because...
8:26
Here is for all the people that want to say,
8:28
well, it's not really that serious and OTAs are
8:32
just optional. Let me tell you something. Championships
8:34
are not built in the regular season. Championships
8:38
are built in OTAs. They are built in mandatory
8:42
minicamp. They are built in training camp. So
8:47
if you want to be a championship caliber team,
8:50
which this team is not. You would have needed
8:54
to start that process in OTAs because that's
8:58
when you begin to become closer with everybody.
9:00
That's when you are able to understand what makes
9:03
people tick, what people like, what people don't
9:06
like. But you can't do that when you're just
9:09
sitting on your hands and just saying, well,
9:12
you know, I may go to Chicago. I know there's
9:15
a team that's going to face Chicago late in the
9:18
season. I don't know. I mean, you. You tell me.
9:22
I don't know. I don't really want to go to New
9:24
Orleans or whatnot. Cut the shit, okay? Cut it.
9:28
Either you want to play football or not. It's
9:32
as simple as that. Because right now, the Steelers
9:35
are hitting a point where if this continues to
9:39
draw out into mandatory minicamp, this is going
9:43
to look bad on both Mike Tomlin And Omar Khan,
9:47
especially on Omar Khan. I would have expected
9:50
by now that Omar Khan would have picked up the
9:53
phone and at least brought in Ryan Tannehill,
9:56
brought in Carson Wentz. Because right now, this
10:01
is looking bad on the team. Because you're going
10:04
to bring in somebody who could legitimately destroy
10:08
your locker room. And you have tried so hard
10:11
to eliminate all the outside noise and the nonsense
10:15
and the drama and all of those negative players.
10:19
You've tried to eliminate all of that. And now
10:22
you're about to bring in somebody who is just
10:25
as negative as anybody that you would have thought.
10:29
That was more negative than Aaron Rodgers. What
10:31
sense does that make? It doesn't. You have to
10:36
move on. It is time to stop playing this game
10:40
of patty cake with Aaron Rodgers. Either you
10:44
want to sign with the Steelers or you don't.
10:47
The longer that this draws out, the less time
10:50
the offense will have to develop chemistry with
10:53
their quarterback. You still need to develop
10:55
chemistry with your center. You need to know
10:57
exactly how you want things hyped to you. You
11:00
still need to know how Pat Fryer move runs his
11:02
routes, how this receiver runs his routes, how
11:05
that running back pass blocks. You need to understand
11:08
and learn how this offense ticks. But you cannot
11:13
do that when you are not showing that you are
11:16
not serious. And you know what? Aaron Rodgers
11:18
realizes that. That's why he is not making any
11:22
moves because he realizes, listen, I have the
11:25
Steelers right where I want them. And as long
11:27
as the Steelers are looking for a quarterback,
11:30
I will always be in pole position, as Mike Tomlin
11:33
says, pole position of this entire situation.
11:37
But let me go a little bit back to go a little
11:39
bit forward though. This is what Darius Slay
11:42
had to say on why he showed up to OTAs, and I
11:45
quote, This is where championship football starts.
11:48
Everybody has to buy in, and this is the time
11:51
to buy in. I know guys have family and stuff,
11:53
and I have got one as well, but if you want to
11:56
be a champion, there are some things you have
11:58
to sacrifice. I want to be here on time, be present,
12:02
let guys see my face, and show guys it is important
12:05
to be here, and I am here to win. End quote.
12:08
Darius Slay already said it. You have to sacrifice.
12:12
Everyone is sacrificing to be here. And granted,
12:16
I understand that what Aaron Rodgers is going
12:19
through is super traumatic and whatnot. Thoughts
12:23
and prayers to you, brother. But let me tell
12:25
you something. If you are really, really, really
12:28
in a really bad spot and it's a really bad situation
12:33
that is really accompanying your time. You would
12:36
not make time to go to a concert. You would not
12:39
make time to go on a podcast. You would not make
12:42
time to do a Q &A after a concert. You would
12:45
not do that. You would be right there in the
12:49
middle of that situation, making sure that everything
12:52
is taken care of. So what's the excuse? Somebody
12:55
please tell me what's the excuse at this point?
12:58
Because guess what? You are not just the only
13:01
person that's probably going through some real
13:03
serious stuff right now. There are probably other
13:05
people on this team currently who are going through
13:09
some very serious stuff. But you know what they
13:12
did? They put that to the side. They have people
13:15
in place to make sure that it's taken care of.
13:18
And guess where they are? They are at OTAs, showing
13:21
up every single day to make sure that they put
13:24
their best foot forward. What are you doing?
13:28
What are you doing to show that you're serious
13:30
about football? Nothing. And yes, I hold Aaron
13:34
Rodgers to a high standard because you know why?
13:36
I saw Tom freaking Brady during the middle of
13:40
COVID. When COVID was running rampant, where
13:43
everyone had to stay in the house, this man risked
13:48
his life and his family's life. To learn to be
13:52
comfortable with his receivers. To be comfortable
13:55
with his running back. To be comfortable with
13:57
everybody on the offense at a park. A public
14:01
park. So what's the excuse at this point? If
14:07
you don't want to play football, retire. Go ahead,
14:12
go on the Pat McAfee show, do a little video.
14:16
However, if you want to do it under the stars,
14:18
if you want to do it at the beach, if you want
14:20
to do it at the park, if you want to do it at
14:22
your local McDonald's, go ahead and just retire.
14:26
Because right now, the standard is broken in
14:30
Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh was once a place where
14:34
it was no nonsense. You put your head down and
14:36
you go to work. Now that standard is broken.
14:40
And I don't know when that standard will ever
14:43
be rebuilt. Because we have a team who continues
14:47
to wait on the word of a 41 -year -old to make
14:51
his decision. You are about to enter into mandatory
14:55
minicamp without a supposed quarterback one.
14:59
You have Mason Rudolph, you have Skyler Thompson,
15:02
you have Will Howard. Bring in Ryan Tannehill
15:06
or Carson Wentz and move forward. It's time that
15:12
you stop waiting for people to make their decision.
15:15
Clearly, if they was really serious about this
15:18
team, if they was really serious about actually
15:21
wanting to play football, they would have already
15:24
signed a deal by now. Because right now, I can
15:28
make a strong case that if Aaron Rodgers was
15:31
to make an appearance, he would not be welcomed
15:34
within that locker room. He would not be welcomed
15:36
in Pittsburgh. People are actually more behind
15:40
Mason Rudolph than Aaron Rodgers. And granted,
15:45
I understand Aaron Rodgers is four -time MVP
15:49
and he's a champion, future Hall of Famer, all
15:54
these great accolades. But that was with the
15:56
Packers. What has he done lately? Nothing. All
16:00
he has done lately is destroy locker rooms, throw
16:03
people under the bus, and be toxic. I understand
16:07
there are people that are probably saying, well,
16:09
Ben really didn't show up a whole lot for OTAs
16:11
and this person didn't do it and that person
16:14
didn't do it. You want to know the difference
16:16
between those players and Aaron Rodgers? Those
16:19
were already established on this team. So they
16:22
didn't have to show up to OTAs because why? They
16:25
already knew everything. There was no new change.
16:28
And if there was change, it wasn't a significant
16:30
amount of change to where, hey. I need to be
16:34
able to learn the cadences for this and learn
16:37
the cadences for that and the switches for this
16:39
and that. You don't need to do all that. But
16:42
if you are learning a whole new offense, if you've
16:46
never played with any of these receivers, offensive
16:48
linemen, tight ends, or running backs, then you
16:52
need to put in as possibly can so that you are
16:55
able to be ready for the season. Clearly, the
16:59
league is trying to send a message as well because
17:02
why? The league literally gave you a revenge
17:05
game to start off the season. They literally
17:09
gave you the Jets week one. That should have
17:13
been more of a reason to say, you know what?
17:15
Where do I sign? Send me the contract right now.
17:17
I'll sign it right now. I get to get my revenge.
17:20
I get to start off the season with possibly getting
17:23
my revenge against the Jets, the team that supposedly
17:25
did me wrong. What? Man, give me a pen. Bernie,
17:32
give me a pencil. I'll sign it in pencil if I
17:34
need to. But no, you have somebody that is lackluster,
17:37
toxic, and is just never going to change and
17:42
is never willing to change. And that is exactly
17:44
why I always hold people like a Tom Brady, a
17:48
Peyton Manning, a Drew Brees, people that are
17:51
committed to the process than somebody who he
17:55
just uses his physical traits. to win him games,
17:59
his physical traits to win people over. That's
18:02
not good enough, especially in Pittsburgh. Now
18:05
let's get into this other thing that Terry Bradshaw
18:07
also had to say when it came to the whole Kenny
18:09
Pickett thing. So this is what he also says as
18:12
well. And I quote, I like Kenny Pickett. I liked
18:15
him at Pitt. I knew him. I know what he's like.
18:18
When they got him to Pittsburgh, they didn't
18:20
protect him. They didn't get him an offensive
18:22
line. They wanted to run the football. but they
18:24
didn't have an offensive line that could protect
18:26
and they didn't have weapons. He had no wide
18:28
receivers to speak of. Then they throw a kid
18:31
in there for two years and you've got an offense
18:33
that doesn't fit and doesn't work and they can't
18:35
run because their offensive line's not even good
18:38
enough for a run -blocking team. Now they're
18:41
saying Kenny Pickett is a failure. He wasn't
18:43
a failure. The Steelers were a failure, end quote.
18:46
Granted, I was one of those people that... was
18:49
100 % against getting Kenny Pickett. I did not
18:52
want to get Kenny Pickett at all because I knew
18:56
that he did not meet the standards of what this
18:59
team needs. He's not someone that is proficient
19:03
at throwing the deep ball. That's not his game.
19:06
His game is middle to small range, okay? He doesn't
19:10
have that big of an arm like how Ben used to
19:12
have. So why would you get him? I'll explain
19:15
why. They got him because... They wanted to rewrite
19:18
a wrong and I'll continue to beat this dead horse
19:21
until my last breath. They got Kenny Pickett
19:24
because they wanted to rewrite a wrong and not
19:27
getting Dan Marino, who, by the way, they could
19:30
have just asked, hey, Dan, are you using coke
19:33
in college? They could have just easily done
19:36
that, but they didn't want to do that. And so.
19:39
20 some years has passed. You have another pick
19:41
quarterback that's had a great season. And so
19:44
you're like, you know what? We can't pass over
19:46
him. We got to get him. And in doing so, you
19:49
failed him. 1000 % of the way. After that first
19:55
season, there should have been significant changes
19:58
to that offense. Case in point, Matt Canada should
20:03
have been fired. But you decided to run it back
20:06
with Matt Canada for another year. And in doing
20:10
so, it made Kenny Pickett look worse. It did
20:15
not help Kenny Pickett's development at all.
20:18
Kenny Pickett really didn't really develop until
20:23
he went to Philly. Really think about that for
20:26
a second here, folks. You didn't have anything
20:29
in place to really support him. On top of that,
20:33
you just decided to say, hey, okay, fine, we'll
20:36
just let you go. We'll let you go. It's no problem.
20:39
No problem whatsoever. No, it doesn't work like
20:42
that. You didn't give him an adequate chance.
20:45
You didn't give him a support system to really
20:48
bring the best out of him. This man was thrusted
20:53
into the quarterback position role because Mitchell
20:56
Trubisky wasn't able to do his job, which even
20:59
then you messed up with that because why? Mitchell
21:01
Trubisky asked you, are you going to draft a
21:04
quarterback? And y 'all told him something different.
21:08
And then guess what? He finds out just like how
21:10
everybody else found out that you guys were taking
21:13
a quarterback. It was a nasty situation from
21:16
the beginning. They did not do the most that
21:20
they could have done when it came to Kenny Pickett.
21:22
If you would have done everything in your power
21:25
to maximize the potential of Kenny Pickett and
21:28
it still didn't do anything, it still didn't
21:31
create significant change. OK, fine. You did
21:34
everything that you could have done, but you
21:37
didn't do enough to really say, hey, we gave
21:40
our best foot forward for Kenny Pickett. Instead,
21:43
all you did was just enough just to get you by.
21:47
And now look, you're now in the same situation
21:50
that you just were in a few years ago looking
21:54
for another quarterback. That's why I'm very
21:56
skeptical on if this team can really develop
21:59
a quarterback moving forward. Because they failed
22:02
so horribly with Kenny Pickett. And now next
22:06
year, you're going to have Lenore Sellers. You're
22:08
going to have Nussmeier. You're going to have
22:10
Drew Aller. You're going to have Carson Beck.
22:12
You're going to have a slew of different quarterbacks.
22:15
And you have to hit on this quarterback. Because
22:18
if you don't hit on this quarterback, people
22:21
are going to lose their jobs. Mike Tomlin is
22:24
going to be the first person. Mike Tomlin is
22:27
under hot water right now. I know a lot of media
22:30
people are not going to say it, but I'm going
22:32
to be the one to say it. Mike Tomlin is under
22:34
fire right now because he has not shown enough
22:38
attention to the most important position on the
22:41
entire team. He has been very lackluster in addressing
22:44
quarterback. You brought in Mitchell Trubisky.
22:48
That was a horrible move. You drafted Kenny Pickton
22:50
in the first round with a draft class, by the
22:52
way, that was not strong that a lot of people
22:55
were saying. Don't do it. Wait till next year.
22:59
And you still did it with the first pick. Two
23:03
years later, guess what? He's gone. Now, you
23:07
brought back Mason Rudolph, and now you're waiting
23:10
for a 41 -year -old to figure out if he wants
23:13
to play or not. You've been whiffing on the quarterback
23:15
position. It's not good. At some point, you are
23:19
going to have to admit that, listen, it's just
23:23
time to go. And that's fine. But what you cannot
23:27
do is continue to sell this hopeless dream of
23:31
saying, oh yeah, it's championship or butts.
23:34
We are a championship minded team. We're going
23:37
to make the moves that we need to make so we
23:39
can try to compete for a championship. We are
23:42
not a championship caliber team. In no ways is
23:45
the Steelers on. The Steelers are at least maybe
23:49
three years away from possibly being a quote
23:52
unquote Super Bowl contender. And by then, TJ
23:56
Watt will be up in age. Cam Hayward would possibly
23:59
retire. A lot of people in that defense are going
24:03
to get up in age. And so you, you're in a situation
24:07
right now, have to hit on your quarterback. If
24:12
you do not hit on your quarterback, you have
24:16
pushed this team back another three to five years.
24:20
Now, this is what Kenny Pickett had to say yesterday.
24:22
And I quote, I'm extremely grateful for my time
24:25
in Philly. I think I was just shown how it's
24:28
supposed to be done really from the top down.
24:31
So when you get a chance to see what it's supposed
24:33
to look like and how it should look like on a
24:36
day -to -day basis, not just on Sundays, you
24:39
know, I think it'll pay dividends for me in the
24:41
future, end quote. That is a direct jab at Mike
24:44
Tomlin. That is a direct jab at the Steelers.
24:47
Because Philly showed him, hey, listen. This
24:50
is how we do things on a day -to -day basis.
24:52
This is how we do this. This is how we do that.
24:54
This is how we prepare ourselves for the upcoming
24:56
game. This is how we prepare ourselves for the
24:58
bye week. They have a process. The Steelers do
25:02
not have a process that they can go to. And for
25:06
all the people that were ridiculing Ryan Clark
25:09
when he said that Mike Tomlin's message has gone
25:12
stale, he is 100 % right. The message has gone
25:16
stale. They're not... They're buying into the
25:21
process of Mike Tomlin. Instead, they are just
25:24
winging it every single season. And that's not
25:28
what's going to win you a championship. That
25:30
is what's going to destroy a culture. Well, can
25:37
you even say a culture? I don't want to make
25:39
this a Steelers -based episode because I have
25:42
other things to talk about. But they're the number
25:44
one team everyone's talking about. This is the
25:45
one headline that everybody has been talking
25:48
about. since the draft. Everybody would have
25:52
thought by now that there would have been some
25:53
type of resolution, whether it be him retiring
25:56
or signing with the team or something. But clearly
26:01
it hasn't. And clearly it's going to continue
26:03
to linger. If I'm a player for the Steelers,
26:07
I don't want to always have to be asked this
26:10
question every time I do an interview. I don't
26:12
want to be asked about this when I go to the
26:14
grocery store. Where I go to pump my gas. I don't
26:17
want to be asked this a thousand times. So it's
26:21
time for the team to come to a decision and to
26:24
move forward. Roll with Mason Rudolph. You guys
26:28
aren't going to win this year. You guys aren't
26:30
even in a position to really compete against
26:33
the Chiefs, the Ravens, the Bills, any of the
26:36
other Super Bowl caliber teams within the AFC.
26:39
You won't be able to compete with them. So you
26:42
know what you need to do? Wing it this year.
26:45
Do the best that you can do. And however the
26:48
season goes, guess what? You're in a good spot.
26:51
You can go and get Lenore Sellers, Drew Aller,
26:54
Carson Beck, Gary Nussmeyer, whichever quarterback
26:58
that you want to. But I will say this, and I
27:02
said this previously, before we get to talking
27:06
about quarterback, significant changes are going
27:09
to need to be made for the offensive coaching
27:11
staff. They're going to need to bring in somebody
27:14
who has experience developing a quarterback.
27:17
You need to bring in someone like a Pep Hamilton
27:20
or bring in someone like a Byron Leftwich who
27:23
has experience being a Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback
27:26
so that he can show the new quarterback, hey,
27:30
this is how the Steelers run this type of cadence.
27:33
This is how they do when it comes to this play.
27:36
This is how you execute this play. This is how
27:38
you throw the ball. And by the way, and this
27:40
is the last thing I want to say, then we're going
27:42
to get into the grades and whatnot. For all the
27:45
people that say, oh, we should just go after
27:47
Kirk Cousins. Kirk Cousins is a good idea. Kirk
27:49
Cousins had a horrible season last year. Kirk
27:51
Cousins went through a period where he did not
27:54
throw a touchdown. Do you really want that on
27:56
your team? Not to mention, you're going to have
27:59
to give up some significant draft compensation
28:01
in order for the Falcons to take on a lot of
28:04
that money. Do you really want that? No. I'm
28:08
looking at his contract right now according to
28:10
SpotRack. He has a $40 million cap hit this year.
28:14
His base salary this year is $27 .5 million.
28:18
Do you really want that on your team? No. It's
28:22
not worth it because most likely the Falcons
28:25
are going to be looking for either a day two
28:28
or day three pick. High. Not to mention they're
28:32
probably going to be looking for maybe a player
28:33
as well. You are in no position. to make that
28:38
type of move. So Steelers, I'm going to say this
28:41
again one more time. Move the hell on. The hell
28:48
with Aaron Rodgers. The hell with waiting for
28:51
a 41 -year -old to make his decision. Move on.
28:55
Now let's get into something a little bit more
28:57
positive, and let's get into these draft grades.
29:00
So we're going to start with the AFC South. So
29:02
with the Colts, their positions of need, defensive
29:05
back, defensive line, offensive line, tight end,
29:07
linebacker, edge. So they got Tyler Warren, tight
29:10
end, JT Tula Malau, defensive end, Justin Wiley,
29:14
cornerback, Jalen Travis, tackle, DJ Giddings,
29:18
running back, Riley Leonard, quarterback, Tim
29:20
Smith, defensive line, and Hunter Wohler, linebacker.
29:24
When we look at their team stats, however, they
29:26
had the 29th ranked defense, which allowed 25
29:29
.1 points per game, 361 .2 yards per game, 5
29:34
.5 yards per play, and allowed 45 touchdowns.
29:38
Now, when we break this down into pass and run
29:40
defense, they were 26th in pass defense, which
29:44
allowed 229 .4 passing yards per game, 6 .7 yards
29:48
per play, and 27 passing touchdowns. Moving over
29:51
to the run defense, they were 24th in the league
29:54
and they allowed 18 rushing touchdowns, 131 .8
29:58
rushing yards per game, 4 .2 rushing yards per
30:00
play, and allowed 68 rushes of 10 plus yards
30:04
or more. Moving over to the offense, however.
30:07
They were the 13th ranked offense, which averaged
30:10
22 .2 points per game, 334 .8 yards per game,
30:15
5 .5 yards per play, and 40 touchdowns. They
30:18
were 25th in passing offense, which averaged
30:21
197 .7 passing yards per game, 6 .2 passing yards
30:25
per play, and 20 passing touchdowns. They were
30:28
8th in rushing offense, which averaged 137 .1
30:32
rushing yards per game, 4 .7 rushing yards per
30:35
play, 20 rushing touchdowns, and 64 rushes of
30:39
10 plus yards or more. All in all, I would probably
30:42
give them an A, and this is why. So for one,
30:45
you get Justin Wiley, so you address defensive
30:48
back, okay? Defensive line by getting JT Tolomawo,
30:52
as well as getting Tim Smith. So that's, you
30:55
know, kill two birds with one stone. You get
30:58
Hunter Waller, so that's linebacker death. I
31:01
can make a strong case. that this is definitely
31:04
one of the better draft classes in the entire
31:06
league. You get Tyler Warren, which is great,
31:09
because you're pairing him with Mo 'Ali Cox,
31:11
and you're giving whoever the quarterback is
31:13
another weapon. You have JT Tulumawau, which
31:16
was a really productive defensive end. You got
31:19
Justin Wally, who was a really productive corner.
31:21
Jalen Travis, a tackle def. DJ Giddens, a really
31:25
good backup running back. You have done a lot
31:28
in this draft class, and it's great. These are
31:31
the type of draft classes that you need to have
31:33
in order to really position yourself for the
31:36
future. So I can't really hate them for that.
31:41
Now, when we shift things over to the Jaguars,
31:43
though, it's a little bit more difficult to really
31:46
break down their draft. Let's just see what happens.
31:49
So their positions of need, interior offensive
31:51
line, tight end, wide receiver, DB, running back,
31:54
defensive line. So the first round pick, they
31:56
got Travis Hunter. Their third round pick, they
31:58
got Caleb Ransault and Wyatt Millam. Their fourth
32:01
round, they got Bashaw Tuan and Jack Kaiser.
32:03
Their sixth round pick, they got Jalen McLeod,
32:06
if I'm not mistaken, and Rayon Lane. Sorry if
32:10
I butchered your name. Seventh round, they got
32:12
Jonah Monaheim and then LaQuint Allen. So when
32:16
we break things down based off of their team
32:18
stats, they had the 31st ranked defense, which
32:21
allowed 25 .6 points per game, 389 .9 yards per
32:25
game, 5 .9 yards per play, and allowed 48 touchdowns.
32:30
They were 32nd in pass defense and allowed 257
32:34
.4 passing yards per game, 7 .1 yards per play,
32:38
and 29 passing touchdowns. They were 25th in
32:41
run defense and allowed 19 rushing touchdowns,
32:45
rushing yards per game 4 .4 rushing yards per
32:48
play and allowed 64 rushes of 10 plus yards or
32:51
more as well as having a run stuff rate at 14
32:55
.7 percent shifting things over to the offense
32:58
they have the 25th ranked offense which averaged
33:01
18 .8 points per game All in all, I really didn't
33:33
like the Jaguars draft class, and this is why.
33:36
We pardon to give you this interruption and say...
33:39
According to Adam Schefter, the Dolphins have
33:41
had trade discussions with the Pittsburgh Steelers
33:43
about their lone pro bowl selection last season,
33:46
tight end John New Smith, per league sources.
33:48
Those talks came after Smith expressed an interest
33:51
in reworking his deal that is scheduled to pay
33:53
him $4 .8 million this season. With Smith seeking
33:56
a new contract, Miami has sought a trade partner.
33:59
Last season, Smith set the franchise record for
34:01
tight end in receptions, receiving yards, and
34:03
touchdowns. Smith's preference, per sources,
34:06
is to stay in Miami under a week. reworked deal
34:09
a couple thoughts you know this um this just
34:14
dropping and whatnot on one hand okay this is
34:19
another move by the steelers this would possibly
34:22
shore up the offense a little bit more you have
34:25
john new smith who has been very successful especially
34:28
under arthur smith okay great all those things
34:31
and more but does this substitute wide receiver
34:37
See, I have a lot of questions about this, and
34:39
I'm trying to find a way to really ask them because
34:44
I'm so confused right now. Because right now,
34:47
you have Pat Frymuth, Darnold Washington, and
34:51
Darnold Parham. Well, you also have to throw
34:53
in Conor Hayward as well, but he's more of a
34:55
gadget player. But that's not the case, all right?
34:57
So you have all those tight ends. John New Smith
35:01
is looking for a new contract. So exactly what
35:06
are you going to do to possibly facilitate this
35:10
trade? I would not be surprised by the end of
35:13
this episode, by the time this episode actually
35:16
comes out, that we will have a resolution between
35:19
these two teams. I think if you're the Steelers,
35:24
it's a good move. If you're the Dolphins... Not
35:29
so much because that's another weapon that's
35:32
not going to be with Tua. I don't know. I really
35:36
don't know how to feel about this. I'm a little
35:38
bit more confused. I don't know. Somebody help
35:41
me, please. Please. Please. Why? Steelers. Why?
35:47
Just when you think the Steelers aren't going
35:50
to do something, guess what? They do it. They're
35:53
going to do something crazy. But... What do I
35:57
say every single time? Everything crazy always
35:59
happens when I'm doing what? Either when I'm
36:02
about to record, I'm currently recording, or
36:05
after I'm done recording. We already know. But
36:09
let's get into this Jaguars draft class. So here's
36:15
the thing. I wouldn't be as cautious with their
36:19
draft class. If they only used day two and day
36:23
three picks just to move up to get Travis Hunter.
36:26
But because they gave up next year's first just
36:30
to get Travis Hunter, I'm a little bit more skeptical
36:32
about. Simply because if Travis Hunter doesn't
36:35
have a dynamic rookie season, that first round
36:40
pick is going to be a waste. And granted, I understand
36:43
he comes from the Rams and the Rams are very
36:46
aggressive in a lot of the moves that they make.
36:49
You really don't make a lot of sense and whatnot.
36:51
I understand all that and more. However, when
36:55
you make these type of moves, that is basically
36:58
you saying, guess what? We believe in this prospect
37:03
so much that we are willing to give up our next
37:07
year's first round pick. And granted, sometimes
37:10
it works, sometimes it doesn't work. But the
37:13
thing is this, you really won't be able to know.
37:16
if that move was the right move or the wrong
37:19
move within a short amount of time it's going
37:22
to probably take you the length of his rookie
37:24
deal to really see hey was this a good move was
37:28
this a bad move so i would just give them an
37:32
a i know it's probably be controversial but i
37:35
really don't care On to the Texans. Positions
37:38
of need. Offensive line, wide receiver, D -tackle.
37:40
So with their draft picks, they chose Jaden Higgins,
37:43
receiver, Ariance Ertry, offensive tackle. Then
37:46
Jalen Noel, wide receiver, Jalen Smith, cornerback,
37:49
Willie Marks, running back, Jalen Reed, safety,
37:52
and Graham Mertz, quarterback. Keontae Hamilton,
37:54
defensive tackle, and Luke Lake at tight end.
37:57
But when we look at their team stats, however,
38:00
they had the sixth -ranked defense. which allowed
38:03
21 .9 points per game, 315 yards per game, 5
38:07
.1 yards per play, and allowed 42 touchdowns.
38:11
They were sixth in pass defense, and they allowed
38:13
201 passing yards per game, 5 .7 yards per play,
38:17
and 31 passing touchdowns. They were 11th in
38:20
run defense, and they allowed 11 rushing touchdowns,
38:23
114 rushing yards per game, 4 .3 rushing yards
38:27
per play, and allowed 56 rushes of 10 plus yards
38:30
or more with a run stuff rate of 19 .2%. They
38:34
had the 22nd ranked offense, which averaged 21
38:38
.9 points per game, 319 .7 yards per game, 5
38:43
.1 yards per play, and 35 touchdowns. They were
38:46
21st in passing offense, which averaged 207 .4
38:50
passing yards per game, 5 .7 passing yards per
38:53
play, and 20 passing touchdowns. They were 15th
38:56
in rushing offense, which averaged 112 .3 rushing
39:00
yards per game, 4 .4 rushing yards per play,
39:03
15 rushing touchdowns, and 52 rushes of 10 plus
39:07
yards or more. All in all, believe it or not,
39:11
I would give them an A plus. And this is why.
39:15
For them to make the aggressive moves that they
39:19
made by trading down, I think it was great. because
39:24
they don't have a lot of holes on their team.
39:27
So they were in a position where, hey, listen,
39:29
for one, we're not going to be able to really
39:31
choose who we really want to in the first round
39:34
because of where we're positioned. So we might
39:36
as well just want to trade down, collect a whole
39:38
bunch of picks, and just keep it pushing. And
39:40
in doing so, you get Jaden Higgins and you get
39:43
Jalen Noel, which is great. You get Uriante Ursery,
39:46
which was great as well. Jalen Smith is a really
39:49
good pick. Woody Marks is a really good pick.
39:51
I love Jalen Reed coming out of Penn State. Graham
39:55
Mertz is a backup quarterback. That's a work
39:57
in progress. Kevontae Hamilton, that's a rotational
40:00
defensive lineman that can work with everybody
40:03
else that's on that defensive line as well. And
40:05
then Luke Lakely, that could be tied in three
40:07
right there. That's a good draft class right
40:11
there. And for them to double dip that wide receiver
40:14
lets me know that, hey, listen, for one, they're
40:17
not too confident on Tank Dell's injury. So they
40:21
want to make sure that they have a safety net
40:23
just in case. And I don't blame them. Jaden Higgins
40:26
is a really good prospect. Jaden Higgins, to
40:28
me, and I said this in previous episodes, I feel
40:31
like he could have been a late first rounder.
40:34
Just because he has the size, he has the speed,
40:37
he has the quickness, he has the route running,
40:39
he had it all. I can't be mad at them for making
40:42
the moves that they made. On to the Titans. So,
40:45
with their positions of knee, quarterback, wide
40:47
receiver, edge, safety, and kicker. So... They
40:51
drafted Cam Moore, quarterback, Alwafami Aladijo,
40:54
edge, Kevin Winston, safety, Chamary Dyke, wide
40:57
receiver, Gunnar Elm, tight end, Ali Kayubanor,
41:00
wide receiver, Jackson Slater, guard, Marcus
41:03
Harris, quarterback, and Kyle Mullings, running
41:05
back. When we look at their team stats, they
41:08
had the second -ranked defense, which allowed
41:10
27 .1 points per game, 311 .2 yards per game,
41:15
5 .2 yards per play, and 48 touchdowns. They
41:19
were second in pass defense, which allowed 212
41:22
.4 passing yards per game, six passing yards
41:25
per play, and 27 passing touchdowns. They were
41:28
26th in run defense. which allowed 21 rushing
41:32
touchdowns, 133 .9 rushing yards per game, 4
41:36
.5 rushing yards per play, and allowed 54 rushes
41:40
of 10 plus yards or more with a run stuff rate
41:42
at 20 .1%. When we look over the offense, however,
41:47
they had the 26th ranked offense, which averaged
41:50
18 .3 points per game, 304 .2 yards per game,
41:55
five yards per play, and 33 touchdowns. They
41:58
were 26th in passing offense, which averaged
42:01
195 .1 passing yards per game, 5 .7 passing yards
42:05
per play, and 22 passing touchdowns. They were
42:08
19th in rushing offense, which averaged 109 .1
42:11
rushing yards per game, 4 .1 rushing yards per
42:14
play, 11 rushing touchdowns, and 53 rushes of
42:18
10 plus yards or more. For this to be Mike Proganzi's
42:20
first draft as GM for the Titans, he actually
42:23
did really well. Cam Ward, we all knew he was
42:25
going to be the first pick. Alwafami Oladijo
42:27
is a pretty good pass rusher. Kevin Winston was
42:30
another safety from Penn State that I had my
42:32
eye on. Chamari Dyke, I feel like he has a lot
42:35
of upside with his game. Gunnar Helm was definitely
42:37
one of the better tight ends in this past draft
42:41
class. Jackson Slater, I feel like he's a sleeper
42:44
of a guard. Marcus Harris, he's a work in progress.
42:47
Same thing as Kyle Mullins, but... All in all,
42:49
I feel like this was a really solid draft class
42:52
for the Titans. I feel like this is the type
42:54
of draft class that can definitely put them in
42:56
a really great spot for years to come. You get
42:59
your franchise quarterback. You get a really
43:02
good safety. You get a really good edge rusher.
43:04
You get two really good wide receivers and a
43:07
really good tight end as well. I feel like the
43:09
Titans are definitely going to improve with their
43:11
passing game, and I definitely feel like their
43:14
run game will definitely get a lot better, but
43:17
only time will tell at this point. point here's
43:19
the thing with the titans the titans are in the
43:21
spot where for one i think getting cam ward will
43:26
definitely improve just the team as a whole because
43:29
cam war brings leadership and i feel like he
43:32
also brings another level when it comes to being
43:35
a quarterback and this is no slight at will levis
43:38
or anybody else but i just feel like cam war
43:42
can take this offense to the next level pairing
43:45
him with Calvin Ridley and then everybody else
43:48
that's on that offense, I think it would be great
43:50
because the offensive line is still in a really
43:52
good place. You pay for Dan Moore. You got JC
43:54
Latham. You got Peter Skowronski. You got Lloyd
43:57
Cushenberry. You've done a lot. But let's stay
44:00
in the South, but let's transition over to the
44:03
NFC side. You already know Panthers, Falcons,
44:05
Saints, and Buccaneers. So with the Panthers,
44:08
their positions of need, wide receiver, edge,
44:10
and running back. So they chose Tetrell McMillian,
44:12
wide receiver. Nick Scorton, edge. Prince Lee,
44:16
you met an alien. I think I pronounced your name
44:19
correctly. Edge. Trevor Intian, running back.
44:22
Latham Ransom, safety. Cam Jackson, defensive
44:25
line. Mitchell Evans, tight end. And Jimmy Horn,
44:27
wide receiver. Here's the thing, before I get
44:31
into all their team status. I don't care who
44:33
anyone says, this is an A+. You get Tetsuroa
44:37
McMillan, as well as Jimmy Horn, who, from what
44:40
I've heard, Jimmy Horn has been cooking. You
44:42
get Trevor Etienne, who is a Swiss Army knife
44:45
at running back, just like his brother. You get
44:47
Latham Ransom, who's really good safety. You
44:50
get two, two edge rushers who were actually really
44:53
productive last year as well. You get another
44:56
defensive lineman. You get another tight end.
44:58
The Panthers, I don't know. I see what the Panthers
45:02
are doing this year. I see what you're doing.
45:04
I like it. I like this. This is the type of draft
45:07
that they needed to have before they got Bryce
45:09
Young. Not this point, but... That's a whole
45:11
nother story for a whole nother day. But let's
45:13
get into their team stats. So they had the 32nd
45:16
ranked defense, which allowed 31 .4 points per
45:19
game. 404 .5 yards per game, six yards per play
45:23
and 59 touchdowns. They were 23rd in pass defense,
45:27
which allowed 224 .7 passing yards per game,
45:30
6 .8 passing yards per play and 35 passing touchdowns.
45:35
They were 26th in run defense, which allowed
45:38
24 rushing touchdowns, 179 .8 rushing yards per
45:42
game, 5 .2 rushing yards per play. and allowed
45:45
83 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. They were
45:48
the 29th ranked offense, which averaged 20 .1
45:53
points per game, 298 yards per game. 5 .1 yards
45:57
per play, and 40 touchdowns. They were 30th in
46:00
passing offense, which averaged 187 .5 passing
46:04
yards per game, 5 .5 passing yards per play,
46:07
and 22 passing touchdowns. They were 18th in
46:09
rushing offense, which averaged 110 .5 rushing
46:13
yards per game, 4 .6 rushing yards per play,
46:16
18 rushing touchdowns, and have 40 rushes of
46:19
10 plus yards or more. I think adding Trevor
46:22
Etienne along with Trevor Hubbard is great. And
46:26
I think getting Tetrell McMillan and pairing
46:28
him with Xavier Leggett and Adam Thielen and
46:32
Hunter Renfro. Folks, this offense is going to
46:35
be crazy. They got weapons. You got a solid run
46:39
game and a solid pass game. That pass game is
46:41
going to be better this year. That run game is
46:44
going to be better this year. Overall, this entire
46:46
team is going to be better than what it was the
46:49
last two or three years. I think they have made
46:52
a lot of investment into this offseason to really
46:56
show that, hey, we are serious about Bryce Young.
46:58
He is the future. He is our guy. And it shows.
47:03
And I can't hate him for it, so I have to give
47:05
them an A+. Now let's go over to the Falcons.
47:08
Their positions of need, defensive line, wide
47:10
receiver, tight end, center, and safety. Their
47:13
first round picks, Jalen Walker, linebacker,
47:16
and James Pierce, defensive end, Xavier Watts,
47:19
which I really did want. I wish he would have
47:21
went to the Steelers, but it's okay. Billy Bowman,
47:23
safety, and Jack Nelson, tackle. So here's the
47:27
thing. Leading up to the draft, word had gone
47:30
out that a lot of the Falcons scouts and personnel
47:35
people were more focused on the defensive side
47:39
than the offensive prospects. And clearly it
47:42
shows because, They only drafted one offensive
47:46
prospect, and he was in the seventh round. But
47:49
let's just get into the team stats. So they have
47:51
the 23rd ranked defense, which allowed 24 .9
47:54
points per game, 345 .2 yards per game, 5 .5
47:59
yards per play, and 45 touchdowns. They were
48:01
22nd in pass defense, which allowed 224 .5 passing
48:05
yards per game, 6 .3 passing yards per play,
48:08
and 34 passing touchdowns. They were 15th in
48:11
run defense, which allowed 11 rushing touchdowns,
48:15
120 .6 rushing yards per game, 4 .5 rushing yards
48:19
per play, and allowed 57 rushes of 10 plus yards
48:22
or more with a run stuff rate at 15 .1%. They
48:26
had the sixth ranked offense, which averaged
48:29
22 .9 points per game. 369 .8 yards per game,
48:34
5 .8 yards per play, and 39 touchdowns. They
48:37
were fifth in passing offense, which averaged
48:40
239 .3 passing yards per game, 6 .9 passing yards
48:44
per play, 21 passing touchdowns, which really
48:48
isn't that bad if we're being real here. But
48:50
they were 10th in rushing offense, which averaged
48:53
130 .5 rushing yards per game. 4 .5 rushing yards
48:57
per play, 18 rushing touchdowns, and had 56 rushes
49:01
of 10 plus yards or more. On one hand, I understand
49:04
that their defense was atrocious last year, but
49:09
doing what they did in the draft, especially
49:11
in the first round, I think is a little bit more
49:14
extreme. And let me explain why. And this is
49:16
the same thing that I said with the whole Travis
49:18
Hunter thing. When you give up next year's first
49:21
round pick, You are placing a bet that says,
49:25
listen, we are so confident in James Pierce that
49:28
we are willing to give up next year's first round
49:31
pick. I don't know if I really would have done
49:33
that. Same thing with Jalen Walker. I feel like
49:37
those two are question marks at this point because
49:40
Jalen Walker, they used him in a way of. I don't
49:45
want to say Derrick Brooks, but I feel like he's
49:47
the only person I could really reference. It's
49:49
like, sure, they used him at edge as well as
49:53
inside linebacker. And so where is he actually
49:58
going to be? Is it going to be edge rusher? Is
50:00
it going to be inside linebacker? What is he
50:03
exactly going to be? Now, James Pierce, James
50:05
Pierce is an edge rusher through and through.
50:08
But my only concern is, sure, he wins with his
50:11
speed. But when it comes to his hand usage and
50:14
whatnot, I just really didn't see that whole
50:16
lot. And I really wasn't as high on James Pierce.
50:19
Me personally, I felt like James Pierce was going
50:22
to fall out the first round. Then you go and
50:24
you double dip back -to -back rounds with safety.
50:27
And you get Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman. I
50:31
would have just stuck with Xavier Watts and then
50:33
addressed another position. Because you still
50:36
need help with wide receiver. You still need
50:38
help at center. You still need help at different
50:41
spots on the team. And granted, I understand
50:44
that that defensive line wasn't able to create
50:46
a lot of pressure. It wasn't creating a lot of
50:49
sacks. I understand that. But the moves that
50:53
they made in both the first round, third round,
50:56
and fourth round is a little bit of a head scratcher.
50:58
So I feel like I have to give them a C plus at
51:02
this point. Because... There's no direction.
51:06
I feel like that's the best way to describe the
51:09
Falcons. There was no clear direction on how
51:12
they were going to address their positions of
51:14
need. Because getting Jalen Walker, I'm going
51:19
to be honest, I really wasn't high on. I'll continue
51:21
to say it. My green to me was pass rusher one
51:24
to me. I can be 100 % wrong and I probably will
51:28
be wrong. But I just didn't see it with Jalen
51:31
Walker and I didn't see it with James Pierce.
51:34
but I could be 1 ,000 % wrong. Now let's go over
51:38
to the Saints. Their positions of need, wide
51:39
receiver, edge, cornerback, tight end, interior
51:42
offensive line, and running back. So they chose
51:45
Calvin Banks, tackle, Tyler Shuck, quarterback,
51:47
Vernon Broughton, defensive tackle, Jonas Sanker,
51:51
safety, Danny Strutsman, linebacker, Quincy Riley,
51:54
cornerback, Devin Neal, Molokai, Matavo, tight
51:57
end, and Fadil Diggs, defensive end. So here's
52:02
the thing. And I think I said it on one of the
52:06
episodes. If I didn't, then I probably just had
52:08
a conversation with Mook and whatnot. But I was
52:11
definitely under the impression that the Saints
52:14
weren't going to get Shador Sanders. And this
52:15
is why. I think based off of the move that they
52:19
made with Trevor Penning, I feel like that was
52:22
the crumb that everybody should have followed
52:24
leading into the draft. Because I always had
52:28
a theory that they were most likely going to
52:30
move Tyler Weiss -Fuaga back in his natural position
52:33
at right tackle and then draft another tackle
52:36
because I don't think they were super high on
52:39
a lot of the quarterback prospects. In case in
52:41
point, that's exactly what they did. You draft
52:43
Calvin Banks. He's going to be your left tackle.
52:45
You move Tyler Weiss -Fuaga at right tackle.
52:48
Those are your two tackle positions. You get
52:50
Tyler Shuck, who is a little bit more of a older
52:53
prospect. and you just continue to go with everything
52:56
else, which there are some picks that I'm a little
52:59
bit more in love with, and there are other picks
53:01
where I'm just like a little bit of a head scratcher,
53:03
but I may be able to wrap my head around. But
53:06
when we look at their team stats, however, they
53:09
were the 30th ranked defense, which allowed 23
53:12
.4 points per game, 379 .9 yards per game, 5
53:17
.8 yards per play, and 39 touchdowns. They were
53:20
27th in pass defense, which... which allowed
53:23
238 .5 passing yards per game, 6 .4 passing yards
53:27
per play, and 19 passing touchdowns. They were
53:30
31st in run defense, which allowed 20 rushing
53:33
touchdowns, 141 .4 rushing yards per game, 4
53:37
.9 rushing yards per play, and allowed 60 rushes
53:41
of 10 plus yards or more with a run stuff rate
53:43
of 11 .9%. They had the 21st ranked offense,
53:47
which averaged 19 .9 points per game, 320 .1
53:52
yards per game. 5 .3 yards per play and 36 touchdowns.
53:56
They were 23rd in passing offense, which averaged
53:58
205 .2 passing yards per game, 5 .9 passing yards
54:02
per play and 21 passing touchdowns. They were
54:05
14th in rushing offense, which averaged 114 .9
54:09
rushing yards per game, 4 .4 rushing touchdowns,
54:12
excuse me, and 48 rushes of 10 plus yards or
54:14
more. So here's the thing with the Saints. So
54:17
they started off a little bit hot in the early
54:19
parts of the season. And then it just nosedived
54:23
straight into the ground. And so we all know
54:26
that the Saints really wanted to improve just
54:30
the team as a whole, especially with them getting
54:32
a new head coach in Kellen Moore. They just want
54:34
to do a whole makeover of the entire team, which
54:38
I understand. Tyler Shaw, a little bit of a head
54:41
scratcher. I definitely didn't believe he was
54:43
a second round pick. I feel like he was probably
54:44
between a third to maybe sixth round pick at
54:48
best. Quincy Riley, I feel like that's a sleepover
54:51
pick. Danny Stutzman was a really good linebacker
54:54
out of Oklahoma. To me, this is more of a meat
54:57
and potatoes type of draft class. This isn't
55:00
a oohs and aahs. This isn't a wow, this is going
55:03
to be the most craziest draft class of all time.
55:08
No, this is more of a solid foundation for the
55:11
start of a new regime type of draft class. Devin
55:14
Neal, really great draft pick. Tyler Shuck. a
55:18
question mark, especially with everything going
55:20
on with the quarterback position. Calvin Banks,
55:22
I feel like he's your left tackle for the future.
55:25
Jonas Sanker, I feel like that's a really good
55:27
pick as well because he can learn under Tyron
55:29
Matthew. Fidel Diggs, he gets time to learn under
55:32
Cam Jordan as well as Chase Young. So they did
55:36
a pretty good job. I'll give them a B. And the
55:40
only reason why I'm giving them a B is because
55:43
it wasn't draft class where it was great or it
55:46
was horrible. it was just in the middle which
55:49
sometimes you need that sometimes you need those
55:52
type of draft classes to really put you in a
55:55
really great spot for the next three to five
55:58
years now on to the buccaneers which i have a
56:02
lot to say about the buccaneers believe it or
56:03
not so But I'll save that stuff for later. So
56:06
their positions of need, edge, interior offensive
56:08
line, tight end, cornerback, safety. So we all
56:11
know they got Emeka Abuka, wide receiver, Benjamin
56:14
Morrison, cornerback, Jacob Parrish, cornerback,
56:17
David Walker, edge, Elijah Roberts, defensive
56:20
line, Tez Johnson, wide receiver. When we look
56:23
at their team stats, they have the 18th ranked
56:26
defense. which allowed 22 .6 points per game
56:29
341 .8 yards per game 5 .5 yards per play and
56:34
40 touchdowns they were 29th and pass defense
56:36
which allowed 243 .9 passing yards per game 6
56:41
.1 passing yards per play and 27 passing touchdowns
56:44
they were fourth and run defense which allowed
56:47
13 rushing touchdowns, 97 .8 rushing yards per
56:50
game, 4 .3 rushing yards per play, and allowed
56:53
37 rushes of 10 plus yards or more with a run
56:56
stuff rate of 19 .5%. They had the third ranked
57:00
offense, which averaged 29 .5 points per game.
57:17
This is an A+. I don't care what media head you
57:35
listen to. I don't care what journalists you
57:37
listen to. This is an A -plus draft right here.
57:39
From drafting Emeka Ibuka to Benjamin Morrison
57:42
to Jacob Parrish to David Walker, all of these
57:45
are great picks. Especially Benjamin Morrison
57:48
because Benjamin Morrison was supposed to be
57:51
a first -round pick, but he only fell because
57:54
of injury concerns. But Jacob Parrish, that's
57:57
a really good slot corner. Elijah Roberts, that's
58:00
a work in progress. Tez Johnson, I feel like
58:03
he could be really effective in special teams
58:06
as well as possibly wide receiver four. I really
58:11
don't see a lot of holes with their draft. I
58:13
feel like this is a great draft. Let's be real
58:16
here, folks. And I just had this conversation
58:18
with Moob before I did this. The Buccaneers could
58:25
be a sleeper of a Super Bowl pick. I am willing
58:30
to die on that hill. Today, folks, I think if
58:34
they get Jalen Ramsey, I think that is a Super
58:39
Bowl team. You have the quarterback. The quarterback
58:42
has weapons. You have the offensive line. You
58:45
have the run game. You have a really great defensive
58:48
line. You have Desmond Watson, Vita Vea, Shaq
58:51
Bear, and Hassan Reddy. And now you also have
58:54
David Walker and Elijah Roberts. Your cornerback
58:57
room. If you add in Jalen Ramsey and you pair
59:01
him with Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish,
59:05
yo, that's crazy. And then you have Antoine Winfield
59:09
Jr. as well? Are you serious? Because the Buccaneers
59:16
is one of the only teams to really give the Eagles,
59:20
the Lions, and all the other top NFC teams problems.
59:25
They've been doing it for the last few years.
59:28
I feel like if Baker Mayfield just stays consistent,
59:31
and if they don't have as many injuries as they
59:33
had last season, I guarantee you they will be
59:37
a sleeper of a pick when it comes to the Super
59:39
Bowl. You heard it here first, episode 80 of
59:44
the Football Junkies podcast. You heard it here
59:47
first. I said it, all right? But I'm going to
59:50
end this episode here. If you guys like what
59:51
you are listening, please, please, please, please,
59:53
please make sure you guys... Like the episode,
59:56
download the episode, leave a five star, five
59:59
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Let me know your thoughts. Did I get your team
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Go ahead. Take a listen. Let me know your thoughts
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forgot about this when it comes to the YouTube.
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When you go on the YouTube, there is a link tree.
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You click on that link tree and it'll take you
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Junkies content. You can follow me on X, G -M
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-K -L, all right? G -M -K -L, K -A -I -L -E.
1:01:23
It's the same thing with Blue Sky as well. G
1:01:26
-M -K -L, K -A -I -L -E. As always, I hope I
1:01:29
gave you guys the fix that you guys need. I love
1:01:31
you guys. I appreciate you guys so much. We're
1:01:34
80 episodes in, baby. 80 episodes in. We are
1:01:38
only 40 episodes away from 100 episodes, guys.
1:01:42
And we are only a few more downloads from reaching
1:01:46
800 downloads. I cannot thank you guys so much
1:01:50
for your support. I cannot thank you guys for
1:01:53
just interacting with the content. I can't thank
1:01:56
all the people that support me in the background,
1:01:59
from my parents to my friends. to everybody that
1:02:04
I have a personal relationship. I just want to
1:02:07
thank you guys. Most importantly, got to thank
1:02:11
God for this because if it wasn't for him, I
1:02:14
definitely would have quit probably after the
1:02:16
fifth episode. But he's given me the strength
1:02:19
each and every episode to continue to do this.
1:02:22
And I love this and I'll continue to do this
1:02:25
as long as I can. So this is your GM Kale signing
1:02:28
out. Peace and love. Later. Or who knows? We
1:02:34
might have another breaking news because Jonu
1:02:37
Smith maybe went to the Steelers. Who knows?
1:02:39
But guess what? This is your GM. Once again,
1:02:42
peace and love. I'm out, guys.