Latest / Football Junkies podcast / Ep.81: Mr.Rodgers comes to town

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Ep.81: Mr.Rodgers comes to town · Football Junkies podcast

0:03
Double bag alert, double bag alert, double bag
0:05
alert, folks. That's right. Bud Dupree and Rashad
0:08
Bateman get paid. Aaron Rodgers finally heads
0:11
to the Berg. Has Anthony Richardson's time run
0:14
out with the Colts? Joe Flacco gets grilled by
0:16
his former teammate. And Deion Sanders defends
0:19
Shador Sanders' professionalism, okay? All of
0:22
this and more on the 81st episode of the Football
0:24
Junkies Podcast. I am your host with the most.
0:27
I am your chief bagger -o -dominance. I am your
0:30
chief head of the table. Anything and everything.
0:32
Everything related to the bag, conspiracy theories,
0:35
trades, you name it, we cover it over here at
0:37
the Football Junkies Podcast. I am your GM who
0:40
currently is not on the team right now, but don't
0:42
you worry about it, all right? Don't you worry
0:45
about it because guess what? I am all these things
0:47
and more. But most importantly, the most important
0:50
thing that you must remember is I am your host,
0:52
Kale. You already know how these things are about
0:54
to go. So guess what? On three, one, two, three,
0:56
let's lock in. Right, folks, let's get into the
1:24
meat and potatoes, everything that is going on
1:26
in the league right now. So before we get into
1:29
Aaron Rodgers' talk, let's talk about the bag
1:31
alerts, all right? So Bud Dupree, outside linebacker
1:34
for the LA Chargers, inks a one -year $6 million
1:37
extension. He'll be making $6 million a year.
1:41
And when we look at his stats from this past
1:42
season, 28 tackles, six sacks, and one pick.
1:45
A good team -friendly extension that doesn't
1:48
really hurt the Chargers in any way. Bud Dupree
1:51
is still a very productive pass rusher. Now,
1:53
is he in that tier with the Miles Gerrits and
1:56
the TJ Watts and the Michael Parsons of the world?
1:59
No, but he is somebody that can give you six
2:02
to nine sacks a season, which is still fairly
2:04
good because you have Khalil Mack on the other
2:07
side. I think the Chargers approach when it came
2:09
to pass rush. was to have one expensive pass
2:13
rusher and one cheaper pass rusher instead of
2:15
having two very expensive pass rushers where
2:18
one of them couldn't stay healthy and really
2:21
wasn't living up to the contract and the other
2:23
one was exceeding his contract. I can't really
2:25
hate the Chargers for it. I think it's a great
2:28
deal. It does create a little bit more catch
2:29
space for them. Maybe they're trying to create
2:32
some more catch space so they can try to go after
2:34
maybe someone like a Jalen Ramsey or a big player
2:38
that they really need. I don't know. but only
2:40
time will tell. But we have to talk about Rashad
2:43
Bateman. That's right. Receiver for the Ravens
2:45
inks a three -year $36 .7 million deal, $20 million
2:49
guaranteed, and he'll be making $12 .2 million
2:51
a year. When we look at his stats, 72 targets
2:54
for 45 receptions, 756 receiving yards, nine
2:58
touchdowns, and 16 .8 yards per reception. According
3:01
to the 3013, 77 .8 of Bateman's 2024 receptions
3:07
resulted in either a first down or touchdown.
3:10
That is the highest rate in the league among
3:12
players with 40 plus catches. Now, he was one
3:16
of two other players that had a 75 % touchdown
3:20
and first down rate. And the other two were A
3:23
.J. Brown and Darnell Mooney. All in all, this
3:25
is a really good team -friendly deal. This doesn't
3:28
really break the bank for the Ravens, and I think
3:30
this definitely creates enough cash space for
3:33
them to go after either Jair Alexander or Jalen
3:35
Ramsey. According to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler,
3:38
Rashad Bateman approached the Ravens this offseason
3:40
for an extension and was denied initially and
3:43
was given permission to seek a trade. Multiple
3:45
teams were interested in Rashad Bateman, including
3:48
the Cowboys, Packers, and Patriots, but the Ravens
3:51
decided to give him an extension. The Ravens
3:53
made a really good decision in not trading away
3:55
Rashad Bateman just because of how pivotal of
3:58
a role he plays on this offense. You were talking
4:00
about somebody that when he gets the ball in
4:02
his hands, it's either a first down or it's a
4:05
touchdown. You're talking about a chain mover.
4:08
You're talking about someone that makes big plays.
4:10
You're somebody that gets the job done. Sure,
4:13
he's not going to wow you with the stats and
4:15
whatnot, but he is somebody that is a big playmaker
4:18
for this Ravens offense. Now, when we shift things
4:21
over to the speculative talk about, you know,
4:24
could they be possibly going after Jalen Ramsey
4:26
or Jair Alexander, I will say this. Jalen Ramsey
4:31
would be great for the Ravens simply because
4:34
he is an AFC North -style corner. He has the
4:37
size, he still has speed, he's a willing tackler,
4:41
and he can still hold his own against number
4:43
one wide receivers, which you really do need
4:46
at this point. I think a secondary that has Marlon
4:49
Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, Jalen Ramsey, Kyle Hamilton,
4:53
and Malachi Starks would be very dangerous compared
4:58
to what they have right now. My recommendation
5:00
for resolving this entire Jalen Ramsey situation
5:03
is just doing a buyout. Because right now, there
5:07
is no team that is going to be willing to meet
5:09
the demands of the Dolphins. And I think Jalen
5:12
Ramsey and his side understand that. So I think
5:15
the best thing to do is to sacrifice a couple
5:17
dollars, sacrifice some of your signing bonus,
5:20
just so you get to dictate where you want to
5:23
go. Because right now, the Chiefs can't make
5:25
a move for you. The Eagles could possibly make
5:28
a move for you, but that's risking itself. So
5:31
you don't have a lot of options if you want to
5:34
try to compete for another title. Now, if you're
5:36
just trying to play in a better situation, well,
5:38
then by all means, whoever gives you the best
5:41
offer, you go there. But if I'm Jalen Ramsey,
5:44
if I want to end my career with another ring,
5:48
i would fork over 10 to 15 million in part of
5:51
my signing bone dolphins just so i can experience
5:54
winning another super bowl because you're already
5:56
a hall of famer but wouldn't it be better to
5:59
end your career as a two -time super bowl champion
6:02
now when we shift things over with jire alexander
6:05
however his situation is a little bit more complicated
6:08
just because In the beginning part of the offseason,
6:11
there was a lot of rumors that, you know, the
6:14
Seahawks and the Packers were talking about trading
6:17
for Jire Alexander. Then that fell through. And
6:20
then there was talks of Jire doesn't want to
6:22
be with the Packers. Then now it's just quiet.
6:25
But if I'm the Ravens, I'm calling Green Bay
6:28
just to test the waters, just to see exactly
6:30
what's their asking price. And if it's non -negotiable.
6:33
If it's non -negotiable, then I'll just leave
6:35
it alone. But if it's something that we can work
6:37
on, then by all means, do it. Because at this
6:41
point, Jair doesn't want to be with the Packers.
6:43
He's let that be known. So it's just best that
6:45
you move off of him. Now with his contract, sure,
6:49
you could restructure it. You can do a plethora
6:51
of different things. But the question is, would
6:53
Jair be willing to be a team player? Because
6:56
either way you look at it, both of these players
6:59
are going to have to make some type of sacrifice
7:00
to be in a better situation. The question is,
7:03
what are you willing to sacrifice? But if I am
7:06
the Ravens, I am picking up the phone for both
7:08
of these players. I'm trying to find a good sweet
7:12
spot for a good deal between these two teams.
7:14
And whoever is willing to give me the better
7:16
deal, then by all means, I'll do that. Because
7:19
you don't need a whole bunch of draft picks.
7:21
What you need is ballers. You need playmakers.
7:24
You need people that are closers. To me personally,
7:28
I would venture to say Jalen Ramsey will be a
7:30
better option just because if Patrick Mahomes
7:33
sees Jalen Ramsey on the field, he's going to
7:36
have to change everything. He can't just play
7:38
the same type of ball that he's been playing.
7:41
And that's the same thing for any of the other
7:44
AFC quarterbacks that Lamar and the Ravens are
7:46
going to have to face. I just think the Ravens
7:50
should just go and be aggressive and try to get
7:53
one of these guys. Because if you do that, that
7:56
will strike fear into all of your opponents.
7:58
That will separate you from the Chiefs, the Bills,
8:01
the Bengals, anybody else that everybody considers
8:04
to be AFC playoff contenders. Otherwise, you
8:09
run the risk of possibly having a major hole
8:12
at corner that you may not be able to address
8:15
until the trade deadline. I don't think you wanna
8:18
wait that long. So I would get this deal done
8:20
as soon as possible. Now onto the part that everybody
8:24
has been waiting for, everybody has been talking
8:27
about for the past 48 hours, and that is Aaron
8:30
Rodgers is officially signing with the Pittsburgh
8:32
Steelers. He visited the Steelers this morning,
8:35
did all the things that he needed to do, and
8:38
now the contract is signed and he will be wearing
8:40
number eight. So the deal is a one -year $13
8:44
.6 million deal, $10 million guaranteed with
8:47
a maximum value of $19 .5 million. It includes
8:50
$5 .8 million in playtime and team performance
8:53
incentives, according to Adam Schefter. Now,
8:56
when we look at his stats from this past season,
8:59
584 attempts for 368 completions, 3 ,897 passing
9:05
yards, 28 touchdowns, 11 kicks, 6 .7 yards per
9:09
attempt, and a 63 completion percentage. Here's
9:12
the thing with Aaron Rodgers. Like him, hate
9:14
him, whatever. He was the best option for the
9:17
Steelers right now. Because going after Kirk
9:20
Cousins is just a waste. You're going to be giving
9:23
up too much compensation to get somebody who
9:25
didn't play his best ball with the Falcons. And
9:29
that's why he's in the situation that he's in
9:31
right now. I also have to mention that according
9:33
to Adam Schefter, Rodgers was considered the
9:36
third option. Pittsburgh tried trading for Matthew
9:39
Stafford and was unsuccessful. And they also
9:41
tried resigning Justin Fields and were also unsuccessful
9:43
as well. Here's the thing with all of this. Did
9:48
I think the Steelers were going to be able to
9:49
get Matthew Stafford? No. I think that was more
9:52
of a tactic to try to get more money from the
9:54
Rams. And of course it worked. Do I think Justin
9:57
Fields was a legitimate option? Yes. But I think
10:00
the reason why Justin Fields didn't re -sign
10:03
with the Steelers was because one, they didn't
10:05
give him a guarantee that he would be the guy
10:07
moving forward and how they mishandled the entire
10:11
quarterback transition process. I think if they
10:15
would have gave Justin Fields a longer leash,
10:17
he probably would have stayed with the Steelers
10:20
because the Steelers love Justin Fields. They
10:22
wanted Justin Fields. Arthur Smith wanted Justin
10:25
Fields back. But I think because they left a
10:29
bad taste in his mouth, I think that's why he
10:32
went to the Jets. It wasn't because of the money.
10:34
It's because of the opportunity. Because we all
10:37
know next year they're going to be going after
10:39
the quarterback. So that puts someone like a
10:42
Justin Fields in jeopardy. Because if you're
10:44
not playing your best ball, guess what's going
10:46
to happen? They're going to move off of you as
10:48
quickly as possible, or you're going to be a
10:50
backup. And I don't think Justin Fields wants
10:52
to do that. And so... This was probably their
10:56
best option at this point. Granted, Mason Rudolph
10:59
could definitely win them some games, but I think
11:02
Aaron Rodgers is still a dangerous quarterback.
11:06
I understand all the intangibles, all the antics
11:09
that come with him. I understand that. But when
11:12
you put him on the field, he can still throw
11:14
it. He still has that zip. He still has some
11:17
juice left in his arm. So I don't hate the Steelers
11:20
for it. Now, here's the thing with all this.
11:24
There's not a lot of quarterbacks past 40 who
11:27
have been super successful within the NFL. So
11:30
I was able to do a little bit of research and
11:32
let's just go a little bit of a deep dive, all
11:34
right? So Drew Brees' 2019 season, he threw for
11:38
378 attempts for 281 completions, 2 ,979 passing
11:43
yards, 27 touchdowns, four picks, 74 .3 completion
11:48
percentage, and an eight and three record. Joe
11:50
Flacco's 2023 season. He had 204 attempts for
11:55
123 completions, 1 ,616 passing yards, 13 touchdowns,
12:00
8 picks, 7 .9 yards per attempt, and a 60 .3
12:04
completion percentage in a 4 -1 record. Tom Brady's
12:07
2017 season He had 581 attempts for 385 completions,
12:12
4 ,577 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, 8 picks,
12:17
and a 66 .3 completion percentage, as well as
12:20
a 13 -3 record. Brett Favre's 2009 season, he
12:24
had 531 attempts for 363 completions, 33 touchdowns,
12:29
7 picks, and a 68 .4 completion percentage and
12:32
a 12 -4 record. So here's the thing. Aaron Rodgers...
12:38
it's definitely going to be a difference maker
12:39
for the Steelers. The question is how much? Because
12:43
my ceiling for Aaron Rodgers at this point is
12:45
Joe Flacco's 2023 season. If he has a season
12:49
similar to Joe Flacco's or maybe even better
12:52
than what Joe Flacco did in 2023, I think it's
12:55
a success. Another angle that we need to talk
12:58
about is Arthur Smith now has a quarterback that
13:00
attacks the middle of the field. which I think
13:02
is great because I think it'll be able to really
13:05
open up the offense a lot more because I feel
13:08
like last season the offense was very constrained
13:11
because of Russell Wilson's limitations. Russell
13:13
Wilson is not able to attack the middle of the
13:15
field because of his height, and it clearly showed
13:18
in a lot of games. So I think with Aaron Rodgers
13:22
being familiar with Arthur Smith's system because
13:25
he played under Matt LaFleur, I think there's
13:27
not going to be a major disconnect with the play
13:30
calling because I feel like Aaron Rodgers is
13:33
already familiar with a lot of the cadences and
13:35
calls since he was with Matt LaFleur. And we
13:39
all know that Arthur Smith was originally under
13:41
Matt LaFleur when they were still in Tennessee.
13:44
And then once Matt LaFleur left and wanted to
13:46
be a head coach, Matt LaFleur wanted Arthur Smith
13:48
to come with him and be his new offensive coordinator.
13:51
But Arthur Smith declined and he stayed with
13:52
Tennessee and then he went to the Falcons and
13:54
the rest is history. Now, do I think the Steelers
13:57
are going to go on the Super Bowl run? No. Do
13:59
I think they're going to go to the AFC Championship?
14:01
No. But I do think an Aaron Rodgers -led Steelers
14:04
team could possibly win at least one playoff
14:06
game. I think if they make one more addition
14:09
to tight end and receiver, depending on who it
14:12
is, I think this would take this team to another
14:15
level. Now, me personally, I feel like Kyle Pitts
14:18
would be a better option than Johnnie Smith,
14:20
and let me explain why. With Johnnie Smith, he's
14:23
looking for a new deal. And so most likely you're
14:25
going to have to pay him between eight to maybe
14:27
12 million a year. Kyle Pitts, on the other hand,
14:30
if you wanted to, you could give him a short
14:34
term extension because next year he's going to
14:36
be unrestricted free agent. Or you can let things
14:40
play out. And then depending on how his season
14:43
goes, then you can have those type of contract
14:44
talks. But I feel like Kyle Pitts has a lot of
14:47
upside to his game compared to Jonu Smith. But
14:50
I do believe that the Steelers are going to make
14:52
a move and add both another receiver and another
14:55
tight end. Because initially, when Adam Schefter
14:58
put out that the Steelers and the Dolphins were
15:00
talking about a potential trade for Jonu Smith,
15:02
I discarded. I didn't believe it. But then shortly
15:05
after, Donner Palm tore his Achilles. And then
15:08
Adam Schefter puts out another tweet that says
15:10
now they're engaging in talks. And so I'm like,
15:13
OK. Either this is going to work or this is just
15:18
another tactic for Drew Rosenhaus and his side
15:21
to try to make the Dolphins give them a better
15:23
deal. Either way, someone's going to be going
15:27
to the Steelers. Now, I will say this. With Aaron
15:29
Rodgers coming to the Steelers, I think this
15:32
also creates some interest from other players
15:35
who are still free agents to possibly come to
15:37
the Steelers. I think people like Gabe Davis,
15:40
once he's healthy, I think he may come back to
15:42
the Steelers. I think Chris Alave may be interested
15:45
in coming to the Steelers. I think maybe Keenan
15:48
Allen or Amari Cooper or DJ Chark, someone is
15:51
going to be interested of coming to the Steelers
15:53
now. Because now you have Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf,
15:57
Pat Fryer move, Caleb Johnson, Jalen Warren,
15:59
Kenneth Gainwell, Darnell Washington, another
16:02
tight end that they're probably going to add.
16:04
You have a lot of weapons. for this team. And
16:07
that's not even counting the defense as well.
16:09
I think at best, this team could possibly win
16:13
maybe 10 to 11 games. Now, if Aaron Rodgers gets
16:17
hurt, knocks on wood, hopefully that doesn't
16:19
happen, I think at best they could probably win
16:21
eight to nine seasons. But again, the Steelers
16:25
are playing with house money because why? This
16:26
is only a one -year deal. This isn't something
16:30
where, okay, we'll just do this one -year deal
16:32
and we'll see what happens next year. No. Aaron
16:35
Rodgers is under the impression that this may
16:37
be his last season, so he wants to end his career
16:41
on the right foot, and I don't blame him for
16:44
that. Now, I will say this. There is added pressure
16:47
on the offensive line to make sure that they
16:49
dot their I's and cross their T's for Aaron Rodgers,
16:51
especially for someone like Broderick Jones.
16:54
He now has a role where he has to play phenomenally
16:59
well in order to protect Aaron Rodgers. It's
17:02
different if you were still at right tackle.
17:04
No one really wouldn't be saying anything. But
17:06
because you're at left tackle, the pressure is
17:08
on Broderick. Because if he doesn't have a really
17:11
good season, the Steelers are going to move off
17:13
of him. The Steelers are going to go in a different
17:15
direction, and they're going to bring in another
17:17
left tackle. Now, if we go on the analytical
17:19
side, the Jets' offense last year was ranked
17:22
24th in the league, and they averaged 19 .9 points
17:25
per game. 310 .3 yards per game, 5 .2 yards per
17:29
play, and 39 touchdowns. They were 16th in passing
17:32
offense and they averaged 218 .5 passing yards
17:35
per game, 5 .7 passing yards per play. They had
17:39
a 23 .6 play action percentage and 31 passing
17:42
touchdowns. They were 17th in rushing offense
17:44
and they averaged 110 .7 rushing yards per game,
17:48
4 .1 rushing yards per play, 17 rushing touchdowns,
17:51
and had 46 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. With
17:56
Aaron Rodgers coming to the Steelers, I think
17:59
all these numbers are going to increase. Now,
18:01
am I saying that this is going to be a top five
18:03
unit? No. But I do believe they can be within
18:07
that top 12, maybe top 13 range. Maybe even a
18:11
little bit lower. Maybe about 15 at best. But
18:15
I do believe that this is an upgrade for the
18:17
Steelers. Yes, I understand I was very critical
18:19
with Aaron Rodgers in past episodes. I understand
18:24
that. I'm still not taking that away from him.
18:26
He should have been here for OTAs so that he
18:28
could be able. to develop chemistry with his
18:31
receivers, tight ends, and everybody else. But
18:33
he will be here for mandatory minicamp, which
18:36
starts on Tuesday, which he will be speaking
18:38
to the media. So maybe we'll have a deeper understanding
18:41
of why he waited this long and whatnot. But all
18:44
in all, the Steelers are doing good business.
18:47
And that's all that matters. And so now it's
18:51
just a wait and see of what exactly this offense
18:53
is going to look like. According to ESPN journalist,
18:56
Stefan Holder. Anthony Richardson will be out
18:59
for the foreseeable future after re -aggravating
19:02
a shoulder injury that he suffered in 2023, and
19:05
he will be held out of mandatory minicamp next
19:08
week. So when we look at this in its entirety,
19:12
this may be controversial, but I really don't
19:15
care at this point. I think it may be time for
19:17
the Colts and Anthony Richardson to just go their
19:20
separate ways. I just think at this point, they
19:23
bit more than what they can chew, and they're
19:25
starting to realize that. Since being drafted
19:28
by the Colts, Anthony Richardson has only played
19:30
15 games. I'm just going to read to you his stat
19:34
line from this past season. 264 attempts for
19:37
126 completions, 1 ,814 passing yards, 8 touchdowns,
19:42
12 picks, 6 .9 yards per attempt, and a 47 .7
19:46
completion percentage. I think at this point,
19:48
Shane Stuyton, Chris Ballard, and everybody else
19:51
has realized that it just may be time to move
19:54
off of Anthony Richardson. And it really sucks
19:56
because the Colts have a really good roster.
19:59
If you just look up their roster, you will think,
20:03
man, this team should be able to compete with
20:05
the Texans. This team should be winning their
20:07
division almost every single year. But that's
20:09
not the case because why? They haven't had stability.
20:13
You can have chaos in your tight end room, receiver
20:16
room, running back room, offensive line room,
20:19
whatever. As long as you have stability within
20:22
your quarterback room. You will always have a
20:25
chance to win. And the Colts have not had that
20:27
since Andrew Luck's retirement. I'm just going
20:30
to read to you the quarterbacks that they have
20:31
had since Andrew Luck. Jacoby Brissett, Brian
20:35
Hoarder, Phillip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan,
20:37
Sam Ellinger, Nick Foles, Gardner Minshew, Joe
20:40
Flacco, and then Anthony Richardson. That is
20:43
a long list. And some of those quarterbacks,
20:47
they had to make trades for and they had to give
20:49
up a lot to get them. Here was the number one
20:52
red flag for the Colts when it came to Anthony
20:54
Richardson. He didn't have a lot of playing time
20:56
in college. Out of all the positions in football,
21:00
left tackle, wide receiver, pass rusher, and
21:03
sideline backer, corner, safety, whatever, the
21:06
one position that requires a lot of experience
21:08
is quarterback. And we've all seen different
21:11
quarterbacks who didn't have a lot of experience,
21:14
how hard their transition was from college to
21:18
the pros. And we see the difference when quarterbacks
21:21
who do have a lot of experience, how they transition
21:24
a lot more gracefully in the pros. If Anthony
21:27
Richardson would have panned out by now, you're
21:29
talking about somebody whose ceiling could have
21:32
been Cam Newton. But at this point, I think it's
21:36
just better that you guys go your separate ways.
21:38
Now, if I'm Anthony Richardson. I'm either going
21:41
to the Broncos, I'm going to the Vikings, I'm
21:44
going to the 49ers, or I'm going to the Rams.
21:46
I am going somewhere that has a head coach in
21:49
place that has experience developing quarterbacks.
21:53
Because right now, it's just not working with
21:56
the Colts. And sometimes it happens. But right
21:59
now, for one, we haven't been able to stay healthy.
22:02
And another thing that's not really being talked
22:04
about as much, but I feel like it definitely
22:06
needs to be talked about is... You quit on your
22:08
team. I think if you were able to do a quick
22:11
interview with all the players on the team from
22:14
that past season where Anthony Richardson tapped
22:16
out, and you asked them that one question, how
22:19
they really felt about that, I guarantee you
22:22
there would have been at least 20 to 30, maybe
22:24
even 40 % of the team that felt some type of
22:27
way about it. Because offensive linemen aren't
22:29
able to tap out. defensive linemen really aren't
22:31
able to tap out. There are some positions on
22:34
the field that aren't able to tap out. And for
22:36
you to tap out and then give the response that
22:39
you did probably rubbed some people the wrong
22:41
way within the organization and within the locker
22:43
room. So I think at this point, it's just best
22:47
for the Colts and Anthony Richardson to go in
22:49
a different direction. However, if they still
22:52
want to make this thing work, I would say Anthony
22:55
Richardson should probably transition into a
22:57
Taysom Hill type of role. where you're just this
23:00
do -it -all type of player. You're effective
23:03
at tight end, you're effective at maybe receiver,
23:06
running back, wherever they need you at, you're
23:08
effective there. Because right now, your chances
23:12
are very thin. And granted, I understand you
23:16
have the intangibles, you got the athleticism,
23:19
you got the arm, you got it all. But brother,
23:22
your chances are very, very, very slim at this
23:25
point. Because the signing with Daniel Jones
23:28
was already the writing on the wall that they
23:30
were already ready to move off of you. Because
23:33
Daniel Jones, despite all the things we want
23:35
to say about him, he may have a better chance
23:38
of winning this starting job than Anthony Richardson
23:41
at this point. I think from a Shane Stikton's
23:44
type of view, I think he probably says, OK, I
23:48
could probably work with a Daniel Jones better
23:51
than what an Anthony Richardson. Sometimes it
23:54
happens. But if I'm Anthony Richardson, I'm doing
23:58
whatever I need to do so that I can be prepared
24:00
for training camp and preseason. Because right
24:03
now, you're at a disadvantage. So now you're
24:06
playing a game of catch up. Now, I understand
24:08
you really can't do anything with injuries. I
24:10
get that. But right now, if you really want to
24:13
prove to this organization and to the coaching
24:16
staff and to the players that you are the guy.
24:19
then you are going to have to make sure that
24:21
you put your 1000 % effort into everything that
24:25
you do, that you carry yourself like a franchise
24:28
quarterback and you take accountability and you
24:31
do whatever you need to do for this team. Because
24:35
at the end of the day, it's not about you, it's
24:37
about the team, T -E -A -M. Now let's talk about
24:41
this whole Joe Flacco mentoring comments because
24:43
it's definitely caused a firestorm on social
24:46
media. And it definitely caused a firestorm of
24:49
one of his former teammates. So this is what
24:51
Joe Flacco said. And I quote, I tend to try to
24:54
be honest and I've said, I'm not a mentor. I
24:56
play football and in a quarterback room, there's
24:59
a lot of times already. There's been already
25:01
a lot of times where there's learning experiences
25:04
and I have a lot of experience and I can talk
25:06
on things and hopefully they can listen, but
25:08
it's not necessarily my job to make sure they
25:11
listen to me. Hey, hopefully you have a really
25:14
good relationship with the guys that are in the
25:15
room and you naturally want to do that. End quote.
25:19
Now, I just want to add, this is what exactly
25:21
Joe Flacco said. This is not what I said, okay?
25:24
Just saying. Now, this is what Chris Canty had
25:26
to say on his podcast called Unsportsmanlike.
25:29
End I quote. Mentoring a young player is only
25:32
going to make that player better, which makes
25:34
the team better. You're only as strong as your
25:37
weakest link. The whole point of this exercise
25:40
is that everybody makes everyone better. That's
25:42
why you practice. You're making each other better.
25:45
It's what you're supposed to do. You do that
25:47
with the reps on the practice field, but you
25:49
also do that by sharing points and notes in the
25:51
film room. It's a ridiculous answer from Joe
25:53
Flacco. There's no guarantee Joe Flacco is going
25:56
to be healthy for 17 games, especially at 40
25:58
years old. It's stupid to not consider trying
26:01
to do everything that you can to coach these
26:03
other guys up. Nobody is saying you have to do
26:06
your job at a lesser level in terms of performing
26:09
on the field, but if you can happen to impart
26:11
some wisdom onto these guys who you're spending
26:13
16 hours a day with in training camp, why wouldn't
26:16
you do that? Just because you're mentoring doesn't
26:19
mean you can't be the starting quarterback. His
26:22
answer is nonsensical. I hate going so hard at
26:25
one of my former teammates, but it's one of the
26:27
dumbest things I've heard Joe Flacco ever say."
26:29
My takeaway from both of these quotes is Chris
26:32
Canty is right. Joe Flacco at this point in his
26:35
career needs to serve a mentor -type role to
26:38
the other quarterbacks. Because what do you have
26:41
to lose at this point? They're not going to cut
26:44
you. They're not going to get rid of you at any
26:46
point. Because why? You have been the most successful
26:49
quarterback since the acquisition of Deshaun
26:52
Watson. May I remind you, that 2023 season, Joe
26:57
Flacco and the Browns was on a tear. If they
27:00
continued with that momentum into the playoffs,
27:03
They possibly could have made it to the AFC Championship.
27:05
And I know a lot of people would say, well, you're
27:08
capping, you're just trying to do clickbait.
27:10
No, that Browns team in 2023 with Joe Flacco
27:13
was pulling. They were doing their thing on both
27:16
offense and defense. So I don't understand why
27:20
you want to try to embark some wisdom and give
27:22
them some nuggets that they can carry on for
27:25
the rest of their careers. Your career is over
27:27
with. You've done everything that there is to
27:29
do. You're a Super Bowl champion. You'll probably
27:31
get elected into the Ring of Honor, and that's
27:33
probably it. So why wouldn't you want to show
27:35
them, hey, this is what I do when I see this
27:38
type of coverage. This is what I do to prepare
27:40
myself for division games. This is what I do
27:42
to prepare myself against this defense or that
27:46
player. Doing those small little things will
27:48
have a lasting impact on those quarterbacks.
27:51
Because right now, they're looking for a mentor.
27:54
Kenny Pickett can't be a mentor. Because why?
27:56
Kenny Pickett has been on three teams in three
27:58
years. Joe Flacco, on the other hand, he can.
28:01
Because why? He's experienced it all. He's experienced
28:04
the highs and lows of the National Football League.
28:07
So why wouldn't you want to be the person that
28:10
can show them, hey. This is how you carry yourself
28:13
in public. This is how you carry yourself in
28:15
the media. This is how you're able to curveball
28:18
different questions that you feel like a little
28:20
bit sensitive. This is how you're able to curveball
28:23
some questions that make you want to give a negative
28:25
answer. All of those things are important. Yes,
28:29
I understand the quarterback's coach is supposed
28:30
to be doing that, but it hits a little bit deeper
28:33
when you have a veteran quarterback in your quarterback
28:36
room. I've seen some current players who have
28:38
said, hey, listen. My first two or three years,
28:41
I had a mentor, Von Miller. Do you know who his
28:44
mentor was? DeMarcus Ware. DeMarcus Ware used
28:48
to get on Von Miller on every small little thing.
28:51
And guess what? It worked because Von Miller
28:54
is now going to go down in history as one of
28:56
the best pass rushers of this generation. You
28:58
are talking about somebody who could possibly
29:00
be a first ballot Hall of Famer. All because
29:03
he had a mentor, somebody to show him the ropes.
29:06
It is important. That as veteran quarterbacks,
29:10
or any veterans despite what position it is,
29:12
that you embark wisdom on the next generation.
29:15
Because it's always about setting the next generation
29:18
for success. Sure, if you're still in your heyday
29:22
and you're still doing your thing, you may not
29:23
want to be a mentor. But if you're at the tail
29:25
end of your career like Joe Flacco, There's no
29:28
need for you to say, oh, I'm just here to play
29:30
football. Okay, that's perfectly fine. Everybody's
29:33
here to play football. But we all know within
29:35
the next two or three years, you're going to
29:37
be putting out one of those videos and saying,
29:39
I'm retiring from the National Football League.
29:40
Let's just be real here. It's not going to hurt
29:43
you. If you embark your wisdom on someone like
29:46
a Kenny Pickett, that will go a long way for
29:48
him. Because you know why? Kenny Pickett didn't
29:50
have a mentor. Jador Sanders didn't have a mentor.
29:53
Dylan Gabriel doesn't have a mentor, but you
29:56
can be that mentor. And that's one of the problems
29:58
with a lot of these younger quarterbacks is that
30:01
they don't have a mentor within the quarterback
30:03
room. That's why you have people like Gardner
30:06
Minshew and Jacoby Brissett who continue to get
30:09
jobs because you know why? It's not because of
30:12
their play, but it's what they do in the locker
30:14
room that matters. And so having someone like
30:17
a Jacoby Brissett as your vet. It's great because
30:20
you know why? He's been a journeyman. He's been
30:23
a Super Bowl champion. He's been through it all.
30:25
And you can go to him as a well of knowledge
30:27
for anything, for life advice, for football advice,
30:32
possibly financial advice. All of that stuff
30:35
matters. Everybody says, oh, we're brotherhood.
30:38
We're brotherhood. We're for each other. You're
30:40
supposed to be for your teammates and whatnot.
30:41
Well, guess what? This is part of that process.
30:44
It's your job to make sure that the next generation
30:47
is straight. And you wonder why so many players
30:50
don't have no direction and do the things they
30:53
do. Because you know why? They don't have somebody
30:55
to say, hey, man, you bugger right now. You need
30:57
to relax. Hey, man, you don't need to be out
30:59
here at 2 or 3 o 'clock in the morning. Hey,
31:01
man, you need to have this giant entourage with
31:04
you. That's when you have a mentor to tell you
31:07
the honest truth about things. Because you know
31:09
why? Coaches are only going to tell you so much.
31:12
But having a mentor. They're going to tell you
31:15
the good, the bad, the ugly, the uncomfortable.
31:17
They're going to tell you everything that you
31:19
need to know because you know why? They value
31:21
that much. And a lot of times they see themselves
31:24
within you. So it's only right that you pay it
31:28
forward. Not be an asshole and just say, I'm
31:31
just here to play football. Now let's finally
31:34
talk about this whole Deion Sanders situation.
31:36
So Deion was on Asante Samuel's podcast and they
31:40
talked about the whole Shador Sanders situation.
31:42
So this is what Deion had to say, and I quote,
31:45
they want to create these narratives and create
31:47
these stories and then attach them to a kid that
31:50
ain't never done anything wrong. You want to
31:52
tell me he had headphones on, Shador? Anybody
31:55
know my son understand he's a professional, like
31:58
he's going to go into a meeting with headphones
31:59
on, end quote. Now, they did get into the whole
32:03
Shador sliding in the draft, and Deion simply
32:06
just had to say this, and I quote, it did hurt.
32:09
It did hurt, end quote. I can only imagine how
32:13
Deion felt during that entire process, just to
32:16
know that so many different teams passed over
32:19
his son. And there were a lot of teams that needed
32:22
a quarterback, and they passed over him for one
32:25
reason or the other. And just to see Shador just
32:29
slide the way that he did in the draft was just
32:31
mind boggling to me. And I remember there were
32:35
a lot of stories that were coming out and were
32:37
saying that, you know, he was butting heads with
32:39
Brian Dable and he was doing this and he was
32:41
acting cocky and granted. I understand where
32:44
a lot of people are coming from. And I understand
32:46
that, you know, Dion and Shador did not help
32:48
their case when they go on, you know, radios
32:52
and podcasts and whatnot and talk about how we're
32:54
not going to interview with this team. We're
32:56
not going to do this. We're not going to do that.
32:57
And then when the NFL draft comes around and
33:01
everybody reflects how they really feel about
33:03
you and your son, then guess what? This is the
33:06
result. The NFL showed once again that guess
33:09
what? No one is bigger than the shield. No matter
33:13
who your father is, no matter the legacy that
33:15
he created, no matter where you come from, no
33:19
matter what school you went to, no matter your
33:21
accolades in college, no matter anything that
33:24
you have done, you are not bigger than the shield.
33:28
But I'm going to end this episode here. If you
33:30
guys like what you are listening, please, please,
33:32
please, please, please make sure you guys download
33:34
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Make sure you guys take a listen For my YouTube
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34:09
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34:11
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34:13
on the whole Deion Sanders situation? Let me
34:15
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Sky, G -M -K -I -L -E. As always, I hope I gave
35:08
you guys the fix that you guys need. I love you
35:10
guys. I appreciate you guys so much. Stay tuned
35:13
for the next episode. I'll probably give out
35:14
the rest of my grades for the rest of the divisions
35:17
that I have covered. I also will be taking somewhat
35:21
of a small break. just for maybe about a couple
35:24
of days, maybe a week, just so I can, you know,
35:27
prepare myself for my upcoming exam and just
35:30
to, you know, just take a breather and whatnot.
35:32
So as always, I love you guys. I appreciate you
35:35
guys so much. If there's any crazy news that
35:38
happens between now and then, sure, I'll talk
35:41
about it. But for the time being, not right now,
35:43
I really do need to study, really do need to
35:45
prepare for my exams. But just know once I'm
35:48
done taking my first exam. We're doing gut check
35:51
time. Yes, I understand the league will be on
35:54
break for five weeks, but guess what? I'm still
35:56
going to be feeding you guys content because
35:58
we're going to be doing gut check time. That's
35:59
right. We're going to be talking about who are
36:02
playoff contenders, who's pretenders, who's Super
36:05
Bowl contenders, all of that and more. Every
36:08
single division, you already know we're going
36:10
to be doing it. So guess what? As always, I love
36:12
you guys. I appreciate you guys so much. Peace
36:14
and love. This is your GM, Kale, signing out
36:17
later.