Latest / Rice on the Radio / NFL Is Back: QB Chaos, Jets & Giants, Fantasy Football Stock Watch | Ep. 79

Transcript

NFL Is Back: QB Chaos, Jets & Giants, Fantasy Football Stock Watch | Ep. 79 · Rice on the Radio

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: I guess there's only one way to find out.
• 0:01
  SPEAKER_01: Let's do it to it, right?
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_01: Well, well, well, boys and girls, football is actually back.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: Not schedule release back, not OTAs and shorts back.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_01: Guys are getting hit.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: Starting jobs are being won and lost.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_01: Quarterback situations are already getting complicated.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: Contenders are already getting tested.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_01: And apparently, Aaron Donald still hasn't decided whether retirement actually means retirement.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: There's a lot happening in the NFL right now.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_01: And the season is only getting started.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Extra, extra.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Keep the light blow.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: New York talking with the late lights go from the garden glow to the stadium.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: What does it mean?
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Right on the radio.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: Coming to your speaker's big thing, on tools off, break the medicine on the right.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Run it down light light.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: Right on the radio.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Let's do it to it in the Well, hello there.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome back to Rice on the Radio.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: I am Ian Rice.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_01: This is episode 79, believe it or not.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: One away from a milestone eighty.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: But man oh man, it's been a minute.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's been a minute since we really just went around the NFL and shot the shit about what's happening everywhere.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: So that's basically gonna be what we're doing tonight.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I got quarterback drama, I got contenders trying to squeeze one more year out of their window.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_01: We got some running backs getting paid because apparently we're allowed to do that again.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: And obviously we got plenty of Jets, plenty of Giants, and a little bit of fantasy before we get out of here.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: Emphasis on little, because if you haven't been paying attention, I've been neck deep in fantasy football for the last couple weeks now.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: And like always, I got a full fantasy episode coming.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm not gonna give away the entire playbook tonight.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: But before we get anywhere near New York, I think we gotta start in Minnesota.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: Because I don't know if the Vikings created a quarterback controversy.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_01: I think they actually might have created a quarterback ultimatum.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: So if you didn't see Minnesota officially named Kyler Murray the starting quarterback.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, on the surface, yeah, okay, cool.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: Veteran minimum, a couple years in the league, we'll see.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_01: You got Kyler Murray for basically nothing.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: He signed just to prove it, right?
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_01: Arizona's still paying the majority of the bill.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: And he's got a no tag clause in that contract.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_01: Which means if this thing works, he gets to walk directly into free agency next year.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_01: That, my friends, is what's called great roster construction.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: Look, if I can get a former number one overall pick, a guy who has already shown that he can play quarterback at a pretty high level in this league, and somebody else is foot in almost the entire bill, yeah.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: No shit.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: Sign me up.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: The problem is everything that comes after that.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: Because JJ McCarthy was supposed to be the guy.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: And just to be fair to McCarthy here, Sam Darnold didn't exactly beat him out as a rookie.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, McCarthy got hurt, he lost that entire rookie season to a knee injury.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: Darnold stepped in, Minnesota won 14 games, and then suddenly the reclamation quarterback thing became a whole different conversation.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_01: But then Minnesota lets Darnold walk because, okay, yeah, he learned.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: Now it's JJ's turn.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: And last year did not go well, to say the least.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: Now, here we are a year later, and they brought in another veteran quarterback, and that veteran quarterback is starting to.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, look, at some point that starts becoming information.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_01: McCarthy is still only 23 years old.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not saying his career is over.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not calling the kid a bust or burying him before his rookie contract is even finished.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: But what I am saying here is, how many times can you say, yeah, this is this is our quarterback of the future, man?
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_01: While somebody else keeps playing quarterback for your team.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: Because now here's the other problem.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: What happens if Kyler is good?
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like, really good.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, look, he's 29 years old.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: That's not old for a quarterback anymore.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_01: Justin Jefferson is healthy.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: You put Kyler in an offense with one of the best receivers walking the planet.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: And if Kevin O'Connell gets the good version of Kyler Murray, what if Minnesota wins, I don't know, 10 games, 11 games?
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: What if Jefferson gets 150 targets and Kyler looks rejuvenated?
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: Congratulations.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: Now what?
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: Because you specifically gave Kyler a no tag clause.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: Or maybe his agent did, but either way, he has a no franchise tag clause in his contract for the veterans minimum.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: So now, now you got a 29-year-old quarterback coming off potentially a really good season.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: You're probably drafting somewhere in the 20s, and you're staring at JJ McCarthy saying, Are we doing this again?
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: And look, if you're Kyler Murray, why would you take some friendly little discount to stay?
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: You spent a year rebuilding your value.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: Go get paid.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: Go get your bag.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: That's why I think Minnesota may have accidentally created an ultimatum for itself.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_01: Either JJ McCarthy eventually shows enough that you are willing to let Kyler Murray walk out the door after playing, or Kyler plays well enough that you have to seriously ask yourself, why the hell you're still waiting for McCarthy?
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: This is not a controversy for August.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: That's an organizational decision waiting for them next February.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: And speaking of quarterback situations where everybody is kind of fighting for their NFL life in a different way, Atlanta is another fascinating one to me.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: Tua Tungle Vialoa, everybody's favorite word, my favorite to say too.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: Michael Penix is still working his way back from the ACL and hasn't been fully cleared for 11 on 11 work yet.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: So Atlanta's not pretending the regular season job has been decided yet.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: But these two guys are trying to prove completely different things.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: With Tua, I mean, I already know Tua can play football.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_01: He has played good NFL quarterback.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: We've watched him rip the ball around with Tyreek Hill.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_01: We've seen the accuracy, we've seen the anticipation, we've seen what Miami's offense looked like when he was healthy and comfortable.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: The question with Tua has always become: can his body let him do this?
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: And I hate that the conversation is like that because nobody wants to talk about somebody's career like that.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: But between the concussions and every other injury he's had over the last couple years, eventually availability becomes a part of the evaluation.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_01: Look, Atlanta's a pretty damn good place to try this again for him.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: You got Bichon, you got Drake London, you got Kyle Pitts.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: You're playing a lot of your football indoors, which is a big thing for him.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: If Tua can stay healthy, if I kind of believe he can rebuild the market for himself.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: Now, if he gets hurt again, then unfortunately, well, I think he starts entering that pile of players where people say, Man, he was pretty talented.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: His body just never let him do it long enough.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: Penix, on the other hand, is the complete opposite.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: Pennix is not trying to prove whether his body can sustain an NFL career.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_01: He's trying to prove Atlanta didn't completely screw this damn thing up.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: Because remember, remember what they did.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: They went out and paid Kirk Cousins.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: Then you turned around and used your eighth pick in the draft on Michael Penix.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_01: Look, when you take somebody eighth overall, I can't just grade Penix in a vacuum forever.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: I have to look at who else was sitting there.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: You could have taken Roma Dunze, you could have taken Olafashnu, Bo Knicks, Brock Bowers.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: That's opportunity cost.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: Now, Penix tears his ACL.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: He's trying to get back, and the hard part is going to be separating the quarterback from the recovery.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: If he doesn't look good early, is Michael Penix not good?
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: Or is Michael Penix at 80%?
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: You can only say that for so long, though.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know, at some point he has to play.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: So Tua is trying to prove his body will allow him to keep having a career, while Penix is trying to prove the Falcons didn't make a franchise altering mistake.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_01: Same quarterback room, just completely different kinds of pressure.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: And then we got another veteran rookie thing out in Vegas, although I think this one's a little, a little bit cleaner.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: Kirk Cousins is the starter going into the season.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: Fernando Mendoza is the number one overall draft pick, and clearly the future for the Raiders.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: They've been pretty deliberate about bringing Mendoza along instead of just throwing him out there because I guess everybody wants to see a new shiny toy, you know?
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: But honestly, uh Kirk Cousins is probably a pretty good guy to learn from.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, they're both smart quarterbacks, they're both seem like they might remind the teacher that the homework is due, strong arms, process the game well.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: Neither one of them exactly makes me think we're getting a 75-yard bomb every third possession.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: But if nothing else, Mendoza can learn from Kirk how to make it like$400 million in his career without anybody ever being quite sure how he did it or if he's good enough to earn it.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's a pretty valuable skill.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: But look, anyway, Kirk is not there to tap out and become an assistant quarterback coach either.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, he's a competitor.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: He wants to play.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_01: He's on record saying, you know, I'm not here to teach you how to play quarterback.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't need Mendoza starting week one just because he's the number one pick.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_01: I actually agree with letting him watch a little bit, but I do think he needs some live reps this year.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: Because the mental side is the thing I actually think that Mendoza has down Pat.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: I watched a lot of his interviews.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: I watched a lot of his, you know, combine stuff.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: He knows the game.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: He knows the routes, he knows the playbook.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: Does he know what it's like when Max Crosby is chasing him down?
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: Does he know what it's like when the blitz is on?
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, the speed of the game at the NFL level.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_01: That's the next step.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: And the only way to get that is by getting in the game.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: Very quickly, because I'm not doing another 10-minute Aaron Rodgers segment in the year 2026.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: This is it.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_01: He has said it.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: Zero debate, final season, 22 years in the NFL, and he gets to finish it reunited with Mike McCarthy, the guy who coached him for 13 years in Green Bay.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: And look, you know, whatever you think about Aaron Rodgers, the person, the interviews, the darkness retreats, whatever.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: He's one of the greatest quarterbacks I've ever watched in my football watching career.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_01: And he's retiring this year.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_01: That's pretty cool, man.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_01: He's the first of the next generation.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I watched Breeze and Brady and Manning and Eli and, you know, I watched all of them retire.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: Rivers.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: Rodgers was kind of that next generation.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: It's weird to hear him say he's been in the league 22 years.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_01: Football's weird though, man.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: You don't really get a retirement tour the same way basketball and baseball do.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: You know, nobody in Baltimore is gonna hand Aaron Rodgers a rocking chair before kickoff.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: Like they're trying to sack him.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know what?
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: Good for him.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_01: Just enjoy it a little bit.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_01: Try to check in on his games when you can.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's uh he's one of the great ones.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: One of the big dogs.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_01: Anyway, all right, moving on.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_01: Aaron Donald.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_01: Buddy.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: My boy.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: You big monster you.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's time to shit or get off the pot.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: I talked about this last episode, and that was two weeks ago.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_01: Two weeks too long, if you ask me.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm still doing it.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_01: Sean McVeigh says Donald is going through his process, he's training, he's seeing how his body responds.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: Nobody apparently knows exactly when he's gonna decide if he decides.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_01: At some point, though, man, I need the decision.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I get it.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_01: Look, Aaron Donald is not me deciding whether I'm gonna join the Tuesday night softball league.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, if he comes back, he's putting his body through an NFL season after being away from football for two, two and a half years.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: He's earned the right to take his time.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_01: I get it.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_01: But camp is not only about getting your cardio right and getting into quote unquote football shape.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: Getting punched in the chest by a 330-pound lineman is a little bit different than you know, benching 550.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_01: Learning the little changes in the defense, getting timing with new teammates, getting your body used to getting hit again.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: All of that matters, man.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: My cutoff is around the third preseason game.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_01: If Aaron Donald is seriously coming back, get in the building.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: Because the idea is absolutely ridiculous.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: The Rams already traded from Miles Garrett.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_01: They sent Jared Verse at a pile of future picks to Cleveland for the reigning defensive player of the year.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_01: And there's a chance this might end up as Miles Garrett on one side, Aaron Donald inside.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_01: What exactly is the protection call here?
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody go left and hope for the best.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: The Rams, though, have a little bit more of a problem on their hands.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: Not so much with Aaron Donald coming back.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: It might be about Puka going away.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: The NFL is reportedly reviewing the offseason stuff, and Adam Schefter has basically said uh suspension is possible.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: Possible key word there.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: Not expected, not guaranteed.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_01: Nothing has been announced, but possible.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: And now Puka also left joint practice with Dallas with groin soreness.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: The early indication is that the injury itself is minor, so I'm much less concerned about that than I am the league making a decision about the off-the-field stuff.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: But that's kind of where the Rams are right now.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_01: They're waiting on Aaron Donald, and they're also waiting on the NFL to make a decision.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to August, right?
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: Washington.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Washington took a brutal hit this week.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_01: Laramie Tunsell, star left tackle, tore his triceps.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, he's had surgery.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: They have not ruled him out to return later in the season, I guess, but you're talking about an injury that can take months to not only repair but rehab from.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_01: And honestly, to me, that matters more than most anything else happening with the commanders.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_01: I like some of the stuff they did.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know, Stephon Diggs gives them that receiver across Scary Terry.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: Rashad White gives them another weapon in the backfield.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: There's talent there.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: None of that matters if Jaden Daniels is getting his ass kicked every Sunday.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: We saw last year how quickly Washington's offense changed when Daniels wasn't right.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm gonna keep saying this with quarterbacks that run.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: Being fast does not make you indestructible.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_01: Jaden Daniels is a big kid.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: 6'4, but he's around 210 pounds.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_01: And he's slim.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: You know, he's not Josh Allen, who's 6'5, 235, 240.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: That's 30 pounds of human being missing from a running quarterback.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: And that matters when linebackers are landed on you.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: And it especially matters in the NFC East when you're talking about Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeau, Arvell Reese, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Quinning Williams.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_01: There's some monsters on the line in that division.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: So for me, it's pretty simple.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_01: The commander season is uh protect number five.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: Because without Jaden Daniels, Washington has already shown that it goes nowhere pretty damn fast.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_01: And I guess while we're uh while we're talking about running backs and running quarterbacks, running backs are getting paid.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: Apparently, time is a flat circle.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_01: Jameer Gibbs just got a massive extension.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_01: Brees Hall got his deal from the Jets earlier this offseason.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_01: Bichon's getting paid.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_01: We watched Saquon get paid and then immediately become the missing piece on a Super Bowl champion.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_01: And I think we're overcorrecting with running backs for a while.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_01: The analytics weren't wrong.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's important to note that.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, if your running back is just a guy, you probably can find another guy.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, if I can get 850 rushing yards from a third round rookie instead of paying somebody$12 million for the same amount of rushing yards, yeah, you're going to want to do that.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_01: What never made sense to me was taking that logic and applying it to every running back.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: Jameer Gibbs is not just some running back.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_01: Bijan Robinson is not just some running back.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_01: Brees Hall is not just some running back.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_01: These guys catch the ball, they create explosive plays, they change personnel, and they dictate what a defense has to put on the field.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: That's different.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: So no, I'm not I'm not saying we're back to 2004 and everybody with a thousand rushing yards gets a giant contract.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_01: But, you know, I am saying pay the special ones.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: Turns out good players are worth money.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_01: Crazy concept to think about.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: Now, well, now, now, now, now.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_01: Now, with all that being said, where do we want to go from here?
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: What are we thinking?
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_01: What are we thinking?
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: Ah, you know what?
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: Alright, let's let's do coaching.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: Let's do coaching for a second.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: I want to talk about Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn and this interesting comparison that I was thinking about with them.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_01: So they both came from Detroit, obviously.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_01: They both got head coaching jobs.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_01: They also both walked into completely different situations.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I think the first year told you something about both of them.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_01: Ben Johnson walked into Chicago with Caleb Williams, and the Bears won the NFC North and won a playoff game.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: Caleb set the franchise passing yardage record in his first year with Johnson.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: So when Ben Johnson talks a little shit here and there when he's cocky, when he carries himself like he thinks he's smarter than everybody, uh he kinda kinda backed it up a little bit.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_01: Aaron Glenn kinda did the same cocky thing in New York, and then the Jets were bad.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: That shit plays differently when you're losing, man.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_01: And New York, especially, will expose you so fast when the results don't mass match the press conference.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_01: New York fans are smart, man, and I'm not just saying that because I'm from here.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_01: We're smart fans.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_01: We see through the bullshit because we get fed bullshit every day in life.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_01: You know, Rex Ryan, when he was here, talked more shit than almost any coach I've ever seen in my life.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: You know why we loved Rex?
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_01: Because Rex walked in the building and went to two straight AFC championship games.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, go ahead, talk your shit, Rex.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_01: You earned it.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: My bigger thing between Glenn and Johnson, though.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_01: It's why I still look, I think Aaron Glenn can coach.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: I do.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_01: But when hiring a coach, I lean offensive head coach when you're building around a quarterback.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: Because offensive can continuity is harder to keep.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_01: If I have a defensive head coach and I hire an amazing offensive coordinator, guess what happens when my quarterback gets good?
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_01: The offensive coordinator gets a head coaching job.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: Now my quarterback learns another offense.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_01: Then if that coordinator gets good, he leaves too.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_01: With an offensive head coach, the architecture stays.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_01: You know, assistants can leave, coordinators can leave, position coaches can leave.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_01: The head coach is still the head coach, and he's the head coach of the offense.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_01: You know, look at Kyle Shanahan, look at Sean McVay, look at Andy Reid.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_01: That matters, man.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, defense absolutely matters.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not doing the whole defense doesn't win anymore thing, but like what I'm saying is quarterback development and offensive continuity are harder to replace.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_01: That's why Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams make sense.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_01: That's part of the challenge that Aaron Glenn now has.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_01: Now, to Glenn's credit, I think we're seeing a slightly different version of him this summer.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: The podium stuff feels a little more measured and friendly.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe last year humbled him a little bit.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_01: But you know what?
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: Good, man, good.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes getting punched in the mouth is useful.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, one thing he has said that I actually do love the starters are playing in preseason.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_01: Good.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_01: Play.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_01: The Jets have spent enough September looking like everybody just met each other in the parking lot.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_01: Get the reps in, man.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_01: Look, there's injury risk.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_01: Of course there is.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's football, man.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_01: But there's also risk in wrapping everybody in bubble wrap for six weeks and then asking them to suddenly go from practice speed to trying to tackle Josh Allen.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_01: Glenn wants them ready.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_01: I like it.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_01: And speaking of quarterbacks, I would very, very much enjoy seeing it in New York someday.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_01: We got to talk about Tampa.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_01: Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay could not get the extension done before camp.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: And he very publicly said he's going to be playing out his final year.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, obviously, Tampa can use the franchise tag next offseason if he if they want to, you know, keep control of the situation.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, the Bucs continue to say that they view him as their franchise quarterback.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_01: Fine.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe this all ends with Baker St.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_01: Tampa.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe it's all smoke and mirrors and it's an agent posturing against a franchise.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_01: Honestly, it probably does.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_01: But, but, but, but, but, but.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_01: If Baker Mayfield somehow shakes loose, I know a team about uh about 1,100 miles north that should be calling every day until they get tired of you calling them.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_01: Look, I'm not even going to pretend to be a little bit reasonable here.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: I want them.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: I want a quarterback with that attitude in New York.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_01: I want somebody who's durable.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_01: I want somebody who looks at the Jets quarterback history and doesn't get scared by it.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: Baker has played every game for three straight years.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_01: Do you understand what that sentence sounds like to a Jets fan?
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_01: You might as well tell me he can walk on water.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, look, and if Tampa puts the non-exclusive franchise tag on him, yeah, technically another team could sign him to an offer sheet.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_01: And if Tampa chooses not to match it, you're talking two first round picks in compensation.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: But at this point, man, I got three of them.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_01: I don't care.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: I know that's insane.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: I understand how valuable first round picks are.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: The Jets have spent decades using first round picks as currency for hope.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe this guy's the quarterback.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe this guy fixes the line.
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe this edge rusher becomes a star.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe this receiver's the next Randy Moss.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe this cornerback.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_01: It goes on and on and on and on.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_01: Eventually, if I have the chance to turn hope into a proven quarterback, I'm at least going to make the phone call.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_01: And if Baker's 32 years old and you have to give him five years at 55, 60 million a year, if you believe the roster is ready, do it.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_01: Could it age badly?
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_01: There's always risk.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_01: Five years later, half your roster, it's probably going to be different anyway.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_01: You don't get perfect conditions.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_01: You get opportunities.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_01: And if Baker Mayfield ever becomes an opportunity for the New York Jets, I want Darren Muji on that phone.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_01: Until then, we got Gino.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_01: Look, man, Geno Smith is not here to become the quarterback of the Jets for the next 10 years.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think there's anything he can do this season that makes the Jets fans say, you know what?
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: Forget Baker if he becomes available.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_01: Forget the giraffe.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_01: Gino's our guy until 2031.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_01: That's not the arrangement that's going on here.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_01: He's the bridge.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_01: He knows he's the bridge.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody knows he's the bridge.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_01: That doesn't mean this year doesn't matter, though.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_01: And with Gino, I don't really question whether he can make NFL throws.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_01: He can.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_01: I've seen him throw for 4,000 yards twice since leaving New York.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_01: Fun fact the New York Jets still have exactly one 4,000 yard passing season in a franchise history.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_01: Would anybody like to take a guess who it is?
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_01: Take your time.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_01: Don't worry, I'll wait.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_01: It's Joe Namath.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_01: 1967, Joe Namath.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_01: 4,07 yards.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_01: Just barely eclipsed it.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_01: That was before we landed on the moon.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_01: Do you understand?
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_01: Geno Smith has done it twice wearing someone else's jersey.
• 28:49
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you can't describe Jets football better than that.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_01: The concern with Gino is variance, right?
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_01: He's like a more reserved Jameis Winston, I guess.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: There's gonna be Sundays where Gino is ripping the ball around.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_01: He's hitting deep outs, giving Garrett Wilson chances, getting everybody involved.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_01: And you're sitting there and you're going, oh shit, all right, man, this is fine.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna crack another beer.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_01: I can live with this.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_01: And then there's gonna be the Sunday where you look up and six minutes left in the second quarter, he's thrown a ball to the other team three times.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_01: That's my concern with Gino.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's not whether he's matured, I think he has.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's not whether he understands the offense, I'm pretty sure he does.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_01: It's whether one mistake becomes two, and then two becomes, oh Jesus Christ, what is he doing?
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there were already some ugly turnover reports from the joint practice with Tampa this week, so it's not like that concern has disappeared in August.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_01: I also think last year in Vegas made him look worse than he actually is.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I know Jets fans don't really want to hear that, but it's the truth.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_01: Look, I hated that offensive line.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_01: I hated almost everything about the way the team operated.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_01: Chip Kelly calling things, Brock Bowers hurt, they traded Jacoby Myers' way, they're leaning on a rookie running back.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_01: That's not the situation here.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_01: The Jets should give him a much better situation.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_01: The offensive line is way better.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_01: Brees Hall is here, Garrett Wilson is here, and now you've actually given the quarterback some young weapons.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_01: My bar for Gino is not 4,500 yards and 35 touchdowns.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not asking for that kind of craziness.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_01: Give me 20 plus passing touchdowns.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_01: Protect the football.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_01: Keep us out of catastrophic situations.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_01: Get the offense lined up.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_01: Hit the throws that you're supposed to hit, and let the rest of the roster do its job.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_01: If Gino does that, this can be a functional football team.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_01: That's all I'm asking, man.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_01: Functional.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_01: God, that's depressing.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_01: The fun part of this year's season, I guess Jets offense.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_01: No, all over the place.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be the three first round rookies.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_01: I I loved the draft.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_01: Darren Muji, we got a GM, boys.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_01: But let's start with Sadiq, right?
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_01: I I said this after the draft.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_01: This guy looks like he was sculpted by the gods to play tight end.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_01: He's six foot three, 241 pounds, and he ran a 4.3940.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_01: That's the fastest combine 40 ever recorded by a tight end.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_01: 43 and a half inch vertical.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, this is this is an insane, absurd human being.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, and by the way, that 43940 is faster than B.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_01: John Robinson, if you didn't know.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Sadiq is 26 pounds heavier, and he ran faster than probably one, two, or three running back in the league.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, what are we doing here?
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_01: Don't make the offense complicated with him.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_01: I'm serious.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_01: Line him up, send him down the seam, make a linebacker run with him, and if the linebacker can run with him, God bless you.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_01: Congratulations, you found one.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_01: Then throw it to somebody else.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_01: Use him in motion, put him outside, put him attached, put two ends on the field.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_01: I don't care.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_01: Frank Reich has already talked about versatility.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_01: Sometimes coaches get so excited about having a chess piece that they forget the chess piece is also a fucking missile.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_01: Throw him the ball.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_01: He has had the uh core muscle surgery situation.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_01: He had a hernia.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_01: So they're being cautious with him.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_01: And the expectation is going to be that he's ready for the regular season.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_01: Fine with that.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_01: Kind of wish he was out there getting reps right now, but is what it is.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_01: I'd rather him healthy than come back too early.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_01: Then there's Omar Cooper Jr.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_01: I loved this pick.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I loved how they did it.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_01: The Jets took Sadiq at 16 instead of forcing a receiver because they liked Sadiq better.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_01: Then they sit there at 33 and go, yeah, Omar's not going to make it here.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_01: Let's go get him.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_01: And they traded back into the first round and took Cooper at 30.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_01: That's conviction.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_01: That tells you they're interested in him and committed to him.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_01: Cooper comes from Indiana playing with Fernando Mendoza, coming off a 60-0 national championship season.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_01: That's a program where Kurt Signetti expects you to work.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_01: He expects you to win.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_01: He expects you to be accountable.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's what Aaron Glenn is trying to fit or trying to be.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_01: I don't need Omar Cooper to be Justin Jefferson overnight.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_01: I need him to make defenses, acknowledge somebody other than Garrett Wilson.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_01: That's it.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_01: If Garrett's getting doubled and shaded every third down, Omar Cooper needs to make somebody pay for it.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_01: Give me the slant, the crossing route, the yards after the catch.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_01: I don't care.
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_01: Be physical.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_01: And apparently he's been making some plays like that in camp.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_01: Good.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_01: Now go show me in the game.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_01: And then the piece de la resistance, the number two overall pick, David Bailey.
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_01: This is the one I'm most impatient for, to be honest with you.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_01: 14.5 sacks at Texas Tech last season, 21% pressure rate, 81 pressures.
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_01: And then the report the reports, the reports coming out of camp have been great.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_01: He's given offensive linemen problems.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_01: He's showing the speed, he's showing the power.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_01: I love it, man.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_01: I don't care.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I care, but I don't care yet because I want to see him put Josh Allen on his ass.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_01: I want to see Drake May have to climb through the pocket because Bailey just ran through a tackle.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_01: I want Malik Willis looking over his shoulder before he even gets out of his drop.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_01: That's when I'll care.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_01: I love the camp acknowledgments or the camp reports that he's doing great, but God, I can't wait to see him in a real game.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_01: Those are my three.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_01: Give me a Bailey sack.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_01: Give me a Sadiq screaming down the seam for a touchdown.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_01: And give me Omar Cooper catching a slint, splitting two defenders, and going.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_01: I don't ask for much as a Jet fan, man.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_01: Just give me all three in the first preseason game.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_01: Anyway.
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_01: Across town.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_01: Big blue.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_01: Well, not even really across town, actually, if you think about it.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, still both at MetLife.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_01: Same practice facility.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, they did go down to West Virginia for training camp.
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_01: Like uh Remember the Titans.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_01: Fitting too with uh Jackson Darr and Abdul Carter.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_01: Anyway, I digress, I digress.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_01: The Giants are in a completely different spot than the Jets.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, they've both been terrible for the last 10 years.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_01: Giants.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_01: Giants got their guy.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_01: At least they think they got their guy.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_01: John Harbaugh has a pretty easy year one mandate.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_01: Not easy to accomplish, but easy to explain, I guess, right?
• 36:24
  SPEAKER_01: Make the New York Giants look like the New York Giants again.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_01: That's it.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_01: I don't need 11 wins.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_01: I don't need a division title.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_01: I don't need everybody on Twitter convincing themselves they're going to the Super Bowl because Harbaugh looked mean during a press conference.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_01: If I'm a Giants fan, I want a serious football team.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_01: I want them prepared to kickoff.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_01: I want them to understand the situation.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_01: I want the clock managed correctly.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_01: I want fourth down decisions that make sense.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_01: I want them physical.
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_01: I want teams to leave a Giants game feeling like they were in a football game in a phone booth.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_01: Because honestly, too many times over the last few years, this team has looked like the game started before somebody told them it did.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_01: Down 10 0, down 14 0.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_01: Then a stupid penalty, timeout because nobody knows where to line up.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_01: Then after the game, everybody says the same thing.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we gotta execute better.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, we gotta, you know, we gotta look at the film.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no shit, man.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_01: Harbaugh already has enormous goodwill because he has done this before.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_01: He spent 18 years in Baltimore.
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_01: His teams had an identity.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_01: And early camp reports in New York are already describing a more structured and disciplined environment.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_01: So for me, if I was a Giants fan, success this year is pretty simple.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_01: Play meaningful football going into Thanksgiving.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_01: You know, if December comes and I'm still looking at the wild card standings, going, eh, you never know, that's great.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_01: That's progress.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's huge.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_01: The Giants are a flagship franchise.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_01: It's time for them to start acting like one again.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_01: And the person who determines how high this thing can actually go is Jackson Darrell.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_01: You know Parcellos used to say all the time: if you got two quarterbacks, you got no quarterback, I think the Giants might have one quarterback.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like last year he showed enough.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_01: Enough that I believe there's something there.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_01: Not enough that the conversation is over just yet, but you know, those are two different things.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_01: Dart is in year two now.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_01: And a new head coach, a new offensive system, new terminology.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm I'm willing to give him some grace in September.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_01: You know, if he misses a check or somebody runs the wrong route or the offense doesn't look perfectly connected, week two, I'm not coming on here screaming sophomore slump, he's a bust, they they they messed up.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 39:15
  SPEAKER_01: But by December, I think by December I need to know.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_01: You know, do the New York Giants know Jackson Dart is their quarterback?
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_01: Or are we still making excuses for why we don't know?
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_01: Because that can be a dangerous place.
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you don't need him to be an MVP.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_01: You don't need 45 touchdowns.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_01: I want to see the mental side get a little quicker.
• 39:40
  SPEAKER_01: Make the smart decision.
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_01: Understand when the play is over.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_01: And look, yes, I I know this has become the boring Jackson Dart trope talking point, but look, man, it's simple.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_01: The kid's got to protect himself.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_01: I love the fight.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_01: I do, by the way.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_01: When your quarterback is willing to lower his shoulder and fight for the first down, don't get it twisted.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_01: Teammates notice that.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_01: They're putting their body on the line for you to get the glory.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_01: When you throw yours back, it's not, it doesn't go unmissed.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_01: They know the quarterback isn't asking them to do anything he's unwilling to do, but there is a line between tough and stupid, right?
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_01: If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_01: There were a couple how do I say this?
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_01: There were a couple times last year where Dart ended up going to the tent, and I was sitting there watching a game going, really?
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, we need we needed to pull him out for that.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm also not gonna sit here and second guess an independent concussion spotter.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's not my job.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_01: If they see something, check them.
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_01: I'd rather be annoyed for five minutes than have the kids' brain scrambled.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_01: My issue isn't really the tent.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_01: My issue is Dart learning not to put himself in a situation where we're having that conversation every other Sunday.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_01: You got six yards.
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_01: Great slide.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_01: You're not Derrick Henry.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_01: Live for the second and four.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_01: And by the way, the running ability is absolutely part of fantasy value and part of what makes him dangerous.
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_01: He ran for nine touchdowns as a rookie and only 12 starts.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not coaching that out of him.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_01: I'm coaching the dumb hits out of him.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_01: If this year ends and you're saying, yeah, Jackson Dart took a real step.
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_01: That's our quarterback.
• 41:38
  SPEAKER_01: Build around him while he's cheap, perfect.
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_01: That's the season.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_01: That's what you're looking for.
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, obviously Dart's life becomes a lot easier when Malik Neighbors is back.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_01: He's working through the ACL rehab, and Harbaugh has talked about potentially getting him into more teamwork pretty soon, which is enormous because people kind of forget Dart and Neighbors barely played together last year.
• 42:03
  SPEAKER_01: Three games.
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's it.
• 42:05
  SPEAKER_01: And anybody who knows me knows I'm an LSU guy.
• 42:09
  SPEAKER_01: I watched these LSU receivers come through.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_01: Odell, JJ, Malik Neighbors.
• 42:14
  SPEAKER_01: There's something different about those dudes.
• 42:16
  SPEAKER_01: Healthy Malik Neighbors is a problem.
• 42:19
  SPEAKER_01: He's the ceiling of the offense.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_01: But Isaiah Likely might be the guy who makes the quarterback's life easier, possession to possession.
• 42:29
  SPEAKER_01: Harbaugh knows him.
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_01: He coached him in Baltimore.
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_01: Likely spent years playing behind Mark Andrews.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_01: And now he comes to New York with a coach who already understands what he does well.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_01: It's kind of why I don't look at Likely like the Darren Waller thing.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_01: Waller with the Giants never felt right.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_01: Likely is a gamer.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_01: Give Dart that tight end in the middle of the field.
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_01: Give him somebody on third and sixth where everything breaks down and he knows where the tight end is sitting.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_01: Neighbors raises the ceiling.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I got a feeling those two are going to work really well together.
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_01: As far as the running backs go, you know, Scatabow or Tracy, who's going to take the lead?
• 43:14
  SPEAKER_01: I think the answer is yes.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_01: Believe it or not, John Harbaugh has used multiple running backs basically his entire career.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_01: People as of late remember Derrick Henry because it's recency bias, but before Derrick Henry, Baltimore was a constantly rotating backfield.
• 43:35
  SPEAKER_01: It was Ray Rice and Willis McGee.
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_01: And then it was Justin Forsett and Bernard Pierce and Lorenzo Talafolo and Buck Allen.
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_01: And then after that, you had J.K.
• 43:45
  SPEAKER_01: Dobbins and Gus Edwards and Justice Hill.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know, this isn't new.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_01: Having two running backs and having them both get a good amount of work, it's kind of John Harbaugh style.
• 43:58
  SPEAKER_01: Look, I'm and by the way, I'm not saying Cam Scatabo is Derrick Henry here.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, relax.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_01: But I do think Cam is the guy that needs to get enough volume to get rolling.
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_01: Look, he's one of those backs where I want to give him enough carries to get pissed off and get moving.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_01: Fifteen touches.
• 44:16
  SPEAKER_01: Let him run into people for a while.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_01: Tracy's going to play too.
• 44:19
  SPEAKER_01: He's going to get his.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_01: He's a little shiftier.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_01: They can both be on the field without you changing the entire offense.
• 44:26
  SPEAKER_01: So from a real football standpoint, I love it.
• 44:29
  SPEAKER_01: From a fantasy standpoint, might annoy the shit out of you every Sunday when Cam gets you all the way down and then Tracy robs it or vice versa.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_01: Last thing in the Giants that I just want to touch on here, the defense.
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_01: I think this is going to be maybe a point of contention that we're going to be talking about for a couple years now.
• 44:57
  SPEAKER_01: Caleb Downs.
• 45:04
  SPEAKER_01: I've thought that since college.
• 45:07
  SPEAKER_01: I think he has that kind of football brain where he can become one of the league's best safeties.
• 45:14
  SPEAKER_01: And of course, Dallas got him.
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_01: Because why wouldn't they?
• 45:19
  SPEAKER_01: They traded up to go get him.
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not I'm not sitting here saying that the Giants made the wrong picks.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, Arvell Reese at five is gonna be good, and Maui Yoga moving up to go get him, or not moving up, excuse me, that second pick at 10.
• 45:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 45:37
  SPEAKER_01: Reese gives Harbaugh the big physical tone-setting linebacker, and Maui Yoga is starting inside a guard, and he's the exact kind of huge, mean monster offensive lineman you draft when you want your offense to kick the shit out of people.
• 45:50
  SPEAKER_01: I understand the philosophy.
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_01: John Harbaugh wants bullies.
• 45:55
  SPEAKER_01: He wants a big, mean offensive line, and he wants linebackers who kick the shit out of their offensive line.
• 46:00
  SPEAKER_01: He wants to run the football.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_01: And you know what?
• 46:03
  SPEAKER_01: I've watched the Jets do the opposite enough times to understand why offensive line is not the boring pick.
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_01: You know, people wanted the sexy player when the Jets drafted Olu Fashionou, but they kept investing in that line.
• 46:19
  SPEAKER_01: Now, suddenly we're talking about the Jets having a top half offensive line, but potentially even maybe a top 10 group.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_01: It's funny how that works.
• 46:27
  SPEAKER_01: Protecting your quarterback is good.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm not grading Reese and Maui Yoga in August.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_01: Ask me in five years.
• 46:34
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe Maui Yoga makes 10 Pro Bowls.
• 46:37
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe Reese becomes the heartbeat of Harbaugh's defense.
• 46:40
  SPEAKER_01: Say that three times fast.
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe Caleb Downs becomes the best safe, best safety.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_01: I messed it up.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_01: Look at that.
• 46:47
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe Caleb Downs becomes the best safety in football.
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_01: There you go.
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_01: I got there.
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_01: Look, we don't know, right?
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_01: That's what I'm trying to say.
• 46:56
  SPEAKER_01: It kind of just sucks that if Downs does become that guy, you're gonna have to watch him twice a year for maybe the next 10 years.
• 47:08
  SPEAKER_01: That's the part that would bother me if I was a Giants fan.
• 47:11
  SPEAKER_01: Not that the Giants were wrong.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_01: It's just that, you know, Dallas gets to be the one reminding you if they were, you know?
• 47:21
  SPEAKER_01: Alright, because I promised it, fantasy football.
• 47:25
  SPEAKER_01: I'm giving you a little taste tonight because there is a full fantasy episode coming, and if I really start getting into this shit, we're gonna we're gonna be here till sunrise.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_01: So, quick hitters.
• 47:38
  SPEAKER_01: Parker Washington, someone I'm watching.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I'm not gonna pretend I watched every Jacksonville snap last year because I didn't, but when a guy finishes the year the way that he did and starts becoming somebody Trevor Lawrence clearly trusts, I'm paying attention.
• 47:54
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not calling him a league winner.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_01: I'm saying there's enough there that I want to know if that was a breakout or just a really good month.
• 48:02
  SPEAKER_01: Jonathan Brooks, I believe in the talent.
• 48:05
  SPEAKER_01: I do.
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_01: Two ACL surgeries is being basically two years, scares the hell out of me.
• 48:11
  SPEAKER_01: But if he's healthy and the price is reasonable, I'll buy.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_01: Buy.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_01: Don't chase.
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_01: Tucker Kraft is different because we've already seen it.
• 48:23
  SPEAKER_01: I had him in a in my auction league last year.
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_01: I think I bought him for like six or seven bucks, turned into an absolute monster, and somehow I traded him right before he got hurt, which was great.
• 48:34
  SPEAKER_01: Uh with Kraft, I'm not betting on the breakout.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm betting on health.
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_01: If that knee is good, I think Jordan Love is gonna find him over the middle a lot this year.
• 48:45
  SPEAKER_01: And speaking of Jordan Love, I'm just kidding, I'm stopping there.
• 48:51
  SPEAKER_01: Full fantasy episode coming soon.
• 48:54
  SPEAKER_01: Nice try.
• 48:56
  SPEAKER_01: You'll find out.
• 48:57
  SPEAKER_01: Just stay tuned.
• 48:59
  SPEAKER_01: The rookies, though, I will give you a little taste of the rookies.
• 49:03
  SPEAKER_01: Last year's rookie fantasy conversation was all about running backs.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_01: This year, it's the receivers.
• 49:11
  SPEAKER_01: The three that I'm keeping a close eye on right now, at least, Carnell Tate, Denzel Boston, Jacoby Lane.
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_01: Tate was supposed to be good, and apparently he's living up to it.
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_01: That's almost the easiest one right there.
• 49:25
  SPEAKER_01: Boston, Boston looks like a freak.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_01: Big body, making plays, camp hype everywhere.
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_01: Only problem, it's still Cleveland, and they're still trying to start, start Deshaun Watson.
• 49:40
  SPEAKER_01: I need to know somebody who can consistently get him to football before I completely lose my mind over him.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_01: And Jacoby Lane, Jacoby Lane, apparently, does something jaw-dropping at practice every single day.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_01: It's also practice.
• 49:58
  SPEAKER_01: Every August, somebody becomes Randy Moss for three weeks against his own teammates.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_01: Let's see, let's see it.
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_01: Let's see it when somebody wearing another jersey is actually allowed to ruin his afternoon.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_01: There are more, too.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_01: Jordan Tyson, Omar Cooper, Makai Lemon.
• 50:15
  SPEAKER_01: We'll get to all of them on the fantasy show.
• 50:17
  SPEAKER_01: I promise.
• 50:19
  SPEAKER_01: Bigger thing I'm watching right now is ADP market because ADP is basically the stock market.
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you hear a player is going to be good, everybody starts buying them, the price goes up, more people hear about him than they buy too, and then eventually the guy that you loved in the fifth, sixth, seventh round is now going for a third.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_01: You know who that is right now?
• 50:40
  SPEAKER_01: That's Byshel Tootin.
• 50:43
  SPEAKER_01: I like the player.
• 50:44
  SPEAKER_01: What I don't like is everybody basically drafting him as if Jacksonville has already announced that he's getting 250 touches this year.
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_01: We don't know that.
• 50:53
  SPEAKER_01: And most people aren't drafting tonight.
• 50:56
  SPEAKER_01: We've still got a couple weeks.
• 50:58
  SPEAKER_01: So if that price keeps climbing, eventually you're paying for the breakout before the breakout even happens.
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_01: Rashad White is on the other side of that too.
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_01: Muddy backfield in Washington.
• 51:09
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody's nervous.
• 51:10
  SPEAKER_01: Good.
• 51:11
  SPEAKER_01: I think Rashad White has plenty of good football left in him.
• 51:15
  SPEAKER_01: He catches the ball great.
• 51:17
  SPEAKER_01: He's handled volume before, and I think he's a legitimate chance to take a big piece out of that backfield.
• 51:23
  SPEAKER_01: Blake Corum is another name that I'm watching.
• 51:26
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not telling you he's taking Kyron Williams' job.
• 51:29
  SPEAKER_01: Kyron Williams has earned that job.
• 51:32
  SPEAKER_01: But if you're paying attention enough, there's enough chatter from fantasy people that I respect that say there's enough evidence that Corum's role was already growing last year and that it's going to get even bigger this year.
• 51:45
  SPEAKER_01: I'm paying attention to him while his price is still significantly cheaper.
• 51:50
  SPEAKER_01: Something I'm definitely keeping an eye on.
• 51:53
  SPEAKER_01: But that that's the whole game.
• 51:55
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you can like a player and hate his price, but those are two different things.
• 52:01
  SPEAKER_01: Lastly, quarterback, I'm not giving away the whole strategy yet, but I will give you this.
• 52:09
  SPEAKER_01: If if there is ever a year to wait on quarterback, it's this year.
• 52:19
  SPEAKER_01: Depending on how your league drafts, there are guys in 10th, 11th, maybe even 14th or 15th round, that I would be completely comfortable starting.
• 52:28
  SPEAKER_01: Now look, if Lamar Jackson is your guy and you want Lamar and Zay Flowers stack, go get your guy.
• 52:36
  SPEAKER_01: I always say this.
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_01: Draft the team you want instead of watching the team you wanted beat you on Sunday.
• 52:43
  SPEAKER_01: Fantasy football is supposed to be fun, man.
• 52:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's supposed to be a good time.
• 52:47
  SPEAKER_01: I know it's stressful and people put too much emphasis on shit, but just understand the opportunity cost.
• 52:54
  SPEAKER_01: I've got some late quarterbacks that I really, really like this year.
• 52:58
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not telling you who they are tonight.
• 53:01
  SPEAKER_01: That's what the fantasy episode is for.
• 53:03
  SPEAKER_01: What I am telling you is to draft your team.
• 53:08
  SPEAKER_01: Draft the guys that you want.
• 53:13
  SPEAKER_01: But anyway, that's gonna do it for me tonight.
• 53:16
  SPEAKER_01: Football is back.
• 53:18
  SPEAKER_01: The fantasy drafts are coming.
• 53:20
  SPEAKER_01: The Rice Bowl Invitational is coming together, and over the next couple weeks, Rice on the Radio is basically going to be living, eating, sleeping in football season.
• 53:32
  SPEAKER_01: So make sure you're following the show everywhere.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_01: Full fantasy episode is coming next, and I've got plenty more on the way.
• 53:39
  SPEAKER_01: But for tonight, that's enough out of me, man.
• 53:42
  SPEAKER_01: As always, spread good energy, tell someone you love them.
• 53:47
  SPEAKER_01: I am Ian Rice.
• 53:48
  SPEAKER_01: This has been episode 79 of Rice on the Radio, and I'll catch you guys next time.