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Headlines! MLB Trade Deadline, Predicting the NFC South, and more! · The Tailgate Cam Podcast

• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome in, everybody.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: This is the first episode of the Tailgate Cam podcast, and I am excited to get started with you guys today.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: So this episode will be a little bit like what most of the episodes of this podcast will be like, where we're going to start the show with some headlines, some um top you know news in different sports leagues.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, go through those, some different conversation points, and then I'll have a main focus of the episode that I will actually get into uh and then end it up with like a fun game.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes I'll have a guest on, as I mentioned in the introduction, um, where I'll go through, you know, maybe a fantasy draft, power rankings, um, picking games.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but this is where we're getting started today.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: And our first topic is the MLB trade deadline.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: We are quickly approaching the MLB trade deadline uh this week.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Actually, I believe the trade deadline is August 3rd.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so we have about from the time of this recording, about a week until the trade deadline.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to look at some teams that would be a good candidate to make some moves, some teams that should probably start selling, and what names I think should be dealt and where I think they should go.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: So um kind of just starting with sellers.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: I think obviously the Mets should be sellers.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: I am not just saying this as a Yankees fan, um, but they have obviously underachieved this year.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: They're in last place in the NL East.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they're actually five and five in their last 10 games, but they're 17 and a half back right now of the Atlanta Braves.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um they have some injured pieces and some really expensive players like Francisco Lindore, um, some relievers that they could end up trading with, like Luke Weaver.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think the Mets are destined to be sellers.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I also think that the Giants, the first year with new head coach Tony Vitello, um they have some pieces that could also be moved.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: One of them that I'll discuss here in a minute.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: And then the last team that I I really think could get into the selling conversation, especially due to where at least I think local expectations were, is the Kansas City Royals.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: They have some pitching arms that could be good trade pieces for other teams.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and if they're willing to deal bats, I think they have some desirable left-handed hitters that um could get a lot of teams interested.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: So um, and now who should really be buying?
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: Who who are the teams that should be buying right now?
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think the AL East is pretty tightly packed.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: We've seen the Red Sox go on a 14-game winning streak.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the Yankees obviously staying in the mix despite not having Aaron Judge for almost two months.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: And now the news from yesterday, they will also be without Cody Bellinger for at least four to six weeks.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: So the Yankees are in desperate need of acquiring a bat.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the Rays, they're trying to hold Chip atop the AL East.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh their offense has really started to slow down, uh, but they continue to win games, and that's really the name of the game for them.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: I would also like to see the Chicago White Sox get a little bit involved in this trade deadline.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: They have some young pieces, you know.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: They obviously have more Kami that came over, uh, but Colson Montgomery, Acunya Jr., um, they have some live arms, and I'd really like to see them make a move for either another pitcher or reliever.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe if they could get a trade within their division.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: A little tease there.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then I think the last team that I could really see going for and kind of pushing their chips in the middle is the Milwaukee Brewers.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: They have great pitching, um, a very um consistent lineup all the way throughout.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, Mizarowski is a Cy Young candidate, and he will be continue to be a Cy Young candidate every year for the rest of his career.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I would really like to see the Brewers get involved, but who are all these teams going to trade for?
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, there's tons of names that um will get thrown out there.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: I'd like to focus on some of the bigger names that I do actually think have a good chance of being traded.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I mentioned Francisco Lindor already.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: I think that is a possibility.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: I mentioned some of the Mets relievers, um, like Luke Weaver um or their starting pitcher Clay Holmes.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: I could see all of them getting traded.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: But I think the biggest and most obvious trade chip on the MLB trade block this year is Tariq Scuble.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: There were rumors about it last year, there was rumors about it going into the offseason, and then he starts the season being injured um and very quickly recovers from that injury, comes back, and already is back in strong form.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but the the catch with Scoobyl is it's gonna come with a lot of money that you're gonna have to pay him, but he's clearly the best player on the trade market.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, his team is no longer in contention, and and the tigers could really do themselves a service by getting a haul for Scott or for Scoobyl um before he I would say leaves in free agency.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: I I think Scoobyl is not only the top name, but honestly in the most realistic position to be traded.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, another guy that I think could get moved is Robbie Ray.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: I mentioned the Giants, um, another um starting pitcher from the Giants.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: He's been in the big leagues for um quite some time.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: And he does make a decent amount of money, um, but his his contract expires also at the end of this year.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: So this would again be a rental for a team looking to bolster their starting rotation.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then another pitcher that I I could really see getting moved by a team looking to shure up their the front end of their rotation is Waka.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um for a guy that has been really under the radar for most of his career, Michael Waka has consistently delivered strong performances, um, not only during the regular season, but the postseason as well.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: I know as a Yankees fan, there's been years that we've gone against him in the playoffs where it's been one of those scratch out a run and hope you win games.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I think there are several teams, you know, the Tampa Bay Rays could be open to bringing in Michael Walker.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I could also see a team like the Milwaukee Brewers move making a move for Michael Walker.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I think Michael Walker is another realistic trade candidate, at least from the pitching perspective.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: And then on the hitting side, um, two batters that I really would like to see moved and get into a better position.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna pick on the Mets one more time, and that's Luis Robert.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um he just joined the Mets uh this year from the White Sox.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: He had spent his whole career with the White Sox beforehand, um, but he's still only 28 years old, about to be 29.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so he's not you know an aged-out bat.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: He he his issues really just stem for more injury troubles.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he's already missed some time with the Mets this year.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: I think he's missed most of May and then most of June, or maybe all of June, but he's back healthy now.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and another Scott Boris client that would love to be traded at the deadline.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I could really see a team going after Luis Roberts Jr.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: And then my last trade chip piece, one that I would love to see my Yankees make a move for, another guy in an expiring deal is Hunter Goodman, the catcher from the Colorado Rockies.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he again, like I said, is on the last year of his deal, uh, but he is a talented uh hitting catcher, uh, really delivers some power.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, obviously, those power numbers are a little bit inflated when you consider that he plays 81 of his games at course field.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: But Hunter Goodman is a guy that I think if you took out out uh Austin Wells or any of the other various triple A type catchers from the Yankees, like Ali Sanchez, who just hit a home run last night, um, or uh or even like Oscara, Hunter Goodman would be a massive upgrade.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: But I think it's realistic that they could move on from Hunter Goodman because a good hitting catcher is a premium um this day and age in in baseball, and the Rockies aren't doing anything anytime soon.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I could see them moving on from Hunter Goodman.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: So just to review my my top five guys that I could see getting moved and I would like to see moved from a pitching side, Scoobyl, Robbie Ray, Michael Waka, and two hitters I would like to see get moved, Luis Robert and Hunter Goodman.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: And as promised, one of the key principles of the Tailgate Cam podcast will always be covering every sport.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and one of my favorite sports is the UFC and mixed martial arts.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, we are all in a in a place of uh mourning and loss over the fight that we did not get to see, that we all wanted, um, which was Max Holloway and Conor McGregor.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: Connor McGregor confirmed now to have suffered a torn ACL and meniscus.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but some news just came out yesterday, and again, we'll I'll I'll get into this a little bit more, but some news just came out yesterday that Connor McGregor is striving for International Fight Week in 2027.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, international fight week every year is the biggest UFC card of the year, usually held you know the week after the 4th of July, maybe two weeks at some point.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: It was the card that he was on again this year with Holloway.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but the issue is one, is McGregor going to be healthy to compete at that point?
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he's 38 right now, he's going to be 39 by the time that International Fight Week 27 begins.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: So, what does he look like going into a training camp a year from now?
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, beyond that, does he still demand main event status?
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: Does the UFC try to drum through this same story again?
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um if it is his last fight, I could see that that is realistic that the UFC would entertain um Conor McGregor holding down a main event for his last ride.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but if it's not, and it and it might not be, with fighters, you never really know until that you know several years goes by and they don't step back in the octagon.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um but if that happens, I think we'd all be excited to see one more time for a chance to see the electric notorious Conor McGregor.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um I will not be making any predictions uh in relation to his health, to his fitness, to what he might look like.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um I thought it was hard enough to make some of those predictions going into this fight that he had with Max Holloway, where I thought he was going to be very outmatched and from a stamina and endurance perspective, outclassed throughout the entire fight.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: So adding on top of it an ACL injury, adding on top of it another year of aging, adding on top of it a torn meniscus.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: And then what do you really have left?
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh a striker that may or may not um have the stamina and wherewithal to last into those championship rounds.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: Do you want to put that guy in a main event?
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: So to be seen.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, some other UFC notes coming up.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um Islam and Ian Gary will be fighting for the welterweight title fight um August 11th at UFC 330.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um that will be the main event for UFC 330.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: I apologize, it's August 15th.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they'll be fighting in Philadelphia.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that follows uh Matouz Gamrath's main event um August 8th.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then this weekend we actually have Daniel Rodriguez.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: Some other there's some other good fights on that card this weekend.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: Daniel Rodriguez is fighting, Jan Blahovich, who is really more of a name than a real contender.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_00: But we have Marcin Taibura, Alexander Rakich.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: So this weekend there's a nice little fight night main card.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but the next big UFC event that we should all be looking forward to, if you want to get into more fighting, is that UFC 330, uh Ian Gary, Islam Makachev for the Welter Wade title?
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: All right, now to transition over to the association.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's probably been the biggest story.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's not even probably, it's been the biggest story uh across the sports landscape since the World Cup ended.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: Where would LeBron sign?
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: When would he sign?
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, would his son come along with him?
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: Would he come back to Miami?
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: Would he go back to Cleveland and finish his career where it all started, where he's from?
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um were there you know other teams that could come out of the woodworks and make themselves relevant?
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: We heard Rich Paul say that they got offers from over uh 10 teams in free agency.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: So where was LeBron gonna go?
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: What was gonna happen?
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um obviously that news broke several days ago that he decided to join the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year,$8 million deal, um, which is the league minimum for a player with his service time, making only$3.9 million.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: I've seen some hilarious comparisons to several college basketball players whose NIL deals are larger than what LeBron will be earning this year.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, LeBron is not what he was five years ago.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: He's not what he was 10 years ago.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: But LeBron still averaged 20 a game last year and is a fundamental piece on anybody's offense because the way he can dissect the game, the way he can pass, his willingness to shoot, distribute, and playmake.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I I could really see LeBron stepping into Philly and spelling Maxie in a point guard type role.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and it's really interesting.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: You know, one of the things that I wanted to talk about for this Sixers experiment that we're gonna see this year, obviously, health is probably the biggest concern.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, will Joel Embiid be healthy?
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's not even a will, I I would say, if I backtrack because Embiid is always dealing with something, but how much Embiid are we gonna get?
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: Beyond Embiid, Jalen Brown has never been the focal guy besides you know sporadic stretches with Boston uh and that stretch in the playoffs where he he really dominated and showed who he could be.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: But he's never been in this position with this kind of a contract where the pressure was on him.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: But I think some of that pressure has already been removed by bringing in LeBron.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but the underrated piece in all this that I don't think enough people are discussing.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody wants to talk about LeBron and Bede and uh Jalen Brown, but the Sixers' best player last year was not Joel Embiid, it was not Paul George, it was Tyrese Maxie.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: They have Tyrese Maxie now um coming in really into his prime years in the NBA.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: I think Tyrese Maxie should be the engine that drives the 76ers ship during the regular season.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: If they really want to contend and go for a title, they're gonna be in contention.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm saying if they really want to go for a title and try to win for LeBron, and that's why LeBron made this decision to take less money, go to an unfamiliar city, and really fit himself in as a secondary type option, Tyrese Maxie and a guy like VJ Edgecombe will be carrying this team through the regular season.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_00: So LeBron and Embiid do not have to labor through back-to-backs or you know, three and four kind of stretches.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: If this should really be a Tyrese Maxie, VJ Edgecomb show.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think the way that this team is set up will be catered to both of those guys to be um the dominant playmakers.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: I think there will be a lot of opportunities for them just attack off the dribble and to set up Jalen Brown, Joel Embiid for um pick and roll type possessions.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um if it was up to me, I would I would be trying to push everything through Maxi and Edgecombe at the start of the season and through most of the regular season.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_00: The other big piece of news that is is going around, we've seen obviously a lot of stars get traded this offseason.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_00: We've seen Giannis, Kawhi, um, Walker Kessler.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know why I listed Walker Kessler fourth on this list, but um, we've seen a lot of big big names, Brandon Ingram, um Lamella Ball.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: We've we've seen a ton of names get moved, a lot of free agents change, but the newest rumor circling the association, because we we all know that the NBA does not go to bed without a new rumor coming out.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_00: So the new rumor is that Steph Curry could be traded and that the Warriors are really looking to rebuild um with a vision of the team outside of Steph Curry and what the Warriors will look like when the Steph Curry era is over.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_00: So there's rumblings now that Curry could get traded.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: What would that kind of a trade look like at his age?
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um he's still a dominant scorer, a dominant playmaker.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but he is entering the latter stages of his career, the final chapter, if you will.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and already some of the teams are the likely suspects.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: Miami has been rumored with their need for point guard shooting and um also the willingness to attract a big three to go with Giannis and Bam.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but a more likely fit I could really see is Boston.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um if if Curry's willing to make that move cross coast, um, and there's enough willingness from the Celtics, they we already know that he the Celtics weren't willing to trade some of the younger pieces that they have, like Hugo Gonzalez and Bailey Shireman, and that really kept them out of the Giannis sweepstakes, which shocks me.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: But if they're willing to make um some moves and willing to part way with some of their younger guys, and and I I do think that a Curry Tatum um tandem could be very, very dynamic, um, could be very exciting.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: So keep tuned to the Tailgate Cam podcast to see where Steph Curry goes.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: And over to college football.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: We are 32 days away from week zero of college football.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: We are less than five weeks away from college football taking place on Saturdays.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, a couple of headlines I just wanted to run through today.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_00: Mike Lombardi was placed on leave by the University of North Carolina.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_00: If you're not familiar with Mike Lombardi, Mike Lombardi um was a longtime NFL GM.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he was brought in by former Patriots coach Bill Belichick when Belichick came in last year to take over the North Carolina job.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he brought in Mike Lombardi to help run the scouting um and be the general manager for North Carolina football.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and there was a news report last night that Mike Lombardi was placed on leave.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_00: So if there wasn't already enough crazy things happening with Bill Belichick and that North Carolina football team, it just continues to get crazier.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, that team should be a little bit better this year, I would think.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: They really attacked the high school recruiting and in the portal hard.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and just from the quarterback position alone, they were relying on Gio Lopez last year, who was at South Alabama the year before, and that is not a recipe for success.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and Billy Edwards coming over from Maryland, I think Billy Edwards could provide some, you know, like a stable floor for that offense.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: But if, you know, the man up top is not focused on what's going on, and obviously nobody can take away what Beltrich did in his NFL career, but it has seen from the moment that he got there, from the Jordan Harris situation to the Pablo Torre investigation, um, and the probe into what was being released by the university about Jordan Harris, it's just been one public uh relations fiasco after another, and this is the next.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Bullet point on that list.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: As a Mizzou fan, one little piece of news that I would also like to share that I'm very happy about is that Ahmad Hardy was medically cleared.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_00: For those that do not know, Ahmad Hardy is the University of Missouri running back.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: He is also one of the best, if not the best, running back in the entire country.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: He is one of the favorites for the Doak Walker Award this year, which is given to the top running back in the country.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: He was shot at a concert in Mississippi several months back, I believe at the end of April, right?
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_00: Right around the NFL draft.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_00: But he was medically cleared to practice.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_00: That does not mean he will be healthy week one.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: Still possible that he could be, but that is a very good sign that Ahmad Hardy will not be sitting on the sidelines all year.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: And if Mizzou wants to contend for a bowl game or even trying to make some noise in the SEC, Ahmad Hardy has to be the engine, the doors, the you know, every single piece of the car, the wheels, the windshield wipers.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: Ahmad Hardy needs to be the man and let Jamal Roberts spell him in certain situations, especially at the start of the year against some of our weaker competition.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_00: But all in all, very promising and exciting news that Ahmad Hardy cleared medically to return to practice.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_00: So now it is time for my take of the day, and we're gonna start with an NFL division.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I I was taking a look around the NFL divisions, and I was thinking, where do I want to start um with my predictions on the first the Tailgate Cam podcast?
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_00: I thought I would start not in the AFC South.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we already know who's gonna win that because they won it last year.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_00: That's the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I'm gonna start in the NFC South.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: A very interesting division.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, a lot of teams that are closely power rated together, but a lot of moves and a lot of changes that have happened within these teams in one offseason.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: So let's just recap some of the moves that have taken place, some of the big things that are going on storylines, and I'll just go through in alphabetical order.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_00: So the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, um they actually had a big piece of news come out yesterday that Vita Vea, their starred nose tackle, big man, has requested a trade.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_00: To me, not only is that not good for their prospects as a defense, that a defense that struggled last year under Todd Bowles, uh, but this is just another you know piece of what happens when or when you when you keep your coach too long beyond when they should be fired, these are the things that start happening.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_00: Levante David retired.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um obviously Mike Evans left the Bucks is now in San Francisco playing for the 49ers, and they've lost numerous coaches.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, Liam Cohen is now the head coach in Jacksonville from last year, um, but they've lost several assistant coaches.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, Dave Canales went to the Panthers the year before Liam Cohen left.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_00: The Jags just took Brian Piccci, who is the offensive line coach and the extraordinary run game coordinator from the Bucs.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: So the Bucs are facing a lot of question marks.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_00: And if Vita Vea actually gets traded, that's going to be a huge, huge knock against them for the outlook of their season.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: The Saints have really retooled their offense.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_00: They made a big splash in free agency.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_00: They gave almost$50 million to running back Travis H.N., formerly Travis Etienne, as he was known around here in Duval, the ETN zone.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um they drafted a couple of big playmakers that I am excited about.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_00: One is Jordan Tyson, the rookie receiver out of Arizona State.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_00: They used their first round pick on Tyson.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he was my favorite receiver coming into this draft.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_00: I think he is absolutely electric.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_00: There are some medical concerns with Tyson from the time that he missed at Arizona State, but I think he is a dynamic, electric playmaker and the right type of guy for them to bet on.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_00: No character concerns, um, but a very electric playmaker that could really boost that offense opposite Chris Olave and Oscar Dell.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_00: He's a very under-talked-about uh rookie tight end for the Saints.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_00: They have Juwan Johnson in place, but Oscar Dell was a dynamic receiving threat for the Georgia Bulldogs.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_00: And sticking him in alongside Juwan Johnson, alongside Chris Olave, alongside Jordan Tyson, Travis E.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_00: T.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_00: And they kept Alvin Kamara on a rework deal.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_00: They still have guys like Kendra Miller.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: There are a lot of options.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_00: And then we haven't even discussed the fact that Tyler Shuck will be entering year two with head coach Kellen Moore.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and Kellen Moore's also in his second season in New Orleans.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: So I think you'll see a lot of calm nerves, both from the head coach and the quarterback.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so a lot of change in New Orleans.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_00: The Falcons also underwent a lot of change.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_00: They did resign Kyle Pitts to a new extension.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: Drake London got a new extension, but they also brought in a new quarterback to compete with their young, I guess we could still call him young quarterback Michael Penix.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but they brought in Tua Tagavailoa from Miami.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: So Miami cut Tua Tagavailoa at the start of the offseason thinking they were better off.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um just paying uh paying uh well or offering well wishes to Tua, moving on from him.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_00: And Atlanta now is in another conundrum where they have their 26-year-old Michael Pennox Jr.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_00: They have a no longer young Tua Tagovai Loa.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_00: This feels eerily similar to when they had Michael Penix Jr.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: last year with an aging Kirk Cousins, uh, except Kirk Cousins is probably demanding of a bit more respect than Tua is um at this stage in his career.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um so yeah, I mean they might have the best starting combination of wide receiver one, RB one, tight end one in the NFL.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_00: When you look at B.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_00: John Mustard Robinson, um, my guy Kyle Pitts and Drake London.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that is about as top of the line of an offensive combo as you could get.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_00: But this quarterback position partnered and married with Kevin Stefansky, who was also run out of town at his last job.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_00: I just think it's a lot of you know patching up holes without really fixing the foundation.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_00: I don't really believe the direction that the Falcons are going in, uh, but we'll see when I actually rank these teams out.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: And then the last team is the Panthers.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, they also made a big splash taking another guy from the Jaguars, um, linebacker Devin Lloyd, who got uh their largest contract.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um they they brought in Jalen Phillips as well, um, who was traded last year from Miami to the Philadelphia Eagles.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_00: He left the Eagles in free agency, and now Jalen Phillips um is going to be asked to be a star contributor on the defense alongside Devin Lloyd.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um I do think that that puts them in position to make their defense even more um imposing to uh, especially in the NFC South, um, but across the NFC and the bottom of the NFC, I think the Panthers defense could continue to take steps.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but the issue with the Panthers will always be what is the ceiling of Bryce Young and can it be raised at all?
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_00: So when I look at the four teams in this division, the Saints, the Bucs, the Falcons, and the Panthers, I think it's pretty clear and obvious from the direction, from the momentum, from the skill that these teams have, that the New Orleans Saints are going to win this division.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think they're gonna be a playoff team.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think they will win this division.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_00: I do not think another team from this division will make the playoffs.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_00: I think the Bucs and the Falcons will be fighting um to stay above, you know, 500 in that 6-11, 7-10 kind of range.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_00: So if I had to pick one of those teams to finish second, I would probably pick the Falcons just due to the bevy of that offensive skill talent.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I think Tod Bowles is a major, major hot seat candidate, especially if the Bucs get off to a bad start.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_00: I could really see Todd Bowles getting fired during the season.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I do think that there's gonna be some regression from Bryce Young, and I think that the Panthers are gonna finish in last place in this division, which I know no Panthers fans want to hear after they were able to host a playoff game and almost beat the Rams last year.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_00: I just am not in a position to have any kind of confidence really in Bryce Young.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_00: Even in the games where people were saying that he took steps last year, there were still, you know, a lot of difficult things to to witness as a as a football consumer that he was doing.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and his arm strength is just not what you expect from a top-of-the-line NFL quarterback.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_00: Can he be QB 18 or 19 out of 32?
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_00: But that quarterback, generally speaking, is not putting their team in position to make the playoffs every year.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_00: And in this case, I think there could be some shakeup there.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe they even move on from Bryce um next year as we get into the 2027 season with the amount of quarterbacks that are in that draft.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_00: I think it would open up a doorway for them to be much more competitive moving forward.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: So, in recap, Saints win the division, Bucks, Falcons sort of battling it out for second, and then the Panthers coming in last.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_00: That is the first prediction on the Tailgate Cam podcast.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_00: Who do you guys have winning the NFC South?
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_00: Leave some comments.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I'm curious to hear if people are also on the Saints or if that's just the Tailgate Cam and his thoughts.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_00: Some soccer notes.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, the World Cup ended last weekend, um, and it was a tremendous tournament.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_00: I think it really raised the interest uh in a lot of Americans in soccer, but really, as always, just boosts up the game and interest in the game.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_00: So, some soccer notes that are going on.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_00: France named a new soccer coach, Zenedine Zidane, a name we are all probably familiar with.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_00: Former French national star, um, former French coach returns to the pitch to coach um the French national team moving forward.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the Italian soccer team.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_00: They obviously missed the World Cup.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_00: A huge disappointment for the Italian soccer fans.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_00: They had an agreement with Andre Perlow, another former Italian player.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, great career that he had.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but there was some rumors that Andre Perlo had several brand and marketing deals already agreed to with Russian companies.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_00: And the Italian Football Federation ended up nixing that agreement yesterday.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_00: And they moved very quickly because as of this morning, they just announced a new coach that will be leading the charge for Forza Italia, and that is Roberto Mancini, who used to be the Italian coach, um, and now he's going to be taking over again just three years after he sort of unabruptly resigned from Forza.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, some big news in the international soccer world.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_00: Zenedine Zidane coming back to coach France, I think, is is a very exciting uh thing for France, especially with kind of the lackluster ending to the tournament that France had.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I definitely am intrigued where the future of Italian soccer goes.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_00: Missing the World Cup, um, landing on Andre Perlo as your coach, and then having to pivot so fast to a coach that just three years ago was walking away.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um has me concerned.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, some other news while we're still in the transfer window.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the trend the transfer window, for those that are not familiar, is the period in time when players are allowed to make moves to other teams.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_00: They're allowed to be purchased from other organizations, whether they're in the same country or different countries.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so Arsenal, who plays in the English Premier League, is making a strong push to sign Vinitius away from Real Madrid.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_00: I know based on what I've seen so far, Real Madrid is desperately trying to hold on to their Brazilian star, who had several electric goals um in the World Cup.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, one of the top flight um strikers in the world, wingers in the world, Vinitius, um, him moving to Arsenal would certainly be huge for um Mikhail Arteta in Arsenal, but um it would be imperative for Real Madrid to to keep Vinicius and one of their big stars there in Spain.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_00: Speaking of stars of the World Cup, though, probably the guy that I fell most in love with that was not on the American team and was not somebody that I was really aware of before, and I would say a lot of people really fell in love with this guy was Vozinha, the goalkeeper from Cape Verde.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_00: He actually just signed a new deal with the top team in Chile.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_00: So even uh Vozinha is on the move.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and then the last soccer soccer note that I'm gonna give you guys is MLS is heating up.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_00: They actually removed the paywall off of Apple TV.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_00: So if you have Apple TV, you can now watch all MLS games for free.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, previously you had to buy the MLS MLS pass on top of having Apple TV.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_00: So if you live in a city where there's an MLS team, if you live in St.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_00: Louis, if you live in Kansas City, um, if you are a fan of a certain player, or if you want to continue watching Messi as we continue to see these stars take shape in the MLS, there's an easier way to do that now.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_00: All you have to do is have an Apple TV subscription.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and we're a few weeks back in um since the return from the World Cup.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_00: So we're we're gearing up for playoffs in the MLS.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_00: So um exciting time to be paying attention to soccer.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_00: So one of the um segments that I'm gonna leave every podcast with is what I will be watching the rest of the week.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_00: So I have a few things that I have on my list.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_00: It would be easy for me to say Cubs and Yankees.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, both teams are plus 60 wins at this point in the season.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, both teams have consistently played pretty well.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, both teams have very strong pitching staffs, but the lack of Cody Bellinger, still not having Aaron Judge, um, gonna be a hard watch for the mass appeal.
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_00: As a fan of the Yankees, I will still be tuning in this weekend, but it's a great series, great uniforms, pinstripes on on both sides, the Cubs, the Yankees, um, iconic historic franchises.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_00: Shout out to um my good friend um Brandon Ogden, who is a Cubs fan.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_00: If you're listening to this, I hope we sweep you.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but two things that I will be tuned into.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_00: One on Sunday at ABC at 1 p.m.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_00: Eastern Time, the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark will be taking on the Minnesota Lynx, who are currently first in the WNBA uh at 22 and 6.
• 38:15
  SPEAKER_00: But the fever, they they started out um really struggling.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_00: Caitlin Clark was not playing that well for her standards, I should say.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but they've really started to turn it up.
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_00: They're now fifth in the WNBA standings, and this is probably one of the marquee matchups of the entire regular season for the WNBA.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_00: So again, one o'clock Eastern Time, ABC, Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, 1 p.m.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_00: Eastern time.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_00: And then the other game that I'll be watching, I talked some soccer on this pod today.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_00: I even discussed a little bit of the MLS.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_00: St.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_00: Louis City, since coming back from the World Cup break, they're 3-0-0.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_00: They have not lost or tied three consecutive wins, one of them being on the road, and two strong wins as well at home in um Energizer Park.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_00: But this weekend, they will be traveling to Salt Lake City to take on the team that is currently tied for fourth in the Western Conference, slightly ahead of St.
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_00: Louis right now in the standings.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a big matchup, 8:30 p.m.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_00: Eastern time.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_00: Again, that's on Apple TV, um, St.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_00: Louis City in Real Salt Lake.
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_00: And another segment that I will also do every week is our gold star of the week.
• 39:34
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody loved when they were a kid if their teacher or their parents gave them a gold star.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I figured, why not give out one gold star of the week?
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_00: It might not always be like the most record-breaking or noteworthy performance, but usually it's just gonna be a guy's performance or a woman's performance that stands out to me.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_00: And my gold star this week on the initial Tailgate Cam podcast is Jacob Mizorowski, starting pitcher of the Milwaukee Brewers.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_00: Sunday he started uh against the Colorado Rockies.
• 40:07
  SPEAKER_00: The Colorado Rockies.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_00: They were not doing much racking against um Jacob Mizarrowski on Sunday.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_00: The Colorado Rockies saw him throw 66 pitches over 100 miles per hour.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_00: For those that are not big baseball fans, throwing a single pitch over 100 miles per hour puts you in a pretty elite category.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_00: You have elite velocity.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_00: And Jacob Mizorowski did it for five innings.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_00: He threw 66 pitches over 100 miles per hour.
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_00: He threw 33 fastballs in the zone over 101.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_00: He struck out 12 of the first 13 batters the Colorado Rockies brought to the plate, including the first six.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_00: So Jacob Mizarowski was absolutely dealing on Sunday.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_00: He gets the gold star of the week.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_00: Heavy as the crown.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_00: We will see who gets the gold star on the Tailgate Cam podcast next week.
• 41:08
  SPEAKER_00: And just to tease what's coming up, on the next pod, we will be doing a pretty uh uh all-encompassing quarterback ranking.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_00: We will also be predicting the Heisman winner for the college football season and do a quick recap of the trade deadline, and then we will be going through the NFC West.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 41:34
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you enjoyed listening along today for your initial Tailgate Cam podcast.
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_00: Have a great week.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_00: Talk to you guys soon.