Latest / Football Junkies podcast / Ep.87: Test rat with no cheese
Transcript
- 0:03Mega bag alert, mega bag alert, mega bag alert,
- 0:06folks. That's right. Josh Metellus, Cortland
- 0:08Sutton, Bernard Raymond, Rashawn Slater, and
- 0:11Jake Ferguson all get paid. Shamar Stewart ends
- 0:15his holdout. Christian Wilkins gets released.
- 0:18Minka Fitzpatrick finally speaks. And gut check
- 0:20time, AFC and NFC East additional, right? So
- 0:23guess what? All of this and more. on the 87th
- 0:27episode of Football Junkies Podcast, all right?
- 0:29I am your host with the most. I'm your chief,
- 0:31Barrow Dommers. That's right, chief, head of
- 0:34the table, anything and everything related to
- 0:36the bag. rumors to the bag and more i'm your
- 0:39gm who currently is not on the team right now
- 0:41but guess what don't you worry about it all right
- 0:44don't you worry about it because guess what i'm
- 0:46all these things and more but most importantly
- 0:49the most important thing that you must remember
- 0:51is i am your host kale you already know how these
- 0:54things are about to go this is going to be a
- 0:56loaded episode full of truth bombs hot takes
- 1:00and everything in between so guess what on three
- 1:03one two three let's lock in All right, folks,
- 1:33let's just get into the meat and potatoes of
- 1:35everything that is going on in the league right
- 1:37now. So Bernard Raymond, that happened late last
- 1:40night, all right? Four -year $100 million deal,
- 1:43$60 million guaranteed, and he'll be making $25
- 1:46million a year. Corlin Sutton, $92 million deal,
- 1:50$41 million, making $23 million a year. His stats
- 1:54from this past season, 135 targets for 81 receptions.
- 1:581 ,081 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
- 2:01Cortland Sun is one of the better deep threat
- 2:04receivers in the league. Since coming into the
- 2:07league, he's been a dog. We should be talking
- 2:09about Cortland Sun a lot higher than what we
- 2:12do currently. But I mean, we all know that's
- 2:15most likely because of the injuries and whatnot.
- 2:17But aside from the injuries... We would be talking
- 2:20about Courtland Sutton in the same conversation
- 2:22as an A .J. Brown, a Jamar Chase possibly, Amon
- 2:26Ross, St. Brown, you know, the higher tier type
- 2:29of receivers. But when we look at this deal in
- 2:31its entirety, I think the number one question
- 2:35that comes to mind is, will this have a direct
- 2:38effect on Terry McLaurin's contract negotiations?
- 2:41Because right now, Adam Schefter reported yesterday
- 2:44on the Pat McAfee show. that Terry McLaurin is
- 2:47looking to make more than what DK Metcalf is
- 2:49making, and rightfully so. Terry McLaurin, in
- 2:52my mind, is an underrated receiver that doesn't
- 2:55get his flowers. You are talking about somebody
- 2:58that is one of the better route runners in the
- 3:00league, that is consistent year in and year out.
- 3:04So it's only right that you give him what the
- 3:06market is currently set at, which is 30 plus
- 3:09million a year. Let's be real here, folks. If
- 3:12you look at the top 10 highest paid wide receivers,
- 3:15you can make a strong case that Terry McLaurin
- 3:17is at least better than maybe, I don't know,
- 3:20maybe four or five of them. I know he's better
- 3:22than Tee Higgins. I know that he's better than
- 3:24Amon Ross St. Brown. I know that he's better
- 3:27than DK Metcalf. Now, once we get to the part
- 3:30of CeeDee Lamb, Justin Jeffersons, Jamar Chases
- 3:33of the world, that's when we start to have a
- 3:36different conversation. But right now, that is
- 3:38the going rate for wide receivers, and it's only
- 3:41right that Washington pay him the money that
- 3:44he's looking for. It's not going to hurt you.
- 3:46It's not like there's two or three other high
- 3:49-end players on your team that are looking for
- 3:51big money. No, he's the only person. Not to mention,
- 3:54you still have Jaden Daniels on his rookie deal.
- 3:57So it's not going to hurt you long -term. By
- 4:00the time Terry McLaurin's deal is over with,
- 4:02it'll be time for you to pay Jaden Daniels. it's
- 4:06not going to hurt you. Because guess what? If
- 4:08you don't pay Terry McLaurin and he hits free
- 4:11agency next year, that means that most likely
- 4:14you're going to have to address wide receiver
- 4:16via free agency or in the draft. And me personally,
- 4:20I don't really like the receivers that are coming
- 4:22out this year. I'll probably have to do a little
- 4:24bit more digging because I've been looking at
- 4:26quarterbacks and whatnot. But I know everyone's
- 4:28going to be focused on 27's draft class because
- 4:31you're going to have Jeremiah Smith. You're going
- 4:33to have the, I forgot what his name, the receiver
- 4:36from Alabama. You're going to have more higher
- 4:38end receivers in the 27 class. So Washington,
- 4:43if I were you, don't just say, hey, the Broncos
- 4:46gave Cortland Sutton 23. We believe that that's
- 4:49your ballpark, 23, maybe 25. No, just give Terry
- 4:52McCorn 30, okay? But let's keep this train going,
- 4:55all right? Jake Ferguson tied in for the Cowboys,
- 4:57inks a four -year $52 million deal. He gets a
- 5:00$12 million signing bonus, $30 million guaranteed.
- 5:03He'll be making $13 million a year. Now, when
- 5:06we look at his stats from this past season, 86
- 5:09targets for 59 receptions, 494 receiving yards,
- 5:138 .4 receiving yards per reception. And when
- 5:16you look at his stats, you're probably thinking,
- 5:18why in the world would they give him $13 million
- 5:20a year? You just got to turn on the tape. You
- 5:22just have to turn on the tape and just have to
- 5:24see for yourself, okay? He's not the type of
- 5:26tight end that's going to wow you with his stats
- 5:28or his production, but just know he is a reliable
- 5:32weapon for Dak Prescott. That's all I'm going
- 5:34to say, all right? And let's keep this thing
- 5:36going. Rashawn Slater, left tackle for the Chargers.
- 5:39It's a four -year $114 million deal, $92 million
- 5:44in total guarantees, $56 million guaranteed at
- 5:46signing, a $29 million signing bonus, and he'll
- 5:49be making $28 .5 million a year. He is now the
- 5:52highest paid left tackle in NFL history, okay?
- 5:56Now, when we look at the structure of his contract,
- 5:59which needs to be talked about, it is... perfect.
- 6:04Down to the last detail, just absolutely perfect.
- 6:08You want to know why? Let me explain it to you.
- 6:10According to SpotRack, his cap hits moving forward,
- 6:15this year, 14 .8, next year, 23 .8, the year
- 6:19after that, 31 .8, the year after that, 29, and
- 6:23then the final year is 33 .5. Those are all manageable
- 6:28cap hits. Not to mention, when you look at his
- 6:30base salary, This year is only 2 million. Next
- 6:33year it's 11. The year after that is 26. The
- 6:36year after that is 23 .2. And then the year after
- 6:39that is 20 .7. This is a really good deal for
- 6:43a very productive left tackle. Not to mention
- 6:46as the contract continues to age, his dead cap
- 6:49hits actually decrease, which is actually very
- 6:53unique because most of the times as the contract
- 6:56ages, the dead caps increases. So this is a very
- 7:00unique structure contract, which I actually love
- 7:03this contract a lot. The two crown jewels on
- 7:05the offensive line is center and left tackle.
- 7:07Those are your franchise, they're never going
- 7:11anywhere positions. Guard, right tackle, you
- 7:15can interchange them, okay? You can get somebody
- 7:17in free agency or in the draft or trade or however,
- 7:22okay? But left tackle and center, Those are the
- 7:25two positions of the offensive line that you
- 7:27have to draft. Now, left tackle, you probably
- 7:30want to draft a little bit higher than your center.
- 7:32We've seen centers that, you know, who are drafted
- 7:35in the second and third round become, you know,
- 7:37franchise caliber centers. Whereas left tackles,
- 7:41not so much. OK, great left tackles are being
- 7:45drafted in the first round. And so with that
- 7:48being said. Left tackle is a position where there
- 7:52is no minimum, okay? It's only elite or average.
- 7:56When you're in elite left tackle, you're always
- 7:59gonna have a seat at the table because teams
- 8:01realize that, listen, if we don't pay our elite
- 8:04left tackle, our quarterback is gonna be sacked
- 8:07more than protected. Not to mention, with college
- 8:12producing three to six elite pass rushers every
- 8:16single year, You have to find a way to neutralize
- 8:20their effect in the game. And the only way that
- 8:23you can do that is pay your elite left tackle.
- 8:26Let's be real here, folks. These are the people
- 8:29that are going up against the Chris Joneses of
- 8:31the world, TJ Watts of the world, Miles Garrett's,
- 8:34Max Crosby's, Nick Bosa's of the world. So it's
- 8:37only right that you compensate them fairly. Because
- 8:40if you don't, and if they hit free agency, and
- 8:42if they go somewhere else, quarterback is going
- 8:44to get wrecked. And you don't want that. We see
- 8:47a lot of times, a lot of teams who invest into
- 8:50their left tackle. Case in point, the 49ers,
- 8:53the Buccaneers, the Ravens, the Eagles, even
- 8:57the Bills. All of them have elite left tackles.
- 9:01And they're always going to be paid because guess
- 9:03what? The team realizes that at some point, we're
- 9:07going to need you. You are the anchor of this
- 9:10offensive line. And if you're not on the field,
- 9:13we have a chance. of losing the game than actually
- 9:17winning the game. There was a stat that came
- 9:19out last year. I think this was during Trent
- 9:22Williams' contract holdout. That when Trent Williams
- 9:26was on the field and they ran the ball in his
- 9:29direction, they were more successful than when
- 9:33he wasn't on the field. That's what happens when
- 9:36you have an elite left tackle. And those are
- 9:38hard to come by. Rashawn Slater is an elite left
- 9:41tackle. He doesn't get talked about as much,
- 9:44but he is one of those guys. Same thing with
- 9:47Tristan Wirfs. Same thing with Trent Williams.
- 9:50Those are still the big dogs. So they're going
- 9:53to be compensated as a big dog. Now, are there
- 9:56left tackles that may get overpaid a little bit?
- 9:58Yes. Is that because of free agency or of need?
- 10:02Yes. But the fact of the matter is this. If you
- 10:07don't have an elite left tackle, you're in trouble.
- 10:11All the other positions on the offensive line,
- 10:14they can be second and third rounders. They can
- 10:16be average to above average. But your left tackle
- 10:19must be elite. And if your tackle isn't elite,
- 10:24you have a problem. And you have to make sure
- 10:28that you take care of your left tackle. I don't
- 10:30care how much it costs. I don't care how you
- 10:33got to structure the contract. Make sure that
- 10:35your left tackle is a one helmet guy. And let's
- 10:39talk about the last extension, and that is Josh
- 10:41Metellus' safety for the Vikings inks a three
- 10:44-year, $30 deal, and he'll be making $12 million
- 10:47a year. When we look at his stats from this past
- 10:49season, 101 tackles, two picks, he was targeted
- 10:5360 times for 44 receptions, allowing 475 yards
- 10:57and one touchdown. Josh Metellus is a Swiss Army
- 11:00knife when it comes to the defense. I have seen
- 11:03him lined up as an edge rusher. a middle linebacker,
- 11:06a corner, and even in his natural position at
- 11:09safety. Hell, they even have him taking snaps
- 11:12at defensive tackle. That's how diverse Josh
- 11:15Mattel is on this Vikings defense. I'm just going
- 11:19to read to you some of his stats in various positions.
- 11:22So at edge, he had two tackles, five quarterback
- 11:26pressures. He was targeted three times, allowed
- 11:29one reception for nine yards. When we look at
- 11:32linebacker, for instance, 49 tackles, two picks.
- 11:37He was targeted 19 times, allowed 13 receptions
- 11:40for 153 yards. Slot corner, 31 tackles, targeted
- 11:4623 times, allowed 19 receptions for 130 yards.
- 11:50That's just who he is. He's everywhere on the
- 11:53field. Not to mention, this is a good deal for
- 11:56both sides. It's not going to break the bank.
- 11:58It's not an earth -shattering type of deal. You're
- 12:02just compensating somebody that plays a very
- 12:04productive role on this defense. And you can't
- 12:07hurt the Vikings for just taking care of business.
- 12:09That's what you're supposed to do as a GM. Now
- 12:11let's get into somebody who, in my mind, I feel
- 12:14like sold himself out. And that is Shamar Stewart.
- 12:17So there has finally been a resolution between
- 12:20Shamar Stewart and the Bengals. So this is how
- 12:23things go. So they have agreed to the contractual
- 12:26language that could void future guarantees, but
- 12:30in return... The Bengals have moved up $500 ,000
- 12:33of his signing bonus to be paid immediately.
- 12:37Brother, you got sold out. You are the test rat
- 12:40with no reward. You are the test dummy for this
- 12:46franchise. You have been standing firm for the
- 12:51longest time saying, listen, I'm not going to
- 12:53be the test dummy for this team when it comes
- 12:56to this new contractual language that you guys
- 12:59are trying to institute into my contract. It
- 13:01wasn't in Amarius Mims' contract, Joe Burrows,
- 13:04Jamar Chase's, any of the other recent first
- 13:07-rounders that the Bengals have drafted. So why
- 13:09in the world would you want to allow yourself
- 13:11to be the first person to do this? Do you not
- 13:14realize the amount of power that you have given
- 13:17the Bengals? They can now avoid your future guarantees
- 13:21for any reason. But do you want to know why the
- 13:25Bengals did this? Because they realized that
- 13:28there was a realistic chance. that they weren't
- 13:31going to have neither Trey Hendrickson or Shamar
- 13:33Stewart when the regular season started. So they
- 13:37were shaking in their boots. They realized, hey,
- 13:39if we don't have neither one of them on the field,
- 13:42we're going to lose more games than actually
- 13:44win them. So you know what they did? So you know
- 13:47what? How about this? We'll just give you a raise
- 13:52on your signing bonus just so you can sign this
- 13:56deal. You sold yourself out short, Shamar Stewart.
- 14:01They didn't even fully guarantee your contract.
- 14:04If they fully guaranteed your contract, okay,
- 14:08maybe you could give in to some of the contractual
- 14:12language. But the fact that you agreed to a contract
- 14:16that you deliberately know that they can void
- 14:20your future guarantees. And all they did to compensate
- 14:25you for was just give you a $500 ,000 raise to
- 14:30your signing bonus immediately. Unacceptable.
- 14:32But let's talk about Christian Wilkins because
- 14:35this is a head -scratching move. Doesn't make
- 14:38a whole lot of sense, but I'm going to try to
- 14:40explain it as best as I possibly can. When the
- 14:42news first broke, it was a little bit of a head
- 14:45scratcher because I'm like, wait, what happened?
- 14:47What caused for the Raiders to get rid of Christian
- 14:49Wilkins? They just signed him last year. We talked
- 14:52about it on this podcast. But come to find out,
- 14:55a few things that happened recently. So according
- 14:57to Adam Schefter via the Pat McAfee show, he
- 15:01allegedly kissed a teammate on the top of their
- 15:03head and the player took offense to the move.
- 15:05On top of that. His contract was voided due to
- 15:09a disagreement over his rehab process. So the
- 15:12team had been asking him to have surgery multiple
- 15:14times, but Christian Wilkins never had the surgery,
- 15:17and they became increasingly frustrated. He has
- 15:20filed a grievance with the NFLPA. Because of
- 15:22this matter, just to refresh everyone's memory,
- 15:25he signed a four -year, $110 million deal last
- 15:29year. So here's the thing, okay? I want to hear
- 15:32exactly his side of the story. Because I'm just
- 15:36hearing from the organization. A lot of times
- 15:38fans will side with the organization instead
- 15:41of the player. There's two sides to every story.
- 15:44Was there risk if Christian Wilkins had the surgery?
- 15:47What exactly made him not want to take the surgery?
- 15:50That's my question. And then question number
- 15:53two is, is there a direct correlation to a recent
- 15:58video that's come out that shows Christian Wilkins
- 16:01breakdancing in the Raiders weight room? Does
- 16:04that have a connection to this situation as well?
- 16:07Because I know there was a few pictures prior
- 16:10to this situation happening that Christian Wilkins
- 16:13is still in the boot. But then when I saw the
- 16:15video of him breakdancing in the weight room,
- 16:18he didn't have on no boot. He didn't have on
- 16:20anything that shows like, hey, I'm still hurt.
- 16:23So what exactly happened? I have a lot of questions
- 16:26to this situation, and most likely we won't get
- 16:29those answers anytime soon. Hopefully we do get
- 16:31those answers because I really want to know and
- 16:33I really want clarification on this because right
- 16:35now it's making it seem like Christian Wilkins
- 16:37was just this anti, I don't want to have surgery,
- 16:41I don't want to do this type of player, when
- 16:43for all intents and purposes, the surgery they
- 16:46probably wanted him to do probably had substantial
- 16:49risk to come with it. But hopefully we will hear
- 16:52from Christian Wilkins side of the story so we
- 16:55can have a better understanding of exactly what
- 16:58happened. But let's talk about Minkovic's patch.
- 16:59OK, so he has finally talked to the media and
- 17:03this is what he had to say. And I quote, these
- 17:05are his words. This is not what I say. This is
- 17:08his words. OK, so and I quote, I know I haven't
- 17:11addressed the media or posted one. I'm not a
- 17:15big social media guy. You ain't going to see
- 17:17me on there. Period. Point blank. This is what
- 17:20he said. This is not what I said. Two, in no
- 17:21way, shape, or form was that expression or frustration
- 17:24about coming back to Miami. Three, I want to
- 17:27thank the city of Pittsburgh and the fans of
- 17:29Pittsburgh. You guys treated me very well. I
- 17:32enjoyed my time there. I played with some great
- 17:34teammates. It was very unfortunate the way things
- 17:37ended, but you know it's a part of the business,
- 17:39and I'm extremely, extremely excited to be a
- 17:41Miami Dolphin. Again, my silence was not a reflection
- 17:44of how I felt about this team or organization.
- 17:47I've been here in the building for about a week
- 17:49now, and I'm extremely excited about this season.
- 17:51I think we have a very, very high ceiling. We
- 17:54have a lot of young, hungry, passionate guys
- 17:56combined with a lot of guys who play a lot of
- 17:59game and have a lot of accolades. This is an
- 18:01organization that I'm extremely excited to be
- 18:03a part of. Again, my silence had nothing to do
- 18:06with my feelings to the Dolphins organization.
- 18:09With that being said, I'm not going to take any
- 18:11questions about how the transaction went down.
- 18:13I'm not going to take any questions about Pittsburgh
- 18:16or previous coaches or anything like that. I
- 18:19would like to respectfully talk about this current
- 18:21situation, this team, my players, my coaches,
- 18:23and I would appreciate if you all respect those
- 18:26wishes. Before I get into my opinion. here's
- 18:30what the dolphins did with his contract okay
- 18:32so the dolphins restructured his contract by
- 18:35moving up 2 million this year so minka is now
- 18:38due 17 .5 million this year 15 .6 million next
- 18:42year but here's the thing he still has no guaranteed
- 18:46money long term but by making this move this
- 18:51created 11 million in cap space for the dolphins
- 18:54this is what i said Or next, if you guys haven't
- 18:58followed me on there, GMK. All right, G -M -K
- 19:02-A -I -L -E. I would advise for you guys to follow
- 19:05me on there because I have a lot of hot takes
- 19:06and truth bombs. And I have a lot of disagreements
- 19:10with a lot of Steelers fans, especially with
- 19:12the whole Minkifis Patrick situation. I personally
- 19:15feel like Minkifis Patrick is the scapegoat for
- 19:19the Steelers' inability to change. And let me
- 19:22explain why. We saw the last two years that this
- 19:25defense... has failed to meet expectations in
- 19:28the latter part of the season. The first part
- 19:31of the season, they're coming out guns blazing.
- 19:33They're doing their thing, creating pressures,
- 19:35getting sacks, interceptions, whole nine yards.
- 19:38But after Thanksgiving, this defense is like
- 19:42flower hitting water. It just disintegrates.
- 19:46And a lot of that has to do with coaching. A
- 19:49lot of that has to do with the players that were
- 19:51on the field. And so... Megan Fitzpatrick is
- 19:55being slotted as the scapegoat. See, here's the
- 19:58thing. Last season showed specifically that there
- 20:02needs to be a substantial coaching change when
- 20:06it comes to the defense. The same structured
- 20:08defense that has been in place for the Steelers,
- 20:11it needs to be upgraded. Anytime when you have
- 20:15multiple players from different teams all say
- 20:18the same thing, oh yeah, we already knew what
- 20:20they was running. We already knew what this person
- 20:22was going to do, that person was going to do.
- 20:23We know where he was coming from. We know that
- 20:26when we see T .J. Watt lined up in this position,
- 20:29what formation they're going to do. Even the
- 20:32Patriots, Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, Gronk, when
- 20:36they was facing the killer Bs during that time,
- 20:39they all said the same thing. We knew exactly
- 20:42what they were doing. They've been running the
- 20:44same thing for years. You can no longer just
- 20:49say, you know what, we're going to put our best
- 20:51foot forward. And guess what? We're going to
- 20:53out -physical you. We're going to beat you senselessly.
- 20:56You cannot do that now. Quarterbacks are going
- 20:59to pick up on that, and they're going to pick
- 21:01you apart. And that's what's happened. When this
- 21:03defense goes up against a Patrick Mahomes, a
- 21:06Lamar Jackson, a Joe Burrow, a Josh Allen, they
- 21:10get picked apart. Why would you move off of Mingus
- 21:14Fitzpatrick when Mingus Fitzpatrick... didn't
- 21:17signal anything that he wanted to leave the Steelers.
- 21:20You can still see that he is still trying to
- 21:23process this entire move. Because in his mind,
- 21:26he was thinking, oh, I'm still going to be with
- 21:29the Steelers this season. He was preparing himself
- 21:32to put on the black and gold. But instead, he's
- 21:36now going to be put in a situation, which we're
- 21:38going to be talking about once we get to gut
- 21:40check time, once we get to the Dolphins, where
- 21:42this season, it looks like... a lot of people
- 21:46are going to be moved by the trade deadline.
- 21:49It's not fun at all. I was just in a situation
- 21:51where the team had just waited three months for
- 21:54a 42 -year -old to finally make his decision.
- 21:58They made moves in the offseason. They got DK
- 22:00Metcalf. They drafted this person, drafted that
- 22:03person, made all these great moves. And so he's
- 22:06thinking, oh, okay, I'm a part of the picture.
- 22:08And they come to find out you're not part of
- 22:10the picture. That's not fun, especially somebody.
- 22:13Like a Mingus Fitzpatrick who has been a class
- 22:15act since coming to Pittsburgh. You're talking
- 22:19about somebody that when they're winning, he's
- 22:22talking to the media. When they're losing, he's
- 22:24talking to the media. He is the person that is
- 22:28being honest, that's being transparent, that
- 22:31is holding people accountable. And you have now
- 22:34lost that. And the reason why that you moved
- 22:37off of Mingus Fitzpatrick, Omar Khan, was because
- 22:40of positional flexibility. when Minka Fitzpatrick
- 22:44was showing positional flexibility. I understand
- 22:47that he wasn't playing his best ball in the last
- 22:49two years, but you know what? You can't just
- 22:51blame him for that. The defense as a whole wasn't
- 22:54playing their best ball when they needed to.
- 22:56And I said this in the previous episode. Everybody
- 23:00just talks about splash. Everybody wants the
- 23:0315 second clip of somebody making a pick, a sack,
- 23:07horse fumble. Nobody just wants to talk about
- 23:10the routine things that a player needs to do
- 23:13game in and game out. Minka Fitzpatrick was doing
- 23:17the dirty work. Now, sure, is there criticism
- 23:19for Minka Fitzpatrick? Yes. There were some plays
- 23:23where he did his own thing. But guess what? He
- 23:25has the leverage to do that because guess what?
- 23:27When he's done it, it worked. But when you're
- 23:31going through a stretch where you're not playing
- 23:33your best ball, you probably want to limit that.
- 23:36Okay, fine. But outside of that, there was no
- 23:41reason to move off of Minka Fitzpatrick. Because
- 23:44I didn't see anybody complaining when Cam Sutton
- 23:46was doing his own thing. Everybody was tight
- 23:49-lipped when Cam Sutton would miss on coverages
- 23:52and he would just do his own thing. But when
- 23:56Minka Fitzpatrick did it, somebody that's proven,
- 23:59recently proven, oh, it's a problem. Oh, they
- 24:02need to get rid of him. It doesn't work like
- 24:04that. Me personally, I'm wishing the best for
- 24:07Mingus Fitzpatrick. I hope he goes to a better
- 24:10situation. I hope he goes to a team that actually
- 24:13values his production on and off the field instead
- 24:18of just going to a team that's just going to
- 24:20get rid of him just because he hasn't been productive
- 24:23in two years. but will keep some players on the
- 24:26team who have been productive their entire career.
- 24:28Let me stop before I go on my soapbox. Let's
- 24:31get into gut check time, okay? Let's just do
- 24:33it because if I don't, I'll go on a whole rant
- 24:36about the Steelers. You guys already know how
- 24:37I feel about the Steelers. I am probably one
- 24:40of the most anti -Steelers fan you could possibly
- 24:44think of. And it doesn't have to do with the
- 24:47players. It has to do more with the structural,
- 24:50foundational things of the Steelers. Here you
- 24:54have somebody in my town, a coach that everyone
- 24:57reveres highly of, but he has yet to make substantial
- 25:03changes to the schematics of his team. You have
- 25:07to present something different every single year.
- 25:11Sometimes you got to shake things up a bit. You
- 25:12got to do things a little bit different because
- 25:14if you don't, guess what? Offense are going to
- 25:18pick up on it. They're going to pick you apart.
- 25:21And then when you get punched in the mouth after
- 25:23you thought you was going to punch them in the
- 25:24mouth, now you're going to look like you just
- 25:26ate a bunch of lemon heads. That's the problem
- 25:29that I have. And granted, in training camp, they're
- 25:33doing the, you know, they're doing different
- 25:34things. You know, they're lining up Jalen Ramsey,
- 25:37different spots. Same thing with TJ Watt and
- 25:39Alex Highsmith. Okay, fine. But guess what? When
- 25:42the rubber meets the road, when the regular season
- 25:45starts. I want to see a different product. I
- 25:49do not want to continue to see the same thing
- 25:51over and over and over again. There is no reason
- 25:56why this defense shouldn't be top five throughout
- 25:58the entire season, not just in the first half
- 26:01of the season. No, this defense should be dominant
- 26:04the entire season, but it isn't. It'll beat up
- 26:08the Chargers or... the Jaguars or the Panthers
- 26:13or teams that you know that they're going to
- 26:15put up a fight, but not that much of a fight.
- 26:18But when they go up against the big dogs, when
- 26:20they go up against the Lions, the Bills, the
- 26:24Ravens, the Chiefs, the Eagles, the 49ers, they
- 26:28fold. They fold like a lawn chair off of my soapbox.
- 26:33Let's get into gut check time for real this time.
- 26:35All right. So we're doing AFC and NFC, of course,
- 26:38but this is the East. All right, my favorite
- 26:42of favorite divisions. Okay, if you know, you
- 26:45know. Now let's start with the Patriots. All
- 26:47right, so positional battles to watch out for.
- 26:50Wide receiver, running back, interior offensive
- 26:52line, nickel corner, linebacker, and right tackle.
- 26:56Okay, so players look out for. Cole Strange,
- 26:59Garrett Bradbury, Micah Winnu, Keyshawn Boutier,
- 27:03Kendrick Bourne, Javon Baker, Ramondre Stevenson,
- 27:05Antonio Gibson, Morgan Moses, Anthony Jennings,
- 27:08and Klavion Chaseon, all right? Now, the storyline
- 27:11for the Patriots is, what is the floor and ceiling
- 27:15of this team this year? Granted. They've had
- 27:18a lot of changeover in a small amount of time.
- 27:20Gerard Mayo is gone. Mike Vrabel is in. Josh
- 27:23McDaniels is back with the team. They've made
- 27:25upgrades on the defense as well as the offense.
- 27:28So I want to see exactly where the floor and
- 27:31ceiling is. Because right now, with the amount
- 27:33of talent that they've acquired in this offseason,
- 27:35I would say their floor is probably seven to
- 27:40eight wins, possibly making it into the wild
- 27:43card. But I think their ceiling... is maybe a
- 27:4710 to 12 win team, possibly make it to the second
- 27:51round of playoffs. Especially when you look at
- 27:55the defense alone, they've made a lot of upgrades
- 27:59on that defense. I mean, they've added Harold
- 28:01Landry, Milton Williams, Carlton Davis, Robert
- 28:04Spillane. So I think this is a really good team.
- 28:07Do I think this team is going to make a major
- 28:10leap? I don't know. But one thing is for sure
- 28:13though, Mike Vrabel coaches his teams fairly
- 28:16well, especially his defenses. So let's start
- 28:19with Cole Strange. I'm not saying he's on the
- 28:23hot seat. Not saying he's a cutter or trade candidate.
- 28:27But I want to see if there's another level in
- 28:30his game. We all know this offensive line didn't
- 28:33play their best last year. And so I want to see,
- 28:36can they at least show a little bit of something
- 28:39this year? I'm not saying everyone has to be
- 28:41all pros and pro bowlers. But if their play can
- 28:46just be above average, I think it will make the
- 28:50Patriots feel better about Cole Strange. It's
- 28:53the same thing with Garrett Bradbury. Granted,
- 28:54they got him in free agency, but still, you're
- 28:57not excluded from this because you can be easily
- 29:00moved. It is no problem. We have seen multiple
- 29:03players who signed these really nice contracts
- 29:06in free agency with teams get moved off the next
- 29:09year or the year before next. It happens, all
- 29:12right? Michael Winn knew. I know they've moved
- 29:14him a lot. They've tried him at right tackle.
- 29:17They tried him at guard. Me personally, I just
- 29:20want to see him be successful somewhere. I don't
- 29:23care if it's right guard. I don't care if it's
- 29:25right tackle. Just let him stay in one position
- 29:28where he feels he's the most comfortable and
- 29:31you see that he's the most consistent and progressive.
- 29:35Don't just continue to just move from here, there,
- 29:37everywhere, okay? It's not always good for offensive
- 29:40linemen. Now, some offensive linemen, they can
- 29:42do it. but it's very rare for that, all right?
- 29:45Kayshaun Boutier, Kendrick Bourne, Javon Baker,
- 29:48I'm gonna group you all in at the same time because
- 29:51I feel like as a whole, this wide receiver room
- 29:55has a lot to prove. Now, I know there's a lot
- 29:57of people that are saying, well, Kayshaun Boutier
- 30:00might get moved, Kendrick Bourne might get moved,
- 30:02Javon Baker might get moved. If I'm the Patriots,
- 30:05I wouldn't move off any of these receivers, and
- 30:08here's why. If Stephon Diggs goes down, Who in
- 30:12that receiver room right now can you rely on?
- 30:14Granted, they did sign Mack Hollins. But Mack
- 30:18Hollins is a two. He's not a one. So I want to
- 30:23see, can Keishon Boutier, can he step up? Can
- 30:25Kendrick Bourne step up? Can Javon Baker step
- 30:28up? I've even seen people say, you know, the
- 30:30Patriots should move off of Javon Baker. And
- 30:32I'm trying to figure out why. You have to give
- 30:36everybody that was on this team last year grace.
- 30:39Because let's be real here. Last year's offense
- 30:42was not progressive in any way. So you have to
- 30:46give a little bit of leniency to everybody on
- 30:49that offense. Now, am I saying you have to just
- 30:52absolve them of any criticism? No. But you can't
- 30:56just say, oh, we're just going to move off you
- 30:58just because we haven't seen anything so far.
- 31:00No, you got to give them a chance. You have to
- 31:02give them a legitimate chance. Now, Kendrick
- 31:04Bourne, if you want to move off of him, wouldn't
- 31:07be surprised. Javon Baker, I was very high on
- 31:10when he was coming out. I still believe in him.
- 31:13I still feel like there's a lot of upside to
- 31:15his game, but only time will tell. Ramondre Stevenson,
- 31:19you got something to prove, brother. They put
- 31:21you in the doghouse last year. So I want to see,
- 31:24can you get yourself in a better place with the
- 31:27team moving forward? Because Antonio Gibson could
- 31:30possibly take your job. Even Antonio Gibson.
- 31:32is a player to watch out for because i feel like
- 31:34him and remondre stevenson will be competing
- 31:38to see who will be running back one i don't think
- 31:41that spot is solidified like how people say it
- 31:43is morgan moses i have a lot to say about morgan
- 31:46moses i wouldn't have given morgan moses that
- 31:49type of money that the patriots gave him but
- 31:51that's another story for another day yes he's
- 31:53a veteran presence yes he has a lot of experience
- 31:56is that a band -aid over a bullet wound Is that
- 32:01a placeholder for next year? What exactly was
- 32:04this move when you guys acquired Morgan Moses?
- 32:07Because I know just based off of the things that
- 32:10I've heard, and this isn't coming from source
- 32:13or anything. This is coming from just listening
- 32:14to, you know, various Patriots podcasts and whatnot.
- 32:18Klaviyan and Chasian has been beating him. Just
- 32:23saying. Now, granted, you know what you're getting
- 32:26with Morgan Moses. You know, at best, he's possibly
- 32:29going to play. maybe an above average to average
- 32:32right tackle. So I want everybody in the Patriots
- 32:36fan base to lower their expectations for Morgan
- 32:39Moses moving forward. Just saying. Anthony Jennings,
- 32:43you got some serious competition going up against
- 32:46Claveyon Chasey on because he's coming off of
- 32:49a five sack season with the Raiders. So I want
- 32:53to see, can you match his intensity? Because
- 32:55right now, in my mind, I feel like Claveon Chaseon
- 32:58may have an advantage over you right now. It's
- 33:01the same thing with Marcus Jones. Now, granted,
- 33:04you have a rookie in Craig Woodson who I was
- 33:07somewhat high on, but not super, super, super
- 33:10high on. But I see the potential with Craig Woodson.
- 33:13I want to see exactly how things are going to
- 33:15go between him and Marcus Jones. Because I feel
- 33:18like nickel is not necessarily open. But I could
- 33:22see it being a legitimate competition. Now, when
- 33:26we look at possible free agency additions, if
- 33:28they want to take that route with running back,
- 33:29you have Jamal Williams, Gus Edwards, Jeff Wilson,
- 33:32Amir Abdullah, Chase Edmonds, Ernest Johnson,
- 33:34Jermichael Hasey, just to name a few. For tackle,
- 33:37if you want to bring in competition for both
- 33:39Morgan Moses and Will Campbell. You have George
- 33:43Fant, Andreas Peet, Isaiah Wynn, Chris Hubbard,
- 33:46just to name a few. Guard, if you want to take
- 33:48that route. You have Brandon Sheriff, Shaq Mason,
- 33:51Will Hernandez, John Feliciano, Cody Whitehair,
- 33:55Dalton Reisner, Mark Glanowski. Wide receiver,
- 33:58if you want to take that route, if you want to
- 34:00bring in another veteran presence, you can do
- 34:02Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, Gabe Davis, Nelson
- 34:04Aguilar, DJ Chark, Tyler Boyd, Chris Conley,
- 34:07Jamison Crowder, just to name a few. Cornerback,
- 34:10if you want to take that route as well, you have
- 34:12James Bradbury, Kendall Stephon Gilmore, Rasul
- 34:15Douglas. Can't say Mike Hilton anymore because
- 34:17he signed with the Dolphins not too long ago.
- 34:19CJ Henderson, Michael Davis, Asante Samuel Jr.,
- 34:22and Emmanuel Mosley. Now let's get to the Jets,
- 34:24all right? So positional battles, I'm watching
- 34:26out for cornerback, defensive end, quarterback,
- 34:29wide receiver, tight end, and offensive line,
- 34:32all right? So players to keep an eye out for,
- 34:34Brandon Stevens, Justin Fields, Mason Taylor,
- 34:37Alufa Shanu, John Simpson, Joe Tittman, Elijah
- 34:39Veritaker, Armand Membu, Jermaine Johnson, Michael
- 34:42Carter II, and Isaiah Oliver, just to name a
- 34:45few, all right? So storyline for the Jets is,
- 34:48how will an Aaron Glenn -led team look like?
- 34:51We all know Aaron Glenn's work because we saw
- 34:54those defenses with the Lions the last few years
- 34:57be super productive, create a lot of turnovers,
- 35:01a lot of pressure, and a lot of times win some
- 35:04games. So I want to see what that same culture
- 35:07follow here with the Jets. Because mind you,
- 35:11the Jets have a lot of pieces on the defense,
- 35:13okay? You have Quentin Williams. You have Sauce
- 35:16Gardner. You have Michael Carter II. You have
- 35:18a lot with this defense. So I feel like if they
- 35:22buy into what Aaron Glenn is trying to sell them,
- 35:25I think this defense could possibly be top 10.
- 35:29Am I saying top 5? Let's pump the brakes. But
- 35:34I think top 10 is perfect for the Jets right
- 35:36now. Now, players to keep an eye out for, Brandon
- 35:39Stephens. Granted, they gave you a big bag and
- 35:42free agency, but if you know about Brandon Stephens,
- 35:47you know about Brandon Stephens, okay? That's
- 35:49all I'm going to say. Actually, no, a lot. I'm
- 35:52going to keep on talking. I just don't understand
- 35:55why they gave him the amount of money that they
- 35:58gave him when he really wasn't that good of a
- 36:00corner last year with the Ravens. I mean, everybody
- 36:03knew that if Brandon Stephens was going up against
- 36:06Jamar Chase or George Pickens or any of those
- 36:10other top tier receivers, guess what's going
- 36:12to happen? He's going to get hibachi, fried,
- 36:16sauteed, grilled, everything in between. So hopefully
- 36:21that doesn't happen with the Jets. I don't know.
- 36:25Seeing crazier things. Let's keep this thing
- 36:27going. Justin Fields. Yes. Am I saying that he's
- 36:31on the hot seat? A little bit. Because I want
- 36:34to see where he is right now. Granted, we all
- 36:36know what happened with Pittsburgh and how Pittsburgh
- 36:39really didn't give him a legitimate chance. Yes,
- 36:41I know. I've been saying it for years and years.
- 36:43Who cares, right? But I want to see where he
- 36:47is right now. I want to see how is he going to
- 36:50handle this press right now. Because I feel like,
- 36:52personally, if Justin Fields doesn't show anything
- 36:55this year, this may be his last chance of being
- 36:59a starting quarterback within the league. But
- 37:01your offensive coordinator, who comes from Ben
- 37:04Johnson, may be able to help you and revitalize
- 37:08your career because right now I feel like Justin
- 37:10Fields is underperformed. But the reason why
- 37:13he's underperformed in some ways is his fault,
- 37:17but isn't his fault. And let me explain. So when
- 37:20he was drafted by the Bears, for one, I think
- 37:23the next year the GM was gone. New head coach,
- 37:27new change of everything. They didn't give him
- 37:30a legitimate chance in neither Chicago nor in
- 37:33Pittsburgh. So this is his legitimate first real
- 37:37chance of playing an entire season as a starting
- 37:42quarterback for a team. So I want to see how
- 37:46he handles that. Now, Mason Taylor, you're a
- 37:50rookie. I just want to see where you are right
- 37:52now. Because I know he was definitely one of
- 37:55those tight ends that, you know, everybody was
- 37:57ranting and raving about. You know, you had him.
- 38:00You had, I forgot who, Elijah Royo. You had Tyler
- 38:06Warren. You had, oh my God, I can't even remember
- 38:10all the other tight ends. But you came from a
- 38:12really good tight end class. So I just want to
- 38:14see where you are. Aloha Fushanu, now that you're
- 38:17going back to your natural position in left tackle,
- 38:19I want to see how you do there. Because we all
- 38:22know last year he played at right tackle because
- 38:25Tyron Smith was at left tackle. So I just want
- 38:27to see where you are. John Simpson, Joe Titman,
- 38:30I feel like your spot isn't solidified. I feel
- 38:35like personally there are some people in free
- 38:38agency right now that could definitely come in
- 38:40and be an upgrade where you guys are, respectfully.
- 38:44Not trying to be disrespectful or anything, but
- 38:46if I'm them... the margin for error should be
- 38:50very low. And if it isn't, they might move off
- 38:53you. Elijah Vera Tucker, I want to see where
- 38:56you are. Because to me, I feel like you've sort
- 38:59of underperformed so far in your career for,
- 39:03you know, one reason or the other. But I just
- 39:07want to see where you are. Everyone on this offensive
- 39:09line needs to improve, needs to take that next
- 39:12step. Aloha Fushanu, Armand Membu, everybody.
- 39:17Even though Armin Membu is a rookie, I still
- 39:20want to see something because there was a point
- 39:22in time I was like, hey, he's right tackle number
- 39:26three for me. He's right tackle number two for
- 39:28me. Just saying. That tape don't lie. Jermaine
- 39:32Johnson, I want to see where you are coming off
- 39:34of the Achilles injury. Because prior to that
- 39:38injury, oh, he was a dog. He was getting through,
- 39:42creating pressures, getting sacks, doing everything
- 39:45in between. Michael Carter II, we know that the
- 39:49Jets paid you fairly well. I just want to see,
- 39:52you know, can you hold your own? There's nothing
- 39:55really big to talk about with Michael Carter
- 39:58II. I feel like he's a really productive nickel
- 40:01corner, but I just want to see how you're going
- 40:03to handle with this new regime change. Same thing
- 40:07with Isaiah Oliver as well. But when we look
- 40:10at possible free agency additions, you have Brandon
- 40:13Sheriff, you have Shaq Mason, Will Hernandez,
- 40:15John Feliciano, Cody Whitehair, Bolton Reisner,
- 40:18Mark Lunowski, if you want to take that route.
- 40:20For tackle, you have George Fant, Andreas Peet,
- 40:23Isaiah Wynn, Chris... Hubbard. If you want to
- 40:25bring in competition, you know, for Luke Fashanu
- 40:27and Armand Membu, tight end, you have Noah Fant,
- 40:31you know, you have him, Gerald Everett, Mercedes
- 40:34Lewis, CJ Uzma, Nicole Pruitt, cornerback, James
- 40:38Bradbury, Kendall Fuller, Stephon Gilmore, Rasul
- 40:41Douglas, CJ Henderson, Michael Davis, Asante
- 40:44Samuel Jr., Emmanuel Mosley. Wide receiver, you
- 40:47have Keenan Allen, Amara Cooper, Gabe Davis,
- 40:50Nelson Aguilar, DJ Chark, Tyler Boyd, Chris Conley,
- 40:53and Jamison Crowder. A defensive end, you have
- 40:57Jadavion Clem, Demarcus Walker, Montrevious Adams,
- 41:00Jerry Hughes, and William Golston. Let me go
- 41:02back to wide receiver just for a moment. So the
- 41:05reason why I put wide receiver on there is because
- 41:07outside of Garrett Wilson, who just got his deal,
- 41:10I don't feel like Alan Lazard's seat is safe.
- 41:13I feel like he could be moved. I wouldn't be
- 41:16surprised if the Steelers called for Alan Lazard
- 41:20if things aren't working out with the receivers
- 41:22that they have right now. Just saying. Not to
- 41:25mention, you have other receivers as well who
- 41:28have a lot of potential that you want to see.
- 41:31Take that next step. Continue to progress. Continue
- 41:34to get better as the years go on. That's the
- 41:37number one thing that I want to emphasize with
- 41:39all these gut checks when I'm covering any of
- 41:41these teams. I want to see can players continue
- 41:43to improve because the minute that you can improve,
- 41:47you are no longer useful for a team. That's my
- 41:50belief. I could be wrong. Whatever, okay? Now,
- 41:54let's continue on with the Dolphins, okay? So,
- 41:56positional battles to watch out for. Guard, quarterback,
- 41:59outside linebacker, defensive end, backup quarterback,
- 42:01and safety, all right? So, players to keep an
- 42:04eye out for are Zach Wilson, Quinn Ewers, James
- 42:06Daniels, Jonas Sevenaya, Liam Eichenberg, Kenneth
- 42:09Grant, Jalen Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Jack Jones,
- 42:12Cam Smith, Dante Tretter Jr., Efitu Malafonu,
- 42:16Storm Doug, Jason Marshall Jr., Ethan Bonner,
- 42:19Kader Kohu, and Mike Hilton. The storyline for
- 42:23the Dolphins is how will this team handle pressure?
- 42:26I want to go off of a tangent and then we're
- 42:28going to get back into gut check time, okay?
- 42:30This is probably one of the most important years
- 42:32for the Dolphins right now. If the Dolphins don't
- 42:36have a winning record by Thanksgiving, Mike McDaniels
- 42:39might get fired. This team as a whole is under
- 42:43a microscope this year. No one is absolved from
- 42:47criticism. From Tua, Tyreek Hill, Jalen Waddle,
- 42:50David Narchan, James Daniels, Jalen Phillips,
- 42:54Bradley Chubb, you name it, whoever. Everybody
- 42:58is under a microscope right now. Because there
- 43:02is a good chance that Steven Ross may clean house
- 43:05completely from the top down. From general manager,
- 43:10assistant general manager, to players, head coaches,
- 43:14whomever. Everybody might be on the chopping
- 43:18block, depending on how this season goes. And
- 43:21it actually sucks, but at the same time, I'm
- 43:23not surprised because you know why? This team
- 43:26was not built the right way. You cannot just
- 43:31consider yourself a playoff contender or a contender
- 43:34in its entirety when all you did is just pay
- 43:37for a whole bunch of people. Mind you, they paid
- 43:41for Teron Armstead. They made a move for Tyreek
- 43:45Hill, and then they paid him twice, even though
- 43:47the second time they didn't have to pay him,
- 43:48but they just did it because they didn't want
- 43:50him to just continue to hold out. You made a
- 43:53move for Bradley Chubb. You made a move for Jalen
- 43:55Ramsey. You've made all of these moves, and you
- 43:58have nothing to show for it. You haven't even
- 44:00won a playoff game. I remember after that game,
- 44:03I think it was against the Broncos, when they
- 44:05put up, I don't know, I think it was like 70
- 44:07or like 80 -some points against them. Everyone
- 44:09was like, oh, wow, are the Dolphins real contenders?
- 44:13Are they a team that you can't mess with? Oh,
- 44:16man, the Dolphins, they might be a problem moving
- 44:18forward. And then guess what? They make it to
- 44:20the playoffs. They go to the Chiefs. They fold.
- 44:22And everybody is saying, it was so cold. We couldn't
- 44:26take the cold. No, that's unacceptable. Even
- 44:29when it came to the Tua contract, I remember
- 44:32because I said it on this podcast, that contract
- 44:35is not going to age well. And this has nothing
- 44:38to do with Tua personally. This is from a football
- 44:41standpoint. You paid him like he is a top five,
- 44:46top 10 quarterback. And he's not. At best, he's
- 44:49a top 15 to top 20 quarterback. And on top of
- 44:55that, he is one concussion away from having to
- 44:59medically retire from the NFL. So you've made
- 45:03all of these exuberant moves and you have nothing
- 45:06to show for. You just shipped off your best corner
- 45:09in Jalen Ramsey. You just shipped off one of
- 45:12your major weapons in John New Smith. What else
- 45:14do you have to show? This is exactly why teams
- 45:19like the Eagles, the Ravens, the Bills, the 49ers,
- 45:24Maybe even the Vikings, if you want to put in
- 45:26there, if you want to have a conversation about
- 45:27them. There's a reason why those teams have continued
- 45:30to be considered Super Bowl contenders this long.
- 45:33Because you know why? They've done one of the
- 45:35most important things that you must do. And every
- 45:37GM from the past will say, you have to build
- 45:40this team through the draft. If you don't build
- 45:42a team through the draft, you're never going
- 45:45to make anywhere. Now, granted. There are some
- 45:48positions that you could possibly address and
- 45:50free agency in the trade. That's perfectly fine.
- 45:53But you can't just throw a whole bunch of money
- 45:55to this person, that person, that person, this
- 45:56person and think that's going to get you closer
- 45:58to the goal. It's not. It actually pushed you
- 46:02away farther. The expectations were applied to
- 46:05you higher than what expected. And it sucks.
- 46:10Because Mike McDaniels is trying his persona.
- 46:13He's trying to go from being this really nice,
- 46:15understanding person to someone that's a little
- 46:17bit more stern. And people just aren't taking
- 46:19it. Why? I don't know. But right now, if I'm
- 46:23the Dolphins, if I'm anybody in that front office,
- 46:26if I'm anybody on that coaching staff, you better
- 46:29perform your job like it is your last chance.
- 46:33Because if you don't, you're gone. Now, some
- 46:36people. They'll be able to get other jobs, but
- 46:40there are some you may not be able to. This may
- 46:44be the big stain on your career that might have
- 46:49people thinking twice, maybe three times about
- 46:51giving you an elevated position. But that's not
- 46:55what people are talking about right now. And
- 46:57that's the problem that I have when it comes
- 47:00to the bigger media type of coverage. Sure, you're
- 47:04going to talk about the teams that everybody
- 47:05is talking about, but you're not going to talk
- 47:07about the teams that are in peril. Case in point,
- 47:09the Dolphins. But let's get back to gut check
- 47:11time. This team has a lot of pressure on them.
- 47:15And it's a lot of internal as well as external
- 47:18pressure. So the question is, how are they going
- 47:21to handle this? Because everybody is already
- 47:24talking about next year. Everybody is already
- 47:26talking about possible head coaches that could
- 47:28come in here and change things. Prove them wrong.
- 47:33Prove them that, listen, what we have right here
- 47:36is sufficient enough for us to be successful.
- 47:39That's what you have to do if you're anybody
- 47:40for the Dolphins right now. Now, players to keep
- 47:43an eye out for, Zach Wilson and Quinn Ewers.
- 47:44I want to see exactly who's going to be quarterback
- 47:47number two and quarterback number three. Right
- 47:49now... From what I've heard and from various
- 47:51clips and whatnot, Quinn Ewers has been balling.
- 47:55Quinn Ewers has been doing it. Now, am I saying
- 47:57Quinn Ewers should have been a first -round pick?
- 47:59No. Because I remember leading up to that draft,
- 48:02I know it was just one day I was just looking
- 48:04at quarterback prospects, and I saw him. And
- 48:07when I scrolled down to look at the scout notes,
- 48:09somebody said, Mahomes -esque. I immediately
- 48:11closed the tab. What are we doing? But enough
- 48:15of the tangents, all right? James Daniels. Jonah
- 48:19Sevenaya, Liam Eichenberg, all of you guys are
- 48:22being grouped in because I want to see how the
- 48:25interior offensive line is going to look like.
- 48:27Now, granted, James Daniels is still recovering
- 48:30from the Achilles injury. They suffered with
- 48:32Pittsburgh. But I do believe once he comes in,
- 48:36I think he's going to bring a little bit of stability
- 48:38to the offensive line. Now, Jonah Sevenaya, you're
- 48:42a rookie. I want to see, can you solidify a starting
- 48:46role in this team? Because right now, as much
- 48:49as Dolphins fans don't like Liam Eichelberg and
- 48:51you want to trigger a Dolphins fan, mention that
- 48:55name, Liam, they will lose their mind. That's
- 48:59another story for another day. I want to see
- 49:01how things go between Liam Eichelberg and Jonah
- 49:03Sevenaya. I want to see how things go between
- 49:07Kenneth Grant, Jalen Phillips, and Bradley Chubb.
- 49:09Because right now, That defensive line could
- 49:13be pretty good. You're going to have Zach Seeler,
- 49:15Kenneth Grant, Jalen Phillips, Bradley Chubb,
- 49:20Chop Robinson. It's a lot of potential. The question
- 49:24is, who's going to bring it together? Who's going
- 49:27to solidify their role? And who's going to step
- 49:30up? Because Kenneth Grant, coming out of Michigan,
- 49:33whoo, whoo. If we get a quarterback, I would
- 49:37say, hey, get Kenneth Grant. But, you know, that's
- 49:39another story for another day. Jalen Phillips,
- 49:41I understand that he's coming off of injury.
- 49:43So I want to see, has he, for one, fully recovered
- 49:47from the injury? And two, is he still the same
- 49:49player prior to the injury? Bradley Chubb, I
- 49:53really don't know what to say about Bradley Chubb.
- 49:55So many negative things that you can say about
- 49:57his performance. But I would rather not to harbor
- 50:00on the negativity. But I will say this. If you're
- 50:03Bradley Chubb, you have something to play for
- 50:05this year. Granted, they gave you the contract.
- 50:08You're supposed to be in a better situation now
- 50:10than what you were with the Broncos. You're supposed
- 50:13to be one of the leaders of that pass rush. It's
- 50:17time for you to step up. It's time for you to
- 50:18show why you're one of those guys. Am I saying
- 50:21you got to have a double digit sack season, be
- 50:24an all pro or pro bowl or whatnot? No, I'm not
- 50:27saying that. But if you get between five to eight
- 50:30sacks. I would say that's a pretty good season.
- 50:33Maybe add in a forced fumble here or there. Just
- 50:37saying. But let's keep this thing going. Jack
- 50:39Jones, they just signed him. I want to see where
- 50:41you are mentally. Because I know the potential.
- 50:45I've seen the playmaking ability. But I want
- 50:47to know where you are mentally. Because this
- 50:49may be your last chance of playing in the National
- 50:52Football League. Cam Smith, I don't want to put
- 50:54high expectations on him. But I want to see,
- 50:57can you solidify yourself within this room? Because
- 51:01with the cornerback room, sure, they've added
- 51:04Jack Jones. They've added Mike Hilton. They've
- 51:06added, I forgot who the other cornerback is in
- 51:10the last few days. But if you're one of the younger
- 51:15guys, you want to show something. Even if you
- 51:18don't get a starting job on this team, putting
- 51:22up good tape. For 31 other teams, might work.
- 51:27There might be somebody on another team that
- 51:29might look at your tape and say, you know what?
- 51:31We need that. But you got to show it. You have
- 51:33to consistently build wins. Every single practice.
- 51:40You got to keep winning. You got to keep on getting
- 51:43better. That's the only way you can solidify
- 51:47yourself in the National Football League. Dante
- 51:49Tretter Jr. If Fitu Melifanu is hurt right now,
- 51:54so if I'm Dante Tretter, I got to do whatever
- 51:57I need to do to solidify myself because outside
- 51:59of Megan Fitzpatrick, that other safety spot
- 52:01is open. Bright neon sign and everything. It's
- 52:04open. So who's going to take that role? Storm
- 52:07Doug, Jason Marshall Jr., Ethan Honor Cater,
- 52:10Kohu, I think he just got hurt not too long ago,
- 52:12Mike Hilton. That's a competition in itself because
- 52:15technically speaking, Mike Hilton could take
- 52:17that role because we all know what Mike Hilton
- 52:19can do. Now, granted, He's coming off of a down
- 52:22season, but I think he is still that guy. So
- 52:26I want to see how Storm Duck, Jason Marshall
- 52:28Jr., and Ethan Bonner are going to handle that
- 52:31diversity. But when we look at, you know, possible,
- 52:34you know, free agent additions, for a defensive
- 52:36end, I mean, you have Jadeveon Clowney, Demarcus
- 52:38Walker, Montrevious Adams, Jerry Hughes, William
- 52:41Golston. Outside linebacker, you have Matthew
- 52:44Judon, you have Preston Anzideria -Smith, Duke
- 52:46Riley, Shaq Barrett, Tyus Bowser, a quarterback.
- 52:49If you want to bring in an upgrade, I would say
- 52:52James Bradbury, Kendall Fuller, Stephon Gilmore,
- 52:55Rasul Douglas, even though he turned that money
- 52:57down, CJ Henderson, Michael Davis, Asante Samuel
- 53:00Jr., Emmanuel Mosley. Now with Asante Samuel
- 53:03Jr., this is what I'll say. If his neck checks
- 53:05out and if there's no lingering risk, then I
- 53:08would say get Asante. But that's not my call.
- 53:14Quarterback free agents, if you want to take
- 53:15that role, you have Carson Wentz, you have C
- 53:18.J. Beathard, and you have Teddy Bridgewater.
- 53:21So all in all, I feel like this team can do something,
- 53:25but I'll say this. My expectations for the Dolphins
- 53:29this year are very, very, and I mean the lowest
- 53:34of the low. I'm talking about it can almost touch
- 53:37the floor. Pardon the interruption, but this
- 53:39is your GM, your bad real dumbass here to talk
- 53:42about RSS .com. All right. So if you guys already
- 53:45don't know, I'm a RSS .com affiliate. And so
- 53:48I just want to tell you for just a quick moment
- 53:51about why you should choose RSS .com. So me personally,
- 53:56on my journey of podcasting, I was looking at
- 53:58different platforms just to find the right place.
- 54:02and i looked here i looked there i looked everywhere
- 54:04but i checked out rss .com and it was the best
- 54:08decision i ever made from low prices to interactive
- 54:12analytics to as well as helping you with your
- 54:15distribution rss .com does it all not to mention
- 54:19they just started a slack channel where you can
- 54:22network and interact with other podcasters and
- 54:25even get some insightful tips on how you can
- 54:27increase your podcast even more. So head on over
- 54:31to rss .com. I will be attaching my RSS affiliate
- 54:35link within the description. When you click on
- 54:38that link, I will be able to receive some compensation
- 54:41for it. And with that compensation, I will be
- 54:44able to give you guys a better product. A lot
- 54:46of that money will go towards upgrading the microphones,
- 54:49computers, new... subscriptions for more analytical
- 54:53information that we can use for future podcasts
- 54:56all of that and more thank you for your support
- 54:58and thank you rss .com for making me an affiliate
- 55:01now back to the good stuff now let's get to the
- 55:04bills okay so their positional battles to watch
- 55:06out for wide receiver defensive end quarterback
- 55:09defensive tackle and free safety all right so
- 55:12players to keep an eye out for Elijah Moore,
- 55:15Curtis Samuel, LaVisca Chennault, K .J. Hamler,
- 55:18Tredavious White, Cole Bishop, DeMar Hamlin,
- 55:20Joey Bosa, Deion Walker, T .J. Sanders, and Landon
- 55:23Jackson. Okay, so the storyline for the Bills
- 55:26is can this team get over the playoff hump? Now,
- 55:30I understand there's a lot of butthurt Bills
- 55:32fans out there and a lot of people that just
- 55:35love the Bills. Oh, my God, I just love the Bills.
- 55:38I understand that. It's perfectly fine. Okay,
- 55:40I root for Josh Allen as well. I like his play.
- 55:44But let's be real here. You guys have underperformed
- 55:47the last few years. Every single time you guys
- 55:50either go to Kansas City or Kansas City comes
- 55:53to you, guess what happens? You fold. Let's be
- 55:56real here. Chiefs are still the gatekeepers for
- 55:59the AFC. Despite them losing in this past Super
- 56:02Bowl, they are still the gatekeepers. And they
- 56:05will continue to be the gatekeepers until somebody
- 56:08takes that role from them. And mind you, The
- 56:11Bills have had some pretty good teams in the
- 56:13last few years, and they've all underperformed.
- 56:16That year where they were supposed to win, and
- 56:19it went into overtime, and Tyreek Hill did his
- 56:21thing. You're supposed to win that. You literally
- 56:24had a receiving core that had what? Emmanuel
- 56:26Sanders, Stefan Diggs. I forget who the other
- 56:31receivers were. I think Khalil Shakir was on
- 56:33that team. Then you had the defense, like you
- 56:36had Matt Milano, Tredavious White, when he was
- 56:38still playing at an elite level. You had the
- 56:40safety duo. You've had some really good teams,
- 56:44and you have underperformed every single time.
- 56:48It is time for you to get over the hump. It's
- 56:52the same thing that I'll say with Lamar Jackson.
- 56:54For all the people out there will say, well,
- 56:56you got to say the same thing for Lamar Jackson.
- 56:59I do. I do. If you follow me on Twitter, GMKL,
- 57:02you would know. The same criticism that you can
- 57:05have for Lamar Jackson is the same criticism
- 57:07that you can have for Josh Allen. Both quarterbacks
- 57:10have yet to get over the playoff hump and have
- 57:13yet to make it to the Super Bowl, even though
- 57:15a lot of times they've had the better team than
- 57:18the Chiefs. But let's get into these players,
- 57:21okay? So Elijah Moore, Curtis Samuel, LaVisca
- 57:24Chanel Jr., and K .J. Hamler. But I want to know
- 57:27who's going to solidify themselves on this team
- 57:30because Josh Allen is going to need as many reliable
- 57:33receivers as he possibly can. Because Elijah
- 57:37Moore, Curtis Samuel, LaVisca, Chanel Jr., and
- 57:39KJ Handler all have the potential to do it. Tredavious
- 57:42White, I want to see where you are. Because this
- 57:44is one of the first off -seasons in a long time
- 57:48where you're not recovering from a significant
- 57:50injury. I want to see, are you still Trey White?
- 57:53Because I still believe in Trey White. I just
- 57:55want to see where you are. Cole Bishop, DeMar
- 57:57Hamlin, I want to see who's going to be the starting
- 58:00free safety. Although, DeMar Hamlin signed an
- 58:03extension. His role isn't solidified. Cole Bishop
- 58:07can still take it from him. So I want to see
- 58:10who's going to do it. Because I feel like both
- 58:13of them are really productive free safeties.
- 58:15Just saying. Iron sharpens iron. Joey Bosa, Deion
- 58:19Walker, TJ Sanders, Landon Jackson. It's a free
- 58:22for all. Anybody's. Joey Bosa, your role is not
- 58:25solidified. We all know your injury problems.
- 58:28It's time for you to show up, brother. I'm going
- 58:30to have with Joey Bosa. If he just showed me
- 58:33just. A little bit of consistency. If he can
- 58:36just get over the hump with these injuries, I
- 58:39feel like there's another level with Joey Bosa's
- 58:43game. He just has to get over that injury hump.
- 58:45I just need one season where he's actually just
- 58:48completely healthy. Now for TJ Sanders, Landon
- 58:52Jackson, and Dion Walker, I want to see how you're
- 58:55going to be utilized on this defense. Are you
- 58:58guys going to be ends? Are you guys going to
- 58:59be in the middle? Where exactly are you going
- 59:01to line up? Because I think this is going to
- 59:03be a very formidable defensive line. You're going
- 59:06to have Gregory Russo, Deion Walker, TJ Sanders,
- 59:09Landon Jackson, Joey Bosa. That could be really
- 59:11good, but only time will tell. Now, when we look
- 59:14at possible free agency additions, specifically
- 59:17for cornerback, you have James Bradbury, Kendall
- 59:20Fuller, Stephon Gilmore, Rasul Douglas, if you
- 59:22want to have that reunion, CJ Henderson, Michael
- 59:25Davis, Asante Samuel Jr., Emmanuel Mosley. Wide
- 59:28receiver, you have Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper,
- 59:30Gabe Davis, Reunion, Nelson Aguilar, DJ Chart,
- 59:34Tyler Boyd, Chris Conley, Jamison Crowder. Defensive
- 59:37end free agents, you can do Jadeveon Clowney,
- 59:40Demarcus Walker, Montrevious Adams, Jerry Hughes,
- 59:42Reunion, William Golston. Defensive tackle free
- 59:45agents, you have Christian Wilkins, Raekwon Davis,
- 59:48Austin Johnson, Linbal Joseph, and Maurice Hurst.
- 59:50And for free safety free agents, you have Marcus
- 59:53Williams, Justin Simmons, and Jordan Poyer. Okay,
- 59:56so let's go to the NFC East. Yes, the division
- 59:59everybody loves. Let's go with the Eagles, okay?
- 1:00:03Yes, we're going to start with the Eagles. I'm
- 1:00:05going to save the best team for last. That's
- 1:00:07going to be the dessert, okay? If you know, you
- 1:00:09know. So, positional battles for the Eagles.
- 1:00:12Defensive end, guard, specifically right guard,
- 1:00:15outside linebacker, cornerback, free safety,
- 1:00:17strong safety, and inside linebacker, okay? Players
- 1:00:20to keep an eye out for, Maura Ojomo, Ty Robinson,
- 1:00:24N 'Kobe Dean, Jihad Campbell, Jeremiah Trotter
- 1:00:26Jr., Jalex Hunt, Aziz Ojolari, Kaylee Ringo,
- 1:00:29Dory Jackson, Tyler Steen, Sidney Brown, and
- 1:00:32Louis Kine. The storyline for the Eagles is,
- 1:00:35can this team avoid a Super Bowl hangover? Now,
- 1:00:40so far, based off of press conferences and things
- 1:00:42that I've seen, everybody is locked in. Everybody
- 1:00:46is under the same impression, which is, that
- 1:00:48was last season. This is a whole new season.
- 1:00:51Our record is zero and zero. That has nothing
- 1:00:53to do with us, which is the right mentality.
- 1:00:56But I just want to see if that's going to carry
- 1:00:57on on the field. All right, let's get to these
- 1:00:59players. So Maura Ojomo, this is your first opportunity
- 1:01:03to be a starter on the team. Because right now,
- 1:01:07Ty Robinson might take that. Ty Robinson look
- 1:01:10like he is a monster. I don't know how in the
- 1:01:13world he fell to the Eagles, but man, he looks
- 1:01:15like Trey Hendrickson, but bigger. I have high
- 1:01:18expectations for Ty Robinson. N 'Kobe Dean, your
- 1:01:22role is not solidified, especially with them
- 1:01:25drafting Jihad Campbell. Just saying. It's the
- 1:01:28same thing with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Sure, you
- 1:01:31showed a little bit last season, but I want to
- 1:01:34see more. I want to see more consistency. I want
- 1:01:37to see you elevate your play. Now, I'm not saying
- 1:01:40you have to be on this crazy tear. No. But what
- 1:01:44I am saying is this, if you are very productive,
- 1:01:47then your role is solidified. You have nothing
- 1:01:49to worry about. Because right now, Jihad Campbell
- 1:01:52in some ways has an advantage over both the Kobe
- 1:01:56Dean and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. because why? He
- 1:01:59has positional flexibility. I have seen Vic Fangio
- 1:02:03talk about using Jihad Campbell sort of like
- 1:02:05how the Buccaneers use Derrick Brooks, which
- 1:02:08at times they use Derrick Brooks as both. A middle
- 1:02:11linebacker as well as an outside linebacker.
- 1:02:14I think G .I. Campbell has the intangibles to
- 1:02:17do that. But let's see. Jalex Hunt and Aziz Ojolari,
- 1:02:21that's going to be an interesting battle. Especially
- 1:02:24for Aziz Ojolari because I love his game, but
- 1:02:29I don't know what it is. He just has to be more
- 1:02:33consistent and he has to stay healthy. If he
- 1:02:35does those two things, I guarantee you we will
- 1:02:39be talking about Aziz Ojolari a lot more. Now,
- 1:02:42Jalex Hunt, whatever you need to do to solidify
- 1:02:45your role, do it. Because Aziz is hungry. Now,
- 1:02:50let's go to Kelly Ringo and Adoree Jackson. I
- 1:02:52feel like this is somewhat of an even competition
- 1:02:54between the two because both players have something
- 1:02:57to prove. And those are some of the best competitions
- 1:03:01in all of training camp because... Neither player
- 1:03:04has the advantage over the other. Neither one
- 1:03:07of them is, you know, I'm coming off of having
- 1:03:09this season or I did this this past season. No,
- 1:03:12it is a clean slate for both of them. And this
- 1:03:15actually is Ringo's first time playing outside
- 1:03:18corner full time. So I want to see if you're
- 1:03:21able to do that. Because Adoree Jackson, although
- 1:03:25he didn't play his best ball with the Giants,
- 1:03:28I still feel like he can be a very productive
- 1:03:31corner in the National Football League. Tyler
- 1:03:33Steen, Sidney Brown, Lewis Kine, I want to see
- 1:03:38what you guys are going to do to be the backup
- 1:03:40safety. Because right now, I mean, although I
- 1:03:43did like Lewis Kine when he was coming out of
- 1:03:45Georgia, Tyler Steen, Sidney Brown, your roles
- 1:03:48aren't safe either. It's open season for that
- 1:03:51backup safety role between those three. Who am
- 1:03:54I going to put my money on? Nobody. I just want
- 1:03:58to see them compete, make plays, be consistent.
- 1:04:02and solidify themselves. Take the role. Don't
- 1:04:05let it be given to you. You take it. Now, looking
- 1:04:08at possible free agency additions, especially
- 1:04:10with guard, you have Brandon Scherf, Shaq Mason,
- 1:04:12Willie Hernandez, John Feliciano, Cody Whitehair,
- 1:04:15Dalton Reisner, Mark Lanowski. Cornerback, if
- 1:04:18you want to take that route, you have James Bradbury,
- 1:04:20Reunion, Kendall Fuller, Stephon Gilmore, Rasul
- 1:04:23Douglas, CJ Henderson, Michael Davis, Asante
- 1:04:26Samuel Jr., Emmanuel Mosley. Defensive line,
- 1:04:29if you want to take that route. Christian Wilkins,
- 1:04:31Raekwon Davis, Demarcus Walker, Montrevious Adams,
- 1:04:33Jerry Hughes, Linval Joseph, and Maurice Hurst.
- 1:04:37Safey, if you want to take that route. You have
- 1:04:39Marcus Williams, Justin Simmons, Jordan Whitehead,
- 1:04:41Quandre Diggs, just to name a few. Defensive
- 1:04:44end, you have Jadeveon Clowney, Demarcus Walker,
- 1:04:47Montrevious Adams, Jerry Hughes, William Golston,
- 1:04:50excuse me. Inside linebacker free agents, you
- 1:04:52have Jerwon Bentley. Josie Jewel, which I think
- 1:04:56he's still recovering from concussion symptoms.
- 1:04:58Eric Kim and Devondre Campbell. So let's get
- 1:05:02to the Giants, okay? So positional battles to
- 1:05:05watch out for with them. Quarterback, running
- 1:05:07back, guard, defensive end, free safety, cornerback,
- 1:05:10and outside linebacker, okay? Players to keep
- 1:05:13an eye out for, Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston,
- 1:05:16Jackson Dart, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Devin Singletary,
- 1:05:18Cam Scadabo, John Runyon, Evan Neal, Javon Holland,
- 1:05:22Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeau,
- 1:05:25Paulson Adibo, Deontay Banks, and Corey Black.
- 1:05:28The storyline, which is a double storyline for
- 1:05:31this team, can Russell Wilson improve this offense,
- 1:05:34and how will the Giants utilize Kayvon Thibodeau?
- 1:05:39Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, and Dexter Lawrence.
- 1:05:43Let's start with the offense first, then we'll
- 1:05:45go to the defense. So we all know how Russell
- 1:05:47Wilson played last season. He had his highs,
- 1:05:50he had his lows. His lows were very low, but
- 1:05:52his highs were somewhat promising. So I want
- 1:05:56to see exactly how is he going to work with Brian
- 1:05:59D 'Abel because he's already named Russell Wilson
- 1:06:01the starting quarterback of this team. So I want
- 1:06:05to see if Russell Wilson... can at least show
- 1:06:07the highs that he showed with Pittsburgh last
- 1:06:11year. I don't want to see the lows because we've
- 1:06:14seen the lows. The lows are pretty bad, but I
- 1:06:16just want to see, can he tap into being who he
- 1:06:18was a little bit last year? I think if he does
- 1:06:22that, I think the Giants could possibly win six
- 1:06:25to maybe eight games, I would say. Now, am I
- 1:06:28saying this team can make it to the playoffs?
- 1:06:30No, I'm not saying that. But I will say this,
- 1:06:32he could be a placeholder. for maybe a year or
- 1:06:36two. That's just my opinions. I could be wrong.
- 1:06:40But when we look at the defensive side, the defense
- 1:06:43is very unique. And let me explain why. So you're
- 1:06:46going to have a defensive line that has Kayvon
- 1:06:49Thibodeau, Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, and
- 1:06:52Abdul Carter. How is this all going to work?
- 1:06:56Is Abdul Carter going to be an end? Is he going
- 1:06:58to be an outside linebacker? Is Burns going to
- 1:07:01be rotational? Is Kayvon Thibodeau going to be
- 1:07:03rotational? How is this core going to work together?
- 1:07:06Because I understand that they want to create
- 1:07:08more pressure and they wanted to have a more
- 1:07:10dominant defensive line. So I want to see how
- 1:07:13this is going to work moving forward. Because
- 1:07:16I know there was a point in time where Kayvon
- 1:07:18Thibodeau's name was being floated around as
- 1:07:20a possible trade candidate. So far that hasn't
- 1:07:23happened, but hey, crazier things can happen,
- 1:07:26you know? But players to keep an eye out for.
- 1:07:29Russell Wilson, we just talked about. Jameis
- 1:07:32Winston, can you be consistent? Because when
- 1:07:35he was with the Browns, when he was on, he was
- 1:07:38on. He was Jameis Winston. But when he was off,
- 1:07:41when he was just Jameis, it wasn't the best.
- 1:07:45So I want to see, can you solidify yourself as
- 1:07:48the backup quarterback for Russell Wilson? Now,
- 1:07:51Jackson Dart, I want to see. I just want, from
- 1:07:53a mechanical standpoint, I want to see how you
- 1:07:56execute NFL level plays. And I just want to see,
- 1:08:00can you just do the routine things? Because Jackson
- 1:08:04Dart, out of Ole Miss, really wasn't high on
- 1:08:07just looking at his intangibles and the mechanics
- 1:08:09and just everything that came with him personally.
- 1:08:12But I think being in this situation where you
- 1:08:15don't have to be the starter, where you can just
- 1:08:18sit down for a year, I think that's actually
- 1:08:20more beneficial to him. than actually hurting
- 1:08:23him. Again, these are just my opinions. Tyrone
- 1:08:27Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary and Cam Scadabo,
- 1:08:30I want to see how this core is going to work.
- 1:08:33Because Tyrone Tracy was doing his thing late
- 1:08:36last season. So I want to see if that momentum
- 1:08:39is going to continue into this upcoming season
- 1:08:42as well. Devin Singletary, I don't really have
- 1:08:46any clear -cut opinions about him. I just want
- 1:08:50to see, could he be a productive backup running
- 1:08:53back? Cam Scadabo, I just want to see where you
- 1:08:57are from a health standpoint. And can you execute,
- 1:09:00you know, NFL level plays? That's really it.
- 1:09:04Nothing, you know, nothing super, super serious.
- 1:09:07John Runyon, Evan Neal. This one is interesting
- 1:09:10because we all know that Evan Neal transitioned
- 1:09:13from being a tackle to a guard. So I want to
- 1:09:17see how that competition is going to look like
- 1:09:18between him. Do I think John Brunning will possibly
- 1:09:21win it? Most likely. Do I think this may be the
- 1:09:26last chance for Evan Neal? No. Evan Neal will
- 1:09:29always get a chance. As long as Evan Neal is
- 1:09:32average, he will always have a role on an NFL
- 1:09:36team. May not be a starter, but he'll have a
- 1:09:39role. Javon Holland, sure the Giants gave you
- 1:09:43a bag. I want to see, can you be the difference
- 1:09:46maker? Can you be the game changer? Can you be...
- 1:09:48the person that they have paid you to be. Because
- 1:09:51they paid you to be all of those things and more.
- 1:09:54So let's see if you can live up to that hype.
- 1:09:57Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeau,
- 1:10:00I just want to see how you're going to be utilized
- 1:10:02on this defensive line. And who would be willing
- 1:10:06to take a step back if it means that it benefits
- 1:10:09the team as a whole? I know that's weird. Just,
- 1:10:15there's a beauty in my madness, okay? Just walk
- 1:10:18with me. Because right now, and I'll continue
- 1:10:23to say this because I said this when they drafted
- 1:10:26Abdul Carter, I didn't see a need for the Giants
- 1:10:29to draft Abdul Carter. Not when you have Brian
- 1:10:32Burns and Kayvon Thibodeau. So my question is,
- 1:10:35does this mean Kayvon Thibodeau may be on the
- 1:10:38move? Because you can't just have this many productive
- 1:10:43pass rushers on one team. Someone's going to
- 1:10:46have to take a backseat. So who's it going to
- 1:10:48be? That's my question moving forward. Paulson
- 1:10:51and Debo, Deontay Banks, Corey Black. I want
- 1:10:53to see where you guys are. Especially Deontay
- 1:10:55Banks. Because I know there was a period in time
- 1:10:58where Deontay Banks had fallen out of the good
- 1:11:00graces of the team. Especially Brian Babel. There
- 1:11:03was a period in time where he got benched. Not
- 1:11:07looking good. You got to show something. Corey
- 1:11:10Black pulsing the Debo. I want to see how you
- 1:11:13fit in this scheme. Do I believe that they're
- 1:11:16going to be highly productive? Yes, especially
- 1:11:19pulsing the Debo. But, you know, only time will
- 1:11:23tell. But when we look at possible free agent
- 1:11:26additions for this team, safety, you have Marcus
- 1:11:29Williams, Justin Simmons, Jordan Whitehead, Quandre
- 1:11:32Diggs, if you want to take that route. A quarterback,
- 1:11:35if you want to take that route, just saying.
- 1:11:37Bridgewater cornerback, if you don't feel comfortable
- 1:11:40with what you have. James Bradbury, Kendall Fuller,
- 1:11:43Stephon Gilmore, Rasul Douglas, C .J. Henderson,
- 1:11:45Michael Davis, Asante Samuel Jr., Emmanuel Mosley.
- 1:11:49Defensive end, you have Jadeveon Clowney, Demarcus
- 1:11:51Walker, Montrevious Adams, Jerry Hughes, William
- 1:11:54Golston. Outside linebacker, you have Matthew
- 1:11:57Judon, Preston Anzadarius -Smith, Duke Riley,
- 1:12:00Jalen Reeves -Maben, and Kamul Grazier -Hill.
- 1:12:04Running back, you have Jamal Williams, Gus Edwards,
- 1:12:08Jeff Wilson, Amir Abdullah, Chase Edmonds, De
- 1:12:12'Ernest Johnson, and Jamichael Hasty. Guard,
- 1:12:15you have Brandon Sheriff, Shaq Mason, Will Hernandez,
- 1:12:18John Feliciano, Cody Whitehair. Dalton Reisner,
- 1:12:21and Mark Glanowski, all right? So let's go to
- 1:12:24the commanders, all right? So the positional
- 1:12:27battles to watch out for with them, wide receiver,
- 1:12:29guard, nickel corner, defensive end, right tackle,
- 1:12:32free safety, and cornerback. Players to keep
- 1:12:36an eye out for, Deebo Samuel, Luke McCaffrey,
- 1:12:38Jalen Lane, Michael Gallup, KJ Osborne, Nick
- 1:12:42Allegretti. Well, you can take Nate Herbick off
- 1:12:46because he just retired this morning. Josh Connerly
- 1:12:49Jr., Brandon Coleman, De 'Atre Wise, Clinton
- 1:12:51Farrell, Eddie Goldman, Noah, I don't even know
- 1:12:57how to pronounce it. I'm not even going to butcher
- 1:12:59your last name. I'm going to attempt to do that.
- 1:13:01Noah. I, I'm not going to butcher your last name,
- 1:13:05dog. I don't want to do that. Jonathan Jones,
- 1:13:07Quan Martin, Jeremy Reeves, Trey Amos, and Marshawn
- 1:13:10Lattimore. I think I want to put Von Mill, you
- 1:13:12know what? I'm going to put Von Mill on that
- 1:13:13list too. So the storyline for the Commanders
- 1:13:16is, can the Commanders solidify their place in
- 1:13:19the NFC? We all saw that special season last
- 1:13:22year with the Commanders. I want to see, can
- 1:13:25they repeat that? Now, mind you, they've made
- 1:13:28some pretty big moves this offseason. They traded
- 1:13:30for Loremi Tunsil and Deebo Samuel. They just
- 1:13:34signed Von Miller not too long ago. I want to
- 1:13:37see can this team continue to grow, continue
- 1:13:40to build, continue to say, hey, this is our role
- 1:13:45in the NFC. We aren't just the pushover commanders
- 1:13:47of old. We are the serious contender commanders
- 1:13:51that can go toe -to -toe with the best of them
- 1:13:53in the NFC. Because they have all the intangibles
- 1:13:56to do it. I just want to know, can they take
- 1:13:59that next step? Because I feel like they can
- 1:14:02be the team that can go toe -to -toe with the
- 1:14:04Eagles in the NFC Championship again. I think
- 1:14:06they can do it now. I think they can do it against
- 1:14:09the Rams. You name any of the top NFC teams right
- 1:14:13now, I guarantee you the Commanders can hold
- 1:14:16their own against them. And this is not to hype
- 1:14:19up any Commanders fans or the Commanders team
- 1:14:21as a whole. But last year showed a lot. Jaden
- 1:14:25Daniels showed a lot. This team showed a lot.
- 1:14:30So I want to see, can they continue to repeat
- 1:14:32that? Now, let's start with these players, okay?
- 1:14:36Deebo Samuel. I want to see what version of Deebo
- 1:14:38Samuel is the Commanders getting. Because we
- 1:14:41all saw the Deebo Samuel of the 49ers. I want
- 1:14:45to see, is that guy still there? Now, granted,
- 1:14:48so far from what I've heard, he's actually been
- 1:14:50doing really well. He's actually in better shape
- 1:14:52now than what he was with the 49ers. So let's
- 1:14:54see if that momentum continues. Luke McCaffrey,
- 1:14:57I want to see where your role is on this team.
- 1:15:00Because sort of like your brother and even your
- 1:15:02father, you guys are sort of like Swiss Army
- 1:15:05Knives. You know, you guys don't just play one
- 1:15:07position. You guys can play multiple positions.
- 1:15:10So I want to see, are they going to use you like
- 1:15:13a Swiss Army Knife? Because that would actually
- 1:15:16be super dope. Because I think you have the potential
- 1:15:18to do that. Jalen Lane, Michael Gallup, KJ Osborne.
- 1:15:22I want to see who's going to solidify themselves
- 1:15:25as the backup receiver for this team. I think
- 1:15:28Michael Gallup can still do it. I think KJ Osborne
- 1:15:30can still do it. Let's see. Nick Allegretti.
- 1:15:35I think right now, don't take the announcement
- 1:15:40of Nate Herbig retiring lightly. Because they're
- 1:15:44going to bring in somebody. Now, is it going
- 1:15:47to be somebody that's going to take your job
- 1:15:49or is it going to be just competition just to
- 1:15:51see where you are? That I don't know. But best
- 1:15:55believe they're going to make an addition at
- 1:15:57guard at some point. Josh Connolly Jr., I want
- 1:16:00to see where you are between yourself and Brandon
- 1:16:03Coleman. Because right now, I feel like Josh
- 1:16:07could potentially be the weak one starting right
- 1:16:10tackle. His upside is really, really good. I'm
- 1:16:14talking about a dog. If you haven't looked at
- 1:16:18his film when he was at Oregon, please look at
- 1:16:21it. But let's keep things going, okay? So, DeAndre
- 1:16:24Wise and Clinton Farrow, Eddie Goldman. I want
- 1:16:28to see who's going to solidify themselves as
- 1:16:30the backup pass rusher. Clinton Farrow, I feel
- 1:16:34like there's another level to your game. Same
- 1:16:37thing with DeAndre Wise. And even Eddie Goldman.
- 1:16:40I feel like this could be the situation where
- 1:16:43you could have a resurgence in your career. But
- 1:16:46I want to see it. The one thing that really hurt
- 1:16:50the commanders, especially towards the later
- 1:16:53part of the season, was the defensive line. Sure,
- 1:16:57you have Frankie Louvu, who was creating pressure
- 1:17:00and contributing a lot, but he was just one person.
- 1:17:05If you have... You know, DeAndre Wise stepping
- 1:17:08up, Clinton Farrell stepping up, Eddie Goldman,
- 1:17:10and now Von Miller. That's a more formidable
- 1:17:13defensive line than what they had last year,
- 1:17:16which we all know if this team really wants to
- 1:17:20be successful, specifically this defense, they're
- 1:17:23going to have to create more pressure and they're
- 1:17:25going to have to really go after the quarterback.
- 1:17:27And that's why they made the investment in getting
- 1:17:29Von Miller. Noah, Jonathan Jones, that's an open
- 1:17:34competition. I think Jonathan Jones, to me, I
- 1:17:40feel like he might be a little bit washed. No
- 1:17:42disrespect to you, bro. I still sort of scratch
- 1:17:45my head on why they signed Jonathan Jones. But
- 1:17:48maybe it's competition. Maybe it's not. I don't
- 1:17:52know. But I feel like Jonathan Jones brings a
- 1:17:55lot of experience. And a lot of times with that
- 1:17:58experience, he may have the advantage over someone
- 1:18:01like Noah. But I feel like that's definitely
- 1:18:06going to be an interesting competition between
- 1:18:08the two. Quan Martin, Jeremy Reeves. I feel like
- 1:18:12Jeremy Reeves is going to win this. But it's
- 1:18:16something about Quan Martin that's just, it's
- 1:18:19just like, man, I know there's something there.
- 1:18:22I know there's something great there. You just
- 1:18:24got to continue to work on it. I know it is.
- 1:18:28Yes, I'm very high on the Commander's team. Don't
- 1:18:31judge me, okay? You know how I feel about my
- 1:18:33Steelers. Okay. Now, Trey Amos and Marshawn Lattimore.
- 1:18:37Although Trey Amos may not win against Marshawn
- 1:18:42Lattimore, I just want to see how they hold up
- 1:18:44against one another. Because this is the first
- 1:18:47full offseason of Marshawn Lattimore being with
- 1:18:51the Commanders. Because we all know they made
- 1:18:53that move. So I want to see, has Marshawn Lattimore
- 1:18:57fully recovered from his injury that was plaguing
- 1:18:59him last season? And I want to see if he's still
- 1:19:02the Marshawn Lattimore of old, all right? So
- 1:19:05possible free agency additions if they want to
- 1:19:07take that route. For corner, you have James Bradbury,
- 1:19:10Kendall Fuller, Stephon Gilmore, Rasul Douglas,
- 1:19:13CJ Henderson, Michael Davis, Asante Samuel Jr.,
- 1:19:15Emmanuel Mosley. Defensive end, you have Jadeveon
- 1:19:19Clowney, Demarcus Walker, Montrevious Adams,
- 1:19:21Jerry Hughes, William Golston, just to name a
- 1:19:24few. Wide receiver, if you wish to take that
- 1:19:26route, Keenan Allen, Amara Cooper, Gabe Davis,
- 1:19:29Nelson Aguilar, DJ Shark, Tyler Boyd, Chris Conley,
- 1:19:32and Jamison Crowder. Safety, you have Marcus
- 1:19:34Williams, Justin Simmons, Jordan Whitehead, Quandre
- 1:19:37Diggs. Tackle, if you want to bring in competition
- 1:19:39for Josh Conley. You have George Fant. Andreas
- 1:19:43Peet, Isaiah Wynn, Michael Dunn, LaRaven Clark,
- 1:19:45Chris Hubbard, and Jermaine Effetti. Guard, you
- 1:19:48have Brandon Scherff, Reunion, Shaq Mason, Will
- 1:19:52Hernandez, John Florenciano, Cody Whitehair,
- 1:19:54Dalton Reisner, and Mark Glanowski. Let's get
- 1:19:57to the final team. That's right. The team that
- 1:20:00we all love and hate. And that is the Cowboys.
- 1:20:04The Cowboys, the Cowboys. So, positional battles
- 1:20:08to watch out for with them. running back, wide
- 1:20:11receiver, left tackle, defensive end, defensive
- 1:20:13tackle, cornerback, and quarterback. Specifically,
- 1:20:18backup quarterback. I know. Everyone was thinking,
- 1:20:22oh man, you're going to talk about Dak Prescott?
- 1:20:25Why in the world would you say anything about
- 1:20:26Dak Prescott? Relax. Relax. Okay? Relax. So players
- 1:20:31to keep an eye out for, Javante Williams, Miles
- 1:20:34Sanders, Jadon Blue, Deuce Vaughn, Kavante Turpin,
- 1:20:37Jonathan Mingo, Paris Campbell, and Joe Milton
- 1:20:39III. So let's start with the storyline, okay?
- 1:20:43So how will a Brian Schottenheimer -led Cowboys
- 1:20:46team look? This offense has gone through a lot
- 1:20:50of change in this offseason. Granted, they've
- 1:20:53added George Pickens, they drafted Jadon Blue,
- 1:20:56they added Miles Sanders via free agency. So
- 1:21:00I want to see how this offense is going to look
- 1:21:02with Brian Schoenheimer. Am I saying that I have
- 1:21:04high expectations for this team? No. Do I think
- 1:21:07this offense is going to improve from last year?
- 1:21:10It's a possibility. There's a lot of upside with
- 1:21:13it because we've all seen this recipe before.
- 1:21:15When Dak Prescott has a loaded wide receiver
- 1:21:18room, that's when he has his best season. And
- 1:21:22we saw it when they had Michael Gallup and Amari
- 1:21:25Cooper and CeeDee Lamb just for one season. For
- 1:21:29one season, there was a lot of upside with that
- 1:21:32offense. So I want to see how they're going to
- 1:21:34do with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. That's
- 1:21:37going to be super interesting, but let's get
- 1:21:39back to everything. But when we look at the players
- 1:21:42to keep an eye out for, Javante Williams, Miles
- 1:21:44Sanders, Jadon Blue, Deuce Vaughn, yes, I put
- 1:21:46all the running backs on this list because why?
- 1:21:50Miles Sanders, to me, I feel like has the advantage
- 1:21:53over everyone because of his experience, production,
- 1:21:57consistency. the whole nine yards. But I feel
- 1:22:01like Jadon Blue and Javante Williams could give
- 1:22:04him a run for his money. You could even throw
- 1:22:06in Deuce Vaughn in there as well. I think all
- 1:22:09of them have a legitimate chance to be running
- 1:22:12back one or running back two. There is nobody
- 1:22:14in this running back room right now that you
- 1:22:16can say, oh yeah, their spot is gone. Their spot
- 1:22:20is on another team. I think every single one
- 1:22:23of these running backs will be utilized with
- 1:22:25Brian Schottenheimer. Now, am I saying they're
- 1:22:28all going to get the same amount of snaps? No.
- 1:22:30But what I am saying is this. Someone like a
- 1:22:33Jadon Blue, who is super fast, you can use him
- 1:22:37in a multitude of different ways. Javante Williams,
- 1:22:40we've all seen what he did with the Broncos.
- 1:22:43Let's see if he can do it with the Cowboys. But
- 1:22:45the only problem that I have with Jadon Blue
- 1:22:48is he does have a fumbling problem. And that
- 1:22:51dates back to him when he was in college. Sometimes
- 1:22:54the speed can get to him, and the next thing
- 1:22:56you know, it's a fumble. You don't want that.
- 1:22:59Kevontae Turpin, Jonathan Mingo, Paris Campbell.
- 1:23:01I want to see who's going to solidify themselves
- 1:23:03as the backup receiver. Paris Campbell, I mean,
- 1:23:07you're a veteran. I still believe in you. I remember
- 1:23:10when I was watching you during the combine that
- 1:23:13year, and you showed a lot of upside, and I was
- 1:23:15like, man, this guy is going to be great. I want
- 1:23:18to see it. Jonathan Mingo, yes, they traded for
- 1:23:21you during the middle part of the season last
- 1:23:22year. I want to see how things are going to go
- 1:23:25under an entire offseason with the Cowboys, especially
- 1:23:30with a new regime and Brian Schottenheimer. I
- 1:23:33want to see that. Kevontae Turpin, we saw how
- 1:23:35productive you was and how you were utilized
- 1:23:38this past season. Are the Cowboys going to use
- 1:23:41you just like that? Or is there another level
- 1:23:44with how they use you? That's my question. Joe
- 1:23:48Milton, I want to see where you are. Because,
- 1:23:50of course, I mean, they have Will Greer, but
- 1:23:53Joe Milton, to me, if you give him time to produce,
- 1:23:58I think he could do something. That arm? Crazy.
- 1:24:02His athleticism? Crazy. Now, am I saying he's
- 1:24:05going to take Dak Prescott's job? No. But what
- 1:24:08I am saying is this. There might be something
- 1:24:11in there for Joe Milton. Keep your eye on him,
- 1:24:15okay? Left tackle, especially with the news of
- 1:24:18Tyler Guyton yesterday, yes, that's definitely
- 1:24:22going to be an open competition. But I wouldn't
- 1:24:24be surprised if they bring in somebody. But the
- 1:24:26only problem is the available free agent tackles
- 1:24:29really isn't the best. I mean, you have George
- 1:24:31Fant, Andreas Peet, Isaiah Wynn, Michael Dunn,
- 1:24:34LaRaven Clark, Chris Hubbard, and Jermaine Effetti.
- 1:24:36Really not the best, but you're going to have
- 1:24:39to make do with what you have right now. defensive
- 1:24:42line as a whole for defensive end and defensive
- 1:24:45tackle, someone's going to have to step up. Because
- 1:24:47I don't know how long this Micah Parsons conundrum
- 1:24:50is going to happen, but someone's going to have
- 1:24:53to step up. And Mozzie Smith, you're on the list.
- 1:24:56Mozzie Smith, you have not shown anything. And
- 1:25:00I remember when you were coming out of Michigan,
- 1:25:02you was a wrecking ball. You was a dog. Wherever
- 1:25:06the running back went, you was getting through.
- 1:25:08Hey, I'm right here. That's how explosive and
- 1:25:11that's how good Mozzie Smith was when he was
- 1:25:13coming out of Michigan. And so far, he has not
- 1:25:16shown anything with the Cowboys. I wouldn't be
- 1:25:18surprised if he's an early cut candidate right
- 1:25:20now. Just saying. Me personally, and this is
- 1:25:23just my personal opinion, I feel like the Cowboys
- 1:25:26could have made more investment into the defensive
- 1:25:28line in this past draft because what they have
- 1:25:31right now, it's not efficient enough to me personally.
- 1:25:35But I can be wrong. And when we look at possible
- 1:25:39free agency additions, when it comes to corner,
- 1:25:42I mean, you have James Bradbury, you have Kendall
- 1:25:44Fuller, Stephon Gilmore, Rasul Douglas, CJ Henderson,
- 1:25:48Michael Davis, Emmanuel Mosley. Tackle, we just
- 1:25:51talked about. Wide receiver, if you want to take
- 1:25:53that route. Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, Reunion,
- 1:25:56Gabe Davis, Nelson Aguilar, DJ Chark, Tyler Boyd,
- 1:25:59Chris Conley, Jamison Crowder. Cornerback, if
- 1:26:02you want to take that route, Carson Wentz, C
- 1:26:04.J. Beathard, Teddy Bridgewater. Defensive end,
- 1:26:07you have Jadeveon Clowney, Demarcus Walker, Montrevious
- 1:26:09Adams, Jerry Hughes, William Golston. Running
- 1:26:12back, you can do Jamal Williams, Gus Edwards,
- 1:26:15Jeff Wilson, Amir Abdullah, Chase Edmonds, De
- 1:26:18'Ernest Johnson, Jamichael Hasty. Defensive line
- 1:26:20free agents, you have Christian Wilkins, Raekwon
- 1:26:23Davis, Demarcus Walker, Montrevious Adams, Jerry
- 1:26:26Hughes, Limbaugh Joseph, and Maurice Hurst. So,
- 1:26:29all in all, If I'm a Cowboys fan, I would say
- 1:26:33my expectation is low because, for one, this
- 1:26:36defense I feel like is definitely going to be
- 1:26:39the Achilles heel for the Cowboys this year.
- 1:26:43But if they make at least one or two additions
- 1:26:47to that defensive line, there's a chance. I'm
- 1:26:52not saying it's a big chance, a legitimate chance.
- 1:26:55I'm going to end this episode here. If you guys
- 1:26:57like what you are listening, please, please,
- 1:26:59please, please, please make sure you guys listen
- 1:27:01to the podcast, download the podcast, share the
- 1:27:04podcast with somebody else, okay? You tell another
- 1:27:07person that just loves football that you think
- 1:27:09is a football junkie, tell them about this podcast,
- 1:27:12okay? Because we make sure that we feed the people
- 1:27:15and give them the fix that they love and or need,
- 1:27:18all right? Now... For my YouTube people, like,
- 1:27:21share, subscribe, turn the notification bell
- 1:27:23on, leave a comment below. Let me know your thoughts
- 1:27:26about any of the teams that I've talked about
- 1:27:28today. Let me know your thoughts on any of these
- 1:27:31teams that may be your favorite team. Let me
- 1:27:33know if I'm right, if I'm wrong, if I'm indifferent,
- 1:27:35if you have a different opinion of your team.
- 1:27:37Let me know, please, in the comments. I would
- 1:27:40definitely appreciate it, guys. now when you
- 1:27:42go on our youtube football junkies pod all right
- 1:27:45football junkies pod there's a link tree you
- 1:27:47click on that link tree and it'll take you to
- 1:27:50anywhere and everywhere that we have football
- 1:27:52junkies content all right as well as our rss
- 1:27:55.com affiliate link when you sign up for rss
- 1:27:58.com we get some compensation and when we get
- 1:28:01that compensation All of that will go directly
- 1:28:04into the podcast, whether it means we upgrade
- 1:28:07the equipment, we get more analytical data from
- 1:28:12different platforms, PFF, wherever, whatever
- 1:28:16we can do to make this podcast better for you
- 1:28:18guys. That's where the money is going to go into,
- 1:28:21all right? Now, for my audio listeners, we are
- 1:28:23available anywhere and everywhere that you listen
- 1:28:26to podcasts, whether it be Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
- 1:28:30Amazon. Yes, I checked. We are on Amazon and
- 1:28:32a few other places, okay? Now, if you go on Google,
- 1:28:35you type in Football Junkies Podcast, and we
- 1:28:38should be one of the first few links to pop up
- 1:28:40with the rss .com link. If you go there, other
- 1:28:45podcasting platforms that we're available on
- 1:28:47that you can listen to on there, okay? Now, for
- 1:28:50my TikTok people, footballjunkiespod, all right?
- 1:28:54Footballjunkiespod. We just posted some clips
- 1:28:57today. More clips coming out soon. Stay tuned,
- 1:29:00all right? Now, for my Instagram people, football
- 1:29:03underscore junkiespod, all right? Football underscore
- 1:29:05junkiespod. Junkiespod is now what? It is together,
- 1:29:14not spaced, all right? It is together, not spaced.
- 1:29:19Follow me on X, G -M -K -I -L -E, G -M -K -I
- 1:29:25-L -E. Follow me on Blue Sky, G -M -K -I -L -E,
- 1:29:28G -M -K -I -L -E, all right? As always, I hope
- 1:29:33I gave you guys the thing that you guys need.
- 1:29:35I love you guys. I appreciate you guys so much.
- 1:29:38Stay tuned. You're on the final one, the final
- 1:29:41division that we have to talk about, and that's
- 1:29:43the West, all right? NFC and AFC West coming
- 1:29:47soon. Stay tuned. As always, this is your GM
- 1:29:50Kale signing out. Peace and love. Later. And
- 1:30:01another thing, I just have to get this off my
- 1:30:03chest, okay, because I'm seeing a narrative about
- 1:30:07a particular player, and that's about Aaron Rodgers,
- 1:30:10okay? I'm seeing a lot of people glaze over Aaron
- 1:30:15Rodgers. Oh, Aaron Rodgers is just such an amazing
- 1:30:17person right now. He's just, oh, man, he's just
- 1:30:20great. Every person that said, you know, you
- 1:30:24don't know anything about Aaron Rodgers, you're
- 1:30:27wrong. Stop. Stop. The Steelers and Aaron Rodgers
- 1:30:33are in the honeymoon phase, okay? Anytime you
- 1:30:36get into a relationship with somebody, everything
- 1:30:38is fine for like that first month, maybe like
- 1:30:41first few weeks or whatever. And then you really
- 1:30:44start to see that other side. And sometimes that
- 1:30:47other side isn't good. So please, let's lower
- 1:30:51our expectations. Let's stop with the glazing
- 1:30:55over Aaron Rodgers. And let's just see how this
- 1:30:58season plays out. Because guess what? It's all
- 1:31:01fun and games when the record is 0 -0. How will
- 1:31:08he respond when there's adversity? How will he
- 1:31:10respond? when the team is going through a two
- 1:31:14or three game losing streak? How will he respond
- 1:31:16when he isn't playing his best ball or the receivers
- 1:31:19aren't playing well or the tight ends aren't
- 1:31:21playing well or the offensive line isn't blocking
- 1:31:24well? How will he respond? Granted, I'm all for
- 1:31:28second and third chances for people, but what
- 1:31:30we cannot do is absolve him of the things that
- 1:31:34he did to the Jets this past season. Thank you
- 1:31:38for coming to my soapbox. Now I'm really done.
- 1:31:40Later.