Latest / Football Junkies podcast / Ep.89: Assigned seats

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Ep.89: Assigned seats · Football Junkies podcast

0:03
Triple bag alert, triple bag alert, triple bag
0:05
alert, folks. That's right. We got a loaded episode
0:08
full of twists and turns, hot takes, truth bombs,
0:12
and more, all right? Kyron Williams, Kayla McGarry,
0:15
Zach Seeler all get paid. Cam Hayward is now
0:18
in a hold -in looking for more money. Teddy Bridgewater
0:21
finally speaks out. Keenan Allen heads back to
0:24
the Chargers. The Eagles and Raiders make a trade.
0:27
And my first version of Team Rankings, all right?
0:31
All of this and more. On the 89th episode of
0:33
the Football Junkies Podcast, all right, I am
0:36
your host with the most. I'm your chief Barrow
0:39
of Diamonds. That's right, chief, head of the
0:41
table, anything and everything related to the
0:43
bag, rumors to the bag, and more. But most importantly,
0:46
I'm your GM who currently is not on the team
0:48
right now. But don't you worry about it, all
0:51
right? Don't you worry about it because guess
0:53
what? I am all these things and more. But most
0:56
importantly, the most important thing that you
0:58
must remember is I am your host, Kale. You already
1:01
know how these things are. about to go buckle
1:03
up it's gonna get crazy so guess what on three
1:05
one two three let's lock in All right, folks,
1:34
let's get into the meat and potatoes of everything
1:36
that is going on in the league right now. So
1:38
before we get into the hot stuff, let's talk
1:41
about these bag alerts, all right? So Kyron Williams
1:43
running back for the Rams in, say, three years,
1:45
$33 million deal, $23 million guaranteed, and
1:48
he'll be making $11 million a year. When we look
1:51
at his stats from this past season, 316 attempts
1:54
for 1 ,299 rushing yards, 4 .1 rushing yards
1:58
per carry. 14 rushing touchdowns and 27 rushes
2:02
of 10 plus yards or more. Folks, this is a good
2:05
deal for a really productive player. You are
2:08
talking about somebody that has been very productive
2:11
in this Rams offense. You're talking about somebody
2:14
who's had back -to -back years of double -digit
2:18
rushing touchdowns. And not to mention, this
2:20
deal makes him... the seventh or eighth highest
2:24
pay running back in the league which still is
2:26
not bad at all it's a short -term deal so by
2:28
the time this deal is over with he'll still be
2:31
in his prime and he can still get at least maybe
2:34
10 or 11 maybe even 12 million but with this
2:37
deal we have to talk about james cook because
2:39
he's also looking for money as well james cook
2:43
right now is in a holding with the bills of course
2:46
he said multiple things that he wants to get
2:47
paid x number amount of dollars and whatnot me
2:50
personally If I'm the Bills, I'm not paying him
2:54
well over $8 million. I'm just going to be completely
2:56
honest here. Because when we look at his stats
2:59
from the last few years since coming into the
3:00
league, last year was his best year. I'll be
3:04
honest. 207 attempts for 1 ,009 rushing yards,
3:08
4 .9 rushing yards per carry, and 16 touchdowns.
3:11
But the two years prior to that, he only had
3:14
two touchdowns in both of those years. Now, granted...
3:18
You've had back to back 1000 rushing yard seasons,
3:22
but that's not enough for me as a GM to say,
3:25
you know what? We'll give you 12 or 13 or 14
3:28
million a year. I'm sorry. I'm just not doing
3:30
that. I need to see consistency because for all
3:33
intents purposes, you could have had one good
3:36
year and then they pay you X amount of dollars.
3:39
And then the next thing you know, you just fall
3:41
off and you don't want that. Now, if I'm James
3:44
Cook, personally, I would rather take either
3:47
a one -year $8 .5 million deal or a two -year
3:51
$10 million deal, something short -term. So that
3:55
way, guess what? By the time that deal is over
3:57
with, you can go somewhere else, re -up, get
4:00
more money, maybe even a longer -term deal than
4:03
what you will probably get with the bills. Because
4:05
mind you, the bills have paid a lot of their
4:07
players. You already know that Josh Allen was
4:10
going to get a majority of that money, especially
4:12
with him winning the MVP. Gregory Russo didn't
4:15
get paid a whole lot of money. None of the players
4:18
on this paid this offseason made a whole lot
4:20
of money outside of Josh Allen. So what gives
4:24
you the right to say, you know what? I want 15.
4:27
I want 20. I want whatever the number was that
4:30
he said on his IG Live. No. Even when you compare
4:35
the two. Yes, both of them have had back -to
4:38
-back 1 ,000 rushing yard seasons. But Kyron
4:41
Williams, as I just said recently, he's had back
4:46
-to -back double -digit rushing touchdown seasons.
4:49
You haven't, James Cook. The stats don't lie.
4:52
But let's keep things going, though. So let's
4:54
talk about... Oh, there it is. Zach Seeler. Defensive
4:58
tackle for the Dolphins. Inks a three -year,
5:01
$67 .7 million deal. 44 million guaranteed, and
5:04
he'll be making 22 .5 million a year. When we
5:07
look at his stats from this past season, 55 tackles,
5:10
10 sacks, and one pick. Folks, this is a really
5:13
good deal for a really productive player for
5:15
the Dolphins. You are talking about somebody
5:17
that post -Christian Wilkins, he's still an effective
5:20
defensive lineman. And there were a lot of people
5:23
that were asking the question, hey. Is his success
5:26
coming from Christian Wilkins? Is it coming from
5:28
the system? Is it coming from coaching? What
5:30
exactly is causing Zach Seeler to be successful?
5:33
And he's proven it. It's just him. And that's
5:36
great. Folks, let's be real here. And Dolphins
5:39
fans, you can back me up with this. Better yet,
5:41
I want you guys to comment under the YouTube
5:43
Football Junkies pod if I'm right or wrong about
5:46
this. Because you know exactly what I'm going
5:48
to say. The running notion with the Dolphins
5:51
for the last few years is... They take care of
5:54
players that are coming from other teams better
5:56
than players who are homegrown. And I think that
6:00
mindset is now starting to be changed a little
6:04
bit because you're taking care of someone in
6:06
Zach Seeler. It's a good thing because you're
6:09
destroying that stigma. But at the same time,
6:12
this is just one player. You need to continue
6:14
to do this with the rest of your players. But
6:17
here's the crazy thing, though. And I didn't
6:19
even know this until Adam Schefter said this.
6:21
Zach Seeler. was a part of the 2018 draft class
6:25
for the Ravens. And within that draft class,
6:28
that class has now generated more money in future
6:31
contracts than any draft class in NFL history.
6:35
Hayden Hurst, 7 .2 million. Lamar Jackson, $52
6:40
million. Orlando Brown, $16 million. Mark Andrews,
6:42
$14 million. Anthony Averitt, $4 million. Deshaun
6:45
Elliott, $6 .2 million. Bradley Bozeman, $6 million.
6:48
Zach Seeler, $22 million. Darius Williams, $10
6:51
million. And Gus Edwards, $5 million. And that
6:54
was Ozzie Newsom's last draft class, if I'm not
6:57
mistaken. Folks, Ozzie Newsom doesn't get the
7:01
flowers that he so deserves. I would venture
7:03
to say, and I will die on this hill, Ozzie Newsom
7:06
is the greatest GM in NFL history. You are talking
7:09
about somebody that has been very effective when
7:14
it comes to drafting. Let me just name to you
7:17
some of the people that he's drafted over his
7:19
tenure as GM for the Ravens. Ray Lewis, Jonathan
7:23
Ogden, Ryan Jensen, Ed Reed, Marshall Yonda,
7:26
Terrell Suggs, Helo Dinata, Adelius Thomas, Joe
7:29
Flacco, Jamal Lewis. Ray Rice, Chris McAllister,
7:33
Todd Heap, Peter Boulware, CJ Mosley, Lamar Jackson,
7:36
Brandon Williams, Ladarius Webb, Ben Grubbs,
7:39
Jimmy Smith, Torrey Smith, Ronnie Stanley, Matthew
7:41
Judon, Ladarius Smith, Kyle Juszczyk, and Michael
7:44
Orr, just to name a few. And not all of these
7:47
were first round picks. Some of these were later
7:49
picks. And so the fact that you have somebody
7:52
whose effect is still being felt just shows you
7:57
of how great of a GM that he is. I feel like
8:00
as a GM, for any GM, Ozzie Newsome should be
8:03
the gold standard of what you should do as a
8:06
GM when it comes to effective drafting, handling
8:10
contracts, the whole nine yards. But this just
8:14
goes to show that the Ravens continue to solidify
8:17
themselves as one of the better teams when it
8:19
comes to drafting. Because you know why? They
8:21
not only just hit on their first round picks,
8:24
they also hit on their second, third, fourth,
8:27
fifth, sixth, and even seventh round picks. If
8:30
a lot of these teams, like the Cardinals, Panthers,
8:33
Jaguars, if they had someone like an Ozzie Newsome,
8:36
they would be in such a better direction than
8:39
where they are right now. But we're not going
8:41
to continue to talk about the Ravens, okay? So
8:44
let's just keep this thing going. So Caleb McGarry,
8:48
right tackle for the Falcons, inks a two -year
8:51
$30 million deal, and he'll be making $15 million
8:53
a year. When we look at his stats from this past
8:56
season, 32 total pressures. And 10 hits. Not
9:00
a bad deal. Not a groundbreaking deal. Just taking
9:04
care of somebody that plays a really effective
9:06
role on this offensive line. An offensive line,
9:09
by the way, that has gotten a lot of money. From
9:13
Jake Matthews, Chris Lindstrom, their center
9:17
who they just signed this offseason as well.
9:20
I know I talked about him in one of the previous
9:21
episodes. To now Kayla McGarry. They're taking
9:25
care of this offensive line. This offensive line
9:27
doesn't get the flowers that it deserves, but
9:30
it is definitely a top five, maybe top 10 offensive
9:33
line in my mind. But, you know, I can be wrong
9:36
again. This isn't a deal that's going to break
9:38
the bank. This isn't a deal that's going to have
9:40
the Falcons, you know, figuring out, do we need
9:43
to restructure down the road or do we need to
9:45
make anything, you know, any crazy moves or whatever?
9:48
No, it's a really good team friendly deal. Okay.
9:51
Now let's talk about something that's a little
9:53
bit more pressing, okay? And this may turn into
9:56
a rant. So Cam Hayward is now in a hold -in,
10:00
okay? And basically, he's looking for more money.
10:05
It's a lot. So let me just read to you what's
10:08
happened so far, and then we'll get into the
10:10
hot takes and whatnot. So before he announced
10:12
his hold -in, Cam Hayward posted this on his
10:15
IG story. And I quote, When you take things for
10:18
granted, the things you are granted get taken,
10:21
end quote. Now, he has two years remaining on
10:23
his current deal, and he's supposed to be making
10:25
$14 .7 million this season. But of that $14 .7
10:29
million, $13 .4 million of that money has already
10:33
been paid out in a roster bonus. Cameron Hayward
10:36
is currently the 36th highest paid defensive
10:38
lineman and the 18th highest paid defensive tackle
10:41
in the league right now. The team and Hayward
10:44
have addressed this behind closed doors, but
10:46
no progress has been made. Cam Hayward is the
10:48
first defensive lineman to receive an All -Pro
10:50
over 35 years old since Bruce Smith did it in
10:54
1998. Now, when we look at his stats from this
10:56
past season, he had 71 tackles, 8 sacks, 41 quarterback
11:00
pressures. While I understand that he's looking
11:03
for more money, you did this at the wrong time.
11:06
And let me explain why. If you weren't happy
11:08
with how your contract was, You should have tried
11:11
to address this in OTAs, in minicamp, earlier
11:17
on into the offseason program. Instead of waiting
11:20
this long and just saying, you know what? I'm
11:22
not happy. I'm not going to work out with the
11:24
team no more. I'm just going to do a whole day.
11:26
This is the wrong time to do it because you're
11:28
bringing negative attention to this team. The
11:30
team prioritized not bringing any negative attention.
11:35
going into training camp. That's why they took
11:36
care of T .J. Watt as quickly as they did because
11:39
they didn't want that lingering into training
11:41
camp. But now that you have this going on, everyone's
11:45
going to be asking the same thing. How much does
11:48
Cam want? Is he looking for this amount of money?
11:51
Is he looking for a contract that's similar to
11:53
this person or that person? This is a nasty tactic
11:55
because you used your agent to go to Adam Schefter
11:59
to put out this story, and that's not right.
12:02
You knew prior to signing this deal that this
12:05
deal, technically speaking, was not going to
12:07
give you the guaranteed money that you were looking
12:09
for. It wasn't a three -year deal. It was technically
12:12
a two -year deal when you actually look at the
12:15
contract. And even when you look at the base
12:17
salary, his base salary is only 1 .5 for the
12:21
next two years. So I don't understand why you
12:24
would try to sign that deal. If I'm Cam Hayward,
12:27
I would have just hit free agency. Then to just
12:30
say, you know what? Everything is fine, and you
12:33
give this impression to the fans and whatnot
12:35
that you're focused on football, when in actuality,
12:38
you're actually pissed off because you didn't
12:40
get a deal. That's ludicrous. As much of a team
12:43
leader as you are, as much as somebody that was
12:46
complaining about Aaron Rodgers not making his
12:49
decision on if he wanted to be a Pittsburgh Steelers
12:52
or not, it makes you look like a hypocrite. Because
12:55
now that Aaron Rodgers is here, now you have
12:58
a problem with your contract and now you want
13:00
resolution. I'm sorry. If I'm the Steelers, I'm
13:04
not giving you a whole bunch of money. There
13:06
are ways that you can address this as a professional.
13:10
What you're doing right now is what someone like
13:13
a C .D. Lamb would do or Jamar Chase would do.
13:15
Somebody that's in their late 20s. Not someone
13:18
that's 36 years old. If you're not happy with
13:22
the contract and if the team is not willing to
13:24
adjust your contract in some way, play out the
13:27
season. And when this season is over, request
13:30
a trade. Because it's starting to get to a point
13:32
where, okay, are we going to overpay you and
13:36
it's going to backfire on us if anything crazy
13:38
happens? Or are we just going to let you play
13:41
out this deal? Me personally, I'm letting you
13:44
play out this deal. I understand you just got
13:47
an All -Pro last season. That's great. But paying
13:50
a player at this point in their career has more
13:53
risk than gain. So you have to be very cautious
13:57
about that because if you don't, you'll give
14:00
them a four -year deal worth I don't know how
14:03
much and they become, what, the fifth or fourth
14:06
highest paid defensive tackle in the league?
14:08
And then guess what? Two years out of that deal,
14:10
he's not playing his best ball. Or he just flat
14:14
out retires. Then what? Then you have a whole
14:17
bunch of dead cap that's going to be carrying
14:18
you for the remainder of the contract, and you
14:20
don't want that. Even when we look at some of
14:23
the highest paid defensive tackles, okay? Chris
14:25
Jones, 31 .7. Nnamdi Metabuke, 24 .5. Aleem McNeil,
14:30
24 .2. Derrick Brown, 24. Quentin Williams, 24.
14:34
Jeffrey Simmons, 23 .5. DeForest Buckner, 23.
14:38
Deron Payne, 22 .5. Dexter Lawrence, 21 .8. Kenny
14:42
Clark, 21 .3. So where exactly would you want
14:46
Cameron Hayward to fit between any of those players?
14:51
Where would you want that? Do you want him making
14:53
more money than DeForest Buckner? Do you want
14:56
him making more money than Derrick Brown? Do
14:58
you want him making more money than Chris Jones?
15:01
Because I thought that we're supposed to be focused
15:05
about winning and trying to win a championship
15:07
and trying to win a playoff game, not trying
15:10
to figure out if you're going to get more money
15:12
than the next person. That's the problem that
15:15
I have with this. If you are not happy with your
15:19
contractual situation, then you need to go to
15:22
Omar Khan and you need to have a conversation
15:25
with him and say, hey, listen, is there a way
15:27
that we can tack on some more guaranteed money?
15:29
Because I don't have any more guaranteed money.
15:32
And everybody knows when you don't have any more
15:35
guaranteed money, you put yourself at risk because
15:39
guess what? The guaranteed money is the safety
15:41
blanket for you. Here's the thing, folks. We're
15:44
going to class for a second. Quick 30 second
15:46
class session, okay? Anytime a player gets a
15:49
new deal, right? Don't look at the big number.
15:51
Look at the guaranteed number. That's the money
15:54
that they're guaranteed. Whether they're hurt,
15:57
whether they get traded, whatever. That's the
16:01
money that they are guaranteed to be getting,
16:03
okay? So for instance, Zach Seeler, for instance,
16:07
right? Let's use his deal, okay? So Zach Seeler
16:11
got a three -year $67 .75 million deal, right?
16:15
Of that $67 .7 million, he's only getting $44
16:20
million of that guaranteed. So there's still
16:23
at least, what, $15 to maybe $20 -ish million
16:26
that isn't guaranteed that's probably either
16:29
fake money tied into bonuses, incentives, or
16:33
just something crazy just to spruce up the numbers,
16:37
okay? I want you to remember that anytime somebody
16:40
gets a crazy deal, always remember to look at
16:43
the guarantees. Don't look at the bigger number,
16:46
okay? Now, when we look at Chris Boswell, because
16:48
he's also not happy with his current situation
16:51
because he's looking for more money as well,
16:53
he's taking it in a more professional route because
16:56
he's been quiet with this. Now, granted, he's
16:59
frustrated. He's very frustrated, but he's trying
17:02
to take things in a more professional route because
17:05
even then, Chris Boswell... If I'm not mistaken,
17:08
I think he's like the 11th highest paid kicker
17:10
right now. And the market has jumped in this
17:12
offseason, just a little bit, right? When we
17:15
look at Chris Boswell's stats from this past
17:17
season, get a 93 .2 field goal percentage. He
17:21
was 9 for 9 between the 20 and 29 yard line,
17:24
12 for 12 between the 30 and 39 yard line, 7
17:27
for 8 between the 40 and 49 yard line. He was
17:31
13 for 15 from 50 yards or more. He was 35 extra
17:35
point attempts for 35 extra points made. He was
17:40
one of the better kickers last year. So it's
17:43
only right that you pay him, not to mention that
17:45
market isn't high. If you wanted to, you could
17:49
make him the third, the fourth, or maybe even
17:52
the highest paid kicker in the entire league.
17:56
According to Spirak, his market value is four
17:58
years, 24 .4 million, which is, excuse me, 6
18:02
.1 million a year. That's not bad. That would
18:06
make him the second highest paid kicker in NFL
18:09
history. You have to take care of him because
18:11
he's literally been your best kicker, I would
18:13
say, of all time. Minus Gary Anderson, which
18:16
I think he'll probably break Gary Anderson's
18:18
record fairly soon, probably within the next
18:20
two or three years. But we're not talking about
18:22
that. We're not talking about records. We're
18:23
talking about money, okay? If you're Omar Khan,
18:26
do you find a way to take care of these deals?
18:29
Or do you at least take care of Chris Boswell
18:31
and you let... Cam Hayward just play out this
18:34
season and you just see how things are going
18:36
to go. Me personally, I would take that route
18:38
because at least with Chris Boswell, you need
18:41
a Chris Boswell, okay? And I understand it's
18:44
going to be very controversial. I understand
18:45
people are probably going to misuse my words
18:47
and whatnot, really don't care. Cam Hayward at
18:50
this point in his career is more risk than gain,
18:54
okay? If you're Omar Khan, you're not going to
18:58
give him this crazy deal. You're going to give
19:02
him something that's very team friendly and something
19:05
that's easy to get out of if for whatever reason
19:08
he has a serious injury, he decides that he wants
19:11
to retire or whatever the case may be. Compared
19:16
to giving him this super crazy deal and he doesn't
19:20
live up to the contract. But what do I know,
19:24
right? I don't know anything. But let's keep
19:28
on going, all right? So. Teddy Bridgewater finally
19:30
speaks out with everything that's happened so
19:33
far. So for those of you who don't know, Teddy
19:35
Bridgewater was suspended from Miami Northwestern
19:39
High School for allegedly providing benefits
19:43
to players, as they say, okay? And this comes
19:46
from Jenna Lane of ESPN. So he led the school
19:50
to the Class 3A state championship in his first
19:53
season in 2024. He paid. $14 ,000 for a camp
19:58
that gave players, and I quote, three hot meals
20:01
a day from local black -owned restaurants and
20:04
a snack on some of those days, end quote. $9
20:07
,500 for matching clothes, $300 a week to repaint
20:12
the field, $1 ,300 a week for recovery trucks,
20:15
$2 ,200 for the team's pregame meals, $700 a
20:20
week for Uber rides. Now, this is what Teddy
20:23
Bridgewater had to say, and I quote, Miami Northwestern
20:25
is in a tough neighborhood. Sometimes things
20:28
can happen when kids are walking home. I was
20:30
just trying to protect them, end quote. But he
20:33
also goes on to say this, and I quote, I'm protective,
20:36
and I am a father first before anything. Those
20:39
players became my sons, end quote. Here's the
20:42
last one that's really going to pull on your
20:44
heartstrings, and I quote, I can't change who
20:46
I am because of the rules. I have a big heart.
20:49
I get it from my mom. I was once those kids.
20:52
I know what it's like to be in their shoes. I
20:54
know what it's like to walk those halls, Northwestern,
20:57
and to have your stomach growling and rumbling
20:59
at 12 o 'clock in the afternoon because you didn't
21:01
have any lunch money or you didn't get the free
21:03
lunch. So I can't change who I am, end quote.
21:06
Now here's the thing. According to high school
21:09
data from the U .S. News and World Report, 75
21:12
% of these students are considered economically
21:15
disadvantaged. with 72 % of them qualifying for
21:19
free lunch under the National School Lunch Act.
21:21
Here's the problem that I have, okay? It'll be
21:23
one thing if Teddy Bridgewater was recruiting
21:26
some of the best kids from other counties in
21:30
order to play for Miami Northwestern. Okay, fine.
21:33
You're in trouble. You can't do that. But what
21:35
he's doing is what something that the school
21:38
board and the athletic department is supposed
21:41
to be doing. But clearly they do not have the
21:44
financial means to do it. So what is he's doing?
21:47
He's stepping in in the middle and trying to
21:50
resolve this. And people were up in arms about
21:53
him doing this. See, if you don't have anybody
21:56
that lives on the bad side of town, if you don't
22:00
have an aunt or uncle or some family members
22:03
or some cousins that live in the ghetto, this
22:07
story ain't for you because you don't care about
22:09
this story. OK. But if you got some folks that
22:13
live on that bad side, you know exactly what
22:16
he's doing. He's doing the right thing that needs
22:19
to be done. The same thing that everybody talks
22:22
about, well, players don't give back to their
22:24
communities and all they do is just hog up all
22:27
their money and they don't even make an appearance.
22:29
Teddy Bridgewater is doing that. In the moment
22:32
that he does it, people have an attitude about
22:35
it. For what? The report just said. That 75 %
22:40
of these students are considered economically
22:42
disadvantaged. That means a majority of these
22:46
kids, when they go home, some of them will not
22:49
have any food and a majority of them will go
22:51
to bed hungry. But y 'all don't think about that.
22:54
Y 'all don't think about the things that they
22:57
need to receive post -games, post -practices.
23:01
Being gay and ice isn't going to resolve sore
23:05
knees and a sore back and messed up fingers.
23:08
Sometimes you're going to need something a little
23:10
bit more. And Teddy Bridgewater was trying to
23:12
do that. Teddy Bridgewater was trying to show
23:14
them that, listen, there is another way than
23:17
just getting into the streets, getting into trouble,
23:20
doing things you're not supposed to be doing.
23:23
That's what Teddy Bridgewater is trying to do.
23:25
Teddy Bridgewater is trying to save these kids
23:28
from getting into the streets. And you have a
23:31
school board and the athletic board and whoever
23:34
else that decided to make this decision. To say,
23:37
you know what, we're going to suspend you. For
23:40
what? This is money out of his own pocket. He's
23:45
not getting paid by somebody else to do this.
23:48
This isn't a shadowy figure in the background
23:50
that's doing this. No. This is someone who is
23:54
productive. Who doesn't have no controversy to
23:58
his name. Who's always been an upstanding person.
24:01
And the fact that you would do something like
24:05
this. The fact. That you would suspend somebody
24:08
who all he's trying to do is trying to sow seeds
24:13
of positivity and sow seeds of just saying, you
24:16
know what? There's hope for you. I understand
24:19
you live in a bad neighborhood. I understand
24:21
your situation. I once was in your situation.
24:25
But you know what? There's a way out. And it
24:27
doesn't have to do with drugs. It doesn't have
24:29
to do with towing a piece. It doesn't have to
24:32
do with carjacking or whatever. That's the problem
24:37
that I have with this. If you've never experienced
24:40
tough times, if you've never been in tough situations,
24:43
you wouldn't know anything about this. You probably
24:47
shouldn't care about this. And if I were you,
24:49
I would skip this part and I would get to the
24:52
other parts of this episode. But for the people
24:55
that know, for the people that actually experience
24:58
some tough times and you need some help, Teddy
25:02
Bridgewater was showing help. Would you rather
25:05
for somebody that's a former player that doesn't
25:08
have no crap to his name come back into the community
25:11
and help out? Or would you rather want the local
25:14
drug dealer to be giving them a piece and an
25:17
eight ball? What would you want? You probably
25:19
want the drug dealer to give them a piece and
25:21
an eight ball so you can see them get locked
25:23
up. I'm sorry, folks, but it makes my blood boil.
25:27
When you have people... who complain that these
25:31
athletes don't do enough for their communities.
25:35
But you have someone like Teddy Bridgewater that's
25:38
so outgoing with his community, and he gets suspended
25:41
for it because people are saying it's not fair.
25:43
Well, boo -hoo. Life is not fair. For any of
25:46
the schools, for any of the parents of the other
25:49
schools that caught attitudes about this, you
25:51
know what you guys need to do? You guys need
25:53
to come together, start doing chicken dinners,
25:56
fish dinners. car washes, bingo night. You can
26:01
do a softball game. You can do a basketball game.
26:04
You can do a variety of different things to raise
26:07
some money. Or you guys can put your money together
26:10
and figure this thing out. If you get five or
26:13
six parents to come together, okay, how much
26:15
you got? You got 25? Okay, that's fine. We'll
26:17
take your 25. Okay, how much you got? You got
26:19
100? Okay, that's fine. Okay, you got 150? Okay,
26:22
that's fine. If everybody puts a little bit of
26:24
money in the pot, you can get something done.
26:26
But you know what you can't do? You can't just
26:30
complain because that's that's exactly what happened.
26:34
Complain to the to the board and say, you know
26:36
what? Yeah, we don't really like this. This isn't
26:39
fair. This isn't fair to all the other players
26:42
within. You know what you need to do? You need
26:44
to find out who's the most famous alumni within
26:46
those other schools. Reach out to them and their
26:48
team and say, you know what? We need assistance
26:51
with X, Y and Z. We need new equipment. We need.
26:56
We need our field to be repainted or re -turfed.
26:59
We need better gym equipment. We need better
27:02
recovery equipment. That's what you do instead
27:06
of just taking this route of, oh, we're just
27:09
going to complain. We don't like what he's doing.
27:12
So what? He's actually trying to create change.
27:15
If you've never gone to a restaurant that you
27:17
normally don't go to and you just experience
27:20
it one time, it'll change your thinking. It'll
27:23
make you say, you know what? There's more to
27:24
life than what I'm surrounded with. If you take
27:27
somebody, if you have some family members in
27:29
the hood, right? And you say, you know what?
27:31
Let's go to this famous steakhouse on me. Put
27:34
on your best clothes. Mind your manners, of course.
27:37
And you know what? We're going to go to the steakhouse.
27:39
They're going to experience something that's
27:42
going to change their life. Now, are there going
27:44
to be some people that are still going to continue
27:46
to do the wrong things? Yes. And by them doing
27:49
that, they have accepted the terms and conditions
27:51
that they're going to face the consequences.
27:53
But for the people positively changed from this,
27:57
it's going to make them want to chase that. It's
28:00
going to make them want to experience that even
28:02
more. If you've never been to Disney World, but
28:07
you go to Disney World two or three times. You
28:10
always want to go to Disney World because why?
28:11
You want to experience that ambiance. You want
28:14
to experience that environment. You want to experience
28:17
the smells, the taste of the food, the scenery,
28:21
the fireworks, all of those things. But you got
28:24
people that want to complain because you have
28:26
someone in Teddy Bridgewater who's taking money
28:29
out of his pocket. He's not using tax dollar
28:32
money. He's not using money from the school board.
28:36
He's not using money from the athletic department.
28:39
He's using his own hard -earned money that he
28:43
earned from playing in the National Football
28:45
League. You pay $14 ,000 for a camp that gave
28:50
players three hot meals a day. A day. So if you
28:54
break down that $14 ,000, I don't know, a week
28:57
or so, it's a lot of money. Then you're repainting
29:01
the field every week over a period of time. That's
29:04
a lot of money. $13 ,000 a week for recovery
29:08
trucks? $2 ,200 for pregame meals? $700 a week
29:13
for Uber rides? I guarantee you if you ask any
29:17
of these kids that's on this football team, half
29:19
of them will say, my folks don't have a car,
29:21
we barely have any food in the house, or we just
29:24
don't got it at all. And those families probably
29:26
appreciated Teddy Bridgewater for doing this,
29:29
but y 'all just ran him away. Sad. It's sad.
29:32
It's very sad. It's very heartbreaking, but hopefully...
29:36
prayerfully, Teddy Bridgewater can still support
29:38
them in some capacity. What capacity? I don't
29:42
know. But let's just keep this thing going, okay?
29:44
So Keenan Allen decides that he is going back
29:47
to the Chargers. So Keenan Allen inks a one -year
29:51
$8 .5 million deal. When we look at his stats
29:54
from this past season, 121 targets for 70 receptions,
29:57
744 receiving yards, seven touchdowns, and 10
30:01
.6 receiving yards per reception. Although I
30:04
feel like it was a little bit of an overpay,
30:05
I understand why they did it. Because right now
30:08
they needed a veteran presence in that receiver
30:10
room. Let me just read to you the receivers that
30:13
they have right now. Lab McConkie, Quentin Johnson,
30:16
Trey Harris, Darius Davis, Keiondre Lambert -Smith,
30:20
Des Hispatrick, Jalen Johnson, Jaquay Jackson,
30:23
Jalen Rieger, Brandon Rice, and Luke Grimm. So
30:26
out of all those receivers, most likely it's
30:29
going to be Keenan Allen, Lab McConkie, Trey
30:32
Harris. Jalen Rieger, I would say Keiondre Lambert
30:35
-Smith will probably be in there. Brandon Rice,
30:37
you can probably throw them in there. So they
30:40
have a young receiver core, but I think adding
30:43
a veteran presence will definitely help them
30:46
in the long run because you're going to have
30:48
somebody that's done it and you have somebody
30:51
that played at a very high level that can show
30:53
them, hey, this is what I do when I'm running
30:55
this route. Hey, this is what I do when I'm facing
30:57
this type of corner or this is what I do when
31:00
I'm facing this type of defense. That's what
31:03
you need. Not to mention, this is a consistent
31:05
weapon for Justin Herbert right now. Because
31:09
outside of Keenan Allen, Ladd McConkie, Trey
31:12
Harris, Keiondre Lambert -Smith, Jalen Rieger,
31:16
and Brandon Rice are probably the only receivers
31:17
that he actually has chemistry with. Quentin
31:20
Johnson, me personally, I don't know what's going
31:23
on with him, but I feel like he's falling out
31:25
of the good graces of the Chargers right now.
31:28
Because he just can't hold on to the ball. Why?
31:31
I don't know. He has all the talent in the world,
31:33
but he just can't hold on to the ball. But right
31:37
now, I feel like this is a better offense with
31:39
Keenan Allen than without him. I mean, even when
31:42
you look at his stats from this past season,
31:44
he was still really good. Seven touchdowns? That's
31:48
not bad. The only reason why that he left the
31:52
Chargers was for a financial reason. It wasn't
31:55
because of his play. It was just because he had
31:57
a high salary cap and a crazy contract and just
32:00
like, hey, we're trying to go in a different
32:02
direction. They asked him if he wanted to take
32:04
a pay cut and he didn't want to do it at first.
32:07
So then once he left the Bears, he was probably
32:09
like, I probably should have taken that pay cut.
32:12
I want to go back home. And that's what he did.
32:14
He went back home. So all in all, I feel like
32:17
it's a really good situation for the Chargers.
32:20
Do I think this... Boost them up a little bit
32:22
more. Only time will tell. But, but since we
32:27
are talking about teams, let's get into team
32:30
rankings. Actually, you know what? No, let's
32:32
hold off of that. We need to talk about this
32:34
trade very quickly and then we'll get into these
32:37
rankings because I know this is going to be the
32:39
part that everybody's going to talk about. All
32:41
right, so let's just do it. So the Eagles and
32:43
Raiders made a quick trade. So the Eagles will
32:45
receive Ja 'Korian Bennett corner while the Raiders
32:48
will receive Thomas Booker the fourth. defensive
32:52
tackle. So all in all, I think this is a pretty
32:54
good trade for both sides. I mean, it'll probably
32:57
give both players a better situation to possibly
33:00
compete and get on the main roster. We all know
33:03
that the Raiders are trying to bolster up their
33:06
defensive line depth, especially with the departure
33:08
of Christian Wilkins. And we all know that the
33:11
Eagles are trying to bolster up their other cornerback
33:13
room because outside of Quinion Mitchell, who
33:16
else do they have? No disrespect to anybody else.
33:18
Just saying. Just saying, Eagle fans. Don't hurt
33:20
me, please. Please don't hurt me. But since we're
33:23
talking about the Eagles, let's get into these
33:24
team rankings. But before we do that, we got
33:27
to pay some bills. Pardon the interruption, but
33:29
this is your GM, your bad road dominance, here
33:32
to talk about RSS .com, all right? So if you
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guys already don't know, I am a RSS .com affiliate.
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And so I just want to tell you for just a quick
33:40
moment about why you should choose RSS .com.
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so me personally on my journey of podcasting
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i was looking at different platforms just to
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find the right place and i looked here i looked
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there i looked everywhere but i checked out rss
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.com and it was the best decision i ever made
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from low prices to interactive analytics to as
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When you click on that link, I will be able to
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and more. Thank you for your support and thank
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you rss .com for making me an affiliate. Now
34:51
back to the good stuff. Alright folks, the moment
34:54
that we all have been waiting for is finally
34:57
here. My team rankings. Okay, so let's start
35:00
this. Alright, this is assigned seats. Alright,
35:03
everybody has their assigned seats. You know
35:06
where you're going to be at. Alright, so let's
35:08
break this thing down. Super Bowl contenders,
35:10
playoff contenders, pretender contenders, dark
35:14
horse playoff contenders, and... It's not your
35:17
turn, contenders. All right, so let's start with
35:19
the Super Bowl contenders. We already know who
35:21
they're going to be, but there's going to be
35:22
one that's going to blow everyone's mind. So
35:24
let's just get into it. So Ravens, Chiefs, Bills,
35:27
Buccaneers, and Eagles. Now for all those people
35:31
that are probably wondering, why not the 49ers?
35:33
No, the 49ers have lost more than gained in this
35:38
offseason. Me personally, with their receiving
35:41
core being as depleted as they are. Unless they
35:44
make a big move and maybe getting someone like
35:46
a Terry McLaurin, I just don't see it personally.
35:49
I'm just going to be completely honest. Between
35:51
receiver and corner, those are their two weak
35:54
spots right now. And I just feel like they haven't
35:57
done enough to properly address it. Granted,
36:00
I understand Brandon Ewing will still be able
36:03
to play this season, but you need him now. And
36:06
with him not being there, as well as Jawan Jennings,
36:10
No, I just don't see it personally. But when
36:12
we look at the Buccaneers, in my mind, and shout
36:16
out to Mook and shout out to Shane for helping
36:18
me with this, the Buccaneers have the best receiving
36:23
core in the entire league. You have Chris Godwin,
36:26
Emeka Abuka, Mike Evans, Jalen McMillan, and
36:32
I forgot who the other receiver is. They literally
36:35
have a receiving core that each and every one
36:38
of their receivers will be a starting receiver
36:40
on any other team in the NFL right now. That's
36:44
rare. On top of that, Baker Mayfield has been
36:47
playing his best ball since being with the Buccaneers,
36:50
and that defense, that defense is potent. Now,
36:55
I will say this. The only weak spot in that defense,
36:58
to me personally, this is just my personal opinion,
37:01
is pass rush and corner. And that's why I was
37:04
saying for the entire time when Jalen Ramsey
37:06
was trying to find his way out from Miami, the
37:10
Buccaneers should trade for him because by doing
37:12
so, that would have shored up the defense. Because
37:15
now you're going to have a quarterback room that
37:17
has Jamel Dean, Benjamin Morrison, Jalen Ramsey,
37:22
and then you'll have Antoine Winfield Jr. in
37:24
the back. You have Levante David as the linebacker.
37:28
Then... You'll have Vita Veya. You'll have Kalijah
37:31
Cansey. You'll have Shaq Barrett. You'll have
37:33
Hassan Reddick. Like, that's a really good defense.
37:35
I'm sorry. This is the same team that has whooped,
37:39
and I mean whooped, the Eagles, Vikings, and
37:43
all the top NFC contenders. They have all beaten
37:47
them in the last few years. So, yes, in my mind,
37:50
they are Super Bowl contenders. Now, I will say
37:52
this. If they go after another top -end pass
37:56
rusher, if they get someone like a Jadeveon Clowney,
37:58
if they try to make a big move and go after Micah
38:01
Parsons, and if they address corner, nobody is
38:04
stopping this team. I am willing to die on that
38:06
hill. We already know about the Ravens, Chiefs,
38:08
Bills, Eagles. There's nothing really to say
38:10
about that. Now, playoff contenders. Commanders,
38:13
Vikings, Texans, Packers, Chargers, Rams, Lions.
38:17
Originally, I did have the Lions in the Super
38:19
Bowl contender, you know, seats. But... Me personally,
38:24
with everything that they've gone through this
38:26
entire offseason, I just don't see it. I'm sorry.
38:29
When you lose both your offensive and defensive
38:31
coordinator in one offseason, and then you lose
38:34
those positional coaches that were under them
38:36
as well, and all you did was just elevate people
38:39
instead of trying to at least make one big hire
38:42
on either the offense or the defense, I'm sorry.
38:45
That's a problem with me. But let's keep this
38:47
going, all right? So Texans, I still consider
38:50
them a playoff contender. Yes, they've tried
38:52
to at least bolster up the run game a little
38:54
bit more by adding Nick Chubb. You address the
38:57
offensive line a little bit. Me personally, I
38:59
feel like they should have made more additions
39:00
to the offensive line just to protect C .J. Stroud
39:03
and to better improve the run game as a whole
39:05
because the defense last year was keeping them
39:09
when they were going up against the Chiefs. It
39:11
was just the offense that was stagnant. And I've
39:14
said this before in previous episodes. If that
39:16
run game was a little bit better and a little
39:19
bit more consistent, they would have beaten the
39:21
Chiefs. Because Will Anderson and Daniil Hunter
39:24
was going after Patrick Mahomes relentlessly.
39:27
Now when we look at the Vikings, Packers, Chargers,
39:31
Rams, Commanders, all of them are playoff contenders,
39:37
yes. But I feel like personally... There is a
39:42
roadblock that's preventing them from being considered
39:44
a Super Bowl contender, whether it be a competitive
39:48
division, a position of need that they still
39:51
have to address, or they still need to see something
39:53
within their quarterback, a variety of different
39:55
things. Now, me personally with the Vikings,
39:58
yes, they are playoff contenders. I feel like
40:01
personally, if J .J. McCarthy played last season
40:04
and he actually played fairly well, then I would
40:07
say, okay. You could probably make a strong case
40:10
that they're Super Bowl contenders. But technically
40:12
speaking, this is his rookie year. So I want
40:16
to see where this team is going to be at because
40:18
last year they were great. OK, they were firing
40:22
on all cylinders. The defense was playing great.
40:24
The offense was playing great. So I want to see
40:27
if that momentum is going to carry in this upcoming
40:29
season. Commanders, they made a lot of moves.
40:32
They short up the offensive line. They add in
40:34
Deebo Samuel. They made additions to the cornerback
40:37
room. I feel like they're there, but I feel like
40:40
personally they are missing an elite pass rusher.
40:43
If they get Micah Parsons, oh yeah, their Super
40:46
Bowl team. Because you're not going to stop Deron
40:48
Payne, Johnny Newton, Micah Parsons, Frankie
40:52
Lou Vu, and Javon Kinlaw. You're just not going
40:55
to do that. I'm sorry. Okay? And then offensively,
40:58
we already know what they have. Most likely,
40:59
they're going to keep Terry McLaurin. You have
41:01
Deebo Samuel. You have Noah Brown, Zach Ertz.
41:03
You have the run game intact. I feel like they
41:06
can make some noise. That's just my personal
41:07
opinion. Packers. Packers are an underrated playoff
41:11
team, personally. I feel like they have a lot
41:14
of pieces in place, and I feel like they can
41:16
definitely be successful this year. But I think
41:18
it all depends on Jordan Love, as well as the
41:22
receiver room. because they've made a lot of
41:25
additions to the receiver room, and the receiver
41:26
room right now is packed. So I want to see, can
41:29
this receiver room and Jordan Love, can they
41:31
have some type of connection? Can they be on
41:33
one accord? Because I feel like if they're on
41:35
one accord, oh, the Super Bowl is the ceiling
41:38
for them. I'm just going to be completely honest
41:40
here. You can hate me all you want, but these
41:42
are just my opinions, all right? Rams, they are
41:45
playoff contenders right now. I feel like right
41:47
now their most dire need is corner. I think if
41:52
they address corner, we can have a conversation.
41:55
And we all know what somebody has been tweeting
41:58
lately in Aaron Donald, unfortunately. Aaron
42:02
Donald has said that he would be willing to come
42:05
out of retirement if the Rams get Micah Parsons,
42:08
which, speaking of which, let's talk about that
42:10
for a second here, folks. If you're the Rams,
42:12
and if you want to at least go back to the Super
42:15
Bowl one more time, And if it means that you
42:18
go back to the Super Bowl with Aaron Donald,
42:21
I think you make that move for Micah Parsons.
42:24
You have two first round picks. Your GM said
42:27
it. Fuck them picks. You trade away those two
42:31
first round picks. You get Micah Parsons. You
42:34
give him at least some short term of a deal,
42:37
maybe a one or two year deal. And you just go
42:39
from there because everything else is in place.
42:42
That defensive line will be the greatest defensive
42:45
line in NFL history. You're going to have Kobe
42:48
Turner, Brandon Fisk, Jared Verse, Aaron Donald,
42:52
Micah Parsons. Who's stopping the defensive line?
42:55
Nobody. And not to mention, by making that move,
42:59
that means that you necessarily don't have to
43:02
address corner if you don't want to. So if I'm
43:05
the Rams, do it. Because most likely, the Falcons
43:09
aren't going to go anywhere this season. So you'll
43:11
probably have, what, a top five pick. On top
43:14
of whatever pick that you're going to have. If
43:17
you're the Cowboys, you have to take that. Let's
43:20
really have an honest conversation here. Matthew
43:22
Stafford's age is starting to show. All of those
43:25
hits and injuries that he had, they're starting
43:28
to show. So if you're the Rams, you want to try
43:31
to maximize this year. Because next year, me
43:35
personally, I wouldn't be surprised if the Rams
43:37
actually draft a quarterback in the first round
43:39
next year. but I'll save that when we talk about
43:42
quarterback prospects and whatnot, right? So
43:44
pretender contenders, all right? Steelers, Bengals,
43:48
and 49ers. So with the 49ers, you already know,
43:51
I've said this before and I'll say this multiple
43:53
times, I don't trust their offense nor their
43:55
defense. I feel like if they would have at least
43:58
made one big move for receiver, then I would
44:01
have a little bit more confidence in them. And
44:04
then me personally, I feel like they're too top
44:06
heavy, right? If Christian McCaffrey gets hurt,
44:09
God forbid, or Trent Williams or George Kittle,
44:12
that offense isn't the same. And we all know
44:15
that that offense relies on George Kittle and
44:20
Christian McCaffrey and company. It's the same
44:22
thing with the defense. The defense lost Charverius
44:25
Ward, Dre Greenlaw, Talanua Hofunga, Gravedigger.
44:29
You lost a lot of really good players. Now, granted,
44:33
you guys draft Alfred Collins and CJ West. But
44:37
you didn't really do anything with the quarterback
44:39
room, nor in the safety room. So I feel like
44:42
those are the two positions that really need
44:44
to be addressed. And if they're not addressed
44:45
leading into the regular season, it's going to
44:48
be a problem. I understand that you have the
44:50
easiest schedule, but don't mistake that as your
44:53
golden ticket to the Super Bowl, because it's
44:55
not. But let's keep this thing going. Bengals,
44:58
I don't trust you a lick. Because outside of
45:02
Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase, T. Higgins, Mike Gusecki,
45:05
Noah Fant, There is nothing else on this team
45:09
that you have to be worried about. And even then,
45:11
you don't have to be as concerned with that core.
45:15
That defense, it's not reliable. You can't trust
45:19
it. Especially if Trey Hendrickson isn't playing.
45:22
Oh, you definitely can't trust it. Because who
45:24
on that defensive line strikes fear in an offense?
45:28
It's not B .J. Hill. It's not Miles Murphy. It's
45:31
not Shamar Stewart. It would be Trey Hendrickson.
45:34
But clearly, the Bengals don't want to pay him,
45:36
so guess what? There's nothing to fear. Who do
45:39
you fear in that cornerback room? Nobody. Who
45:41
do you fear in that linebacker room? Nobody.
45:43
Who do you fear in that safety room? Nobody.
45:46
The Bengals will literally be in a shootout for
45:49
18 weeks. And out of those 18 weeks, you're going
45:53
to lose more than win. Steelers, I don't trust
45:58
you, and here's why. For one, this offense has
46:02
shown that it is not. And this offense needs
46:06
to make at least one more major addition in order
46:09
to at least put a little bit of fear in defenses.
46:13
If this offense still had George Pickens, I would
46:17
have no problem. But outside of DK Metcalf, who
46:21
can you rely on right now? Who is your number
46:23
two outside receiver that you can trust right
46:25
now? Because right now, from what I've heard,
46:27
Scottie Miller has been cooking. Roman Wilson
46:30
really ain't been playing the best. He really
46:31
ain't been consistent. Calvin Austin? They say
46:34
he's hurt. Me personally, I don't think he's
46:36
hurt. I think he's having a hold in and they're
46:38
just not saying it. Because I think he's looking
46:40
for money. I do not trust this team not one bit.
46:44
Granted, you have the defense. And the defense
46:47
has been playing on all cylinders. But this offense
46:51
has been getting its ass kicked every single
46:55
day. If I'm not mistaken, the offense has only
46:59
won three days. The rest of the days? The defense
47:04
has been kicking their teeth down their throat.
47:07
That is not a good sign, folks. Not to mention,
47:10
the offensive line has not been playing well
47:13
either. And this may turn into a little bit of
47:15
a rant, but I really don't care. Broderick Jones
47:18
needs to step up. There is no excuse on why Broderick
47:23
Jones has not taken that next step to really
47:26
solidifying his role on this team. You have access
47:29
to former players and current players that you
47:32
can reach out to to say, hey, what can I do to
47:34
make my game better? What can I do to take that
47:37
next step? But you're not willing to do that.
47:39
I understand that Pat Meyer is not a good offensive
47:43
line coach. But that doesn't mean that you just
47:46
use that as a crook on why you're not where you're
47:49
supposed to be at. And this goes to the Steelers.
47:53
Because once again, you have drafted a position.
47:57
That you didn't need to draft in that specific
47:59
draft class. Let me explain. Let's go a little
48:02
bit deeper. You drafted Kenny Pickett in a bad
48:06
quarterback class. That next year, you had C
48:09
.J. Stroud and company that was coming out. You
48:12
should have just waited. You did it again with
48:15
Broderick Jones. You knew that that wasn't a
48:18
good tackle class. And next year, you had what?
48:27
A whole bunch of really good tackles that were
48:30
coming out. Paris Campbell, if I'm not mistaken.
48:32
JC Latham. But you decided to take a project
48:36
and a tackle for what? Anytime you are winning
48:41
against Tier 3 and Tier 2 pass rushers, that
48:45
is a problem. See, it's a difference if you're
48:48
playing right tackle. But you're playing left
48:50
tackle. So you're going up against Myles Garrett
48:52
twice. You're going up against some of the better
48:55
pass rushers on that left side. And if you don't
48:58
protect that side, Aaron Rodgers is going to
49:01
dig in your ass. If you don't believe me, ask
49:04
Mike Williams. Because he did it. So if you're
49:07
Rodger Jones, you need to step up. You need to
49:11
solidify yourself on this team. Because if you
49:14
don't, guess what's going to happen? Next year,
49:16
they're going to draft your replacement. Sure,
49:19
you're winning against Nick Herbert. Who cares?
49:22
I want to see what you can do against a T .J.
49:24
Watt. I want to see what you can do against those
49:26
elite pass rushers because that's what you're
49:29
going up against. And I said this on YouTube.
49:31
I forgot what Steelers podcast I was listening
49:34
to, but everyone was talking about how, you know,
49:37
Project Jones is doing a good job. No, he's not.
49:41
We have to be honest here. Everyone shares a
49:44
level of accountability with this decision because
49:47
you decided to draft somebody when you knew an
49:51
offensive line coach that you couldn't really
49:53
trust. But at the same time, we also must be
49:57
honest here. We can't call Pat Meyer a really
50:01
bad offensive line coach when Troy Fatano was
50:03
making strides, when Zach Frazier was making
50:06
strides, when Mason McCormick was making strides,
50:08
Dylan Cook is making strides. Everybody else
50:11
on the offensive line is improving, but the only
50:14
person that's not improving is who? Project Jones.
50:17
Even when you look at their regular season, you're
50:20
going up against New York, so most likely you're
50:22
going to be going up against who? Jermaine Johnson
50:24
probably? Okay, fine. Let's skip a few teams,
50:26
okay? Minnesota. You're going up against a defensive
50:29
line that has Gravedigger and Jonathan Allen
50:33
and the pass rusher that they just drafted two
50:36
years ago. Okay, let's keep on going. Cleveland,
50:38
Myles Garrett, twice. Indianapolis, DeForest
50:42
Buckner, Quiddie Paye, Latu Latu. I can just
50:45
keep on going if you want. Better yet, let's
50:47
just keep on going. The Chargers, you're going
50:49
up against Khalil Mack. Do you think you can
50:51
beat him? I don't think so. Buffalo, you're going
50:54
up against Gregory Russo. The same Gregory Russo
50:57
that put belt to ass in that joint practice last
51:01
year. Think you can do that? No. Detroit, you
51:04
might be going up against Aiden Hutchinson. I
51:06
don't think you can hold your own against Aiden
51:07
Hutchinson. And this isn't me hating on Broderick
51:11
Jones. This is me addressing the elephant in
51:15
the room because nobody else has the balls to
51:19
do it. If a person isn't playing well, And they
51:22
play a very important role in this team. And
51:26
you invested a first round pick. Better yet,
51:28
you traded up to draft him. And he hasn't panned
51:33
out by now. That is on you. Because you know
51:36
what that means? That is another year that you
51:39
have wasted a first round pick. That is another
51:41
year that you most likely are going to have to
51:43
go in free agency or in the draft next year.
51:46
And you're going to have to draft a replacement.
51:48
That's what it means. I get it. Dan Moore was
51:52
a little bit inconsistent. I understand he has
51:55
his highs and his lows, but that's any player.
51:58
But look, would you rather take Dan Moore now
52:02
or would you rather deal with Broderick Jones?
52:04
You make the choice. But outside of everything
52:07
else, the Steelers are pretenders. I do not expect
52:10
them to go to the playoffs, let alone win the
52:12
playoff game. I still do not trust Aaron Rodgers.
52:16
And another thing that we need to talk about
52:18
while we're talking about the Steelers, the fact
52:21
that they are not letting their starters on offense
52:25
at least play at least a few snaps just so they
52:29
can build that chemistry and just have some tape
52:32
on board just to look at is a crime. I understand
52:36
Aaron Rodgers is Mr. I'm opposed to playing in
52:38
the preseason because I'm above it. Well, guess
52:41
what? Newsflash, old man. You need this more
52:44
just as much as everybody else because that was
52:47
the same problem that you had last year with
52:49
your receivers. You had no chemistry with them.
52:52
So what did the Jets have to do? They went and
52:55
they traded for your guy in Devontae Adams. Let's
52:58
call it for what it is, folks. This is about
53:01
to be a load of bull. Everything is peaches and
53:04
cream right now because the record is 0 -0. I
53:08
said this before in previous episodes and I'm
53:10
going to continue to say it. How is this team
53:12
going to respond when Aaron Rodgers is in his
53:15
feelings and this team is going on a losing streak?
53:19
When this team isn't playing their best ball?
53:21
When the receivers aren't playing best? How are
53:23
they going to respond? How are the leaders in
53:26
the locker room going to hold Aaron Rodgers accountable
53:29
when he's going on these tirades? Because it's
53:31
going to happen. It's going to happen. If he
53:34
can throw Mike Williams and everybody else on
53:36
that Jets team under the bus, we are not excluded.
53:40
And this is something that Colin Coward said,
53:43
and in some ways I had to look at it, and it
53:45
sort of makes sense. The Steelers are a more
53:48
organized version of the Jets. We drafted tackles,
53:53
back -to -back drafts, receiver core, run game,
53:57
defensive coach, defensive culture. That's all
53:59
we are. But we beat on our chest and we say,
54:02
oh, this is going to be a different year. This
54:04
is different. We got a quarterback that's going
54:06
to be able to attack the middle of the field.
54:08
I haven't seen this offense attack anybody. All
54:10
I've seen and all I've heard is this offense
54:12
just being deplorable and just getting punched
54:14
every single chance that it gets. If this offense
54:18
is more productive without Jalen Ramsey, Joey
54:22
Porter Jr., Darius Slade being on the field,
54:25
that is a problem. Because this offense... It's
54:28
supposed to go toe -to -toe with that defense.
54:31
That is the only way that you can know, hey,
54:34
we're in a good spot. Hey, we're in a good direction.
54:38
Things are on the up and up. This is something
54:40
that we can live with. But if the offense is
54:44
getting its teeth punched in every single practice,
54:48
that's not good. So everyone needs to step up.
54:52
Now that I'm done with my rant, let's just keep
54:54
on going with other teams, okay? So Dark Horse
54:56
playoff contenders. Broncos, Patriots, Panthers.
55:00
Yes, the Panthers. Hear me out. The Panthers
55:04
have made a lot of good moves this offseason.
55:06
Granted, I understand I talked about it and I
55:09
sort of grilled them a little bit when I was
55:11
talking about gut check time and everything.
55:13
But when I really look at it, they made a lot
55:15
of moves. I mean, what? You now have a receiving
55:19
core that has Xavier Leguette, Hunter Renfro,
55:21
Adam Thielen, and Tetsuro McMillan, okay? You
55:25
still have Trevor Hubbard. You have a pretty
55:28
decent offensive line. They made a lot of moves
55:31
for the defensive line and the defense as a whole.
55:34
I think this team is in a really good spot, not
55:36
to mention the division is weak. So most likely
55:40
you'll be the second or third best team in the
55:42
division. Me personally, I would say second because
55:45
I don't trust the Falcons, nor do I trust the
55:47
Saints. And I believe the Saints are most likely
55:50
tanking to get a high pick so that they can get
55:52
their quarterback of the future. So I think the
55:55
Panthers can do it. Bryce Young coming off the
55:58
bench last season was putting on a show. I don't
56:01
know if people realize that, but he was doing
56:02
his thing. Now the Broncos, we have Bo Nix. You
56:06
just locked up Corlin Sutton. You locked up your
56:08
left tackle. You have J .K. Donaldson, R .J.
56:11
Harvey. Like the Broncos are going to be a sleeper.
56:15
The Broncos will be the team that prevents the
56:18
Chiefs from getting a top seed in the playoffs.
56:21
I truly believe that. Because that defense can
56:26
hold their own against the Chiefs. That offense
56:29
showed a lot of grit last season. Bo Nix surprised
56:34
a lot of people. Now granted, I remember watching
56:40
Bo Nix when he was in college and when he went
56:42
up against Colorado. He was doing his thing there.
56:45
And at first I was like, maybe he's a top first
56:48
round pick. But then as the season progressed,
56:51
he had his highs and lows. I was like, is he
56:54
really still a first round pick? But Sean Payton
56:56
made the best decision in drafting Bo Nix. So
56:59
I believe that they're a dark horse. Patriots,
57:01
I think they're a dark horse too. Me personally,
57:05
if that offensive line can actually play just
57:08
at least a little bit better than what they did
57:10
last year, I think they can do something. On
57:13
top of that, you have Stephon Diggs, you have
57:15
Matt Hollins. You have Javon Baker. You have
57:19
Keyshawn Boutier. You have Kyron Williams. You
57:23
have a lot on this offense. Then when you look
57:25
at the defense, you got Milton Williams, Harold
57:28
Landry, Keon White. You have Christian Gonzalez.
57:31
You have Carlton Davis. You have a lot on this
57:34
team. I think Mike Vrabel is going to really
57:37
surprise a lot of people. I can make a strong
57:40
case that right now, they will be the second
57:42
best team in that division. They will be the
57:45
team. that will punch the Bills in the mouth
57:47
this year. They will be the reason why the Bills
57:51
are going to have to scratch and claw to get
57:54
into the playoffs or to get a high seed in the
57:57
playoffs. Now, when we look at it's not your
58:00
turn, contenders, Titans, you guys are still
58:02
going through a rebuild. You guys got Cam Ward.
58:05
He's still the rookie. I don't have high hopes
58:07
for this team moving forward. I wouldn't be surprised
58:09
if the coach is fired probably around maybe Thanksgiving
58:12
or just after this season. Raiders, although
58:15
you have Geno Smith, I still feel like you guys
58:18
don't have enough to really say that you guys
58:21
are there to really compete. Now, granted, maybe
58:23
in the regular season, you can surprise some
58:25
people. But as far as being legitimate contenders,
58:29
I just don't see it. Dolphins, I want to give
58:32
them a chance, but I just don't see it. I just
58:35
feel like, personally, they're just going to
58:37
blow this thing up. I just feel like they've
58:40
tried with Mike McDaniels and... It just hasn't
58:44
been super successful. Ever since that game where
58:48
they almost broke the record for scoring the
58:50
most points in a single game, they have been
58:53
playing well. When they went up against the Chiefs
58:56
in the cold, they folded. That's not a good sign,
59:01
folks. They can beat up on all the other teams,
59:05
the teams that nobody cares about, but when they
59:08
go up against true competition, guess what happens?
59:10
They fold. It's the same thing with the Steelers.
59:12
It's the same thing with the Steelers. The Steelers
59:15
can beat the Dolphins, the Jaguars, Panthers,
59:17
Falcons, all those weaker teams. But when they
59:21
go up against true competition, when they go
59:24
up against the Eagles, the Chiefs, the Ravens,
59:26
the Bills, guess what happens? Folded like a
59:30
lawn chair. Cowboys, I don't see it. Your defense
59:34
doesn't have enough to say, hey, they don't have
59:37
anything on the defense that you can say, hey,
59:40
they might be a problem this year. especially
59:42
with the whole Micah Parsons situation. Oh, no.
59:44
If Micah Parsons is really serious and he misses
59:48
some game checks, this defense isn't going to
59:50
go anywhere. I'm just going to be completely
59:53
honest here. There is nobody else on this defensive
59:55
line that makes you say, whoa, they still going
59:58
to be a problem. And then the offense, granted,
1:00:00
you have CeeDee Lamb, you have George Pickens,
1:00:02
you have Dak Prescott. Okay, cool. I still feel
1:00:05
like that's not enough. Their left tackle position
1:00:07
is a question mark because you're bringing in
1:00:09
Lyle Collins. I just don't see what the Cowboys
1:00:13
this year. I think personally, Brian Schottenheimer
1:00:16
is just a holdover for a coach that they really
1:00:19
want to get next year personally, but I can be
1:00:22
wrong. Giants, same thing. I don't believe they
1:00:25
have enough on offense to legitimately say that,
1:00:28
hey, we can make some noise. I mean, sure, you're
1:00:31
going to have Russell Wilson, but how well is
1:00:33
Russell Wilson going to be playing? Because we
1:00:35
all saw how he was last season and he had his
1:00:37
highs, he has his lows. His lows were really
1:00:40
low, but his highs were pretty up there. Jaguars,
1:00:44
sure, this is the first year with Liam Cohen.
1:00:47
I want to give them a chance. I just don't trust
1:00:49
Trevor Lawrence at this point. I'll continue
1:00:51
to say this. I don't believe Trevor Lawrence
1:00:53
is an elite quarterback. I feel like he was overpaid,
1:00:56
and I don't see it. I'm just going to be completely
1:00:59
honest. When you look at their division as a
1:01:02
whole, they can't go toe -to -toe with the Texans
1:01:04
or the Colts. Sure, they can maybe do... A little
1:01:08
bit of something with the Titans, but I mean,
1:01:09
it's the Titans. Need I say more? The Saints,
1:01:13
you're going through a rebuild. End of discussion,
1:01:15
okay? Falcons, I want to give them a chance,
1:01:19
but I still feel like they're not ready yet.
1:01:21
I still feel like they still need at least maybe
1:01:23
one or two more really good drafts. Sure, they
1:01:27
try to bolster up the defensive line this past
1:01:29
draft because they want to be able to go after
1:01:31
the quarterback. That's fine. But when you look
1:01:33
at everything else, I still feel like there's
1:01:36
some question marks for the offensive weapons,
1:01:38
and I just feel like they can't really go toe
1:01:41
-to -toe with the Buccaneers, nor the Panthers.
1:01:44
I feel like right now the Panthers could easily
1:01:46
beat the Falcons. Am I wrong? If I am, let me
1:01:49
know in the comments. Bears, at best, they are
1:01:53
probably the third or fourth best team in their
1:01:56
division. You can't go toe -to -toe with the
1:01:57
Lions, or the Vikings, or the Packers. Granted!
1:02:01
You drafted Luther Burden. You bolstered up that
1:02:04
offensive line. You brought in, I think, another
1:02:07
tight end, if I'm not mistaken. You've made a
1:02:09
lot of moves offensively. You brought in Ben
1:02:12
Johnson as the head coach. Have a lot of high
1:02:14
hopes for them. But let's be real here. I don't
1:02:17
see it. Can they prove me wrong? Sure. I think
1:02:19
at best this is probably a 5 -7 win team. At
1:02:24
best. And that's me being generous. Browns, you're
1:02:30
rebuilding. Okay, you guys aren't going anywhere.
1:02:33
Sure, you can be a nuisance to your division
1:02:36
rivals, but I don't expect you to make it to
1:02:39
the playoffs. I don't expect you to win a playoff
1:02:42
game. I don't expect you to really do anything
1:02:45
this season. Cardinals, I have my hopes for them,
1:02:49
but I just don't feel like it's your turn this
1:02:51
year. Maybe you guys are missing out a few different
1:02:54
positions, but I just feel like they're missing
1:02:56
something. I don't know what it is, but they're
1:02:59
missing something. They have the weapons on both
1:03:02
sides of the ball, but their division is going
1:03:04
to be a little bit competitive this year. The
1:03:06
49ers are going to try to put their best foot
1:03:08
forward this year. Colts, this all depends on
1:03:12
quarterback play. And me personally, I would
1:03:14
venture to say Daniel Jones is probably going
1:03:16
to be the starting quarterback this year. I feel
1:03:18
like Anthony Richardson lost his job last night,
1:03:21
but that's going to be a separate topic that
1:03:22
we'll probably have to talk about in another
1:03:24
episode. Jets, again, quarterback play. I just
1:03:27
feel like Justin Fields is too inconsistent with
1:03:31
his quarterback play that it's really going to
1:03:34
affect the Jets. Granted, you have a really good
1:03:36
defense, but if your quarterback isn't at least
1:03:39
playing average to above average, then we have
1:03:42
a problem. I just don't trust this Jets offense
1:03:45
right now. Justin Fields, sure, he has all the
1:03:49
potential in the world, but I want to see if
1:03:52
he can put it all together. Do I think he can
1:03:54
do it? Yes. But I think right now in that division,
1:03:58
I mean, the Patriots, they're going to give you
1:04:01
some problems. The Dolphins, they may try to,
1:04:03
you know, put up a little bit of a fight. But
1:04:05
I mean, if you're the Jets, you have to set your
1:04:09
expectations fairly low this year. I feel like
1:04:11
maybe give it one more draft depending on what
1:04:14
they do. Then we can maybe have a conversation.
1:04:17
But I'm going to end this episode here. If you
1:04:19
guys like what you are listening, please, please,
1:04:21
please, please, please make sure you guys download
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bunch of links to different places that you can
1:04:47
listen to us on, all right? Now, for our YouTube
1:04:51
people, footballjunkiespod, all right? Football
1:04:55
Junkies Pod. When you go on our YouTube page,
1:04:57
Football Junkies Pod, I'm going to say it again,
1:04:58
there is a link tree. When you click on that
1:05:01
link tree, it'll take you to anywhere and everywhere
1:05:03
that we have Football Junkies content, as well
1:05:06
as our RSS affiliate link. When you sign up with
1:05:10
our RSS affiliate link, we will be able to receive
1:05:13
a commission for it. All commissions will go
1:05:16
back to the Football Junkies podcast, whether
1:05:19
it means we upgrade the equipment, we get more
1:05:21
analytical data by signing up for like PFF or,
1:05:25
you know, reception perception or, you know,
1:05:29
better computers just so we can give out a better
1:05:32
product for you guys. OK, now for my TikTok people,
1:05:35
Football Junkies pod. All right. Football Junkies
1:05:38
pod. There's a lot of clips I need to work on.
1:05:40
Once I'm done with this episode, we will be working
1:05:43
on those clips so we can give it out to you guys,
1:05:45
all right? Now, for my Instagram people, football
1:05:48
underscore junkies pod, all right? Football underscore
1:05:50
junkies pod. Junkies pod is not what? It is together,
1:05:59
not spaced, okay? It is together. not space,
1:06:03
football underscore junkies pod, all right? You
1:06:06
can follow me on X, G -M -K -L, all right? G
1:06:09
-M -K -A -I -L -E. And it's the same thing with
1:06:13
Blue Sky, G -M -K -L -K -A -I -L -E, all right?
1:06:16
As always, I hope I gave you guys the fix that
1:06:19
you guys need. I love you guys. I appreciate
1:06:20
you guys so much. Make sure you guys are watching
1:06:22
some preseason games tonight, all right? Shador's
1:06:24
gonna be playing tonight. I'm gonna be watching
1:06:26
that game. And we'll probably talk about that
1:06:28
game as well. And we might actually talk about
1:06:31
that game the Steelers game, possibly the Ravens
1:06:34
game. There's going to be a few games that we're
1:06:36
going to be talking about, all right? So as always,
1:06:38
this is your GM, Kale, signing out. Peace and
1:06:40
love. Later.