Latest / Football Junkies podcast / Ep.88: The price of a superstar pt.2

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Ep.88: The price of a superstar pt.2 · Football Junkies podcast

0:03
Double bag alert. Double bag alert. Double bag
0:05
alert, folks. That's right. We got a loaded episode.
0:08
And I mean a loaded episode, all right? Colton
0:11
Miller and Zach Allen get paid. Tara McLaurin
0:14
requests a trade. Micah Parsons? Drama? Noah
0:19
fan hits the Cincinnati. Trey Hendrickson reports
0:22
to training camp. Chargers versus Lions recap.
0:25
Yes, we are going to talk about the Hall of Fame
0:28
game. If you don't want to listen to it, guess
0:30
what? You can skip it. It's no problem. It's
0:33
not going to hurt my feelings. And the final
0:35
gut check time, folks. That's right. AFC and
0:38
NFC West. So guess what? You already know my
0:40
spell. This is the 88th episode of the Football
0:43
Junkies podcast, all right? I am your host with
0:46
the most. I'm your bagroll domus. That's right,
0:48
your chief bagroll domus to be specific because
0:51
you know why? I am in charge of anything and
0:53
everything related to the bag, rumors to the
0:56
bag, and more. But guess what? I am your GM who
0:59
currently is not on a team right now, but don't
1:01
you worry about it, all right? Don't you worry
1:03
about it because guess what? I am all these things
1:06
and more. But most importantly, the most important
1:09
thing that you must remember is... I am your
1:11
host, Kale. This is going to be a loaded episode.
1:13
This is going to be an amazing episode because
1:15
you are listening to the greatest football podcast
1:18
that you can listen to on a week -to -week, day
1:21
-to -day basis. So guess what? You already know
1:23
how things are about to end. So guess what? On
1:25
three, one, two, three, let's lock in. Right,
1:55
folks? Let's get into the meat and potatoes of
1:57
everything that is going on in the league right
1:59
now, all right? Let's get these bag alerts out
2:01
the way so we can get to the good stuff, all
2:03
right? Cowboys fans, I want to feel bad for you,
2:07
but I don't. But it's okay. I'll be a shoulder
2:11
that you can cry on just for this episode, all
2:13
right? But let's save that for later. Let's get
2:15
to these bagelers, all right? So Zach Allen,
2:18
defensive lineman for the Broncos, inks a four
2:21
-year, $102 million deal, $69 .5 million guaranteed,
2:26
a $24 million signing bonus, and he will be making
2:29
$25 .5 million a year. I forgot to add this in
2:34
as well. He gets $44 .2 million guaranteed at
2:37
signing. When we look at his stats from this
2:40
past season, 61 tackles and 8 .5 sacks. Folks,
2:44
the Broncos continue to do good business. Zach
2:46
Allen is one of those defensive linemen that
2:48
doesn't get a lot of attention. He doesn't really
2:50
get his flowers. He flies under the radar, but
2:53
you are talking about somebody that since joining
2:56
the Broncos, he has been very productive. I'm
3:00
not saying he has double digit sacks, but I mean,
3:03
eight and a half sacks for the role that he plays
3:06
is a really productive defensive lineman. It
3:09
was only right for the Broncos to give him the
3:12
extension that he so deserves, which, I mean,
3:14
even when you look at this deal, it's not a bad
3:16
deal at all. Because why? The team is still fairly
3:19
young. You still have Bo Nix on his rookie deal.
3:22
I mean, you just paid Cortland Sun not too long
3:24
ago. You paid PS2 as well. It's not that bad.
3:27
This is a really good deal for a really good
3:30
and very, very, very productive player. but congratulations
3:34
to him all right now let's talk about colton
3:36
miller left tackle for the raiders he inks a
3:38
three -year 66 million dollar deal 42 .5 million
3:42
guaranteed and he'll be making 22 million a year
3:45
folks this offseason has been great for left
3:48
tackles all right it was only right that the
3:50
raiders took care of their left tackle who by
3:53
the way has been their longest tenured player
3:56
for a while Derek Carr has been gone for a while,
4:00
Josh Jacobs, Darren Waller, this person, that
4:04
person, all these other people have come and
4:07
gone. But Colton Miller and Max Crosby have been
4:10
the only two players that have stuck by the Raiders.
4:14
Folks, this isn't a deal that's going to break
4:16
the bank. This isn't a deal that's going to have
4:18
the Raiders scratching their head in two years.
4:20
This is a deal for somebody that's been loyal
4:23
to the team through and through. And what better
4:26
way to reward your player that's been with you
4:29
through the ups and downs, the head scratching
4:32
moments, the questionable decisions than to just
4:36
give them a good deal. Now, let's talk about
4:39
Terry McLaurin. OK, let's yeah, because we're
4:42
because we're going to be talking about the NFC
4:43
East for a while. OK, so Terry McLaurin requested
4:48
a trade. So before we get into the hot takes,
4:51
truth bombs and all that other stuff, let's speed
4:53
everybody up. where we are right now with this
4:56
whole situation, all right? So Terry McLaurin
4:59
has requested a trade, and this is due in part
5:02
because there's been little to no progress between
5:05
him and the commanders. Now, prior to him requesting
5:09
a trade, multiple teams have called and were
5:11
told no prior to this point. Now, according to
5:14
Diana Rossini from The Athletic, the road bump
5:17
for this situation is that Terry McLaurin's age
5:20
as well as his price. Now, when we look at notable
5:24
wide receivers who have been in similar situations,
5:26
you have to bring up Tee Higgins, Deebo Samuel,
5:29
and even Brandon Iyuk from last year. According
5:31
to SpotRag, two -year cash payouts for active
5:35
wide receivers who are 29 or older includes Tyree
5:38
Kill at $54 .1 million, Calvin Ridley, $48 million.
5:42
Mike Evans, $44 .6 million. Devontae Adams, $44
5:46
million. Chris Godwin, $44 million. Stefan Diggs,
5:50
$40 .8 million. And Cooper Cup at $31 million.
5:53
So here's the thing. So while I understand that
5:56
the commanders are trying to factor his age on
5:59
why they're not trying to give him the money
6:00
that he's looking for, I think you have to put
6:03
that to a side. Terry McLaurin has been very
6:06
healthy throughout his entire career. It'll be
6:09
different if he's somebody that, you know, the
6:11
last two seasons he's only played like four or
6:13
five games and, you know, he's had significant
6:15
injuries like, you know, torn ACL one year, then
6:18
the next year he's torn an Achilles. Okay, fine.
6:21
You have every right to have the standard that
6:23
you have. Terry McLaurin has been healthy and
6:26
he's been consistent since coming into the league.
6:29
You're talking about somebody that has had multiple
6:31
1 ,000 receiving yard seasons with different
6:34
quarterbacks. Quarterbacks, by the way, who,
6:37
I mean, if we're being real here, wasn't playing
6:39
their best ball. He's been productive with Dwayne
6:42
Haskins, God rest his soul, Alex Smith, Taylor
6:45
Heineke, Ryan Fitzpatrick. I can continue to
6:49
go on and on and on. He's been consistent. So
6:54
it's only right that the commanders give him
6:56
the money that he's looking for. And even then,
6:59
you can structure the contract in a way to where
7:03
he can get a majority of his money up front.
7:06
So that guess what? If anything crazy happens,
7:08
you can move off of him and it doesn't affect
7:11
you long term. You could give him a three year
7:14
deal and, you know, you can jack up the signing
7:17
bonus and, you know, base salary. There's so
7:20
many different ways that you can skin a cat.
7:23
So I don't see what the problem is. You have
7:27
a quarterback that's on a rookie deal. There's
7:30
nobody else on the team that you have to pay
7:33
significant money to, except for Terry McLaurin.
7:36
So I don't understand why things are so bad right
7:39
now. But I will say this. If both sides cannot
7:44
come to an agreement, trade them. Terry McLaurin
7:48
has a market right now. I'm going to give you
7:52
some of the teams that I think. That should go
7:55
after Terry McLaurin. And I'll even explain why.
7:57
But we'll turn this into somewhat of a mini experiment,
8:00
okay? 49ers. First thing that comes to mind.
8:04
You want to know why? For one, Brandon Iyuk is
8:07
still nursing his ACL injury. So most likely,
8:12
he's not going to be available for at least the
8:14
first half of the season. There's nobody else
8:18
outside of Jawan Jennings who even then... He's
8:21
having his own contractual situations as well.
8:25
So outside of those two, all you have is Ricky
8:28
Pearsall and the younger receivers. By bringing
8:32
in Terry McLaurin, for one, you're providing
8:35
help to the wide receiver room. It's a reliable
8:38
and consistent weapon. And if you wanted to,
8:42
you can talk him into taking less. Because why?
8:45
You are still a playoff contender. Let's keep
8:49
on going. The Chiefs. The Chiefs right now need
8:53
a dominant wide receiver. They don't have one
8:56
right now. Sure, Xavier Worthy is a speed demon,
8:59
but okay, fine. You have Juju. He's the veteran.
9:03
Rasheed Rice. I don't know what's going on with
9:07
his legal situation. I don't know if the league
9:09
is going to suspend him or not. So you need to
9:12
be in preparation that most likely he will be
9:14
suspended for at least maybe two to three games,
9:17
maybe a little bit longer. Sky Moore. I would
9:20
venture to say he's falling out of the good graces
9:22
of the team. So with Terry McLaurin, once again,
9:25
you can convince him, hey, we can't give you
9:28
30, but we can try to get you to 30. We can get
9:32
you to 28. We can try to get you to 29 at best.
9:36
I think he would be willing to take that. I think
9:40
that would help the offense a whole lot more,
9:42
but we'll talk about that when we get to gut
9:43
check time, okay? Bills. The Bills don't have
9:46
a true dominant number one receiver. Sure, Keyon
9:50
Cole is a really productive receiver, but he's
9:52
a two. He's not a one. Terry McLaurin is a one.
9:56
Terry McLaurin could be the weapon that you need
9:59
to get over your playoff woes. You can convince
10:02
him to take less. And the Steelers, which, speaking
10:07
of which, according to Chris Halleck from DK
10:09
Pittsburgh Sports, by the way, side note, my
10:12
bad, bro, because I know I butchered your last
10:15
name. On an All Steelers live stream. And I did
10:19
not mean to do that. Shout out to Noah. Shout
10:21
out to DK Pittsburgh Sports. Shout out to Chris
10:24
Hallett. Because you guys put out some great
10:26
content by the way. But we're not here for that.
10:28
Now with the Steelers. The Steelers need a receiver.
10:34
Badly. They tried to give Roman Wilson a chance.
10:38
He hasn't shown anything. Calvin Austin is a
10:41
slot receiver. If DK Metcalf goes down. God forbid.
10:45
Who else in that receiver room can you trust?
10:49
We all saw what happened last season when George
10:52
Pickens got hurt. That wide receiver room was
10:54
unreliable. And sure, they made a trade for Mike
10:57
Williams, but they really wasn't utilizing him.
10:59
The only time that they really used him was for
11:02
the Washington game. And in doing so, he helped
11:05
them win the game. So if I'm the Steelers, I
11:09
probably would want to be the most aggressive
11:11
because why? For one, you brought in a potential
11:14
better quarterback than what you had last year.
11:17
You know that if DK Metcalf gets hurt, there's
11:20
nobody else that you can rely on. And right now,
11:23
Terry McLaurin is probably your best chance of
11:27
this offense really becoming a better offense
11:30
than what it has been the last three to five
11:32
years. I think a receiver core that has DK Metcalf,
11:36
Calvin Austin, and Terry McLaurin is way more
11:39
formidable than what they have right now. Even
11:42
when you look at training camp reports from any
11:45
of the beat writers that are there, they'll all
11:47
say the same thing. The offense continues to
11:51
get dominated. So if you're the Steelers, you
11:54
got to be aggressive. Now, when we talk about
11:56
compensation and stuff like that, I would venture
11:59
to say that the starting point for any Terry
12:02
McLaurin trade would include a second round pick.
12:07
Now, what you do after that second round pick
12:09
depends. Me personally, I would say maybe a second,
12:14
maybe a conditional fourth that can turn into
12:16
a third, maybe a second and a receiver that you
12:19
know is not going to make the roster, maybe a
12:22
second and a third and, you know, something else.
12:25
There's different ways that you can address this
12:28
that's going to benefit both sides. But at the
12:32
same time, if you're Washington. You know that
12:35
by trading Terry McLaurin away, that opens up
12:39
a bigger problem for the offense. Granted, they
12:42
traded for Deebo Samuel, but you don't know what
12:44
version of Deebo Samuel you're getting. You know
12:47
what you're getting with Terry McLaurin. Not
12:50
to mention, this could potentially damage the
12:53
progress in Jaden Daniels. So if I'm the commanders,
12:58
you have to try to at least attempt. to put a
13:02
legitimate offer that's going to entice Terry
13:05
McLaurin. Now, am I saying that you have to give
13:07
him 40 plus million? No. Am I saying that you
13:09
have to pay him more than what CeeDee Lamb is
13:11
making? No. But I do believe that he is due between
13:15
30 and 33 million a year. I think that's a reasonable
13:19
price. I don't think that's a bad price at all.
13:22
If you look at the deal that he signed a few
13:24
years ago, that was a team -friendly deal. The
13:27
market has changed now. His price point is literally...
13:31
what the market is going for right now. Any productive
13:34
number one wide receiver is making at least 30
13:36
plus million a year. AJ Brown, Amon Ross St.
13:40
Brown, CeeDee Lamb, Jamar Chase, Justin Jefferson,
13:44
DK Metcalf, all of them are making 30 plus million.
13:48
So it's only right that he get his piece to the
13:51
puzzle. So if I'm the commanders, you want to
13:55
try to at least attempt. to get something done,
13:58
to at least have some progress within the next
14:01
few days, maybe within the next two weeks or
14:03
so. Because right now, if this thing continues
14:07
to stall, you are running the risk of possibly
14:11
hurting the team more than actually helping it.
14:14
You're going to need Terry McLaurin this season.
14:17
So if I'm the commanders, just pay him. Give
14:21
him a three -year deal, juice up the numbers,
14:24
go from there. It's not going to hurt you. It's
14:28
not going to hurt your cap. It's not going to
14:30
hurt anything at all. Got to take care of your
14:32
players, man. This is what happens when you have
14:34
superstars on your team. I'm going to talk, just
14:37
you wait, because we have to talk about the Michael
14:39
Parsons situation, all right? Which, actually,
14:42
you know what? We'll talk about it right now.
14:43
So Micah Parsons has requested a trade, ladies
14:47
and gentlemen. As we all have known, our phones
14:49
have been buzzing. If you have social media,
14:51
that's all you've been seeing. If you have friends
14:53
that are Cowboys fans, they're probably super
14:55
depressed and whatnot and just staring at a wall,
14:58
crying their eyes out because it's just the end
15:01
for them, all right? But let's talk about the
15:03
facts first before we get into opinions. So prior
15:06
to Micah Parsons requesting a trade, Diane Roussini
15:10
of The Athletic put out this article and that
15:12
Parsons was considering requesting a trade or,
15:15
and I quote, a declaration that severs his relationship
15:18
with the team, end quote. Right now, both sides
15:21
remain far apart and are currently not in negotiation.
15:24
During the spring, Micah had directly negotiated
15:28
with Jerry Jones and believed that they had a
15:30
deal. When Parsons involved his agent, with these
15:34
negotiations, the Cowboys refused to engage with
15:37
him and told the pass rusher, and I quote, honor
15:40
the agreement he had made, end quote. The team
15:43
is refusing to engage with Parsons agent David
15:47
Malgetta, and Micah is attending practice but
15:50
isn't involved on the on -field work. Now, this
15:54
is what Jerry Jones had to say, and I quote,
15:57
we're just working with what it is. It's not
16:00
uncommon for me and not anything that there's
16:02
a lot of angst over. He's doing a real good job
16:05
of being here. And that's important. We are where
16:07
we are. And I signed the check, period, end quote.
16:12
I'm going to say that last part one more time.
16:16
And I signed the check, period. But Micah Parsons
16:22
says this, and I quote, I want to be here. At
16:26
the end of the day, they signed the checks. Let's
16:28
see if they want me to be here. I've been pretty
16:30
consistent. If they don't want me here, I'll
16:33
go about my business. I understand the nature
16:35
of the business. As long as I'm here and under
16:38
contract, I'm going to do what I have to do to
16:40
perform at the highest level. But if this is
16:43
the end, then this is the end, end quote. I'm
16:46
not even done yet with half of the other things
16:49
that we have to talk about, okay? There's so
16:52
many different ways that I have to take this
16:55
one topic. But let's just keep on going because
16:58
this is really good. OK, this is really, really,
17:01
really good. So C .D. Lim tweets this out. And
17:05
I quote, never fails, dog. Just pay the man.
17:08
Just pay the man what you owe him. No need for
17:11
the extracurricular, end quote. OK, and then
17:15
shortly after, Micah Parsons puts out this statement.
17:19
And this is a very lengthy statement. So just
17:21
bear with me, OK? And I quote. Yes, I wanted
17:25
to be here. I did everything I could to show
17:27
that I wanted to be a cowboy and wear the star
17:29
on my helmet. I wanted to play in front of the
17:31
best fans in sports and make this America's team
17:34
once again. The team my pops and I grew up cheering
17:37
for way up in Harrisburg, PA. Unfortunately,
17:41
I no longer want to be here. I no longer want
17:43
to be held to closed -door negotiations without
17:46
my agent present. I no longer want shots taken
17:49
at me for getting injured while laying it on
17:52
the line for the organization, our fans, and
17:55
my teammates. I no longer want narratives created
17:57
and spread to the media about me. I have purposely
18:00
stayed quiet in hopes of getting something done.
18:03
But since there is confusion out there, let me
18:05
clear some things up. I had my agent reach out
18:08
to the Cowboys last offseason after my third
18:10
year in hopes of getting a deal done early. Unfortunately,
18:13
the team did not want to start any negotiations
18:16
at that point. I was okay with that. Didn't complain
18:19
and focused on the 2024 season. After the season,
18:23
I told my agent once again to let them know where
18:26
we were open to negotiate when they met at the
18:34
combine. My agent informed me I should wait for
18:37
other deals to get done because the price will
18:40
only go up. But I didn't care and I wanted to
18:43
secure myself as a cowboy long term. This was
18:46
before any of the other pass rushers deals. After
18:49
the season, I told my agent once again to let
18:51
them know we were open to negotiate when they
18:54
met at the combine. My agent informed me I should
18:56
wait for other deals to get done because the
18:58
price will only go up, but I didn't care and
19:00
wanted to secure myself as a cowboy long term.
19:03
Micah, you're just repeating yourself. What the
19:04
heck is going on? This was before any of the
19:06
other pass rusher deals got done this offseason.
19:09
Oh, he was correcting himself. Okay. I knew I
19:12
would be leaving money on the table, but again,
19:13
I was okay with that. Again, radio silence as
19:16
far as my extension. In March, I met with Mr.
19:20
Jones to talk about leadership. Somehow, the
19:22
conversation turned into him talking contract
19:25
with me. Yes, I engaged in a back and forth in
19:28
regards to what I wanted from my contract, but
19:30
at no point did I believe this was supposed to
19:32
be a formal negotiation, and I informed Mr. Jones
19:36
afterward my agent would reach out thinking that
19:38
this would get things done. But when my agent
19:41
reached out and spoke to Adam, he was told the
19:43
deal was pretty much already done. My agent,
19:46
of course, told him that wasn't the case and
19:48
also reached out to Steven Jones. Again, the
19:50
team decided to go silent. At that point, we
19:53
decided we would allow the team to reach out
19:55
to us whenever they decided they wanted to talk.
19:57
Yet still not a call, email, or text to my agent
20:00
about starting a negotiation. Up to today, the
20:04
team has not had a... Micah, come on, man. Why
20:08
would you do this in the notes? Why didn't you
20:09
just type this out or something? Come on, man.
20:12
This is just crazy. Not one demand has been made
20:15
by my agent about money, years, or anything else.
20:18
Still, I stay quiet. But again, after repeated
20:20
shots at myself and all the other narratives,
20:23
I have made a tough decision. I have made a tough
20:26
decision. I no longer want to play for the Dallas
20:28
Cowboys. My trade request has been submitted
20:31
to Stephen Jones personally, end quote. I know
20:34
this is very confusing, but this is what J .J.
20:37
Watt had to say. And I quote, take care of your
20:39
best players early. Saves money, saves headaches.
20:43
The longer you wait, the higher the price, end
20:45
quote. And J .J. Watt is 100 % correct. That
20:49
is the difference between a reactive organization
20:52
and a proactive organization. Proactive organizations,
20:56
case in point, the Eagles, Ravens, sometimes
21:00
49ers, guess what? They pay their players ahead
21:03
of time to avoid all that drama, saves money,
21:06
and that way they don't have to react to the
21:09
market. They can dictate the market. But instead,
21:13
here you have someone who is not serious about
21:16
winning. All he is serious about is how many
21:20
likes, how many clicks and how many people are
21:24
talking about the Dallas Cowboys. Because if
21:27
you had an owner that was serious about winning,
21:29
we wouldn't be at this point. That deal would
21:32
have been signed, sealed and delivered. It is
21:35
rare and I mean very rare to have a star player.
21:41
that is willing, willing to take less just because
21:47
he loves the organization, just because he loves
21:50
the team that much. Most superstars, they're
21:53
cracking you over the head. But here you have
21:56
someone in Michael Parsons who prior to this
21:58
point was willing to take less for the team just
22:01
because he loved them that much. But that bridge
22:05
is burned. And even though the Cowboys believe
22:08
that that bridge is still alive and it's very
22:11
stable, oh no, that bridge is charred. And the
22:15
fact that you have an owner that is so immature
22:17
and his son who is so naive and so blinded by
22:23
his own father's words and don't even realize
22:26
that, listen, if we don't take care of our superstar
22:29
right now, we are going to lose more than gain.
22:34
Name me any other person on that defense right
22:37
now that can contribute as much as a Micah Parsons.
22:41
I'll wait. Don't have an answer? Exactly my point.
22:46
Micah Parsons is the only person that can keep
22:52
the Cowboys from having a winning season. There
22:55
is nobody else on the defense that can contribute
22:59
like a Micah Parsons. And if you don't have Micah
23:02
Parsons on that field, you're going to lose more
23:06
games than win them. And you know that, but you're
23:09
not focused about winning. You know what you're
23:11
focused on? When seeing on ESPN that people are
23:14
talking about who? The Cowboys. You turn on the
23:16
NFL Network, who are they talking about? Who?
23:18
The Cowboys. That's what you're concerned about.
23:21
Here you have a naive, immature, snake of an
23:26
owner. who doesn't care about his players. He
23:29
only cares about what they bring to the table.
23:32
But this is what happens when you don't take
23:34
care of your players, especially your superstars.
23:37
Your superstars, you were supposed to go above
23:40
and beyond for them. Because you know why? They
23:44
are your difference makers. They are your game
23:46
changers. They are the people that you know that,
23:49
guess what? If you don't have them on the field,
23:51
you are going to lose more than win. But here
23:55
you have an immature owner in Jerry Jones who
23:58
treats them like an ant. Now, if I'm Michael
24:03
Parsons, I'm not stepping on the field until
24:06
I get traded. Now, I know for a lot of people,
24:09
you're probably saying Michael Parsons isn't
24:12
going to get traded. I think at this point, that's
24:14
the only option. And I think if the Cowboys were
24:18
willing to meet his number or give him a fully
24:21
guaranteed contract or. Whatever it is, just
24:24
so things could be resolved, I think Micah Parsons
24:28
wouldn't do it. I think Micah truly believes
24:31
that, listen, you have questioned who I am as
24:33
a player and as a man. You have questioned my
24:36
leadership. You have questioned everything that
24:38
I do. And so I just can't stand for that. And
24:42
so I want to go somewhere where they value me
24:44
more than just a player. And he has every right
24:47
to feel the way that he feels. Now, I will say
24:50
this. The only situation that we can reference
24:54
is the Khalil Mack trade. Because remember, the
24:58
Raiders in return got two first round picks,
25:01
a six, and a third round pick for Khalil Mack.
25:05
So if I'm any team, you know most likely you're
25:08
going to have to give up two first round picks.
25:11
It's not a first round pick and a conditional
25:13
pick and a player and this and that. No, it's
25:17
two first round picks plus. Whatever else that
25:20
you give them. Now, when we look at teams that
25:24
could possibly make a move for Michael Parsons,
25:26
I'm going to tell you the first thing that comes
25:28
to mind. And, Mook, you already know what I'm
25:30
going to say. We talked about it. The Ravens.
25:33
Hear me out. This may turn into a lengthy conversation,
25:37
okay? If you're the Ravens, you make this move.
25:41
There's no point in you continuing to draft year
25:45
after year after year. It's time for you to win
25:51
now. Because for every year that you don't go
25:55
to the Super Bowl, for every year that you don't
25:57
win the Super Bowl, is a year that's wasted.
26:01
And if you're the front office, you have to ask
26:03
yourself this. How many years are you going to
26:06
continue to waste? You need a closer. You don't
26:11
have one right now on the roster. Micah Parsons
26:14
is the answer. The last productive pass rusher
26:19
that you had was Terrell Suggs. Granted, you
26:22
have Kyle Van Noor right now. He's been doing
26:24
well since joining the Ravens. But he's just
26:27
one person. If you get a Micah Parsons, that
26:31
can open up the floodgates to how you want to
26:34
attack a quarterback. Because guess what? I don't
26:37
care who it is. It could be Sean McVay. It could
26:40
be Andy Reid, Kyle Shanahan, whomever. No one
26:44
can scheme a good enough strategy to stop a defensive
26:48
line that's going to have Justin Matabuke, Micah
26:51
Parsons, Adafi Owe, Kyle Van Noy, Mike Green,
26:55
the Green Machine, and everyone else. At some
26:59
point, you have to make the radical move. You
27:02
have to be crazy to win the Super Bowl. You saw
27:05
what the Rams did. The Rams said, fuck them picks.
27:09
That's the same mindset you got to have at this
27:11
point. There is no other prospect within the
27:14
next five years that has the skill set that Micah
27:17
Parsons has right now. There is nobody in the
27:20
draft within the next five years that is that
27:22
interesting, that is that much of a difference
27:25
maker to this team. Micah Parsons could literally
27:30
be the person that gets you over the hump. If
27:33
you get Micah Parsons, that is going to put fear
27:38
in a Patrick Mahomes because you know why? Not
27:41
only is Michael Parsons going to go after you,
27:43
you can use him as a spy. So that's going to
27:47
contain Patrick Mahomes in the pocket, and you
27:50
are going to impose your will on that offense.
27:54
I keep on saying this, folks. The only way that
27:57
you can beat a Patrick Mahomes, you have to assault
28:01
him. You have to beat him. You saw what the Buccaneers
28:06
did. What did they have? A mean defensive line.
28:09
You had Evita Vea. You had Shaq Barrett. You
28:13
had Ndamukong Su. You had a crazy pass rush.
28:17
What did the Eagles just do? You had Jalen Carter.
28:20
You had Jordan Davis. You had Brandon Graham.
28:22
You had Nolan Smith. You had Josh Sweat. You
28:25
had a line. You had a wave that never ended.
28:30
That's what you need. Micah Parsons would be
28:33
the person that can go toe -to -toe against a
28:36
Josh Allen, a Patrick Mahomes. So yes, it may
28:39
be a hefty price, but who cares about the price
28:42
if you're going to be holding up a Lombardi?
28:44
No one. If you trade for Michael Parsons right
28:48
now, and you win a Super Bowl this year, and
28:50
you have the chance to win another Super Bowl
28:53
the next year, how are you going to do it? Here
28:56
you have someone, 26 years old, not 32, not 33,
29:01
not 35, not 39. 26 years old. Hasn't even reached
29:07
his prime yet. And he's right there. All you
29:11
have to do is give up two first round picks and
29:13
possibly a player. You're not going to do that.
29:17
And you can even tell Michael Parsons, hey, listen,
29:20
if you're looking to reset the market, we can't
29:22
do that for you. If you're looking to tie with
29:24
this person, that person, we can't do that for
29:26
you. But you know what we can do for you? We
29:30
can help you get to a Super Bowl. We can help
29:33
you become a Super Bowl champion. And I guarantee
29:37
you Michael Parsons would give in. I guarantee
29:40
you he would be a part of the process. Now, another
29:43
team that I think would be very interested to
29:46
go after Michael Parsons, I think the commanders
29:48
would do it. I think right now, outside of Von
29:52
Miller, who else in that pass rusher room can
29:55
you trust consistently? No one. Sure, Frankie
29:58
Lou Vu is a Swiss Army knife. He's lined up at
30:01
the edge. You've seen him line up. You know,
30:04
as a middle linebacker, he's everywhere. But
30:07
it's just something about having someone like
30:08
a Micah Parsons that just hits different. That's
30:12
like if T .J. Watt became available right now.
30:14
You mean to tell me you want to turn down a T
30:16
.J. Watt? Man, please, let me tell you something.
30:20
If you're the Eagles, I would pick up the phone.
30:24
I would move some future assets around if it
30:27
means I can get a Micah Parsons. Because you
30:29
know why? By getting a Micah Parsons, you can
30:32
extend your Super Bowl window for another three,
30:36
maybe four years at best. If you're any of the
30:40
Super Bowl teams, you have to have a realistic
30:44
conversation about possibly going after Micah
30:46
Parsons. I understand that the compensation is
30:51
cheap. But if you are a team that is trying to
30:54
get over a hump, if you are a team that has never
30:57
been to the Super Bowl, if you are a team that
31:00
has everything else in place, but all you need
31:05
is a top -end pass rusher, you know who you're
31:08
going to need to call. And it may not be a good
31:11
call, and they may try to crack you over the
31:14
head, but guess what? It won't matter if you're
31:16
a Super Bowl champion. Now, I will say this,
31:19
and this comes from Adam Schefter. Since Jerry
31:22
Jones purchased the Cowboys in 1989, there has
31:25
been only one instance of his team trading away
31:28
a player immediately following a Pro Bowl season.
31:31
The only time Jerry Jones has traded a player
31:33
coming off a Pro Bowl season was April 1994 when
31:37
he sent safety Thomas Everett to the Buccaneers
31:39
for a 1994 fourth round pick. The Cowboys also
31:43
traded Amari Cooper in March of 2022, a couple
31:46
years after he made a Pro Bowl to the Browns
31:49
for a 2022 sixth round pick in exchange for a
31:52
2022 fifth rounder, 2022 sixth rounder. That's
31:56
the only time he's done this. Yes, this is uncharted
31:59
territory for both the Cowboys and a player.
32:03
But at the same time, if you realize that negotiations
32:06
have stalled and you know that things aren't
32:09
going anywhere anytime soon. Why play hardball
32:12
when you can be compensated for? Because right
32:15
now you need two first round picks. You need
32:18
as many picks as you possibly can get. Because
32:20
right now on that defensive line, there is nobody
32:23
on that defensive line outside of Micah Parsons
32:26
that strikes fear in people's hearts. Not Mozzie
32:28
Smith, not Solomon Thomas. Who else? You can
32:31
name me any person on that defensive line. Nobody
32:34
is causing offensive coordinators and quarterbacks
32:38
to miss sleep. Other than Micah Parsons. So if
32:42
you're the Cowboys, do you at least attempt to
32:46
try to mend this? Or do you move off of Micah
32:51
Parsons, receive that compensation, and use that
32:54
compensation to build this team up even more?
32:57
Because right now, the offensive line still needs
33:00
to be rebuilt. Defensive line still needs to
33:01
be built. Still needs to address inside linebacker.
33:04
You need other weapons outside of George Pickens
33:06
and CeeDee Lamb. And you need to prepare just
33:08
in case. george pickens doesn't want to be with
33:11
the team you still have other positions on the
33:14
team both offense and defense that have holes
33:17
you have to look at it a few different ways if
33:19
you're the cowboys but only time will tell hopefully
33:23
we will have some resolutions soon do i expect
33:27
it no i don't but hey i wouldn't be surprised
33:30
now let's talk about somebody else another superstar
33:34
That's in a bad situation. Trey Hendrickson.
33:36
So Trey Hendrickson has finally reported to training
33:39
camp. Now, he's not participating in training
33:41
camp. He's still, it's a hold in, not a hold
33:43
out. But he did have this to say, and I quote,
33:47
there are plans on not having to play on the
33:49
current deal. That's something we have a common
33:52
goal to get to. That's the plan moving forward.
33:55
No distractions. I'm excited to be here, end
33:57
quote. But he also goes on to say this, and I
34:01
quote, But as we continue to go through this
34:03
process, I plan on handling it with respect to
34:06
Zach Taylor, to the 2025 Bengals, and not being
34:09
a distraction." Now, according to Ben Baby of
34:13
ESPN, prior to the veteran's report date for
34:17
training camp, which was July 22nd, Trey Hendrickson
34:20
said he was training for 30 days in Cincinnati
34:22
and had intentions of reporting. He continues
34:26
to say that he won't participate until he receives
34:29
an extension. Now, his market value, according
34:32
to SpotRack, is three years, $116 .5 million,
34:36
which is $38 .8 million a year. This past season,
34:40
he had 46 tackles and 17 .5 sacks. Folks, what
34:43
do I keep on saying? You have to take care of
34:46
your superstars. This is what happens when you
34:50
have a superstar. You have to pay them market
34:55
value. You know right now that the market value
34:58
for a top -end pass rusher, an elite pass rusher,
35:01
is $30 -plus million. So if you know that, why
35:06
weren't you proactive? You could have hashed
35:10
this out last year when the market was actually
35:12
cheaper. But now, now that you have allowed Max
35:16
Crosby, Myles Garrett, and TJ Watt to all get
35:20
deals in one offseason, you may have to pay Trey
35:24
Hendrickson a little bit more. So if you're the
35:27
Bengals, you have a tough decision that you have
35:30
to make. Do you let Trey Henderson continue to
35:33
hold out or do you swallow your pride and pay
35:36
the man? Me personally, I would pay the man because
35:39
you have no other choice. There is nobody else
35:42
on that defense that is just as productive or
35:45
even more productive than Trey Henderson. Not
35:49
a corner, not an inside linebacker, not a safety,
35:52
not a D tackle. Can hold a candle. to what Trey
35:56
Hendrickson does. Every single game. He can be
36:00
double teamed and he still finds a way to get
36:03
through and gets a sack. So it's only right that
36:07
you pay him. And mind you, I don't think Trey
36:10
Hendrickson is looking to reset the market. He
36:13
just wants what's his. Which, can you blame him
36:17
for that? No, you can't. So I don't understand
36:21
why are we seeing three organizations that are
36:25
unwilling to pay their star player, one of their
36:28
star players. Because again, I did not see the
36:33
Bengals having a problem ripping out their checkbook
36:36
to give a check to Joe Burrow. And mind you,
36:40
they did this at the start of the regular season,
36:43
as soon as that kicker kicked the ball off. Everyone
36:48
got the same notification. Joe Burrow inks a
36:51
deal. Joe Burrow is tied for the highest paid
36:53
quarterback in the league at $55 million a year.
36:57
Next thing you know, Jamar Chase gets a deal.
37:00
He recessed the wide receiver market. T. Higgins
37:03
gets his deal. This person's getting paid. That
37:05
person's getting paid. You can't pick and choose
37:08
who you want to pay. You knew what you were getting
37:12
when you gave Trey Henderson his first contract
37:15
when you got him in free agency. So I don't understand
37:19
what the holdup is, but for the love of God,
37:23
can we get some people who can just get the horseshoe
37:27
out of their ass and just pay the man? It's not
37:30
hard. All you have to do is pick up the phone,
37:34
have a conversation, say, hey, what's your number?
37:38
That number is a little bit too high. Let's try
37:40
this number. Okay, how about this? What's your
37:44
middle number? You give you yours, we'll give
37:46
you ours. You know what? Let's compromise. Simple
37:49
things. That simple sentence right there can
37:54
go such a long way than just saying, you know
37:57
what? Nah, we're not going to pay him that. Nah,
37:59
we're just going to cease communication with
38:01
him. It's hurting you more than helping you.
38:04
Because guess what? You know that without Trey
38:07
Henderson this season, Joe Burrow is going to
38:10
be in a shootout every single game for 17 weeks
38:15
straight. And you know, you know that you're
38:20
going to lose more than win. It's the price of
38:22
a superstar. This is the price of having a superstar.
38:27
This is why certain teams handle superstars better
38:31
than others. When you look at the Eagles, when
38:36
you look at the Steelers, when you look at the
38:38
49ers, even when you look at Chiefs, they handle
38:43
their superstars. Even with the Chiefs, they
38:47
had to realize that, listen, we can't go a season
38:50
without Chris Jones. We're going to have to pay
38:52
Chris Jones. It only took them two games to realize
38:55
that. After that second game, Brett Veach probably
38:58
said, you know what? What's your number? We'll
38:59
pay you. We'll pay you right now. No problem.
39:01
No questions asked. Because they realized that,
39:04
listen, if we want to continue to be competitive,
39:08
if we want to continue to win championships,
39:11
we need our guy. And it's starting to reach a
39:15
point now where, listen, if you don't have a
39:17
star pass rusher on your team, you're not going
39:20
to win. Pay the piper. Make the deal. And with
39:24
that being said, let's talk about the Hall of
39:26
Fame game briefly, okay? We're not going to go
39:28
into deep dive about it. We're just talking about
39:30
it very briefly because, of course, it is a football
39:33
game, okay? So Trey Lance, 20 attempts for 13
39:35
completions, 120 passing yards, two touchdowns,
39:38
and six yards per attempt. Kamani Vidal, nine
39:42
carries for 37 rushing yards, 4 .1 rushing yards
39:46
per carry, and two touchdowns. Keiondre Lambert
39:48
-Smith, two receptions for 43 receiving yards,
39:51
one touchdown, and 21 .5 receiving yards per
39:53
reception. Kyle Allens, 14 attempts for nine
39:56
completions, 91 passing yards, two picks, and
40:00
6 .5 yards per attempt. Hendon Hooker, six attempts
40:03
for three completions, 18 passing yards, one
40:07
pick, three yards per attempt. Wow, that's bad.
40:11
Craig Reynolds, 10 carries for 38 rushing yards,
40:15
3 .8 rushing yards per carry, and one touchdown.
40:18
Isaac Tisla, either Tisla or Tesla, excuse me,
40:23
two receptions for 46 receiving yards and 23
40:26
receiving yards per reception. Folks, Trey Lance
40:30
looked really good this game. I understand that
40:33
this is a Hall of Fame game, but Trey Lance looked
40:35
really good. See, if Trey Lance does this for
40:40
the rest of the preseason, moving forward, he
40:43
will always have a job. Because that's all you
40:46
need to do as a backup quarterback. No one is
40:49
saying that you have to play hero ball. All you
40:52
have to do is just execute. And that's exactly
40:55
what Trey Lance did. That first half, he looked
40:58
great. Executing the plays, making the routine
41:02
throws. Wasn't trying to be overzealous, wasn't
41:06
trying to do anything dramatic or crazy. He was
41:10
just doing his job and that's all you need. And
41:14
it worked. Now, a lot of that can be contributed
41:16
to one, having a coach that actually believes
41:19
in you and two, having a system in place that
41:24
supports you. See, one thing we need to talk
41:28
about with Greg Roman is. He does very well when
41:32
it comes to mobile quarterbacks. From Colin Kaepernick
41:35
to Lamar Jackson, even with Trey Lance. He's
41:41
pretty successful with mobile quarterbacks. Now,
41:43
sometimes he can extend his stay for a little
41:46
bit too long. Okay, Ravens, we know. But you
41:52
know exactly what you're getting with Greg Roman.
41:55
And when you have a head coach like Jim Harbaugh
41:58
that believes in each and every one of his players,
42:01
a lot of times that's when you put your best
42:04
foot forward. Because there was a clip where
42:07
you saw Jim Harbaugh, you know, like revving
42:10
up Trey Lance, just talking to him like, hey
42:12
man, get ready for this, get ready for this.
42:14
Sometimes that's what a quarterback needs. And
42:18
in some ways, this is somewhat of a shot at the
42:22
49ers and Kyle Shanahan. Because here you have
42:25
somebody in Trey Lance who did exactly what he
42:29
did last night and you just let him go like it
42:32
was nothing. But you should have known exactly
42:34
what you were getting when you drafted Trey Lance.
42:37
You knew that he was raw. You knew that he was
42:40
a project. So why in the world would you just
42:42
thrust him out into the fire and say, you know
42:44
what, all right, let's see what you got. No,
42:45
some quarterbacks need time. Some of them need
42:48
a little bit of encouragement. And I understand
42:51
we live in a time now where that's not really
42:54
the case. A lot of head coaches don't do that.
42:56
I get that. But that's what Trey Lance needed.
42:59
He needed somebody that believed in him. And
43:03
Kyle Shanahan didn't believe in him. And now
43:06
look, Trey Lance has actually shown something.
43:09
Trey Lance could at best be a really, really,
43:13
really productive backup quarterback in the league.
43:16
And sometimes that's all you need. Sometimes
43:19
you can take the Geno Smith route and be a backup
43:23
for three or four, maybe five years, and then
43:26
something breaks and then you're the starter
43:28
again. Trey Lance can do that. But when you have
43:31
someone in the 49ers who moved, what was it,
43:35
two first -round picks? Two or three first -round
43:37
picks to get Trey Lance? And he just moved off
43:40
of him like it was nothing? Come on, man. You
43:43
know what time it was. Now, granted, I understand
43:46
that... They probably moved off of him because
43:50
they realized that one, we're in our window and
43:53
we want to maximize every opportunity we have.
43:56
I get all of that. But if you were going to address
43:58
quarterback, you should have went a different
44:01
route than to trade up multiple first round picks
44:04
to get a raw quarterback. But I'm not going to
44:07
say anything. But I will say this. If you are
44:10
the Lions, you have to be a little bit concerned.
44:13
And granted. i'm going to say it again i understand
44:16
that this is a hall of fame game but in some
44:19
ways you have to take every game seriously offensively
44:23
and defensively they were not playing well and
44:26
we all saw what happened with the lions late
44:28
last season especially the defense that defense
44:32
was beaten up and you know most likely you're
44:37
going to have to rely on those same people that
44:40
was on that field during the hall of fame game
44:42
that's not good That Chargers team on that field
44:47
look like they can go toe -to -toe with any of
44:50
the other teams in the league. You had an old
44:52
Tony Jefferson that looked good. He got a pick.
44:56
Defensive linemen, they're doing their thing.
44:58
Corners are holding their own. Wide receivers
45:01
are doing their thing. Everybody is doing their
45:04
job effectively and it's working. If you're the
45:07
Chargers, this is good. If you're the Lions,
45:10
you got to be concerned a little bit, but we're
45:12
going to talk about that. We're going to talk
45:14
about the Chargers and everything else once we
45:16
get to gun check time. But even with Kyle Allen,
45:20
the first probably three to five drives, he was
45:23
actually looking pretty good. He was executing
45:25
the plays, play action, roll out, hit, boom.
45:28
And then I don't know what happened, but he just
45:31
reverted back to his old ways. And it's just
45:33
like, bro, whoa, this is not looking good. Even
45:37
him and Hooker, he was just, I don't know what's
45:39
going on. And granted, I understand that this
45:42
offseason for the Lions has come with a lot of
45:44
change. You lost both your offensive and defensive
45:47
coordinator, as well as the positional coaches
45:49
that were under them. I get all that. But man,
45:53
if all you guys were able was just to put up
45:55
just seven points, it's a little bit concerning.
45:59
Because you know at some point, that backup running
46:02
back could be playing for two or three weeks.
46:04
That backup left guard could be playing in for
46:07
the rest of the season. That backup corner could
46:10
be helping out for three to six weeks of the
46:13
season. These are things that people don't think
46:16
about, but they need to think about because,
46:19
again, the preseason isn't just for people who
46:23
they're trying to get a roster spot. This is
46:27
to show, hey, this is what happens if we're in
46:30
a situation where we're losing at least... Three
46:33
to five people on both sides of the ball. And
46:35
we have to bring in some people from, I don't
46:38
know, the practice squad or from outside the
46:40
team. This is how the offense will work. This
46:42
is how the defense will work. But nobody wants
46:45
to talk about that. But let's get into gut check
46:47
time, folks. That's right. Gut check time. The
46:49
final gut check time. All right. NFC and AFC
46:53
West. You already know how these things are about
46:56
to go. But this time we are starting with the
46:59
AFC West. Now, this is gonna get very controversial,
47:04
but it's okay because guess what? Who doesn't
47:07
love a little bit of controversy? But before
47:09
we get there, we gotta pay some bills. Pardon
47:11
the interruption, but this is your GM, your bag
47:13
road dominance, here to talk about rss .com,
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48:34
Now back to the good stuff. And we're back, folks.
48:36
So let's start with the Chiefs, all right? So
48:38
positional balance to watch out for. Wide receiver,
48:41
left tackle, and guard. Players to keep an eye
48:43
out for. Sky Moore, Tyquan Thorne, Jalen Royals,
48:46
Josh Simmons, Jalen Moore, Mike Calando, and
48:50
Kingsley Suamatea. The storyline for the Chiefs
48:53
is, what edge will the offense have this year?
48:56
We all know that last season, this offense was
48:59
not good. We know that there was a lot of games
49:01
where this defense had to step in and they had
49:04
to dig deep just to win the game. Especially
49:07
that game against the 49ers. Oh man, the offense
49:10
was just atrocious. It wasn't consistent and
49:13
it wasn't that same offense that everyone has
49:16
been raving about for the past few years. Let
49:19
me just read to you their offensive rankings,
49:22
okay? So they have the 16th ranked offense. They
49:25
average 22 .6 points per game, 327 .6 yards per
49:30
game, 5 .1 yards per play, and 41 touchdowns.
49:34
They have the 14th passing offense, and they
49:36
average 222 .4 passing yards per game, 5 .9 passing
49:42
yards per play, and 26 passing touchdowns. They
49:45
had the 22nd rushing offense, and they averaged
49:48
105 .3 rushing yards per game, 4 rushing yards
49:52
per play, 15 rushing touchdowns, and had 33 rushes
49:56
of 10 plus yards or more. So I want to know,
49:59
what are they going to do this year that's going
50:01
to keep them ahead of everybody? Are they going
50:04
to be more effective in the running game? Are
50:07
they going to be more effective in the passing
50:08
game? What exactly are they going to do? Because
50:12
right now, their division has become a lot more
50:15
competitive in just this one offseason alone.
50:18
The Raiders now have stability at quarterback.
50:21
The Chargers are starting to look serious. And
50:25
the Broncos, man, the Broncos look like they're
50:28
serious. So you have to be able to have an edge
50:32
over all of them right now. Because all of their
50:35
defenses, well, except for the Raiders, no offense
50:38
to y 'all, has actually become better. So what
50:41
are you going to do? Me personally, I feel like
50:43
they need to go back to running the ball more
50:46
effectively. Now, granted, I understand Isaiah
50:49
Pachinko was out for a period of time, but still,
50:52
the run game has to get better. Passing game,
50:56
not really worried about as much, but the run
50:59
game has to be better. But connecting this with
51:01
the whole Terry McLaurin situation, if you had
51:04
someone like a Terry McLaurin, I think that would
51:06
help the offense out a whole lot better. Because
51:09
here you have somebody, that is still fairly
51:12
young, who can create separation like any of
51:15
the other better wide receivers, okay? And you're
51:19
talking about somebody that's reliable and who's
51:21
consistent. Now let's get to these players, okay?
51:24
So Sky Moore, right now, if I'm you, I'm probably
51:28
just gonna try to put out my best foot forward
51:31
just for the hope that somebody else will pick
51:34
me up. Because my guess is you have fallen out
51:38
of the good graces of the team. Is it because
51:40
of your play? Is it because of you? I don't know.
51:43
I'm not going to debate about that. But if I'm
51:46
Sky Moore, you're on the outside looking in.
51:48
So I think you have to have a strong and consistent
51:51
training camp as well as preseason. Taekwon Thor
51:55
and Jalen Royals, you have a chance to play a
51:59
significant role in this offense. So if I'm you,
52:02
I'm maximizing every single opportunity that
52:06
you get. I'm building up as many reps as you
52:09
can so that you can build somewhat of a connection
52:11
with Patrick Mahomes, excuse me, because we all
52:14
know at some point the Chiefs are going to use
52:16
you. So if you start now by the middle to late
52:19
part of the season, guess what? That connection
52:21
with Patrick Mahomes, it's already intact. So
52:24
you have nothing to worry about. You already
52:26
know what he's looking for. He doesn't have to
52:29
say anything. He just has to look at you and
52:31
you know, oh, hey, he wants me to run a dig.
52:33
He wants me to run a post, a drag. Fade. Whatever.
52:37
Josh Simmons and Jalen Moore. I'm interested
52:40
in seeing this. And here's why. From what I've
52:42
heard, Josh Simmons has been doing his thing.
52:46
And this is the rookie that they drafted this
52:48
year. He has been killing it. And granted, I
52:52
understand when he was coming out of college,
52:54
the main knock on him was he had a knee problem
52:58
or something. And that's probably what caused
53:00
him to drop in the draft. I mean, I feel like
53:03
that's a blessing in disguise because let's be
53:05
real here. One of the main positions that's been
53:08
really killing the Chiefs for the probably, I
53:11
don't know, maybe the past three to four years
53:13
has been left tackle. They've tried the free
53:16
agency route. They've tried drafting it and it
53:19
really hasn't been successful. They try to get
53:21
Orlando Brown. He was okay, but I wouldn't say
53:25
he was the end all be all. They tried free agency
53:29
again, really didn't work out the best. And so
53:32
now they're just like, you know what, we'll just
53:34
draft one. And so far, it looks pretty good.
53:36
Now, I want to see if this carries over into
53:40
the preseason and into the regular season as
53:42
well. Jalen Moore, I mean, you want to show a
53:45
little bit of something. Because right now, Josh
53:47
Simmons is killing it. So if I'm you, I got to
53:51
put my best foot forward. Now, how do you do
53:54
that? I don't really know. I don't know if it
53:56
means that you have to be more consistent in
53:58
winning your reps. I don't know if you have to
54:00
be more detailed when executing plays. Whatever
54:03
it is, you have to do it. But at the same time,
54:07
we all know that the Chiefs are going to keep
54:08
as many tackles as they possibly can because
54:11
we know that their tackles go down pretty quickly.
54:14
Mike Colendo and Kingsley Sumatia, I want to
54:18
see where you guys are. especially Kingsley,
54:20
Sue, and Matia, because I know there was a point
54:23
where I think he was a tackle, then they moved
54:26
him back to guard. And right now, I mean, I wouldn't
54:30
say you're on the outside looking in, but I think
54:32
if somebody can provide stability at guard, I
54:36
think that would go a long way. Because outside
54:40
of Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith, this offensive
54:43
line has gone through a lot of changes. I think
54:46
every single offseason, they're rebuilding the
54:49
offensive line. But that just shows you that
54:52
they're not satisfied with what they have. And
54:55
rightfully so. But when we look at possible free
54:58
agent additions, if they want to take that route
55:00
with tackle, I mean, you have George Fant, Andreas
55:03
Peet, Isaiah Wynn, Chris Hubbard. Guard, if you
55:06
want to shore up a guard position, you have Brandon
55:08
Scherf, Shaq Mason, Will Hernandez, John Valenciano,
55:12
Cody Whitehair, Dalton Reisner, Mark Blonowski.
55:15
I will say this. If you do give Brandon Sheriff,
55:18
I mean, he's really good when it comes to the
55:21
run game. Just saying. If you want to take that
55:23
veteran approach, if you feel like neither one
55:25
of the guards that you have right now has shown
55:28
anything, go with the veteran approach. Any of
55:31
those guards would be willing to take less just
55:34
to be with the Chiefs. I know I was forgetting
55:37
something, wide receiver as well. Okay, so when
55:39
we look at their free agents, you have Keenan
55:40
Allen, Amari Cooper, Gabe Davis, Nelson Aguilar,
55:44
DJ Char, Tyler Boyd, Chris Conley, and Jameson
55:46
Crowder. Now you can take the free agency route,
55:49
and you can get someone like a Gabe Davis, and
55:51
you can get him for cheap because the Jaguars
55:53
are still paying him, I think, at least 11 million,
55:56
if I'm not mistaken. You can go with the veteran
55:59
approach, Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper. You can
56:01
go someone that's like a little bit younger in
56:04
DJ chart. You have options at wide receiver.
56:07
But if I'm the Chiefs, I think you have to seriously
56:10
consider making at least one big investment into
56:13
wide receiver because we've seen that for the
56:16
last few years, they've tried the veteran approach
56:18
really, really hasn't been as successful. I mean,
56:21
Juju has probably been. their most successful
56:24
veteran wide receiver so far. They tried to make
56:29
the move with D -hop. That really didn't end
56:32
so well. So let's see what happens. Now let's
56:35
go to the Raiders, okay? So positional battles
56:37
to watch out for. Wide receiver, inside linebacker,
56:40
defensive end, and guard, okay? Players to keep
56:43
an eye out for, Tyree Wilson, Devin White, Jalen
56:45
Smith, Dante Thornton Jr., Jack Besch, Dylan
56:49
Parham, and Jordan Meredith. The storyline for
56:52
the Raiders is, what is considered a successful
56:55
season for them? I understand they've gone through
56:58
a lot of change. And I understand that they brought
57:00
in somebody who he's supposed to bring in stability
57:04
in Pete Carroll. But what would be considered
57:08
a successful season for the Raiders right now?
57:11
They have to show something. Because that offense
57:15
last year was atrocious. I don't know what it
57:18
was. but it just wasn't meshing, okay? So according
57:23
to NFL Pro, they have the 27th ranked offense,
57:26
and they average 18 .2 points per game, 303 .2
57:31
yards per game, 4 .8 yards per play, and 29 touchdowns.
57:36
They were 13th in passing offense, and they average
57:39
223 .4 passing yards per game, 5 .5 passing yards
57:43
per play, and 19 passing touchdowns. They were
57:46
dead last. in rushing offense, and they averaged
57:49
79 .8 rushing yards per game, 3 .6 rushing yards
57:54
per play, 10 rushing touchdowns, and 34 rushes
57:57
of 10 plus yards or more. Case in point, that's
58:01
why they made the investment in getting Ashton
58:03
Genting. Do I feel like this team can win eight,
58:07
maybe 10 or 12 games? No. I think at best, the
58:11
Raiders are probably a five to seven win team
58:14
at best. I do believe that they're still probably
58:19
the third best team in their division. Sure,
58:22
they're not like a slouch of a team, but I just
58:25
feel like defensively and offensively, they're
58:28
still missing out on a lot. Granted, I mean,
58:31
you still have Max Crosby and you have Brock
58:35
Bowers and, you know, Geno Smith and company,
58:38
but I still feel like that's not enough when
58:40
you're in a division that has Patrick Mahomes,
58:42
Bo Nix, and Justin Herbert, okay? So Tyree Wilson,
58:46
I want to see more. I want to see you take that
58:49
next step. I want to see you solidify yourself
58:51
as the partner for Max Crosby because that's
58:55
why they drafted you. They drafted you to be
58:58
someone that can be just as productive or even
59:00
more productive than Max Crosby. Sure, you had
59:04
a pretty good season last year, but more is expected
59:07
from you. Am I saying that you have to have a
59:10
double -digit sack season? No, but I think if
59:13
you get maybe eight, or maybe like nine and a
59:16
half sacks, I feel like that's actually pretty
59:18
good. Devin White, survive, I would say at this
59:22
point. You've been on the Eagles, that didn't
59:25
work out. You've been on the Texans, that didn't
59:28
really work out. Let's see what happens with
59:31
the Raiders. And granted, the Raiders brought
59:34
in Jamal Adams, who's converting into an inside
59:37
linebacker as well. So it's a lot of competition.
59:40
And even then with Jalen Smith. Where are you
59:43
at at this point in your career? Granted, you're
59:47
not the same Jalen Smith of old, but do you have
59:50
a little bit of something? Just a little bit?
59:53
Dante Thornton Jr., Jack Besch, I want to see
59:57
where you guys are. Because I've been hearing
1:00:00
a lot of great things about Dante Thornton Jr.
1:00:02
and Jack Besch. I want to see, can you guys solidify
1:00:06
yourselves as wide receiver two and three on
1:00:09
this team? Because outside of Jacoby Myers, It's
1:00:13
open season for all the other wide receiver positions.
1:00:17
And I feel like Jack Besch and Dante Thorne Jr.
1:00:20
can be week one starters. But that's just my
1:00:22
personal opinion. But let's keep this thing going,
1:00:25
though. Dylan Parham and Jordan Meredith. I'm
1:00:30
not saying you guys are going to be replaced,
1:00:32
but somebody has to step up. Somebody has to
1:00:35
show something. Because right now, this offensive
1:00:39
line needs to do their best to protect Geno Smith.
1:00:42
Geno Smith right now is probably their best option
1:00:45
to at least taking them to the next level. Now,
1:00:49
am I saying that next level is, you know, making
1:00:51
a deep playoff run? No. But what I am saying
1:00:54
is this. Keep Geno Smith upright, please. Now
1:00:59
when we look at possible free agency additions,
1:01:02
if they want to take that route, for inside linebacker,
1:01:05
you have Jawan Bentley, Devondre Campbell, Eric
1:01:07
Kendricks, Quan Alexander, Raekwon McMillan.
1:01:10
Wide receiver, if you want to take that route,
1:01:12
you have Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, Reunion,
1:01:14
Gabe Davis, Nelson Aguilar, DJ Chark, Tyler Boyd,
1:01:17
Chris Conley, Jameson Crowder. Defensive end,
1:01:20
you have Jadeveon Clowney, Demarcus Walker, Montrevious
1:01:22
Adams, Jerry Hughes, William Golston. Guard,
1:01:25
you have Brandon Sheriff, Shaq Mason, Willie
1:01:27
Hernandez, John Feliciano, Cody Whitehair, Dalton
1:01:31
Reisner, and Mark Glanowski, all right? So let's
1:01:33
keep this thing going because we're on the roll.
1:01:37
Let's go to the Chargers. So positional battles
1:01:39
to watch out for. Backup quarterback, wide receiver,
1:01:41
guard, running back, cornerback, and center.
1:01:45
Players to keep an eye out for, Taylor Heineke,
1:01:47
Trey Lance, Omarion Hampton, Najee Harris, Jalen
1:01:49
Rager, Keiondre Lambert -Smith, Des Fitzpatrick,
1:01:52
Brendan Rice, Mekhi Becton, Jamari Slayer, and
1:01:55
Quentin Johnston, all right? So the storyline
1:01:58
for the Chargers is, can this offense become
1:02:00
more consistent? We all saw how this offense
1:02:03
were the first five weeks of last season. They
1:02:07
were dominant. The run game was great. They were
1:02:10
super physical. They were controlling the line
1:02:12
of scrimmage. controlling the clock, they were
1:02:15
doing their thing. And then the minute J .K.
1:02:17
Dobbins gets hurt, not really playing their best.
1:02:21
The run game just falls off like a rib falling
1:02:23
off the bone. Justin Herbert gets nicked up a
1:02:26
little bit and he's not playing his best ball.
1:02:28
It just went downhill. And so can this offense
1:02:31
become a little bit more consistent? Because
1:02:33
I truly believe that the Chargers are a really
1:02:37
good team and I feel like they can be a dark
1:02:38
horse for the playoffs. But this offense has
1:02:41
to be more consistent. If this offense becomes
1:02:44
more consistent, you're going to see more out
1:02:47
of this team as a whole. They had the 27th ranked
1:02:51
offense last year, and they averaged 18 .2 points
1:02:54
per game, 303 .2 yards per game, 4 .8 yards per
1:02:59
play, and 29 touchdowns. They were 13th in passing
1:03:02
offense, and they averaged 223 .4 passing yards
1:03:06
per game, 5 .5 passing yards per play, and 19
1:03:10
passing touchdowns. They were 17th in rushing
1:03:13
offense, and they averaged 110 .7 rushing yards
1:03:17
per game, 4 .1 rushing yards per play, 17 rushing
1:03:22
touchdowns, and had 46 rushes of 10 plus yards
1:03:25
or more. The run game has to be a little bit
1:03:28
more consistent. We all know that. Passing game
1:03:31
has to be a little bit more consistent as well.
1:03:33
We all know that the wide receivers last year
1:03:35
really wasn't the best. I mean, sure, you had
1:03:38
Lat McConkey and company, but maybe if they add
1:03:42
in someone like a Terry McLaurin or you add somebody
1:03:46
else like Romeo Dobbs or John Mechie, maybe the
1:03:50
passing game can be a little bit better. But
1:03:52
I do believe that this offense can be a little
1:03:55
bit more consistent. Now, am I saying this offense
1:03:58
has to be top five or top 10? No. But I feel
1:04:01
like if they're top 15, I think that's good.
1:04:04
All right, so let's go with these players, all
1:04:05
right? So Taylor Heineke, Trey Lance. Right now,
1:04:09
Trey Lance has put on a really good performance.
1:04:11
Let's see if Taylor Heineke can follow up with
1:04:14
that with the next game, all right? Because right
1:04:16
now, you have two really good backup quarterbacks.
1:04:20
But I feel like Trey Lance may have the advantage.
1:04:24
I'm not saying it just because he had a really
1:04:25
good performance in the Hall of Fame game, but
1:04:27
I just feel like his skill set would help more
1:04:30
than Taylor Heineke. Could be wrong. It's just
1:04:33
my opinion. Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris.
1:04:36
I want to see if Omarion Hampton is going to
1:04:38
take the starting running back job from Najee
1:04:40
Harris. Granted, we all know Najee is still nursing
1:04:43
the eye injury from the fireworks mishap, but
1:04:47
I mean... I feel like right now, running back
1:04:50
one is open. Now, running back two, three, that's
1:04:54
a different conversation for a different day,
1:04:56
but I do believe Omarion Hampton will definitely
1:04:59
take the starting role. Jalen Rager, Keiondre
1:05:02
Lambert -Smith, Patrick Brennan -Rice, and Quentin
1:05:06
Johnson. You know what? Let's break it down,
1:05:09
actually. Jalen Rager, I was high on you when
1:05:13
you was coming out of college, so... There's
1:05:15
nothing really to say about you. I do believe
1:05:18
that you will definitely contribute at some point
1:05:21
in this season. I don't know if it's going to
1:05:23
be week one, but I do believe he's going to contribute.
1:05:25
When it comes to training camp, you ball out.
1:05:30
You do your thing. But when the pads come on
1:05:32
and the lights come on and it's time for you
1:05:35
to show something on the field, not so much.
1:05:39
Why? I don't know. But you have all the intangibles.
1:05:43
You have the physical tools to be a really good
1:05:47
receiver in the league. But you just can't put
1:05:50
it together. Why? I don't know. DeAndre Lambert
1:05:52
-Smith, you showed a lot in the Hall of Fame
1:05:55
game. You show that, hey, there's something with
1:05:58
your skill set. You could definitely be useful
1:06:01
to the Chargers. Brennan Rice, I feel like you
1:06:04
have a role in this team as well. And if I'm
1:06:07
not mistaken, I think I even saw him playing
1:06:09
special teams as well. If you're playing special
1:06:12
teams, hey, that even gives you more of an opportunity
1:06:15
to be on this team. But if you're Quentin Johnson,
1:06:18
you got to show something. This is a make it
1:06:23
or break it year for you because right now you
1:06:26
have yet to show anything. And you really can't
1:06:30
say, oh, I didn't have this or I didn't have
1:06:33
that. You have stability at quarterback. It would
1:06:36
be different if you've had. three to maybe four
1:06:40
quarterbacks since coming into the league. Okay,
1:06:42
fine. We can give you a little bit of grace.
1:06:44
But that's not the case. You have a dropping
1:06:47
problem. And right now, Jalen Rieger, Keiondre
1:06:52
Lambert -Smith, Brennan Rice, Latt McConkie,
1:06:56
they're all looking way more better than what
1:07:00
you're looking right now. So it's time for you
1:07:02
to show something. Because I don't think there's
1:07:05
going to be another team that's going to be dealing
1:07:08
with your dropping problems. Just saying. Makai
1:07:12
Becton and Jamari Slayer, I feel like the guard
1:07:16
position is open. Although Makai Becton is coming
1:07:20
off of a really good season and winning a Super
1:07:23
Bowl with the Eagles, that doesn't mean that
1:07:25
the guard position is locked in. It's still anybody's
1:07:30
position at this point. Now, do I think Makai
1:07:33
Becton may have the advantage? Yes. but I want
1:07:37
to see if he's going to carry over what he's
1:07:39
learned from the Eagles to the Chargers. Jamari
1:07:42
Slayer has a chance, but how big of a chance,
1:07:46
that I really don't know. But I will say this,
1:07:51
each and every one of these battles are going
1:07:53
to be very interesting moving forward, and I
1:07:56
cannot wait to see them. But when we look at,
1:07:59
you know, possible free agency additions, if
1:08:02
they want to take that route. Backup quarterback,
1:08:05
I don't think they're going to make any moves
1:08:06
with that. Wide receiver, I wouldn't be surprised
1:08:09
if they make a big move. I mean, hey, you can
1:08:12
go after someone like a Terry McLaurin. I think
1:08:14
that would be great. I do know that the Chargers
1:08:17
and Keenan Allen, they do have mutual interest
1:08:19
in doing business again. That's a possibility.
1:08:22
I mean, we all know that Mike Williams unexpectedly
1:08:24
retired before training camp even started. So
1:08:28
you may want to add in somebody. There's not
1:08:31
a lot of options. I mean, sure, you have Gabe
1:08:34
Davis, Nelson Aguilar, the same people that I've
1:08:37
been saying for the past few episodes. But I
1:08:40
feel like getting someone like a Terry McLaurin
1:08:43
would definitely solidify the wide receiver.
1:08:46
Just saying. But when we're looking at other
1:08:51
positions that they could possibly add, I mean,
1:08:53
running back. I mean, you have Zach Moss, who
1:08:56
just got released from the Bengals. Jamal Williams,
1:08:58
Gus Edwards, Jeff Wilson. Cornerback, you have
1:09:03
James Bradbury, Kendall Fuller, Stephon Gilmore,
1:09:06
Rasul Douglas, Sante Samuel Jr., if you want
1:09:09
to bring him back, Emmanuel Mosley, just to name
1:09:11
a few. I don't think there's a need to address
1:09:13
any of the other positions that I've talked about
1:09:16
recently. I feel like all those positions have
1:09:19
already been addressed and those personnel are
1:09:22
already on the team. But, you know, anything
1:09:24
can happen, you know. But let's keep this thing
1:09:27
going, all right? So let's go to the Broncos.
1:09:29
This is actually fairly easy, all right? Positional
1:09:32
battles to watch out for. Running back and nickel
1:09:34
corner. The storyline for the Broncos is, will
1:09:37
the Broncos become playoff contenders this season?
1:09:40
I think right now this is an underrated team
1:09:44
that can definitely make a lot of noise. From
1:09:47
adding Jadé Barrett in the draft to keeping Corlin
1:09:51
Sutton and Zach Allen in PS2, This team is ready
1:09:55
to make some noise. This team could have a direct
1:09:59
impact on the Chiefs getting the number one or
1:10:01
number two seed. Now, am I saying this team is
1:10:04
ready for the Super Bowl? No. But what I am saying
1:10:08
is this. This team can make some noise. I feel
1:10:12
like this team can go toe -to -toe against the
1:10:15
Ravens, the Chiefs, possibly the Bills, the Steelers.
1:10:21
I think they can do it. I think as long as the
1:10:24
offense improves and the defense gets a little
1:10:27
bit better, I think they're there. Now, shifting
1:10:32
things over to nickel corner, I mean, you have
1:10:34
Jadé Barron and Jaquan McMillan. I'm not saying,
1:10:38
you know, one person has the advantage over the
1:10:40
other, excuse me, but I just want to see how
1:10:44
Jadé Barron fits in this Broncos defense. Because
1:10:49
we all know that Jadé Barron has a little bit
1:10:51
of positional flexibility. So I want to see,
1:10:54
are they going to use him as a nickel? Sometimes
1:10:56
they're going to use him as an outside corner.
1:10:58
How exactly are the Broncos going to use someone
1:11:01
like a Jadé Barron? Because he has the speed,
1:11:03
he has the IQ, he has the skill set. He can do
1:11:06
it all. So this is going to be a very interesting
1:11:10
matchup. Jaquan McMillan, the position is yours.
1:11:15
You just got to fight for it. That's it. There's
1:11:20
not a lot of positions to really keep an eye
1:11:22
out for because this team is pretty much already
1:11:26
set up. I mean, there's only a few loose ends
1:11:29
and whatnot. It's no problem, right? But even
1:11:33
when we look at things with running back, you
1:11:35
know, J .K. Dobbins, you only signed a one -year
1:11:38
deal. Your spot isn't locked in. At the same
1:11:43
time, we all know that J .K. Dobbins is a difference
1:11:47
maker when he's healthy. And I want to see, can
1:11:50
he at least have just one healthy season? Because
1:11:54
the skill is there. He just has to stay healthy.
1:11:58
That's been his main knock since coming into
1:12:01
the league. He has the skill set, but he just
1:12:04
has to put it together. R .J. Harvey, I mean,
1:12:09
it's your position to lose. But I feel like personally,
1:12:14
there's another level to your game. I believe
1:12:25
it. I think everything is in place for you to
1:12:28
be super successful, but you just got to show
1:12:31
it. Now, we will look at possible free agency
1:12:33
additions if they want to take that route. I
1:12:36
mean, for corner, you have James Bradbury, Kendall
1:12:39
Fuller, Stephon Gilmore, Rasul Douglas, Emmanuel
1:12:41
Mosley, Asante Samuel Jr. Running back, if you
1:12:44
want to take that route, you have Zach Moss,
1:12:46
Jamal Williams, Gus Edwards, Jeff Wilson. Do
1:12:49
I think this team is going to make any of these
1:12:51
moves? No. Do I think they may bring in somebody
1:12:54
as a camp body? Yes. I think they're going to
1:12:57
bring in somebody that could possibly push someone
1:13:00
or at least compete at best. I mean, as a whole,
1:13:07
this team is fairly set. I don't think there's,
1:13:09
you know, I don't think there's, I don't think
1:13:11
there's a need to have like a legitimate conversation
1:13:14
about other positions. I feel like personally,
1:13:17
this team is set up for success moving forward.
1:13:21
I mean, the team is still fairly young. So let's
1:13:24
see what happens with the Broncos. Now let's
1:13:26
go over to the NFC West. All right, let's start
1:13:28
with the Seahawks. Positional battles to watch
1:13:30
out for. Quarterback. Tight end, right guard,
1:13:33
right tackle, running back, and corner, all right?
1:13:36
Players to keep an eye out for, Abraham Lucas,
1:13:38
Anthony Bradford, A .J. Barner, Elijah Royo,
1:13:41
Sam Darnold, Jalen Milrow, Drew Locke, Josh Jobe,
1:13:44
Shag Griffin, Zach Charbonnet, and Kenneth Walker
1:13:47
III. So the storyline for the Seahawks is, can
1:13:50
this offense improve? Granted, I understand you
1:13:54
guys made some significant moves on the offense.
1:13:56
I mean, you added Cooper Cupp, and then you went
1:13:58
after Sam Darnold. Okay, great. But this offense
1:14:02
just needs to improve a little bit more. I'm
1:14:06
not saying it has to be top five, but man, it
1:14:08
has to improve because right now the defense
1:14:11
is doing all the heavy lifting and you don't
1:14:13
want that, all right? This isn't the early 2000s
1:14:16
where your defense can shut a team out and all
1:14:19
you have to do is score 15 points and win a game,
1:14:22
no. So the offense has to do better, okay? Now,
1:14:26
according to NFL Pro, The Seahawks had the 14th
1:14:29
ranked offense last year, and they averaged 22
1:14:32
.1 points per game, 332 .2 yards per game, 5
1:14:37
.5 yards per play, and 38 touchdowns. They were
1:14:40
8th in passing offense and they averaged 236
1:14:43
.5 passing yards per game, 6 .2 passing yards
1:14:47
per play, and 21 passing touchdowns. They were
1:14:49
28th in rushing offense and they averaged 95
1:14:52
.7 rushing yards per game, 4 .2 rushing yards
1:14:55
per play, 17 rushing touchdowns, and 47 rushes
1:14:59
of 10 plus yards or more. But let's be honest
1:15:02
here. Can some of the offensive problems be blamed
1:15:05
on the former offensive coordinator? Yes. Can
1:15:08
some of the offensive problems be blamed on the
1:15:11
lack of talent that's on the offensive line?
1:15:13
Yes. Both things are true. But things have changed.
1:15:17
They brought in a new offensive coordinator with
1:15:19
the hope that this offense can improve just a
1:15:22
little bit more than what it did last season.
1:15:24
You brought in Sam Darnold, who, I mean, there
1:15:28
was one point in time where people were talking
1:15:30
about him being an MVP. You have JSN. You drafted
1:15:34
Elijah Arroyo. You have Cooper Cupp. You have
1:15:37
weapons on this offense. It's just a matter of
1:15:40
can things come together. Now let's start with
1:15:43
this offensive line. Right guard and right tackle.
1:15:45
Abraham Lucas and Anthony Bradford. I understand
1:15:49
that there's not a lot of good tackle free agent
1:15:52
options. But, I mean, if you're the Seahawks,
1:15:56
you have to bring in a veteran guard. I'm sorry.
1:16:00
You cannot roll into the season with this guard
1:16:02
right now. This is no disrespect to him. But
1:16:05
these aren't good numbers. According to PFF,
1:16:07
he allowed 10 penalties, 7 sacks, and 28 total
1:16:11
pressures. Abraham Lucas had 6 penalties, allowed
1:16:16
4 sacks, and 18 total pressures. Folks, this
1:16:21
offensive line needs to be better. If this offensive
1:16:26
line doesn't improve, the run game isn't going
1:16:29
to get better, nor is the passing game. So somebody's
1:16:33
going to have to do something. Whether it means
1:16:35
you bring in a veteran tackle or you bring in
1:16:38
a veteran guard, something. But let's keep things
1:16:41
going, all right? So A .J. Barner and Elijah
1:16:43
Royal. Right now, I believe Elijah Royal could
1:16:45
be tied in one week one. I feel like his skill
1:16:49
set would be great for this team, and I feel
1:16:52
like he has a lot of upside to his game. A .J.
1:16:55
Barner, on the other hand, could it be tied in
1:16:57
two? Yes, and that's perfectly fine. I think
1:16:59
tied in is one of those positions where you don't
1:17:02
have to be number one. You can be just as effective
1:17:05
in the second position as you would be in the
1:17:08
first position. I'm just saying. It's my personal
1:17:11
opinion. I could be wrong. Sam Darnold, Jalen
1:17:14
Milrow, Drew Locke. Sam Darnold, you're under
1:17:17
a little bit of pressure, and here's why. For
1:17:19
one, if you don't perform well this season, the
1:17:23
Seahawks can get off of your contract next year,
1:17:26
no problem. You essentially signed a one -year
1:17:28
deal. So you have to show them... what you showed
1:17:32
the Vikings last season, because you were on
1:17:34
a tear for a majority of the season last year.
1:17:37
So you've got to carry that same momentum with
1:17:39
the Seahawks this year. Jalen Milrow, I would
1:17:43
use this opportunity to possibly compete for
1:17:46
quarterback two or three. But I may want to lean
1:17:50
with quarterback three just so you can sit back,
1:17:52
learn, and watch on what you're supposed to do
1:17:56
and what you're not supposed to do. Because the
1:17:58
number one knock with Jalen Monroe coming out
1:18:00
of Alabama was he was raw. And he was making
1:18:04
a lot of routine mistakes. So if I'm Jalen Monroe,
1:18:09
I would rather take a step back just so I can
1:18:12
learn so that when my opportunity arises, guess
1:18:15
what? I can capitalize off it because I know
1:18:17
the do's and don'ts when it comes to being a
1:18:20
quarterback in the National Football League.
1:18:22
Drew Locke, I'm not saying you have a lot to
1:18:26
show for. But I mean, let's see where you are
1:18:30
at this point. I'm not saying I have super high
1:18:32
hopes for him. But I do believe he is a better
1:18:36
backup quarterback than what a lot of people
1:18:37
say he is. Josh Jobe, Shaq Griffin. This is an
1:18:41
interesting matchup, and here's why. So they
1:18:44
bring in Shaq Griffin, who we all know he was
1:18:46
part of the Seahawks at one time. And he's on
1:18:50
a one -year deal. So technically speaking, his
1:18:53
role isn't solidified on this team. Josh Jobe,
1:18:57
on the other hand, you could show, hey, listen,
1:19:00
this is my role. Yeah, you brought in a veteran,
1:19:03
but hey, this is my role. He has to go through
1:19:05
me. You can have that type of mindset when going
1:19:08
up against a Shaq Griffin. Now, does that mean
1:19:12
you have to be more detail -oriented and you
1:19:14
have to be better in coverage? Yes. But I do
1:19:18
believe that you have the potential to do it.
1:19:20
Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker, that's an
1:19:23
interesting competition as well. Because both
1:19:25
running backs are very productive when on the
1:19:27
field. It's just one of them has a problem staying
1:19:30
healthy. You remove the health part, you have
1:19:34
a running back tandem. I think either way you
1:19:38
slice this, Zach Charbonnet could be running
1:19:40
back one and Kenneth Walker can be two or vice
1:19:44
versa. Either way, it's still really productive.
1:19:48
I think if this rushing offense become at least
1:19:52
top 15, probably close to top 10, I think this
1:19:59
offense would be a whole lot better. But if the
1:20:02
run game doesn't get better, there's going to
1:20:04
be legitimate questions moving forward on if
1:20:07
this team has made enough significant investment
1:20:10
into the offense. Because we all know where all
1:20:13
the investments has gone. It's gone to the defense.
1:20:16
But someone is going to start asking the question
1:20:18
of, hey, did they put a little bit too much into
1:20:22
the defense? Are they neglecting the offense?
1:20:25
What's going on? But when we look at possible
1:20:27
free agency additions, I mean, for guard, you
1:20:29
have Brandon Scherf, Shaq Mason, Willie Hernandez,
1:20:32
John Feliciano, Cody Whitehair, Dalton Reisner,
1:20:35
Mark Lanowski. Cornerback, you have James Bradbury,
1:20:39
Kendall Fuller, Stephon Gilmore, Rasul Douglas,
1:20:42
Emmanuel Mosley, Asante Samuel Jr. Tackle, you
1:20:45
have George Fant, Andreas Peet, Isaiah Wynn,
1:20:48
Michael Dunn, Chris Hubbard, Connor McG... Dermott,
1:20:51
if I'm not mistaken. Running back, you have Zach
1:20:53
Moss, Jamal Williams, Gus Edwards, Jeff Wilson.
1:20:57
Tied in, you have Gerald Everett, Mercedes Lewis,
1:20:59
Jordan Akins, and McCole Pruitt. So do I think
1:21:03
they're going to add a veteran at some point?
1:21:05
Yes. Do I think it's going to be guard? Hell
1:21:08
yeah. I think at best, if you add either Brandon
1:21:11
Scherf, Shaq Mason, or Willie Hernandez, I think
1:21:15
you're upgrading the position. And I think you're
1:21:17
going to see a better result. than what you have
1:21:19
right now, which is, I mean, Anthony Bradford,
1:21:23
who gave up, what, seven sacks? That's just not
1:21:25
good. Now, tackle is a little bit difficult,
1:21:28
and here's why. All of these tackles are most
1:21:31
likely swing tackles, okay? And on top of that,
1:21:35
the last time that they did play, it probably
1:21:37
wasn't their best. So what exactly do you do?
1:21:42
Do you let Abraham Lucas play this thing out?
1:21:45
in hopes that, hey, maybe he can improve as the
1:21:48
season goes on. What exactly can you do to make
1:21:52
this offensive line better? Granted, you made
1:21:54
an investment in drafting Gray Zabel. Cool, great,
1:21:57
whatever. You signed Connor Williams, but then
1:22:01
he unexpectedly retired. What exactly do you
1:22:05
need to do to take this offense to the next level?
1:22:09
That would be my question for the head coach
1:22:11
and for this team as a whole. Now let's get to
1:22:14
the Cardinals, all right? So positional battles
1:22:16
to watch out for. Guard, outside linebacker,
1:22:19
and cornerback. Players to keep an eye out for.
1:22:22
Isaiah Adams, Zevin Collins, B .J. Ojolari, Justin
1:22:25
Jones, Darius Robinson, Garrett Williams, and
1:22:28
Will Johnson, all right? So the storyline for
1:22:30
the Cardinals is, is there another level to this
1:22:34
offense? Folks, this is an underrated offense
1:22:37
that doesn't get the flowers that it so deserves.
1:22:41
You have Marvin Harrison Jr. You have Kyle Murray.
1:22:44
You have a pretty good offensive line. You have
1:22:46
Trey McBride. You have James Conner. You have
1:22:49
some weapons. But my question is, is there another
1:22:53
level to this offense? Can this offense become
1:22:56
better? Now, when we look at the stats from this
1:22:59
past season, they were the 11th ranked offense
1:23:02
and they averaged 23 .5 points per game, 358
1:23:07
.2 yards per game. 5 .9 yards per play and 39
1:23:11
touchdowns. They were 18th in passing offense
1:23:14
and they averaged 214 .1 passing yards per game,
1:23:18
6 .4 passing yards per play and 21 passing touchdowns.
1:23:22
They were 7th in rushing offense and they averaged
1:23:25
144 .2 rushing yards per game, 5 .3 rushing yards
1:23:29
per play, 18 rushing touchdowns and 73 rushes
1:23:32
of 10 plus yards or more. Folks, the numbers
1:23:35
don't lie. This offense has the potential to
1:23:39
become possibly top 10 in all major categories,
1:23:43
both passing and rushing. If Kyler Murray and
1:23:47
Marvin Harrison Jr. develop their chemistry even
1:23:50
more, oh, that's it. Because you have everything
1:23:55
else in place. All you have to do is just build
1:24:00
off what you have right now. This team as a whole
1:24:03
is a dark horse. Now, am I saying this team?
1:24:07
Can make it to the NFC Championship? No. But
1:24:09
I do believe that this team could possibly make
1:24:12
it into the playoffs. I think out of the NFC
1:24:15
West, I can't even speak. Out of the NFC West,
1:24:19
I feel like the 49ers, the Rams, and the Cardinals
1:24:23
will all make it to the playoffs. I feel like
1:24:25
the Seahawks, at first, they'll have the advantage
1:24:29
over everyone. But as the season progresses,
1:24:32
they're going to lose their grip. The 49ers are
1:24:35
going to take control. And then the Cardinals
1:24:37
are going to sneak into the playoffs. I feel
1:24:40
like they have that type of potential. I could
1:24:44
be wrong. These are just my opinions. I'm going
1:24:46
to keep on saying it. Now, when we look at guard,
1:24:48
me personally, you can go about it a few different
1:24:52
ways, right? You can continue to let the younger
1:24:55
prospects that you have in your team to hash
1:24:57
things out just to see where they are. or you
1:25:00
can bring in a veteran presence. Now, me personally,
1:25:03
I wouldn't hit the panic button right now and
1:25:05
bring in a veteran presence. Because right now,
1:25:08
when you look at Evan Brown, according to PFF,
1:25:10
he only had two penalties, he only allowed two
1:25:12
sacks, and he only had, what, 20 total pressures
1:25:16
allowed? That's not bad. And he's played 1 ,070
1:25:20
snaps at left guard. Now, Isaiah Adams, on the
1:25:23
other hand, he's a little bit more diverse, okay?
1:25:26
So he had four penalties. He allowed two sacks.
1:25:29
He's played 444 snaps at right guard and then
1:25:33
18 snaps at left guard. So me personally, I would
1:25:37
keep Evan Brown at left guard. Right guard, you
1:25:40
can do a few things with it. If you feel like
1:25:43
Isaiah Adams isn't the answer, okay, that's when
1:25:46
you bring in Willie Hernandez or Shaq Mason or
1:25:51
Brandon Scherf. But... If you feel good with
1:25:55
the progress that he's shown in training camp
1:25:57
and in the preseason, well, then just roll with
1:25:59
what you have. This team doesn't have a lot of
1:26:02
holes. This team continues to build every single
1:26:06
year and they're heading in the right direction.
1:26:08
All they have to do is maintain the course. Now,
1:26:12
when we shift things over to the defense, however,
1:26:14
they have a loaded pass rusher room. I mean,
1:26:17
you have what? Zevin Collins, BJ Ojolari, you
1:26:20
have Darius Robinson. You have Josh Sweat, who
1:26:25
they got in free agency. You have a lot of pass
1:26:27
rushers. And you have a lot of pass rushers that
1:26:29
have a lot of upside to their game. So me, personally,
1:26:33
I want to see who's going to stand out. Is it
1:26:36
going to be B .J. Ojolari? Is it going to be
1:26:38
Zevin Collins? Is it going to be Darius Robinson?
1:26:40
Who's it going to be? Because if I'm the defensive
1:26:43
coordinator, I want to keep as many pass rushers
1:26:45
as I possibly can. Because that way you can continue
1:26:48
to just create an endless wave of pressure on
1:26:53
a quarterback. And who wouldn't want that? That's
1:26:55
the same model that the Seahawks, I mean, not
1:26:57
the Seahawks, that the Eagles have been doing
1:26:59
for the past few years. They've created wave
1:27:02
after wave after wave of pass rushers to consistently
1:27:07
go after the quarterback. And it's worked. So
1:27:10
I think if you take that same model and you apply
1:27:12
it with the Cardinals, I think it can be really
1:27:14
successful. Now, am I saying this defense could
1:27:17
be, you know, top five or, you know, top two
1:27:20
or whatever? No, but I do think this defense
1:27:23
has a lot of potential. I think they've made
1:27:26
a lot of investments into the defensive line.
1:27:28
I think they made a lot of investments into the
1:27:30
secondary. I feel like the secondary as a whole
1:27:33
is underrated as well. You got Will Johnson for
1:27:36
a steal. Because there was a point in time where
1:27:38
he was slated to be a top five, possibly top
1:27:41
10 pick. You have Garrett Williams. You have
1:27:44
a lot in your secondary. You still have Buda
1:27:46
Baker. You have Jalen Thompson. All I'm saying
1:27:48
is this. This team really doesn't have to make
1:27:51
any significant moves right now. They can just
1:27:53
sit back and just wait. Now, if something emerges,
1:27:55
you know, somebody's out for the season. Okay,
1:27:58
fine. Then you have to make a move. But me personally,
1:28:00
I feel like the Cardinals are in a really good
1:28:02
spot right now. Now, when we look at possible
1:28:04
free agency additions, if they want to take that
1:28:06
route, I mean, cornerback, you have James Bradbury,
1:28:08
Kendall Fuller, Stephon Gilmore, Rasul Douglas,
1:28:11
Asante Samuel Jr., Emmanuel Mosley. Outside linebacker,
1:28:15
if you want to take that route, you have Matthew
1:28:17
Judon, Preston Anzadarius Smith, Kaiser. No,
1:28:21
no, because Kaiser White, I think, retired. You
1:28:24
have Jalen Reeves -Maben. You have Kamu Greger
1:28:27
-Hill, just to name a few. Guard, if you want
1:28:30
to take that route, you have Brandon Scherff,
1:28:32
Shaq Mason, Willie Hernandez, John Feliciano,
1:28:34
Cody Whitehair, Dalton Reisner, Mark Lanowski.
1:28:37
So you have options at guard. Now the question
1:28:40
is, are you going to just wait to possibly make
1:28:43
a move, or are you just going to address it now
1:28:46
so that way you don't have to worry about it
1:28:48
moving forward? Just food for thought. Now let's
1:28:50
go to the 49ers, all right? So positional battles
1:28:52
to watch out for. Wide receiver, defensive tackle,
1:28:54
defensive end, guard, and cornerback, all right?
1:28:57
So players to keep an eye out for, Michael Williams,
1:28:59
Yitir, Gross Motos, Jordan Elliott, Alfred Collins,
1:29:03
Ricky Pearsall, Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowling,
1:29:06
CJ West, Bryce Huff, Ben Bartsch, Spencer Burford,
1:29:09
and Renardo Green. So the storyline for the 49ers
1:29:12
is, can this team overcome their playoff struggles?
1:29:15
Folks, you already know what I'm getting ready
1:29:17
to say about the 49ers. This team has been overly
1:29:21
qualified. for the past few years and yet every
1:29:25
single time when they get to the big moment they
1:29:27
fold for one reason or the other this is probably
1:29:31
the most important season for the kyle shanahan
1:29:35
john lynch regime and their entire tenure right
1:29:38
now because right now if you don't win a super
1:29:41
bowl you may have to start questioning kyle shanahan
1:29:45
let's be real here folks they've had top five
1:29:48
defenses they've had top five offenses in the
1:29:50
last few years They've made moves to get Trent
1:29:53
Williams, Christian McCaffrey. They've paid this
1:29:56
person and that person. They've done it all.
1:29:59
And so far, they haven't won a Lombardi. So at
1:30:02
some point, someone's going to have to answer
1:30:05
the tough questions. Is it Kyler Murray? Is it
1:30:08
John Lynch? Is it the both of them? What exactly
1:30:11
is causing them not to win at all? So let's start
1:30:15
with the pass rushers, all right? Defensive tackle
1:30:17
and defensive end, all right? So Mikel Williams,
1:30:19
Yotir Grotos Motos, Jordan Elliott, Alfred Collins.
1:30:22
For one, I want to see how Mikel Williams is
1:30:26
going to be used in this defense. I know Georgia
1:30:29
used him in a variety of different roles, so
1:30:31
I want to see if that's going to carry on with
1:30:34
the 49ers. I do believe that him, Yotir Grotos
1:30:39
Motos, and Nick Bosa could be a really good combination.
1:30:44
but I want to see how things work. I want to
1:30:46
see how the chemistry works between all of them.
1:30:48
I want to see exactly where is Mikel Williams
1:30:51
going to be lined up. Is it going to be more
1:30:52
of the outside linebacker type of role, or is
1:30:55
it going to be lined up more in a traditional
1:30:57
defensive end role? Year two gross motos. I want
1:31:01
to see you continue to grow. Now, am I saying
1:31:05
that you're going to be this super dominant tier
1:31:07
one or tier two pass rusher? No, but I think
1:31:10
if you contribute five to eight sacks this season,
1:31:13
on top of whatever Nick Bosa gets, I think that's
1:31:17
really good. Because I think right now, this
1:31:19
pass rush room, this defensive line as a whole,
1:31:23
has a lot of potential. I mean, you have Bryce
1:31:25
Huff, you have CJ West, you have Alfred Collins,
1:31:28
you have it all. And so right now, if you're
1:31:32
Robert Sala, you want to emphasize trying to
1:31:35
make sure that each and every one of your defensive
1:31:38
linemen eats. I mean, listen, they made a move
1:31:43
for Bryce Huff. We all saw how Bryce Huff was
1:31:46
when he was with the Jets. He was killing it.
1:31:49
So let's see if that's going to continue with
1:31:52
the 49ers. You drafted CJ West and Alfred Collins,
1:31:55
two really good defensive linemen. And Alfred
1:31:58
Collins is a beast. Now, my question is, is he
1:32:02
going to be used primarily to stuff the run?
1:32:04
Is he going to be used to go after the quarterback?
1:32:06
What is going to be his role? Same thing with
1:32:09
CJ West. I feel like they have enough diversity
1:32:12
within their game to where you can use them in
1:32:15
multiple roles. Same thing with Jordan Elliott
1:32:18
as well. This defensive line has to become better.
1:32:24
Because right now, I don't really trust the secondary,
1:32:28
personally. I mean, sure, you have Diamador Lenore,
1:32:31
you have Renardo Green, but, I mean, with them
1:32:34
losing Charverius Ward, you don't have that true
1:32:37
number one corner on your team right now. And
1:32:40
so the only way to mitigate that is for your
1:32:43
defensive line to carry the majority of the workload
1:32:46
for the defense. If they can go after the quarterback,
1:32:50
the corner's kind of made in the shade. But if
1:32:55
this defensive line can't successfully and consistently
1:32:57
go after quarterbacks, it's going to be a problem.
1:33:01
Let's keep things going, all right? So wide receiver,
1:33:04
Ricky Pearsall, Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowan.
1:33:07
Right now, we all know that Brandon Ayuk isn't
1:33:10
going to be available for a while. We don't know
1:33:13
what's going on with Juwan Jang's contract situation.
1:33:16
So right now, Ricky Pearsall, Jordan Watkins,
1:33:18
and Jacob Cowan, it's time for you guys to step
1:33:22
up. It's time for you guys to be thrust into
1:33:25
a role that you're probably not comfortable with,
1:33:27
but you're going to have to be comfortable with.
1:33:29
Because right now, with the 49ers moving off
1:33:32
of Deebo Samuel this offseason, and Brandon Ayewick
1:33:35
still recovering from his ACL surgery, and you
1:33:38
don't know what's going on with Jawan Jennings,
1:33:40
everyone's going to have to step up. Everyone's
1:33:44
going to have to at least contribute more in
1:33:47
the passing game. Now, do I think they all have
1:33:50
the potential to do it? Yes, 1 ,000%. Ricky Pearsall
1:33:53
has a lot of potential in this game. Same thing
1:33:55
with Jordan Watkins and Jacob Kallick. Now, the
1:33:58
question is... If you're the 49ers, do you make
1:34:02
a big move and go after Terry McLaurin? I would
1:34:05
say yes. Because right now, you don't have a
1:34:09
true number one receiver available on your team
1:34:11
right now. If you go into the season right now,
1:34:15
who is your number one receiver? Who is your
1:34:17
number two receiver? Who is your number three
1:34:19
receiver? These are the tough questions that
1:34:22
need to be asked when it comes to roster building.
1:34:25
If you guys are truly serious about this season,
1:34:28
And based off everything that I've read, with
1:34:30
this schedule being the easiest schedule in the
1:34:33
entire league, it's only right that you try to
1:34:36
pick up the phone and go after Terry McLaurin.
1:34:39
Now, granted, you are in a situation where, yes,
1:34:43
you're going to have to pay somebody a lot of
1:34:44
money, but it's going to help out the offense
1:34:48
even more. And that's another weapon for Brock
1:34:51
Purdy. Just saying. Now, let's keep this thing
1:34:54
going. So Spencer Bradford, Renardo Green. I'm
1:34:58
not saying it's a competition, but you just want
1:35:01
to see where they are, just in case you have
1:35:03
to make a move for corner. Granted, like I just
1:35:07
said, with the whole Javarius Ward, DeAndre Lenore,
1:35:09
and a Renato Green thing, your cornerback room
1:35:13
took a loss this offseason. And you guys really
1:35:16
didn't do anything in either the draft or in
1:35:18
free agency to recoup that. And, you know, if
1:35:22
you're the 49ers, You want to at least see what
1:35:25
you have first before you have to make a drastic
1:35:28
move. I still believe in Renato Green. I still
1:35:31
feel like he has a lot of upside to his game.
1:35:34
I still feel like he hasn't even reached his
1:35:36
potential yet. But I want to see how things are
1:35:39
going to go with him and DeAndre Lenore being
1:35:41
the primary outside corners right now. But when
1:35:43
we look at, you know, possible free agency additions,
1:35:46
if they want to take that route, I mean, with
1:35:47
cornerback, you have James Bradbury, Kendall
1:35:49
Fuller, Stephon Gilmore, Rasul Douglas, Sante
1:35:52
Samuel Jr., if everything checks out with his
1:35:55
neck, Emmanuel Mosley. If you want to take that
1:35:58
route, defensive end, you have Jadavion Clowney,
1:36:00
Demarcus Walker, Montrevis Adams, Jerry Hughes,
1:36:02
William Golston. Wide receiver, you have Keenan
1:36:05
Allen, Amari Cooper, Gabe Davis, which recently
1:36:08
he said that he's very interested in going to
1:36:10
the 49ers. Nelson Aguilar, DJ Char, Tyler Boyd,
1:36:14
Chris Conley, Jameson Crowder. Guard, if you
1:36:16
want to take that route, you know, you have Brandon
1:36:18
Scherf, Shaq Mason, Willie Hernandez, John Feliciano,
1:36:21
Cody Whiter, Dalton Reiser, Mark Lanowski. Because
1:36:24
let's be real here. The guard that you have right
1:36:26
now, I don't really trust him as much. Me personally,
1:36:29
I would feel a lot more comfortable if this team
1:36:32
went after a veteran in Shaq Mason, Willie Hernandez,
1:36:35
possibly Brandon Scherf, but that's just my opinion.
1:36:38
A defensive tackle, if you want to take that
1:36:40
route, I mean, you have Christian Wilkins, if
1:36:41
everything checks out with him, Raekwon Davis,
1:36:44
Austin Johnson, Maurice Hurst, Jordan Phillips,
1:36:46
just to name a few. So all in all, I think the
1:36:50
thing that I'm trying to get at with the 49ers
1:36:51
is it's time for you to step up. Whatever you
1:36:54
have to do, do it. Because right now, this is
1:36:58
a make it or break it year for every person.
1:37:01
From head coach, front office personnel, whomever.
1:37:05
Everybody is under a microscope this year. Now
1:37:07
let's go to the Rams, okay? So positional battles
1:37:09
to watch out for. Cornerback, left tackle, right
1:37:12
tackle, tight end, wide receiver. Players to
1:37:14
keep an eye out for. Terrence Ferguson, Tyler
1:37:16
Higbee, Rob Havenstein, Alaric Jackson, Xavier
1:37:19
Smith, Kanate Mumfield, and Jordan Winnington.
1:37:23
The storyline for the Rams is can the Rams make
1:37:25
one more run? Folks, we all saw what the Rams
1:37:28
did last season. That first half of the season
1:37:31
wasn't the best for them. But that second half
1:37:34
of the season, man, they were on a run. They
1:37:36
looked like the real Rams. And they made some
1:37:39
significant investments to the offense this offseason.
1:37:41
I mean, they got Devontae Adams, which is another
1:37:43
weapon for Matthew Stafford. They've tried to,
1:37:46
you know, they try to. at least get more weapons
1:37:48
for him. I mean, sure, you brought in another
1:37:51
tight end, another really productive tight end.
1:37:53
And so right now, I want to see, can this team
1:37:58
at least make one more run? I think they can
1:38:00
do it. It's going to be tough, but I think they
1:38:03
can do it. Because after this season, I think
1:38:06
we have to start having a legitimate conversation
1:38:08
of who's going to be the successor for Matthew
1:38:10
Stafford. And if I'm the Rams, I possibly want
1:38:14
to take a quarterback next year. Now, I'm not
1:38:15
saying you take a quarterback next year and then
1:38:18
you just scoop Matthew Stafford. No, you bring
1:38:20
in that quarterback so that they can sit and
1:38:23
learn under Matthew Stafford. Because right now,
1:38:26
last season, it really showed Matthew Stafford's
1:38:30
age. And if you're the Rams, you have to be a
1:38:32
little bit cautious with that. Even with the
1:38:34
money that they gave him, I probably wouldn't
1:38:37
have gave him that much money. I would have tried
1:38:39
to at least structure it in a way to where, hey,
1:38:41
listen. For all intents and purposes, if he retires
1:38:44
after this season, guess what? We can let you
1:38:46
go. It doesn't really affect us for the foreseeable
1:38:49
future, and you can still get your money, right?
1:38:52
Compared to being in this situation now where
1:38:54
you have to take things year to year, which is
1:38:58
a little bit cautious, and it's a little bit
1:39:01
dangerous, to be honest. But let's get to these
1:39:03
players, all right? So Terrence Ferguson, Tyler
1:39:06
Higbee, I'm not saying this is a competition,
1:39:09
but I think Having another reliable tight end
1:39:14
would be great. Sure, Tyler Higbee is definitely
1:39:17
one of the better tight ends in the league. He's
1:39:19
very underrated with his game. But I think having
1:39:21
someone in Terrence Ferguson, I think that can
1:39:24
definitely open up the offense even more. My
1:39:26
guess is Sean McVay probably wants to go to 12
1:39:29
to maybe 13 personnel moving forward because
1:39:32
they probably want to run the ball a little bit
1:39:34
more effectively, which is perfectly fine. Rob
1:39:37
Havenstein and Laird Jackson. So with these tackles,
1:39:41
you have one who's had blood clot issues in Larry
1:39:44
Jackson, and you have Rob Havenstein, who he
1:39:47
had surgery this offseason to clean up some stuff
1:39:50
within both of his shoulders. So you don't know
1:39:53
exactly when they're going to be completely healthy
1:39:56
this season. Now, am I saying that the Rams need
1:39:59
to go after, you know, tackle prospects? No,
1:40:02
but what I am saying is this. You want to move
1:40:05
on the air of caution. And you want to be realistic
1:40:09
that there is a chance that either a Larry Jackson
1:40:11
may not start in week one or Rob Havenstein might
1:40:15
start in week one. That is a realistic situation
1:40:19
that could happen. So if I'm the Rams, you have
1:40:22
to prepare for that. Now, do I think they have
1:40:25
somebody on the team that can help them with
1:40:26
that? Yeah, for sure. I mean, you can always
1:40:28
bring in a tackle. That's no problem at all,
1:40:30
okay? Tackle prospects are everywhere, especially
1:40:34
swing tackles, okay? Shoot, Jermaine Effetti
1:40:37
just signed with the Dolphins this morning because
1:40:40
Austin Jackson got hurt and he's going to be
1:40:42
out for a while. I think they said he probably
1:40:45
won't be able to start until week one of the
1:40:48
regular season. And even then, I think that's
1:40:50
a long shot. So you just want to be cautious,
1:40:54
okay? But let's talk about these wide receivers.
1:40:57
So Xavier Smith and Kanate Mumfield, me personally,
1:41:00
I feel like at some point this season, they're
1:41:02
going to be playing, okay? Tutu Atwell only signed
1:41:05
a one -year deal. His role isn't necessarily
1:41:08
locked in with the team. So if you're Canante
1:41:11
Mumfield and if you're Xavier Smith, you want
1:41:13
to put your best foot forward. You want to at
1:41:14
least develop some level of chemistry with Matthew
1:41:17
Stafford. Because if you're the Rams, the more
1:41:20
weapons that Matthew Stafford has at his disposal,
1:41:23
the better chance that you have of winning it
1:41:25
all. And so right now, I feel like with having
1:41:28
someone in Canante Mumfield who he has the speed
1:41:31
and the route running, and you have someone in
1:41:33
Xavier Smith who I feel like there's something
1:41:36
that can be unlocked in his game, I think the
1:41:39
sky's the limit with both of them. I don't think
1:41:42
neither one of them is going to get cut. I do
1:41:45
feel like there's going to be a role for them
1:41:47
at some point. What is it? I don't know. Even
1:41:50
when you look at Jordan Winnington. I feel like
1:41:53
he's somewhat of an underrated receiver. I mean,
1:41:56
just looking at his stats from this past season,
1:41:58
I mean, you what? You had 22 receptions for 293
1:42:00
yards and you averaged 13 .3 yards per play.
1:42:05
That's almost a first down and more every single
1:42:08
time you got the ball. I'm going to continue
1:42:11
to say this until the cows come home. If you're
1:42:15
the Rams. You maximize as much talent as you
1:42:18
have on this offense because you know it's going
1:42:21
to benefit Matthew Stafford moving forward. The
1:42:24
more receivers that he has available, the more
1:42:27
running backs, tight ends, better offensive line
1:42:30
protection, the more that he has more weapons
1:42:33
around him, the better chance that he has of
1:42:36
making it to the Super Bowl. We saw how close
1:42:38
they were last season. If that offense was a
1:42:42
little bit more productive, And that defense
1:42:45
could have at least tried to disrupt the rhythm
1:42:47
that the Eagles had. They would have been in
1:42:49
the Super Bowl. Now, am I saying that they would
1:42:51
have won? No. But what I am saying is this. They
1:42:55
have potential this year. Now, when we look at
1:42:58
cornerback, personally, I feel like they didn't
1:43:01
make as much investment as they needed to. I
1:43:04
feel like outside of a Keller Weatherspoon, who
1:43:06
else can you really rely on right now? I feel
1:43:08
like Darius Williams is a slot corner. At this
1:43:11
point, I mean, sure, they brought in Emmanuel
1:43:13
Forbes Jr. But I mean, even then, he's a project
1:43:16
right now and you have to see where he is. And
1:43:18
right now he's the he's sort of like at the bottom
1:43:21
of the quarterback room. So do you have to bring
1:43:25
in somebody to at least give you a little bit
1:43:28
of protection? Possibly, because right now, if
1:43:31
the Keller Weatherspoon goes down, who else can
1:43:33
you rely on? I mean, sure, you have Darion Kendrick,
1:43:37
you have Kobe Durant, you have people. But sometimes
1:43:41
you're going to need a guy back there. And right
1:43:44
now, I feel like Akella Weatherspoon and Darius
1:43:46
Williams are the only two guy options right now.
1:43:49
And one of them is a slot corner. Who, I mean,
1:43:53
he's not the biggest corner. I mean, let's be
1:43:55
real. Let's really have an honest conversation
1:43:58
here. If this team wants to win one more Super
1:44:01
Bowl, they're going to have to make at least
1:44:03
one more big move. Me personally, I feel like
1:44:06
it's either going to be a corner. or maybe a
1:44:09
wide receiver. I feel like they have the assets
1:44:12
to do it. I mean, listen, you have two first
1:44:14
round picks. If you wanted to, you could give
1:44:17
Washington a first round pick, even though I
1:44:19
feel like that's a little bit crazy. I feel like
1:44:21
that's a reach for Terry McLaurin, but you could
1:44:23
do it. And then that means what? You will have
1:44:25
a wide receiver room that has Devontae Adams,
1:44:27
Terry McLaurin, Tutu Atwell, Pupu Nakua, and
1:44:30
everyone else. I think that's really good. But
1:44:33
again, these are just my opinions. This is just
1:44:36
how I feel about the teams. in where they are
1:44:39
right now if you're the rams what are you going
1:44:44
to do because you know the eagles got better
1:44:48
you know the vikings got better the 49ers the
1:44:51
cardinals everyone in the nfc has gotten better
1:44:54
you gotta find a way to stand out right now now
1:44:58
when we look at possible free agency additions
1:45:00
if they want to take that route especially with
1:45:02
corner I mean, you have James Bradbury, Kendall
1:45:04
Fuller, Stephon Gilmore, Rasul Douglas, Emmanuel
1:45:07
Mosley, Asante Samuel Jr., Michael Davis. Tackle,
1:45:11
which you may have to make that investment pretty
1:45:14
soon. George Fant, Andreas Peet, Isaiah Wynn,
1:45:17
Michael Dunn, Raven Clark, Chris Hubbard. Wide
1:45:19
receiver, if you want to take that route, you
1:45:21
know, Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, Gabe Davis,
1:45:24
Nelson Aguilar, DJ Char, Tyler Boyd, Chris Conley,
1:45:26
Jameson Crowder. Tight end, if you want to bring
1:45:29
in a blocking option, okay. Gerald Everett, Mercedes
1:45:32
Lewis, Jordan Aikens, or Nicole Pruitt. Those
1:45:35
are all valuable options right now. But just
1:45:39
looking at things with the Rams, I think their
1:45:43
floor is maybe the wild card of the playoffs.
1:45:47
And I think their ceiling is maybe the Super
1:45:50
Bowl. But I feel like if they make one more significant
1:45:53
move, I think you have to have a legitimate conversation
1:45:56
right now with them. I'm just being honest. I
1:45:59
could be wrong, but... It's just how I feel.
1:46:02
I knew I was forgetting something. We have to
1:46:03
talk about Noah Fant. So Noah Fant has signed
1:46:07
with the Cincinnati Bengals. Now for how much,
1:46:10
I don't know. We still don't know what the numbers
1:46:13
are. All I know is it's just a one -year deal.
1:46:16
I mean, sure, it's another weapon for Joe Burrow,
1:46:20
but I'm a little bit skeptical about it because
1:46:22
now you have two tight ends that neither one
1:46:25
of them are good at blocking. If you at least
1:46:27
brought in one tight end that's good with blocking,
1:46:30
okay, fine. I can feel a little bit confident
1:46:32
with that. But right now, all you have is just
1:46:35
two receiving options at tight end. I don't really
1:46:37
think that's the best. But when we look at his
1:46:40
stats from this past season, 64 targets or 48
1:46:42
receptions, 500 receiving yards, one touchdown,
1:46:45
and 10 .4 receiving yards per reception. You're
1:46:47
talking about somebody that is an intermediate
1:46:49
short type of tight end. He's not this tight
1:46:53
end where he's going to go deep and he's just
1:46:56
going to kill it. No, he's just someone that
1:46:59
if you need that first down, he's right there.
1:47:01
If you need to extend the play, he's right there.
1:47:04
That's just who he is, all right? But I'm going
1:47:06
to end this episode. If you guys like what you're
1:47:07
listening, please, please, please, please, please
1:47:09
make sure you guys. Download the episodes, share
1:47:12
the episodes with somebody that you know that
1:47:14
loves football. And I mean, eat, sleeps and breathe
1:47:17
football. OK, that's all they listen to is football,
1:47:21
because guess what? We are in the season for
1:47:23
football, folks. You're in the season. It's finally
1:47:26
here. We can finally watch football now. OK,
1:47:29
it may just be the preseason. Don't care. It's
1:47:32
football right now. please leave a five -star,
1:47:35
five -star, five -star, five -star, five -star
1:47:38
review everywhere that you listen to podcasts,
1:47:40
please. I would deeply appreciate that. That
1:47:42
lets me know like, hey, I'm giving you guys the
1:47:45
fix that you guys love and need. Hey, there's
1:47:47
something I need to tweak. Maybe there's something
1:47:49
that we can talk about a little bit more, a little
1:47:51
bit less. It goes a long way, all right? now
1:47:54
for my youtube people make sure you guys like
1:47:56
share subscribe turn that notification bell on
1:47:58
leave a comment down below leave leave me your
1:48:01
thoughts on any of the teams that i have talked
1:48:03
about so far with this mini series am i right
1:48:05
am i wrong am i what what exactly what are your
1:48:10
thoughts okay especially with yours with your
1:48:12
favorite team let me know your thoughts all right
1:48:15
On top of that, when you go on our YouTube page,
1:48:18
Football Junkies Pod, all right, Football Junkies
1:48:21
Pod, make sure that you go on the link tree.
1:48:23
When you go on that link tree, it'll take you
1:48:25
to anywhere and everywhere that we have Football
1:48:27
Junkies content, as well as our RSS affiliate
1:48:30
link. When you click on that link and when you
1:48:33
sign up for rss .com, I will be able to receive
1:48:36
a commission for it. All commissions will go
1:48:38
back to the Football Junkies podcast in ways
1:48:41
that we can use for, I mean, we can use it for
1:48:44
upgrading the equipment. We can get more analytical
1:48:48
stats for, you know, different things, different
1:48:50
positions and whatnot. All things that we can
1:48:53
use to make this podcast better for you guys,
1:48:56
okay? Because at the end of the day, I'm not
1:48:58
doing this for personal gain. I'm doing this
1:49:00
because... I know there are like -minded people
1:49:02
who are just like me who love football, all right?
1:49:05
That's all that matters to me at this point.
1:49:07
Now, for my Instagram people, football underscore
1:49:10
junkies pod, all right? Football underscore junkies
1:49:13
pod. Junkies pod is not what? It is together,
1:49:20
not spaced, okay? It is together, not spaced.
1:49:25
For junkies pod, make sure you guys. like the
1:49:28
reels, share the reels with somebody, let me
1:49:30
know your thoughts, okay, it would definitely
1:49:32
go a long way, what am I thinking about, TikTok,
1:49:36
all right, follow me on TikTok, footballjunkiespod,
1:49:38
all right, footballjunkiespod, I still have a
1:49:41
few more clips I have to post, and I still have
1:49:43
some other clips that I have to create and put
1:49:45
out as well, so. We're still working, okay? We
1:49:48
are still working over here at the Football Junkies
1:49:50
Podcast. You can follow me on X, G -M -K -L,
1:49:53
G -M -K -A -I -L -E, all right? K -A -I -L -E.
1:49:58
It's the same thing with Blue Sky, G -M -K -L,
1:50:00
K -A -I -L -E, all right? So as always, I hope
1:50:04
I gave you guys the fix that you guys need. I
1:50:06
love you guys. I appreciate you guys so much.
1:50:08
Thank you so much for being with me on this mini
1:50:10
series. Let's prepare ourselves. for the preseason
1:50:14
games, as well as the regular season, okay? And
1:50:18
best believe, within the next maybe two or three
1:50:22
episodes, we have to start talking about draft
1:50:24
prospects, specifically quarterbacks, and maybe
1:50:27
a few other positions. We may even have to talk
1:50:29
about some college football games as well. So
1:50:31
stay tuned. As always, I love you guys. I appreciate
1:50:34
you guys so much. This is your GM, Kale, signing
1:50:36
out. Peace and love. Later.