Latest / Football Junkies podcast / Ep.77: Meat and potatoes

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Ep.77: Meat and potatoes · Football Junkies podcast

0:00
Breaking news, breaking news, breaking news.
0:02
Derek Carr retires, folks. That's right, medically
0:04
retires. We have to put that emphasis in there.
0:07
Medically retires. Justin Tucker is released.
0:10
Matthew Stafford's contract details are finally
0:13
revealed. Shamar Stewart is holding out of rookie
0:16
minicamp. As well as, did Nico Iamalava make
0:19
the right decision from leaving Tennessee and
0:22
going to UCLA? As well as, should rookies be
0:26
allowed to wear Legends numbers? and the white
0:29
house is cutting traumatic brain injury education
0:32
and research funding and to put the cherry on
0:36
top, folks, draft grades for the AFC North, okay?
0:39
All of this and more on the 77th episode of the
0:42
Football Junkies Podcast, okay? I am your host
0:45
with the most, okay? I am your GM who currently
0:48
is not on the team right now, but don't you worry
0:51
about it, okay? Because don't you worry your
0:53
little junkie head about it, because guess what?
0:55
I am still in the league. I'm still giving my
0:58
opinion on various moves that are being made
1:00
behind closed doors, okay? Because guess what?
1:03
I am your... Chief Bagrodamas. Anything and everything
1:06
related to the bag and more. Projections, mock
1:09
drafts, new contract details. All those things
1:13
and more, guess what? We cover that over here
1:14
at the Football Junkies Podcast because guess
1:16
what? I am all these things and more. But most
1:19
importantly, the most important thing that you
1:21
must remember is I am your host, Kale. You already
1:24
know how these episodes are about to go. It's
1:26
going to get a little bit crazy. It's going to
1:28
be a lot of conspiracy theories. I got my tinfoil
1:30
hat on today. So guess what? Let's get this stir
1:32
pot going. One, two, three. Let's lock in. All
2:02
right, folks, let's just get into the meat and
2:03
potatoes of everything that is going on in the
2:06
league right now. So, oh, man, we have a lot
2:10
to talk about. So Derek Carr has medically retired.
2:15
Man, if I would have told you this would have
2:18
happened now, I would have called you a liar,
2:20
but it has happened. So the Saints have put out
2:23
a press release. I think we need to really talk
2:26
about. So here goes in that quote. In late March,
2:29
while ramping up his preparation for the 2025
2:31
season, Derrick experienced pain in his right
2:34
shoulder. It was his first time throwing a football
2:37
at significant volume since recovering from both
2:40
a concussion and left -hand injury during play
2:43
on December 8, 2024. Derrick immediately contacted
2:47
the Saints medical team. Eventually, medical
2:49
scans determined objectively that Derrick sustained
2:52
a labral tear and also had significant okay significant
2:57
degenerative changes to his rotator cuff which
3:00
is actually really not that good honestly since
3:02
that time derek his presentation the saints medical
3:05
team and outside medical experts have worked
3:08
together to determine the best path forward surgery
3:10
was an option jeopardizing the entire 2025 season
3:13
yet there was no guarantee derek will return
3:16
to the level of strength function and performance
3:19
of play to which he was accustomed to Upon consultation
3:22
with his wife, Heather, Derek has decided it
3:24
is in the best interest of his family and the
3:27
Saints organization to retire from the National
3:29
Football League. Now, here is the statement that
3:32
Derek Carr put out himself, and I quote, Upon
3:35
reflection of prayer and in discussion with Heather,
3:37
I've decided to retire from the National Football
3:40
League. For more than 11 years, we have been
3:42
incredibly blessed and we are forever grateful
3:44
and humbled by this experience. It's difficult
3:47
to find the right words to express our thanks
3:49
to all the teammates, coaches, team officials,
3:52
and especially the fans who made this journey
3:55
so special. Your unwavering support has meant
3:58
the world to us. Derek Carr, end quote. My takeaway
4:01
with this is Derek Carr never had stability within
4:07
his career. And let me explain why. Your first
4:11
head coach was Jack Del Rio from 2015 to 2017.
4:14
then John Gruner from 2018 to 2021, then Josh
4:18
McDaniels from 2022 to 2023, and then Antonio
4:21
Pierce from 2023 to 2024. And then you go to
4:24
the Saints, Dennis Allen from 2023, and then
4:27
you retire this year. You have not had a lot
4:30
of stability in your career. And with all of
4:34
those coaches, you've gone through a lot of change
4:37
within the offenses as well. So you've never
4:40
really had no real stability. And quarterbacks
4:44
need stability. We have all seen the difference
4:48
in careers when a quarterback does have stability
4:51
and when they don't have stability. Not to mention,
4:55
we also have to factor in that had he went through
4:58
with this surgery, it was not a guarantee that
5:01
he was going to return to the same Derek Carr
5:03
of old. It literally said that in the press release,
5:06
and I quote, surgery was an option. jeopardizing
5:10
the entire 2025 season. Yet, there was no guarantee
5:14
Derek would return to the level of strength,
5:17
function, and performance of play to which he
5:21
was accustomed. That's a 50 -50 chance. I don't
5:24
think Derek Carr really wants to take that at
5:26
this point in his career. Now, if he was a little
5:28
bit younger, maybe. I think he would take that
5:32
risk. But at this point, why take that risk now
5:35
where it could potentially jeopardize your life
5:38
outside of football. When we look at his stats
5:41
for his final season, 279 attempts for 189 completions,
5:47
15 touchdowns, 2 ,145 passing yards, five picks,
5:52
7 .7 yards per attempt, and a 67 .7 completion
5:56
percentage. I think we also have to factor in
5:59
that at some point, Derek Carr was definitely
6:02
going to be moved. Anytime a new head coach is
6:06
hired, The old regime completely will be gone
6:11
from the quarterback to anybody that does not
6:16
fit the vision of the new head coach and their
6:18
regime is going to be gone. Now, granted, a quarterback
6:22
specifically can hold off on that decision if
6:25
they're still very productive. But Derek Carr,
6:29
on the other hand, has not been very productive
6:31
since being with the Saints. And so I feel like.
6:35
For the new regime, I feel like it was an easier
6:38
move to make than to just say, okay, yeah, we're
6:42
going to roll with Derek Carr and just see how
6:45
this goes. No. Leading up to the draft, I was
6:48
definitely under the impression that they were
6:49
going to draft a quarterback. And the reason
6:52
why I say that is because quarterback was a definite
6:55
need. The last time that they drafted a quarterback
6:58
within the first round was Arch Manning. That
7:02
was the last time. And since then, they have
7:05
never drafted a quarterback in the first round.
7:08
So I say all that to say this. Derek Carr, enjoy
7:12
the fruits of your labor. But we do have to stir
7:15
the pot a little bit. Because Kellen Moore did
7:19
say, if I'm not mistaken, on Saturday, that they
7:22
were going to have an open competition between
7:24
Jake Hayner, Spencer Rattler, and Tyler Shook.
7:29
Sure, that's good, but at the same time, you're
7:32
probably going to want a veteran quarterback
7:33
to lead the quarterback room. Now, the only two
7:37
people that are available, technically speaking,
7:40
quote unquote, well, actually three, if you want
7:43
to add that person there as well, is Carson Wentz,
7:46
Aaron Rodgers, and Kirk Cousins. Now, we all
7:48
know with the Kirk Cousins situation, he has
7:50
already said he does not want to go anywhere
7:53
where he does not have a chance of playing. Whereas
7:57
Aaron Rodgers, he's a free agent, so you can
8:00
have open dialogue with him. You can have open
8:02
dialogue with Carson Wentz as well. But let's
8:05
be real here. Out of all those three, who do
8:08
you think is really going to move the needle
8:10
significantly? I don't think Kirk Cousins will.
8:13
I don't think Aaron Rodgers will. And I don't
8:15
think Carson Wentz will. Now, they could do one
8:18
of two things. They can roll with this young
8:20
core, see what happens, and then next year they
8:23
can make a decision to draft a quarterback. They
8:27
can bring in a veteran, case in point Aaron Rodgers
8:30
or Carson Wentz or Kirk Cousins, and just see
8:33
what happens. Now, with the whole Kirk Cousins
8:36
conundrum, you will have to give away assets
8:39
and resources in order to obtain Kirk Cousins.
8:42
Whereas Aaron Rodgers, he's already said he'll
8:45
play for $10 million. Carson Wentz, I really
8:49
don't know what he really wants to do at this
8:51
point. I wouldn't be surprised if he retires
8:54
as well. But... If you were to take the route
8:57
with Aaron Rodgers, I think it would benefit
8:59
both parties because why? For one, you would
9:02
have the second best quarterback in your division.
9:05
And not to mention, you will be able to compete
9:08
with the Buccaneers. Because right now, the Falcons
9:12
are still trying to find their way as well as
9:14
the Panthers. So it's really between the Saints
9:17
and the Buccaneers. So I think if you get Aaron
9:21
Rodgers, I think it would benefit both sides.
9:23
Especially for Aaron because why? You will be
9:26
in a situation where you're in a warm climate
9:28
and you probably won't have to go anywhere cold
9:32
until probably the early part of the season,
9:34
which is still great because all the colder spots
9:38
will still be fairly warm. So I say all that
9:42
to say this. I think they're probably going to
9:44
make a move at quarterback around mini camp.
9:48
I mean, a training camp, excuse me. I think that's
9:50
when they're going to make a significant move
9:52
at quarterback, depending on what happens between
9:54
these three. Because I think Jake Hainer is probably
9:57
quarterback number three. I think Spencer Rattler
10:00
and Tyler Shuck, I think they have a real chance
10:04
to be either quarterback one or quarterback two.
10:06
Now, me personally, I think Spencer Rattler may
10:09
have the advantage than Tyler Shuck. But only
10:13
time will tell. Now, let's get into this whole...
10:17
Justin Tucker situation because it low -key is
10:19
a very sad situation but before we get there
10:23
we do have somewhat of breaking news with Trey
10:27
Hendrickson Trey Hendrickson just put out a statement
10:30
to ESPN just a few minutes ago and this is what
10:33
it says and I quote no communication has taken
10:36
place between my camp and the organization post
10:38
-draft The offers prior to the draft did not
10:41
reflect the vision we shared and were promised
10:43
last offseason if I continued to play at a high
10:45
level. Coaches are aware of these past conversations.
10:48
Rather than using collaboration to get us to
10:51
a point to bring me home to the team, they are
10:54
no longer communicating. I have been eagerly
10:57
waiting a resolution of this situation, but that's
10:59
hard to do when there's no discussion and an
11:02
evident lack of interest in reaching mutual goals."
11:07
That is somebody that is pissed off. That is
11:11
somebody that is tired of playing the waiting
11:13
game. That is somebody that is just tired of
11:18
just this run around with the organization. Bengals,
11:23
you have someone that is one of the best pass
11:26
rushers in the entire league. You have to compensate
11:30
him for that. You did it with Joe Burrell, no
11:33
problem. You did it with Jamar Chase, no problem.
11:36
You did it with Tee Higgins, no problem. You
11:39
have to take care of Trey Hendrickson. If you
11:41
do not take care of Trey Hendrickson, you will
11:43
not have a defense. It's already bad enough that
11:46
Jamar Stewart and Demetrius Knight are not participating
11:48
in rookie minicamp. But if you lose Trey Hendrickson,
11:52
that is it. Because I guarantee you right now,
11:56
there are teams that are licking their chops.
12:00
at wanting to get somebody like a Trey Hendrickson.
12:03
They'll deal with the whole contract conundrum
12:06
later. Adding someone like a Trey Hendrickson
12:08
would be an instant upgrade for a majority of
12:12
defensive lines. I wouldn't be surprised if the
12:15
Eagles are still sniffing around with this. I
12:18
wouldn't be surprised if the Lions are sniffing
12:20
around this. I would not be surprised if there
12:23
are teams within the AFC that are also interested
12:26
in Trey Hendrickson. Stay tuned for that because
12:29
I feel like there will be a resolution soon with
12:32
this whole conundrum. But back to the whole Ravens
12:35
situation. So Justin Tucker was released and
12:38
they called it as a football decision. And I
12:43
quote, Sometimes football decisions are incredibly
12:46
difficult and this is one of those instances.
12:48
Considering our current roster, we have made
12:50
the tough decision to release Justin Tucker.
12:53
Justin created many significant and unforgettable
12:55
moments in Ravens history. His reliability, focus,
12:59
drive, resilience, and extraordinary talent made
13:03
him one of the league's best kickers for over
13:05
a decade. We are grateful for Justin's many contributions
13:09
while playing for the Ravens. We sincerely wish
13:12
him and his family the very best in this next
13:14
chapter of their lives. Signed by General Manager
13:17
for the Baltimore Ravens, Eric DaCosta. Folks,
13:21
this is a very bad ending to a historic story.
13:27
Justin Tucker will go down in history as one
13:31
of the greatest kickers of all time, but he will
13:34
never get the flowers that he so deserves because
13:37
of the allegations that are still ongoing with
13:41
him right now. Justin Tucker was accused of sexual
13:44
misconduct by 16 massage therapists from eight
13:47
different spas and wellness centers within the
13:49
Baltimore region area. And these all occurred
13:52
from 2012 to 2016. I think they probably caught
13:58
some wind of something maybe coming down from
14:02
the league. And so I think the Ravens made their
14:05
decision before the heat comes down. And so if
14:09
you're Justin Tucker. You really can't do anything
14:12
right now. You can't go out and get signed by
14:15
another team. You can't go and be a coach because
14:18
your name is too hot. You're tied with 16 instances
14:23
of sexual misconduct. That's not good. And every
14:26
day this does not get resolved is another day
14:30
that makes people feel like you are guilty of
14:33
these crimes. Now, I am not passing judgment
14:35
on Justin Tucker. I would never do that to any
14:38
person. But at the same time, this is not a good
14:41
look for you. You have a Hall of Fame career.
14:45
And I think because of these allegations, I don't
14:50
think he will get in first try. I don't think
14:53
he'll get in second try. I think it's going to
14:56
take him a while before he really gets into the
14:59
Hall of Fame. And it sucks because when you look
15:02
at his stats, I'm going to just read the stats
15:06
for you. He is an eight -time All -Pro, seven
15:09
-time Pro Bowler. He was a part of the 2010's
15:11
All -Decade team. He holds the longest record
15:15
for the longest kick in NFL history at 66 yards.
15:19
He was 417 out of 468 in field goals. He has
15:24
the highest field goal percentage in NFL history
15:27
at 89 .1%. He was a dog when it came to kicker.
15:32
You knew? If Justin Tucker went out on that field,
15:36
most likely he's going to make that kick. There
15:38
are very few instances where Justin Tucker did
15:41
not make the kick. And so you will not be able
15:46
to transition like how a lot of players have
15:49
been able to, where they can get into the media
15:53
game or they can get into podcasting or they
15:55
can get into different spaces, different areas.
15:59
You can't do that. You're literally going to
16:02
have to lay low. Probably for at least maybe
16:05
one or two years and then maybe start to reemerge.
16:10
And even then, I would do it slowly because right
16:13
now your name is tied to a lot of allegations
16:16
and it would be best if you just let things just
16:20
die down and maybe there will be some resolution
16:23
to this case. But it really does suck for Justin
16:27
Tucker. If I'm not mistaken, I think somebody
16:30
actually found Justin Tucker. at a football field
16:34
somewhere, and he was just working out. That
16:37
sucks. He should be getting ready for the season,
16:41
but he won't be able to because you know why?
16:44
I'm just going to say Steelers. No, he's not
16:46
playing for Steelers. We have Chris Boswell.
16:48
We have the Bos. But back to Justin Tucker. Justin
16:52
Tucker is supposed to be preparing for this season,
16:54
and he won't be able to do that. Man, man, that
16:57
sucks. That absolutely sucks. We do have to talk
17:01
about Shamar Stewart. We do have to talk about
17:03
the Bengals because why? The Bengals are going
17:06
to continue to be the Bengals. This is what Shamar
17:09
Stewart says. And I quote, I just decided to
17:12
not sign those papers. I hate being on the sidelines
17:15
looking at everybody else doing work, end quote.
17:19
This is somebody that does not want to be part
17:20
of the Bengals. This is somebody that wants to
17:23
leave. He did not want to go to the Bengals because
17:27
everybody knows the Bengals do dirty work. They
17:30
are not really good when it comes to business
17:32
and contracts. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. You could
17:39
not make this stuff up, man. Only something like
17:44
this would happen to the Bengals. It wouldn't
17:46
happen with any other team. It would only happen
17:49
to the Bengals. And you know what? They deserve
17:52
it. If Shemar Stewart holds out, I think somebody
17:56
will make a trade for him. I understand he's
17:59
on a rookie deal, but I mean, rookie deals really
18:01
aren't that expensive. I'm just, hey, Bengals,
18:06
you guys got to do a better job when it comes
18:08
to business. See, the Bengals to me is like,
18:13
it's like going to that convenience store and
18:16
you try to get like your favorite snacks or your
18:18
favorite chips or your favorite drinks. And they're
18:22
just jacking up the prices for no reason. Like,
18:25
why is the Arizona iced tea? three dollars when
18:29
it says 99 cents on the can that's what the bangles
18:32
are the bangles are are those type of people
18:35
where if you ask them to go to the store to get
18:39
you like a bag of ice or bag of chips or pack
18:42
a chicken or something and you give them money
18:45
and you're thinking that they're that you're
18:46
going to get the change back but no they keep
18:48
the change back that's what the bangles are why
18:51
are you doing bad business you don't need to
18:54
do bad business It's already bad enough that
18:57
you have Trey Hendrickson upset with you guys.
18:59
Now you're going to have the rookie upset with
19:01
you as well? Oh, man. It's game over, man. Game
19:06
over. Game over for the Bengals. If I'm Joe Burrow,
19:10
I am losing it right now. I am 100 % just losing
19:16
it right now because... I'm doing all this work
19:20
in the background. I'm trying my hardest to try
19:23
to keep this core together, but I can't do it
19:25
because you know why? Business wants to be done
19:28
in a very negative way. But the Bengals will
19:32
be the Bengals. Sorry, Bengals fans, not sorry.
19:36
But we do have the contract details for Matthew
19:41
Stafford. So apparently, according to SpotRack,
19:43
it is a two -year $84 million deal, which is
19:46
$42 million a year. 40 million guaranteed at
19:49
signing and 80 million total. But here's where
19:54
things get a little bit more interesting, okay?
19:58
In 2025, he has an option bonus of 24 million.
20:03
Okay, cool. But let's go a little bit deeper.
20:06
They split the 24 million into four separate
20:10
$6 million bonuses. They also did that for the
20:14
2026 option bonus as well. And to add a cherry
20:20
on top, 2027 and 2030 are instantly voided on
20:25
the final day of the 2026 season. This is a year
20:30
by year contractual structure. This is something
20:34
to where for whatever reason, if next year he
20:37
wants to retire, he can retire and it doesn't
20:41
really affect them as much. Compared to giving,
20:44
you know, the traditional four years or three
20:47
years or, you know, five year deal worth a whole
20:50
bunch of money. And, you know, they'll have a
20:52
whole bunch of dead cap and whatnot. They just
20:55
want to do something simple. And I understand
20:57
that because Matthew Stafford last year did not
21:00
really look that good until the second half of
21:02
the season. That first half, you really saw his
21:06
age. You really saw the struggles of the offense
21:09
and the defense. It just wasn't good. And so
21:14
if you're Matthew Stafford, you have to be honest
21:18
with yourself. If I go to the Giants, it's over
21:20
for me. If I go to the Raiders, it's over for
21:23
me. This is my best place to win. May I remind
21:28
you, this is the same Matthew Stafford that for
21:31
the longest time when he was with the Lions,
21:33
they were in hell. Absolute hell. His best option
21:38
was Megatron. Outside of that, he really didn't
21:41
have a whole lot of weapons. But now that you're
21:43
in the place of weapons, I probably would not
21:46
want to leave that. I don't care how much they're
21:49
trying to swindle me. Listen, I will sign for
21:51
$2 million if it means that I get to stay with
21:54
this great organization and I get to stay with
21:57
Sean McVay. Because I know, guess what? Sean
21:59
McVay is going to give me some weapons. I'm still
22:02
going to have Puka Nakua. And then they're going
22:04
to continue to build things for me. Now. When
22:09
we look at things for the Rams, though, this
22:11
buys them some time. Because I think next year,
22:15
they're probably going to go and get a quarterback.
22:18
Now, am I saying they're going to tank? No. But
22:21
what I am saying is this. I would not be surprised
22:23
if their first priority is getting one of those
22:26
quarterbacks next year. Because allegedly, and
22:28
I mean allegedly with big air quotes, the biggest
22:31
air quotes that you could think of and imagine
22:34
of, the quarterback class is supposed to be better.
22:38
You're going to have people like Nussmeyer, Drew
22:41
Aller, Eleanor Sellers, Carson Beck. You're supposed
22:45
to be having a lot of quarterbacks, a lot of
22:47
quote -unquote better quarterbacks in next year's
22:49
draft. The only person that I don't think is
22:52
going to declare for the draft is Archie. And
22:55
I'll go a little bit on the deep end when we
22:58
get to that point. But I think the Rams probably
23:02
do need to get the successor. And I think if
23:06
they just let them sit under Matthew Stafford,
23:08
I think it would help them out a lot compared
23:11
to just, you know, thrusting them into the fire
23:13
just to see what you have in them. But I still
23:16
believe that the Rams are very competitive. I
23:19
still believe that the Rams can make some noise.
23:22
Do I think the Rams can make it to the Super
23:24
Bowl? No. But if I think if they make a few additions
23:27
to both the offense and the defense. specifically
23:31
the defense, I think we may have to change our
23:33
conversation. I think if the Rams get Jalen Ramsey
23:37
again, we may have a problem. Just saying. I'll
23:42
just leave that for you to think about and sleep
23:46
on and all those different things and more. But
23:48
let's get into this Nico Iamalava situation.
23:53
This is a very confusing situation because you
23:56
have one side that's saying it's about money.
23:59
And then you have another side that says it's
24:00
not about money. Then you have this other side
24:02
that says, you know, we were told that we wanted
24:07
certain things in place for the betterment of
24:09
Nico. I don't know who's right. I don't know
24:11
who's wrong. But you know what? Let's just get
24:13
into the meat and potatoes of everything, okay?
24:15
So this is coming from front office boards. Shout
24:18
out to them, by the way. So here's the thing.
24:20
This dates back to 2024. after Tennessee loss
24:24
in the playoffs, in which Nico's reps wanted
24:27
to have a conversation with head coach Josh Hupel
24:29
on what Nico needs in order to be successful.
24:32
He wanted reinsurance that they were going to
24:35
get better O -line and receiver prospects. But
24:38
here's the part that I'm a little bit conflicted
24:40
about. So apparently he was looking to renegotiate
24:44
his NIL deal to around $4 million. And so he
24:48
started to mispractice and decided to enter the
24:50
transfer portal. And so Nico was called by multiple
24:55
coaches to see where his status was. And his
24:57
statement was, and I quote, as long as they brought
25:01
in the recruits he pushed for, everything was
25:03
going to be OK, end quote. And so they decide
25:08
to, you know, to get rid of him. And so Coach
25:11
Hupel puts out a statement and says, and I quote,
25:15
I want to thank him for everything he's done
25:16
since he's gotten here as a recruit and who he
25:19
was as a player and how he competed inside the
25:21
building. But this is the thing that's very interesting,
25:25
though. Obviously, we're moving forward as a
25:28
program without him. I said it to the guys today.
25:31
There's no one that's bigger than the power T.
25:34
That includes me, end quote. And so time goes
25:38
on. And then finally, word breaks that Nico is
25:41
signing with UCLA for undisclosed NIL amount.
25:45
On one hand. I understand that you want better
25:48
prospects, especially when it comes to offensive
25:50
line and receiver prospects. I understand that.
25:53
However, there is a way that you go about it.
25:57
And let me explain a little bit deeper. You know
26:01
that most likely your name is going to be brought
26:04
up in next year's draft. And so with something
26:07
like this happening, there is a chance that your
26:11
draft stock is going to be severely affected.
26:15
Because why would you leave the SEC to go to
26:19
UCLA? When we all know that UCLA really doesn't
26:23
produce a lot of prospects compared to Tennessee,
26:26
where they are a factory when it comes to prospects.
26:31
They at least produce maybe 10 to 15 prospects
26:35
maybe every single year. Now, some of them are
26:39
hits and then some of them are misses. But the
26:42
fact of the matter is they produce NFL caliber
26:45
players. So why would you want to stay in the
26:49
SEC? Granted, I understand the NIL was intended
26:54
for players to make money off of their name,
26:57
image, and likeness. I understand that. However,
27:02
what you cannot do is to make these types of
27:07
requests and then have a hissy fit about it.
27:10
and then just decide to leave. You, sir, are
27:13
no bigger than the school that is the University
27:17
of Tennessee. No one is bigger than any school.
27:21
There is no coach. There is no player. There
27:25
is no anything that is bigger than the university.
27:28
I don't care if you won a Heisman. I don't care
27:31
if you won every single positional award that
27:34
you can win in college football. You are not
27:37
bigger than the school. And Tennessee just proved
27:40
that. And Tennessee is probably going to be perfectly
27:42
fine. Because guess what? They know that there's
27:45
going to be somebody that's going to be willing
27:48
to commit to Tennessee. But you, on the other
27:52
hand, are going to leave a somewhat better situation
27:56
to go where? To UCLA. Really? Really, dawg? That's
28:03
not a good idea. That's going to hurt you significantly.
28:06
So now... Leading into probably last year, you
28:12
were probably slated to be a first round prospect.
28:16
Now, people will probably talk themselves out
28:20
of giving you that first round grade. They'll
28:22
probably now give you a second or third or maybe
28:25
fourth round grade. Players have to be mindful
28:29
of their actions because that's going to carry
28:32
them into the league. We just saw that with Shador
28:36
Sanders. Had Shador Sanders governed himself
28:40
accordingly and a little bit more professionally,
28:43
he probably would have been drafted in the first
28:46
round. But what you cannot do is go on this mini
28:50
run with your daddy and say, we're not going
28:53
to take interviews with this team. We're not
28:54
going to take interviews with that team. And
28:56
we're not going to do this. We're not going to
28:58
do that. We're not going to do all that and do
29:00
that. You have to be on board with the process.
29:04
And if you are not on board with the process,
29:06
guess what? people are not going to rock with
29:09
you. They would rather see you fall or become
29:13
an undrafted free agent before they give you
29:15
a chance. We have seen that multiple times. And
29:20
this was the very thing that Nick Saban was talking
29:23
about on why he decided to retire from coaching.
29:28
Because he realized that once the NIO was in
29:31
place, I can't do my job. Because you know what
29:34
we're going to be talking about? Money. Instead
29:37
of talking about how can I get better so that
29:40
I can be a first round prospect, a second round
29:42
prospect, or a third round prospect. And so that's
29:47
going to jeopardize a lot of coaches moving forward.
29:50
Because why? These players are talking about
29:52
money before they even talk about committing.
29:55
And granted, there are some people you may deserve
29:58
a little bit of money. But I'm sorry. I'm not
30:01
giving you... a $6 or $7 million NIL deal. I'm
30:05
not giving you a boatload of money for no reason.
30:08
No. Because you need to prove that you belong
30:12
on this field. Because guess what? Just how you
30:15
feel that you are a five -star prospect, there
30:18
are at least two or three other five -star prospects
30:20
that can either do the same thing that you're
30:22
doing or even better than what you're doing.
30:24
That would be willing to just take less just
30:28
to be on the field. At some point, the NCAA is
30:31
going to have to step in and they're going to
30:33
have to add regulations to this NIL thing because
30:35
it's starting to get out of hand and you don't
30:38
want that. But hey, let's see how the season
30:42
goes. Maybe Nico proves us wrong and I hope he
30:45
does. I really do. But going. to UCLA is not
30:49
a good idea because why? Your money is not going
30:52
to stretch as long when you're in California,
30:55
one of the places that has some of the highest
30:57
tax rates in the entire country. Everybody knows
31:02
that living in the South or doing anything in
31:05
the South is a little bit more easier than going
31:09
to the West Coast. Because why? The taxes are
31:12
a little bit lower. The price of living is a
31:15
little bit lower. Your money is able to stretch
31:18
a little bit longer in the South compared to
31:20
on the West Coast. But hey, what do I know, right?
31:22
But let's get into this whole conundrum of players
31:26
wanting to play with Legends numbers. So Abdul
31:31
Carter was one of the notable players that was
31:34
reaching out to the team's respective Legends
31:38
and try to ask for their permission to wear their
31:40
numbers. So he asked LT. and he also asked phil
31:45
sims lt said hell no phil sims basically said
31:50
you could have wore it but my family intervened
31:53
and so it's a no for me dog better yet let me
31:56
read the quotes that they put out lt said this
32:00
and i quote i know he would love to wear that
32:03
number but hey i think it's retired get another
32:05
number i don't care if it's double zero and then
32:08
make it famous end quote this is what phil sims
32:11
says And I quote, I told some of my friends and
32:14
people around me, I let him have it in a second.
32:17
Can you just help? Can you just help it a little
32:19
or make it better? You gotta love Phil Simms.
32:24
That's a great response. That's a great response,
32:27
end quote. And he's right. He's right. But guess
32:31
what? You do not have that right to ask to use
32:36
people's numbers that are already established.
32:39
Why do that? Because guess what? The minute that
32:42
you do that, your expectations are going to be
32:47
their expectations. So if you were to get LT's
32:51
number, if you do not have a career similar to
32:55
LT, then you have failed that number. You have
32:57
tarnished that number. Same thing with Phil Simms.
33:01
If you do not do what he did within his career,
33:05
then guess what? You have tarnished the number.
33:08
No player under any circumstance should be allowed
33:13
to wear a Legends number. I don't care what you
33:17
did in college. I don't care how many accolades
33:20
you have. I don't care how many sacks you have.
33:22
I don't care how high you were drafted. I don't
33:25
care about none of that. You should not be allowed
33:27
to wear a Legends number. That's like, for instance,
33:31
I don't know, Trenton Simpson trying to wear
33:35
Ray Lewis's jersey. That's like... Kyle Hamilton
33:39
trying to wear Ed Reed's or who can I think of?
33:45
Who can I think of? Jared Verse wanting to wear
33:48
Aaron Donald's number. No, there are just certain
33:54
numbers that are just off limits under no circumstance.
33:59
That's for instance, Kenny Pickett wanting to
34:02
wear Ben Roethlisberger's jersey when he was
34:07
with the Steelers. No. No. Hell no. That's like
34:12
Drake May trying to wear Tom Brady's number.
34:14
It's a hell no. You cannot do that under any
34:18
circumstance. I don't care if you ask. I don't
34:21
care how much money you put up. I don't care
34:23
what you do. You cannot and will not wear that
34:27
jersey. That jersey is retired for a reason.
34:31
Because they had a historical, legendary career.
34:35
And if you do not do that, then guess what? I
34:38
just said it. You tarnished the number. Cannot
34:42
do that. That's just like how, is it Jalen? It's
34:45
either Jalen Walker or Mike Hill Williams. One
34:47
of the two. Whoever got drafted by the Falcons.
34:50
He's wearing Julio Jones's number. The Julio
34:54
Jones. Future first ballot Hall of Famer Julio
34:57
Jones's number. Why? Why is he allowed to wear
35:01
his number? In no way should nobody be allowed
35:05
to wear Julio Jones's number. Man, please, y
35:10
'all gonna make me lose my mind. But we do have
35:13
to talk about something a little bit more serious,
35:15
and that is the White House proposed budget that
35:18
includes eliminating federal funding for traumatic
35:20
brain injury and education. So here's the thing.
35:24
The CDC is facing a $3 .5 billion deficit. And
35:30
so they're going to have to make major budget
35:31
cuts. Now, here's the thing. 8 .2 million is
35:37
dedicated for brain injury research and public
35:40
education on the dangers of concussions. Now,
35:43
Dr. Owens, who is a part of the board for the
35:47
Brain Injury Association of America and is also
35:49
a brain injury specialist, says, and I quote,
35:52
the budget cuts would roll back decades of progress,
35:55
end quote. Now, one of the programs that are
35:58
targeted for this potential cut is Heads Up,
36:02
which is a concussion prevention program for
36:05
youth and high school coaches and athletic trainers.
36:09
Congress first approved traumatic brain injury
36:12
research and education in 1996. This is one of
36:16
those programs that you just do not cut. And
36:20
the reason why I say that is because the NFL
36:23
has made. so much progress within the last few
36:28
years on bringing more awareness to concussions
36:31
and brain injuries that by making this move you
36:36
would eliminate all the progress that they've
36:38
made so far remember there was a point in time
36:42
where you could go head up with somebody and
36:45
if you had a little concussion they wasn't going
36:46
to pay you no mind but now they had to take action
36:50
especially when You had people in, for instance,
36:55
Aaron Hernandez's brain was shown and you saw
36:59
the impact of all those blows to the head. If
37:04
you've never seen it, go on Google and look up
37:07
Aaron Hernandez's brain and compare it to a normal
37:11
picture of a brain. It looks sick. It looks horrible.
37:17
Better yet, I'm going to give you another brain
37:19
that you need to look up. Mike Webster, he used
37:22
to play for the Steelers. He was the center for
37:24
the Steelers. Look up his brain. Those two brains
37:28
alone are severe cases of CTE. You have to make
37:35
sure that you do not get rid of this program
37:37
because if you get rid of this program, it is
37:40
going to cause a lot of parents to not want to
37:44
have their, not players, to not have their kids
37:48
go into football. Because they know the risks
37:51
that come with playing football. All it takes
37:54
is just one hit, to be honest with you folks.
37:56
One good hit, and your kid could have CTE or
38:00
anything crazy. But with things being as futuristic
38:06
as it has been within the last few years, and
38:10
how people have been able to roll out different...
38:13
helmet models that help lower the risk of concussions
38:16
and you know different tackling techniques and
38:19
just overall more safer game of football you've
38:24
seen a decrease in concussions but by eliminating
38:28
this you may see an uptick in concussions and
38:31
more brain injuries i don't know about this white
38:35
house i probably would not would not look at
38:37
this now if i'm the nfl on the other hand I would
38:41
be in direct communication with the White House
38:44
to figure out, hey, what can we do to keep this
38:48
program going? How much money will it take and
38:51
how long will the money keep the program going?
38:55
Because if this is eliminated, it is going to
38:59
have a catastrophic effect on peewee football,
39:03
college football and professional football. And
39:06
I don't think people want that. But to wrap things
39:09
up, we got grades, folks. That's right, grades
39:12
for the AFC Norths, yes. But this one's going
39:17
to be a little bit different, okay? I'm going
39:19
to incorporate stats, both offensive and defensive
39:24
snaps, so that I can try to make a correlation
39:26
between the draft picks and whatnot. So here
39:29
it goes for the Browns, okay? Their positions
39:31
of need were quarterback, running back, tackle,
39:34
defensive line. So, of course, first round, they
39:36
got Mason Graham. Second round, they got Carson
39:38
Swessinger and Quinson Junkins. Third round,
39:42
they got Harold Fanny Jr. and Dylan Gabriel.
39:44
Fourth round, they got Dylan Sampson. And then
39:46
fifth round, they got Shador Sanders. So you
39:49
can cross off quarterback. You can cross off
39:51
running back. You can cross off defensive line.
39:53
Good. The only thing that they didn't address
39:56
to me that I feel like they should have addressed
39:58
was tackle. Just being honest here, but that's
40:02
just me because I love the offensive line. I
40:04
understand that the offensive line play a very
40:07
foundational role in a lot of things. But when
40:10
we look at their team stats, however, they were
40:12
the 19th ranked defense last year. They averaged
40:17
25 .6 points that were allowed per game. 342
40:21
.1 yards allowed per game, 5 .6 yards allowed
40:25
per play. They allowed 48 touchdowns and they
40:29
had a 38 .4 quarterback pressure percentage with
40:33
226 quarterback pressures. Let's go a little
40:36
bit deeper. Let's break it down a little bit
40:38
more. So they have the 12 passing defense, which
40:42
allowed 212 .4 passing yards per game, 6 .5 passing
40:47
yards per play. 26 passing touchdowns that were
40:51
allowed. Let's go a little bit more deeper. They
40:54
had the 21st run defense, which allowed 129 .7
40:59
rushing yards per game, 4 .5 rushing yards per
41:03
play, and 70 rushes of 10 plus yards or more
41:07
with a run stuff rate at 22 .5%. Now, granted,
41:11
Mason Graham will definitely help out on the
41:14
defensive line. But I still feel like that's
41:18
not enough. I feel like they probably should
41:20
have doubled it at defensive line. And the reason
41:23
why I say that is because outside of Myles Garrett,
41:27
who else can you rely on? Because most likely,
41:30
Mason Graham will probably get double teamed.
41:32
So you're going to need somebody else that can
41:34
come in and create a lot of pressure. Do I think
41:38
this is a major upgrade? No. Do I feel like they
41:42
may have reached for Mason Graham? Just a little
41:45
bit. I think if they drafted Mason Graham maybe
41:49
with the 10th or 11th pick, okay, fine. That's
41:52
a good spot. But drafting him as high as they
41:55
did, I'm a little bit skeptical about that personally,
41:59
but only time will tell. Now, when we look at
42:01
on their offensive side, okay, they have the
42:04
28th ranked offense. They averaged 15 .2 points
42:08
per game. 300 .8 yards per game, and 4 .6 yards
42:13
per play, as well as 27 touchdowns. Let's break
42:17
it down a little bit more. They have the 22nd
42:19
passing offense, which averaged 206 .2 passing
42:24
yards per game, 4 .8 passing yards per play,
42:27
and 19 passing touchdowns. Okay. Eh. Average,
42:35
I would say. Now, they had the 29th rushing offense,
42:39
which averaged 94 .6 rushing yards per game,
42:43
4 .1 rushing yards per play, 8 touchdowns, and
42:47
34 rushes of 10 -plus yards or more. Overall,
42:51
I would give them a B. I'm not saying this is
42:54
a dynamic draft. I'm not saying this is a game
42:58
-changing draft. I'm not saying any of those
43:00
things. I think this is a good meat -and -potatoes
43:03
type of draft. And sometimes you need those type
43:06
of drafts in order to build a great team. It's
43:10
not always going to be a bunch of high flash
43:13
and oohs and ahhs when it comes to your drafting.
43:17
A lot of times it's a lot of meat and potatoes
43:19
type of drafts that carry you on into becoming
43:24
a true contender. And that's perfectly fine.
43:27
I think Quinson -Junkins, I think that's a good
43:29
pick. I think Harold Fanning Jr. paired up with
43:33
David Njoku, I think that's a good pick as well.
43:35
Mason Graham, I think that's also a good pick
43:37
as well. I just feel like where he was drafted
43:39
is a little bit controversial. I feel like Shador
43:42
is a good pick as well because here's the thing.
43:46
Shador Sanders, outside of all the distractions
43:49
and whatnot, he was a good quarterback. He's
43:53
not the... How can I say this? You know what?
43:57
Bump it. I'll just say it. He's not like every
43:59
other black quarterback. Because we all know
44:02
most black quarterbacks, they're athletic. They
44:05
can run real fast. They're just a dual threat.
44:09
That's not Shador. Shador is an old school drop
44:12
back, sit in the pocket type of quarterback.
44:15
And that's perfectly fine. You can still have
44:18
a very successful career in the NFL. He's very
44:22
precise with his throwing. And I think it's only
44:25
going to get better now that he's in the league
44:28
and now that he's in a situation where you have
44:30
someone like Kevin Stefanski who has worked with
44:33
multiple quarterbacks. I think this will work
44:35
significantly well, but only time will tell.
44:38
Now, do I think the offense will improve significantly?
44:41
Yes, I think the running game will definitely
44:43
get better. I think the passing game will definitely
44:46
get better. The passing defense, I'm a little
44:48
bit skeptical about because they really didn't
44:50
make a whole lot of additions there. The run
44:52
defense, I do think, got a little bit better.
44:56
Not significantly, but just a little bit better.
44:59
Just a tad better, to be specific. Now let's
45:02
go to the Bengals. Man, maybe I'll change their
45:07
grade at this point. I might just want to give
45:09
them an F at this point because this is bad.
45:12
So their positions of need were defensive back,
45:15
edge, D -tackle, linebacker, interior offensive
45:18
line. So they drafted Shamar Stewart, Demetrius
45:21
Knight Jr., Dylan Fairchild, Barrett Carter,
45:24
Jalen Rivers, and Taj Brooks. Okay, not bad.
45:27
And so when we look at their team stats and whatnot,
45:31
they had the ninth ranked offense, which averaged
45:34
27 .8 points per game, 365 .5 yards per game,
45:39
5 .8 yards per play, and 54 touchdowns. Let's
45:43
go a little bit deeper. They had the number one
45:46
passing offense. At 272 .9 passing yards per
45:50
game, 6 .6 passing yards per play, and 43 passing
45:55
touchdowns. Not bad. But they had the 30th rushing
46:00
offense, which averaged 92 .6 rushing yards per
46:04
game, 4 .1 rushing yards per play. eight touchdowns,
46:08
and 34 rushes of 10 -plus yards or more. The
46:11
run game really wasn't that strong for them last
46:13
year, and you can definitely tell that they missed
46:15
Joe Mixon significantly. And when we switch things
46:19
over to the defense, however, they had the 25th
46:22
-ranked defense, which averaged 25 .5 points
46:27
allowed per game, 348 .3 yards allowed per game,
46:31
5 .4 yards per play allowed, 50 touchdowns allowed.
46:36
and a 31 .8 quarterback pressure percentage it's
46:41
not really that good and you can we all know
46:44
why their defense wasn't that good okay we don't
46:46
need to go on the soapbox but when we go a little
46:49
bit deeper into this okay they had the 21st passing
46:53
defense which averaged 223 .5 passing yards allowed
46:57
per game 6 .2 passing yards allowed per play
47:01
30 passing touchdowns allowed That is not good,
47:06
folks. And you can tell that they missed their
47:09
defensive backs because they don't have anybody
47:12
in the backfield that people are afraid of. It's
47:16
open season in the backfield. Now let's go a
47:19
little bit more deeper. They had the 19th run
47:23
defense, which allowed 20 rushing touchdowns,
47:26
124 .8 rushing yards per game. 4 .4 rushing yards
47:30
per play and allowed 54 rushes of 10 plus yards
47:34
or more. I would give them a C minus because
47:39
on one hand, yes, you did address defensive line
47:42
and linebacker. Yes, I'm not going to take that
47:46
away from you. However, you did not address defensive
47:49
back and you did not address interior offensive
47:52
line like how you should have. Let's be real
47:56
here, folks. As great as Shamar Stewart was at
47:59
the combine, he is still a question mark. Is
48:03
he an end? Is he interior? What exactly is Shamar
48:07
Stewart in the NFL? And I think him being drafted
48:11
to the Bengals was probably the worst decision
48:13
possibly because he doesn't have a clear path
48:19
of development compared to if he went, for instance,
48:23
to the Eagles, to the Steelers. to places that
48:27
have a reputation of developing really productive
48:31
pass rushers. So, on one hand, I understand that
48:37
you wanted to work on the defensive line a little
48:40
bit, especially at edge, because he can either
48:43
be the replacement for Trey Hendrickson or he
48:45
can be the partner with Trey Hendrickson, but...
48:49
I'm still very skeptical about that move. Demetrius
48:53
Knight, I feel like that's more of a replacement
48:55
for Jermaine Pratt or for the other middle linebacker
49:00
as well. Barrett Carter, same thing. Taj Brooks,
49:03
I feel like that was a good move as well because
49:05
they definitely want to work on the run game
49:07
because I understand that you do have Jamar Chase
49:10
and T. Higgins. I get that. But you also want
49:13
to rely more on the run game. Because we all
49:17
saw when they had Joe Mixon, that run game was
49:20
significantly better. They were able to stretch
49:23
the field out a little bit more compared to just
49:26
throwing it to Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins all
49:29
the time. Just saying. But I gave them a C -.
49:32
I feel like they definitely could have done better.
49:34
I feel like they should have probably addressed
49:37
either DB, edge, D -tackle, or interior offensive
49:41
line in the first round. Or... They should have
49:45
done it in free agency. But all in all, this
49:48
was not a good draft class for the Bengals. And
49:50
especially with everything going on now with
49:53
Demetrius Knight and Shamar Stewart, it really
49:55
doesn't look that good either. Now let's go on
49:58
to the Steelers. So with the Steelers, their
50:01
positions of need were quarterback, corner, defensive
50:04
line, running back. So the first round, Derek
50:07
Harmon, they did not have a second round pick.
50:09
So the third round, they had Caleb Johnson. The
50:11
fourth round, they had Jack Sawyer. Fifth round,
50:13
they had Waiya Black. Sixth round, they had Will
50:16
Howard. And then seventh round, they had Carson
50:18
Bruner and Dante Kent. Now, when we look at their
50:21
team stats, however. They were the 23rd ranked
50:24
offense in averaging 22 .4 points per game, 319
50:29
.4 yards per game, 5 yards per play, and 35 touchdowns.
50:35
Let's go a little bit deeper. 27th in passing
50:38
offense, and they averaged 192 passing yards
50:42
per game, 6 passing yards per play, and 21 passing
50:46
touchdowns. They were the 11th rushing offense.
50:50
and averaged 127 .4 rushing yards per game, 4
50:54
.1 rushing yards per play, 14 touchdowns, and
50:57
64 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. Now let's
51:00
shift over to the defense. They averaged 20 .4
51:04
points allowed per game, 326 .7 yards allowed
51:08
per game, 5 .4 yards per play allowed, 37 touchdowns
51:14
allowed, and a 33 .8 quarterback pressure percentage.
51:19
They were the 25th in passing defense at 228
51:24
passing yards allowed per game, 6 .2 passing
51:27
yards allowed per play, and 23 passing touchdowns
51:31
allowed. They were 6th in run defense and allowed
51:35
14 rushing touchdowns, 98 .7 rushing yards per
51:38
game, 4 .1 rushing yards per play, and allowed
51:42
43 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. We already
51:46
knew that the Steelers were most likely going
51:49
to bolster up the defensive line at some point,
51:52
especially with the whole ending of the season
51:55
and Derrick Henry doing what he did. We all knew
51:58
that they were going to make sure that that defensive
52:00
line was going to be better. And so they did
52:02
that and they doubled it, which I definitely
52:04
expected in getting Derrick Harmon and Wyatt
52:07
Black, which isn't bad. It's not bad at all.
52:10
This isn't a sexy. type of draft class. This
52:15
isn't a dynamic draft class. This is a, once
52:19
again, meat and potatoes type of draft class.
52:23
Derek Harmon, meat and potatoes. Caleb Johnson,
52:26
meat and potatoes. Jack Sawyer. That is the one
52:30
pick that I'm a little bit on the fence about,
52:33
and let me explain why. Because I feel like with
52:35
that pick, if the intentions were still to get
52:38
rid of George Pickens, then I would have used
52:41
that pick to get the replacement for George Pickens,
52:44
so then that way you won't be in the situation
52:47
in which the Steelers are in now where you have
52:50
to go out and you have to get another receiver.
52:54
But outside of that, I think everything else
52:57
was pretty good. I feel like Carson Bruner is
52:59
going to be a really good special teams player.
53:01
I feel like Wyatt Black is going to be a really
53:04
good foundational piece. I feel like Will Howard
53:07
has a lot of upside to his game. But the one
53:10
thing out of all of these guys is this. All of
53:13
them were team captains for their respective
53:16
teams. Put up a bookmark on that for me, please.
53:19
Now, for a grade, I would say a B because you
53:24
addressed corner, even though I feel like they
53:27
should have addressed it a little bit higher.
53:28
You addressed defensive line twice. You addressed
53:31
running back and you addressed quarterback. So
53:34
you addressed all of those positions, which was
53:36
actually really good. I cannot complain about
53:39
this. As much as I want to complain about it,
53:42
I cannot complain about it because this was a
53:46
meat and potatoes type of draft. Let's end it
53:49
with the Ravens. So the positions of need with
53:52
the Ravens. Guard, edge, safety, wide receiver.
53:56
So their first round pick, Malachi Starks. Second
53:59
round, Mike Green, the green machine as I call
54:01
him. Third round, Emory Jones Jr. Fourth round,
54:04
Teddy... Buchanan, if I'm not mistaken. Fifth
54:08
round, Carson Vincent. And then sixth round,
54:10
they had B. Hall Cone, Tyler Lube, LaJontae Wester,
54:14
and Aeneas Peebles, which I was very high on
54:16
Aeneas Peebles. And it definitely sucks that
54:19
we weren't able to get them. But it's okay. So
54:21
when we look at their team stats, they were the
54:24
number one ranked offense. And they averaged
54:27
30 .5 points per game, 424 .9 yards per game.
54:32
6 .8 yards per play and 62 touchdowns. Now, when
54:36
we break this down into the offense and whatnot,
54:40
I'm going to say offense and defense. I don't
54:42
know why. But when we break this down into the
54:44
passing and run offense, they were the seventh
54:47
best passing offense. And they averaged 237 .4
54:52
passing yards per game, 8 .1 passing yards per
54:55
play, and 41 passing touchdowns. And they had
54:58
the number one rushing offense as well. At 187
55:02
.6 rushing yards per game, 5 .8 rushing yards
55:06
per play, 21 rushing touchdowns, and 89 rushes
55:11
of 10 plus yards or more. Folks, this offense
55:14
was unstoppable, but unfortunately it did show.
55:17
Sorry. Now when we go to the defense, however,
55:20
they were a top 10 defense and they averaged
55:24
21 .2 points. They allowed 324 .2 yards per game,
55:31
5 .2 yards per play, and then they allowed 39
55:35
touchdowns and had a 31 .4 quarterback pressure
55:39
percentage. Now, they were 31st in passing defense
55:42
and allowed 244 .1 passing yards per game, 6
55:46
.1 passing yards per play, and 27 passing touchdowns.
55:50
They were the number one rushing defense in which
55:53
they allowed 12 rushing touchdowns, 80 .1 rushing
55:57
yards per game, 3 .6 rushing yards per play,
56:00
and allowed 25 rushes of 10 plus yards or more.
56:03
Folks, this was a home run of a draft class.
56:07
I feel like Malachi Starks, great pick. Simply
56:10
because you did not have to trade up to get him.
56:12
He just fell into your lap, which is great because
56:16
there was a lot of speculation that the Ravens
56:18
may have to trade up to get someone like Malachi
56:21
Starks or Nick Emin Ward. But for Malachi Starks
56:24
to just fall down to the Ravens, that's actually
56:26
great. Mike Green, he was slated to be a first
56:30
rounder, but because of off -field allegations,
56:32
that's why he fell down to the second round.
56:34
But still, I feel like that is a great pick because
56:36
to me, he's pass rusher one. I feel like he is
56:39
the best pass rusher because I feel like he has
56:42
the skill set to be somewhat on the lines of
56:47
like where T .J. Watt may be. Just saying. You
56:50
hate me, love me, whatever. Don't care. He has
56:53
the upside to be great. And I think he's in the
56:56
best situation possible. Emory Jones Jr., he
56:59
has positional flexibility because he can double
57:01
at tackle and guard. Teddy Buchanan, that's a
57:05
good special teams type of pick. Same thing as
57:08
Carson Vinson, as well as B. Hall Cone. Tyler
57:12
Luke, he's going to be the replacement for Justin
57:15
Tucker or Jontae Wester. That could be special
57:17
teams. Aeneas Peebles, that bolsters up the defensive
57:20
line even more. Overall, when we look at this
57:23
entire... division as a whole, everybody made
57:28
significant moves to bolster up their defensive
57:32
line. The Browns used their first round pick
57:35
to do it. The Steelers did it as well. And even
57:38
the Bengals. But I feel like as a whole, everybody's
57:42
number one goal was to prevent the Ravens from
57:45
doing what they did this past season, which is
57:48
basically just run amok over everybody. Now,
57:51
is this probably the best move to make? I don't
57:55
really know. But the fact of the matter is, for
57:58
an entire division to all want to make at least
58:02
one investment into defensive line definitely
58:05
says a lot. We still have a few more divisions
58:08
that we have to talk about and stay tuned because
58:10
we will be talking about them. But I'm going
58:12
to end this episode here. If you guys like what
58:14
you're listening, please, please, please, please,
58:16
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Pod, okay? Football Junkies Pod. When you go
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58:59
Make sure you guys leave a comment down below.
59:01
Let me know your... thoughts on my grades. Let
59:04
me know your thoughts on everything that has
59:06
happened so far in the league right now. I know
59:09
things are a little bit slow, but hopefully things
59:12
will pick up sooner than later. What else am
59:15
I forgetting? Make sure you follow us on Instagram,
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59:49
I got to put out some clips. I know I have a
59:51
lot of clips that I have to put out, especially
59:53
from the divisional rodeo series and a few other
59:56
episodes in between those as well. What else
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well, G -M -K -L, K -A -I -L -E. As always, I
1:00:17
hope I gave you guys a fix that you guys need.
1:00:19
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1:00:21
Thank you guys so much for listening to another
1:00:23
episode of one of the greatest football podcasts
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1:00:29
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1:00:32
Peace and love. Later.