[SPEAKER_00]: Hello, welcome to NMTV NFL podcast, I'm Connor Moore, and we found him, I don't know where he is, but we got Albert Brearbacked.
[SPEAKER_01]: I made his my bed for you Connor, I didn't want to be a slob looking on me bed in the background, I don't know if you caught me doing that, but I put the pillows upright because I thought it would look weird if it was all the shvelt behind me or whatever.
[SPEAKER_00]: See, I'm in a weird spot with this stuff where, you know,
[SPEAKER_00]: We have kids obviously and they have friends over and parents then come over to pick up the kids and my whole thing is like if your house is too tidy it freaks me out and it makes me judge you I think in a different way you think like yeah like what are you doing all the time like did you and then did you clean for me because then it makes me feel weird like do you think that I'm the kind of
[SPEAKER_00]: So I'm the kind of guy that's like, I want you to look lived in, you know, like, I want your life to look lived in.
[SPEAKER_00]: So we're absolutely fine with that.
[SPEAKER_01]: It shouldn't look like, yeah, it shouldn't look like, yeah, it shouldn't look like, yeah, it shouldn't look like, yeah, but I think, I don't know.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, Emily sort of in charge of like,
[SPEAKER_01]: I want to put this the right way because I don't want to turn this into like some sort of like chauvinistic things.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll just put it this way.
[SPEAKER_00]: She's way more organized than I am.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, I'm the person who, I'm the person who, I, everything's a mess, but I know where everything is and then I get mad when things get organized because now I don't know where everything is.
[SPEAKER_01]: Is everything right?
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think, too, like, this isn't everything's orderly and, and, and arrange it.
[SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, I don't think this is shovinistic because I think this, you know, when I've pulled some folks, this kind of happens in every household.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's actually talking to Tyler done about this last night.
[SPEAKER_00]: Our good buddy, Ty.
[SPEAKER_00]: There is just someone in the house who prefers things to be cleaned a certain way.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then there's someone in the house who despite their best efforts continues to screw it up every time.
[SPEAKER_00]: I am the latter person, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like when I'm loading the dishwasher, it's not right.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's two or three things that are not supposed to be top rack that I'm putting top rack.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I don't know why they get so mad about that by the way.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's still going to wash right like what's the problem?
[SPEAKER_01]: Why is that such a big issue in the history of me?
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's like even when the dishwasher is half full, it's still a problem.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like the thing that I'm full.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, if you're organizing it and they all had to fit that's fine, but it's not even full.
[SPEAKER_00]: If in the history of me washing my clothes, I wash all my clothes together.
[SPEAKER_00]: Darks, lights, whatever.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's just a party in there and everyone's invited.
[SPEAKER_00]: We don't discriminate.
[SPEAKER_00]: And only one time.
[SPEAKER_00]: didn't matter.
[SPEAKER_00]: I washed like a very nice white dress shirt with like a pair of blue pants, the fibers from the blue pants got into the white dress shirt and I had to go get a dry clean.
[SPEAKER_00]: But out of all the years of people being like, hey, you can't wash clothes that way, you can't wash clothes that way.
[SPEAKER_00]: I feel like I was right.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, one mistake in 20 years of clothes washing.
[SPEAKER_01]: I feel like I'm at our right.
[SPEAKER_01]: It saved the amount of time you probably saves.
[SPEAKER_00]: Separating darks and whites for 20 years.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Come on.
[SPEAKER_01]: I would say you win.
[SPEAKER_01]: For sure.
[SPEAKER_01]: I would say I win.
[SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, it's good to have Albert back in the fold.
[SPEAKER_00]: We got a couple of things to hit on the newsfront before we check in with a variety of different camps.
[SPEAKER_00]: Albert is just, you know, gal eventings, not the right word.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's the word my mom used to use when she felt like I was out
[SPEAKER_00]: What do I want to say, grinding through the United States to bring us the best football news?
[SPEAKER_00]: But it just so happened that you were in Minnesota yesterday and that was sort of the epicenter of the football world and everything that everyone's talking about.
[SPEAKER_00]: Kylo Murray, as expected, has been named the starter of the Minnesota Vikings.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's start there and get your thoughts on it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, I think the first thing is, you know, for Kevin O'Connell and for his staff, after what they've been through the last two years, and more importantly with the locker room has been through the last two years.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that this was going to be the conclusion, because I think Kyle and Murray was always gonna be the best answer for 2021, six.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is never going to be about the next three years or the next five years after losing Sam Donald and losing Daniel Jones and have both of them having both of those guys play the way they did elsewhere.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now I know DJ got hurt but after both of those guys played the way that they did last year and then the quarterback being position being what it was in Minnesota in 2025 you look at the makeup of that team and
[SPEAKER_01]: You just, they couldn't throw another season overboard in the name of quarterback development or finding out on a former first round pick.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: That wouldn't be fair to Justin Jefferson or Jordan Addison or TJ Hawkinson or Christian Darissa or Byron Murphy, you name it, you know, go down the list, Andrew Van Kinko, Blake Cashman.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's just, you know, all those guys were part of a very good football team two years ago that I think in the moment, we all thought out legitimate chance to advance the Super Bowl.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I think for for Kevin O'Connell and his staff, they felt like they owed it to him.
[SPEAKER_01]: owed it to them to give them the best possible answer the most important position on the field for this year period end of story.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
[SPEAKER_01]: like so what they did was they put together a quarterback room that was going to give them multiple chances to do that and you know Kyle and Murray's the guy who's got the most game experience of anybody in that quarterback room who has the most recent experience and recent success of anybody in that room and so I think all along we felt like he would he would be the pick because again the make up of the team is such that you need a guy who's going to
[SPEAKER_01]: I actually think it's sort of similar to what, like now when we want to go to the J.J. McCarthy piece of it, I think it's sort of similar to what happened in trail ants in San Francisco.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, you got drafted by a really good team, and that team doesn't have time to stay at Thurrow.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, go that team.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that's what happens with most first round quarterbacks.
[SPEAKER_01]: And this is like to me this is the other side of getting drafted by a really good team if you're if you're a first round and a really in a coach with with bona fides at the quarterback position right right so like if you go to a team that's not very good you're probably going to get to our three years to prove it.
[SPEAKER_01]: If you go to a team that's one recently that's got a lot of accomplished veterans on it, you're not getting that much runway.
[SPEAKER_01]: And, you know, I think that's what happened with Tray Lance in San Francisco, a guy who needed reps, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: He needed to play.
[SPEAKER_01]: and he never got those wraps.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm not saying he would have made it otherwise because he wasn't like he didn't do enough to win the job.
[SPEAKER_01]: But like eventually it was a team like that it's going to come to the point where it's like, no you have to win the job.
[SPEAKER_01]: It can't just be like we drafted you this time we have to find out you have to win the job.
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know for JJ McCarty, I don't think Kevin O'Connell is giving up on him.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he'd like to still work with him and develop him and he's had a good off season all things considered, but this was never going to be, oh yeah, like it's best for the Vikings in 2028, if you know, we chase a glimmer of hope with what JJ McCarthy.
[SPEAKER_01]: And now this allows the Vikings to project instead of hope.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not hoping anymore.
[SPEAKER_01]: Now they're projecting because they know what they've gotten, Kyle Murray.
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to get into a little bit of what I wrote, but this just popped in the my head and so I'm just going to throw it out here.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, Questia Dolfo Menta, the Vikings former GM was fired in January of 2026, so a couple months ahead of the draft.
[SPEAKER_00]: Daniel Jones left to sign with the Colts in 2025, Sam Darnold 2025.
[SPEAKER_00]: I wonder if you
[SPEAKER_00]: were to kind of FBI interrogate everybody there.
[SPEAKER_00]: How much of, and there are a lot of disagreements between Questie and Kevin O'Connell.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that was a doomed marriage, a little bit from the start.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I do wonder how much of the ultimate disagreement or if there was a disagreement at all about letting Donald and Daniel Jones out of that building because I remember,
[SPEAKER_00]: When Darnold was having that incredible season, I remember writing week five, like just extend them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Just given what Daniel Jones got from the cults, the two year 88, like do that or whatever you've got to do it early.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do it early, yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then one thing led to another, and obviously he's off with Seattle, Daniel Jones, the same thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you think that there was a lack of proactive
[SPEAKER_00]: general management there, or do you think that this was O'Connell being like, no, no, no, play the rookie.
[SPEAKER_00]: I got him.
[SPEAKER_01]: I can't get him here, you know, I mean, I think I think Kevin O'Connell in 25, badly wanted to put competition in the room with JJ McCarthy, and if you want to like really kind of like unwind this whole thing,
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I think Kevin O'Connell, my coaching staff, wanted to move heaven and earth to get Drake May in 2024.
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know that, you know,
[SPEAKER_01]: I think sometimes this can be where you get in trouble is like you fall and take one anyway Yeah, we won anyway, right when you can't get him because I mean here's the reality I mean Quasi could have pushed all the chips to middle of the table I don't know the patres are trading numbers ready.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know what I mean?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I just based on what I know They had real conviction on Drake mate and this is one thing that Patriot's group You know, Jarod Mayo's gone Elliott.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, so they're deserves credit for
[SPEAKER_01]: because the giants and Vikings both came with really strong offers for the third pick and the Patriots had conviction on Drake and they were not ready at that point New England like they were not a quarterback away right but like they had conviction on the player they took them good for them they were right I think in 25 what we're looking at is
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Kevin O'Connell would tell you I wanted to put competition in the room.
[SPEAKER_01]: I wanted to make sure that whatever it was, ensuring the players had the best answer of the position, and look, in Quasi's defense, they tried.
[SPEAKER_01]: They put an offer in front of Sam Darl that was competitive.
[SPEAKER_01]: They essentially offered Daniel Jones what the Colts offered.
[SPEAKER_01]: There wasn't much difference between the offers.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
[SPEAKER_01]: Why do those guys leave?
[SPEAKER_01]: I think in both guys' cases what they looked at was, where do I have the best chance to be in the quarterback for the next five years?
[SPEAKER_01]: And unfortunately, that's where the JJ McCarthy selection comes into play because Indianapolis didn't have that complication.
[SPEAKER_01]: They had Anthony Richardson who everybody knew was done there.
[SPEAKER_01]: Seattle didn't have that complication.
[SPEAKER_01]: They were trading genosmith.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
[SPEAKER_01]: So those two teams, if you look at the quarterback room, Sam Darnell and Daniel Jones could look at those two teams and say, I've got a much better shot of being the quarterback for the next five years here.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because if I have two or three bad games in a row, I'm in a soda, changing the McCarthy's going in the game.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, right.
[SPEAKER_01]: So like I think it's just that's where taking one as high as they did complicates that, you know, so I don't know that there's like a real finger to point their other than did they stop looking for competition?
[SPEAKER_01]: Did the front office stop looking for competition for JJ McCarthy too fast?
[SPEAKER_01]: Did they listen enough to their coaching staff and saying JJ might not be ready?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like we really need competition in the room.
[SPEAKER_01]: And, you know, the credit of everybody there, I think they did pivot when it happened.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we talked about this last year.
[SPEAKER_01]: It was okay.
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's go all in on JJ and let's find out, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
[SPEAKER_01]: And let's let the plot players know where their quarterback is and let's give the veterans a chance to wrap their arms around JJ McCarthy and look, like I think, you know, over time, JJ's got a chance.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I think he's further away coming into the league than some people realized.
[SPEAKER_01]: If you need that development time, and now I'll send you a thrown into a veteran team that's coming off a 14-win season, like that's tough to mesh.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know what I mean?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like so, you know, you'd hope for JJ's sake now that he gets a chance to kind of take a step back and develop a little bit more.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because he has come along some of this offseason.
[SPEAKER_01]: He's just not where Kylo Murray is right now.
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know, like here's the other part of it too, Conor.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean,
[SPEAKER_01]: Do you got to do some things to build?
[SPEAKER_00]: Are you talking about what's right for the team now?
[SPEAKER_01]: You got to do some things to build an offense for Kylo and Murray, and I think you're better off putting them putting that stuff in now than you would be two weeks out from the season, especially when you've got a new run game guy in Frank Smith who's already made a big difference in what you're doing.
[SPEAKER_00]: A new, like a brand new run game too, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that so that's where I kind of land on this too,
[SPEAKER_00]: In the immediate aftermath of Kyler getting named the starter, I think everybody, a lot of people who I think are the best in this business were like, this is a 12 win football team.
[SPEAKER_00]: I guess I'm like the whatever the ghost of Christmas past whatever the bad one is like the negative one that's just like all like everything sucks, but like I still see a lot of growing pains here like I love Frank I Frank spent on my head coaches list for years, I think that he is a prospect of head coach in the NFL to put in wide zone.
[SPEAKER_00]: it's not an offense that Kyler's ever played in.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then I think if you look at the stuff underneath it, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I think in our heads, it's easy to imagine Kyler evading the pocket and escaping out and fling them up for Justin Jefferson and it's like, yeah, but the numbers don't necessarily bear that out.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like he scrambled like 1% more than Sam Darnall did.
[SPEAKER_00]: at the Viking.
[SPEAKER_00]: So like to say that we're going to have like more movement at the quarterback position, I just don't think it's necessarily true.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the other part of it is throws on scramble's not that great since 2020.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
[SPEAKER_00]: And so it's like, I think that what we're getting and I want you to tell me if you think I'm right or wrong about this.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think what we're getting is a situation where O'Connell's just trying to get somebody to just to just play the,
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, music, you know what I mean?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, he's just trying to get somebody to play the sheet music.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: I notice I have a key to leave quite a bit of music.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to look that up right now while I talk, so I'll see if I can multitask here, but I think you're right, like I think you know huge part of it is going to be a huge part of it is going to be the difference that The rank is able to make in the wrong game and what they're going to be able to do to defenses with Aaron Jones and with Jordan Mason and I do think like
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a way to weaponize Kyler Murray in that like, you know, the boots off of a wide zone.
[SPEAKER_01]: He's going to be able to stretch the defense out, which, you know, I can't create space for the running backs.
[SPEAKER_01]: What he'll be able to do in the keeper game, I think is really intriguing.
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, they got a tailor to them a little bit though.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, can he, can he be more accurate over the middle of the field, which has always been a problem in part, you know, like there's those questions to fight away.
[SPEAKER_01]: It is people that dry hump stats to make a point probably prefer reading sheep music here in the song.
[SPEAKER_01]: to create a scenario where the run games a problem and the run game makes Justin Jefferson and Jordan Madison more dangerous.
[SPEAKER_01]: And now things are just easier on everyone, you know, like Anne, like you said, it's playing Kevin O'Connell, she is it.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's gonna be intriguing too because this is a little, I mean, I think Kevin gets a lot of credit for his work with quarterbacks as he should.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know the last time he worked with a quarterback like this, because he had Dwayne Haskins and Washington, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think it was a Taylor-Hanicky, I can't remember who it was.
[SPEAKER_01]: Dwayne Haskins and, or no, it's Alex Smith.
[SPEAKER_01]: Dwayne Haskins and an older Alex Smith.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Washington, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And then he had in Los Angeles, Matthew Stafford.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then since he's been in Minnesota, it's Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnall.
[SPEAKER_00]: What do you think because in my head, there's two scenarios here.
[SPEAKER_01]: I and a really only think there's two one is that this is a nine and eight team and what happens here is that The way is what they were last year was by that's all talking about it like there were objects right right Troy falls in that category two is that those teams fell apart last year They were both nine and eight
[SPEAKER_00]: Dan and winning record.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I think it's nine and eight and what happens is what kind of always happens right where you have a new offense that looks really exciting and training camp, but your quarterback essentially is two weeks to digest it as the starter in this offense and then as the season goes on much like it did with Kyler and Cliff Kingsberry.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, it starts to take shape and mold in different ways like there's going to be stuff that Kyler is going to take back and say I don't like this.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's making me uncomfortable.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's I'm getting hit when I do this Whatever whatever and there's going to be stuff that Kevin O'Connell pulls on and then it depends on what
[SPEAKER_00]: what you end up with.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right?
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
[SPEAKER_00]: It depends on what the middle ground of those two offenses is.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so that could be 98 or it could be like, you know, I don't think I'm not trying to call anybody wrong.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I do see a world where this is a 12 when or 13 when football team.
[SPEAKER_00]: But like, I don't know which way do you are you leaning?
[SPEAKER_00]: Are you leaning closer to one or the other after seeing them in person?
[SPEAKER_01]: The one thing I worry about a little bit with them is their age.
[SPEAKER_01]: And there are a few teams like this this year, you know.
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's like Aaron Jones, Brian O'Neill, Byron Murphy's a little older now, androving Ginko's a little older now.
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, they are relying on some older players, you know, and I think Brian Flores's defense is naturally going to be a little older than the mean anyway, just because that's sort of what they look for to fill it.
[SPEAKER_01]: Um,
[SPEAKER_01]: I'd say like they're going to need big years from some younger guys, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: So Dallas Turner's one I have circled, but I think I have a very big year for them.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, can they get anything out of Caleb Banks is a rookie, you know, Dominique Orange has had a nice training camp for them.
[SPEAKER_01]: So Banks and Orange both come along, maybe the interior or the D-line looks a little bit different.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, they've got this Thai felt and who is a good special team or for them last year is a rookie who they think is going to be able to add a dimension for them on off and so There are one of these teams.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like that's it that I'm comparing them to the nine years again, but like the nine years are older and a lot of spots the Vikings aren't quite that old, but Like that'd be the one thing I'd be worried about the divisions tough, you know what I mean, like there's not a bad team in that division.
[SPEAKER_01]: So
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought my buddy Tyler done had a good point too that I didn't consider and that is that I'm taking a chance on anybody outside of Arizona, just to see what that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, especially at the quarterback position, like, let's just see, it's like taking a crack.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's Sam Darnall outside of the jets or Baker may field outside of the Browns.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's like, yeah, you know, maybe we should.
[SPEAKER_00]: Maybe we should see if there's some other issues there.
[SPEAKER_00]: But anyway, I'm excited.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's see what Kylo Murray gives to the Vikings.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: What's your quick yes or no, does JJ McCarthy start a game this year?
[SPEAKER_00]: And is JJ McCarthy the number two?
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I thought about that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like I think they feel like it'd be good for him to have a developmental year.
[SPEAKER_01]: They have Carson once.
[SPEAKER_01]: They have Max Brosmer.
[SPEAKER_01]: They don't have to play them.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'll say no, I'll say no.
[SPEAKER_01]: I really do believe, though, the Kevin O'Connor wants to keep working with them.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, look, they can't franchise Kyler after the year, this Kyler played good enough for them to merit a new contract.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, there's a lot of questions there.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think this is like, it's interesting because it's, I think it's still a really good team, but it's one of the teams that maybe has the least certainty at the quarterback position going into 2027 if that makes sense.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it's going to be interesting.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, another one next year, who knows?
[SPEAKER_00]: I honestly think if Kevin O'Connell has a dream season, it's that we're talking about the defense and the run game nine weeks in, and we can't remember who's under center.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's my thought.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I always thought too, like, you know, he was in, he was in, um, you know, an L.A.
[SPEAKER_01]: And you know, you do wonder if if at some point like a veteran comes available and they're the throw our hands up and like let's just go get the stud team you know what I mean like if I mean if like burrow whatever if someone you know eventually down the line Tom Brady.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm kidding, um, Tom Brady's like Ted Williams.
[SPEAKER_01]: He like with a throat.
[SPEAKER_01]: What do they think they froze Ted Williams isn't that right or something like that?
[SPEAKER_01]: I can't remember.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that is isn't his head cryogenically frozen?
[SPEAKER_00]: That's something like that.
[SPEAKER_00]: But there was a lot of weird stuff going on with that anyway.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, so I'm kind of a different guy.
[SPEAKER_01]: Another thing that you call our weird or a crooked but different.
[SPEAKER_00]: Imagine the guy begging you to freeze your head that there's something wrong with him and he isn't exactly the most straightforward business man.
[SPEAKER_00]: Emily, I'm sorry I wasn't very popular in Boston, I think I might imagine.
[SPEAKER_00]: Another thing that happened while you were way that we didn't get a chance to talk about is the Quinn Williams deal.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think that this is interesting for two reasons.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I'll tell you why, the first is that Jerry getting this done on time, right, and being proactive about it.
[SPEAKER_00]: He kind of had to given what he gave up for Quinn Williams.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right, you can't.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's different than the Micaparsan situation where you're drafting him.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you're getting draft capital to let him go.
[SPEAKER_00]: Quiddem Williams, he traded draft capital form.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have to sign this guy to a longer term deal.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I remember doing a huge magazine piece about Jerry's negotiating tactics, the way that he gets deals done.
[SPEAKER_00]: It doesn't always come down to the wire if he gets what he wants.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think the fact that Clinton was not trying to reset the defense of tackle market.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you look at the APY, he comes in at 0.01, basically, above Jeffrey Simmons.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's between Jeffrey Simmons and Jalen Carter.
[SPEAKER_00]: This was as clean as clean can get.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not going to say the Quinn in the left money on the table, but I am going to say that like it was the perfect storm where Jerry was getting beat up for not signing his guys.
[SPEAKER_00]: Quinn in comes up and says, hey, I don't need to reset the tackle market.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then you're in this position where, yes, it looks horrible.
[SPEAKER_00]: Optically, if you don't get a deal done with this guy.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, it's, this one's sort of simple on these, he, you had him in the building for half the year last year, he was a team captain with the jets, I think he's got maybe a chance to be a team captain with Dallas, we'll see how that plays out.
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, and really like when you're there and you're talking to them about how they've re-worked their locker room and they've changed some things around like the biggest thing that comes up and I think I said this to you on a show over the last couple weeks, I don't know everything's melting together now, but it, they made such a concerted effort to, uh,
[SPEAKER_01]: really lean in to what shot he said about wanting to build the best culture and professional sports.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so like you hear Jalen Thompson comes from Arizona, they draft Caleb down and they get Kenny Clark from the Packers and Quinn and Williams is part of that like just bringing
[SPEAKER_01]: What you're doing by sci-fi, by re-upping him is basically reaffirming everyone.
[SPEAKER_01]: This is one of our guys now.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so there's value in that too.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's pretty much a no-brainer.
[SPEAKER_01]: You still have, I think it's he had two years left on his deal, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: So having the two years left gives you a chance to manage the money from a cap standpoint a little
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, and now you go forward and there's no problem.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think a lot of people would probably look at this and say, why I want this, this proactive with Micah.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm just not sure that Micah fit into what they were trying to build the same way that when it does from a culture sample.
[SPEAKER_00]: It is interesting right though that you basically have two different schools of thought and I need a full healthy micro-parson season before I can judge that and judge who's right and wrong.
[SPEAKER_00]: But if you talk to people around the league, there are two kind of divergent opinions on this.
[SPEAKER_00]: And listen,
[SPEAKER_00]: don't get me wrong.
[SPEAKER_00]: No one's going to say I don't want miles Garrett and I don't want you know my capacitance like if he's available you take him.
[SPEAKER_00]: But from a roster building standpoint I think that there are coaches out there that are like give me
[SPEAKER_00]: what the sea hawks have.
[SPEAKER_00]: Give me three or four guys that, you know, are maybe not as good at the top end as Mike a Parsons, but can all do different stuff and we can kind of role play this thing out and piece meal together, but I like the identity of, you know, three or four guys that aren't making a ton of money.
[SPEAKER_00]: that will play a different style together and kind of more in service of one another.
[SPEAKER_00]: And then there are other coaches that are like, no man, like Mike Parsons, when he's in a game, you know, whatever.
[SPEAKER_00]: He impacts it so quickly that we're causing more turnovers.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's doing this because we're getting that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Miles Garrett's doing this.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so I know what direction the other team is running in.
[SPEAKER_00]: And the really are kind of two schools of thought us.
[SPEAKER_00]: And maybe it's that coaches are turnally optimistic.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm with the, it's also like that position is sort of like, and for one reason, I know, I mean, Lawrence Taylor wasn't winning any man of the year awards in our new like you're kidding.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, it's just sort of that position.
[SPEAKER_01]: It can be what you sign up for sometimes, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, even like Von Miller, who I think is a good guy, he was very different, you know what I mean?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like so, hey,
[SPEAKER_01]: There's arguments both ways on that, and it's not like you can't win with a player like that, but I think part of it is Okay, like if I'm gonna put my money where my mouth is I The best players in the team need to be this way.
[SPEAKER_01]: It doesn't mean we can't risk because God knows George Pickens is a risk.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know what I mean like, but nobody was asking George Pickens to be like the head of the table
[SPEAKER_01]: voice of the locker room.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because of Micah Parsons level of play, because he is such a great player, he naturally ascended into that, which puts him in a different position and changes the equation.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: You, uh, I think had the quote from Dak Prescott, um, I appreciate it because I was getting my ass hung out to dry after my, um, uh, all 272 predictions that I had Dallas winning 12 games.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think that, I mean,
[SPEAKER_00]: Seeing them up front and training kid, I know we talked about it quickly, but as you've gone to other teams, you've gotten that perspective, you talked to DAC, a little bit more in depth, where are you at on this team?
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, following the quinnan extension, I mean, everything's good with George Pickins right now because he's got to be good to get that long term deal.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I, I don't know, I, I don't know, I, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I
[SPEAKER_00]: do you feel like this is a potential 12, 13 win, Super Bowl content team?
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that division's wide open.
[SPEAKER_01]: I've said this, I think filly levels off a little bit.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't think they're going to fall off the table, but I think that division is relatively wide open.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think with Dallas, the important thing is they stay healthy.
[SPEAKER_01]: I just think depth could be an issue in a bunch of different spots, you know, corner, it's fair to ask questions, edge, it's fair to ask questions, left tackle, it's fair to ask questions, but I think if they get those things in order and they stay healthy.
[SPEAKER_01]: But they've got a chance and I think I said this a couple of weeks to you, but it's like I think they almost view themselves as the reverse Texans, you know, like where the Texans if they can just be pretty good on offense, like that chance to get to a suitable, I think Dallas feels that way of Christian Park who can make that kind of difference if for Sean Gary and Donovan Ezrako can be the answers on the edge of Kobe Durant and Durant Durant Blan can do the
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, now I think you're talking about a team that's got a chance to compete with the top teams and the NFC and they're still a couple teams I take above before them, you know, when it comes to like who's the most likely to make it.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I, you know, I think the talent, the front line town, like the top player town is there.
[SPEAKER_01]: But Dallas never been an issue in Dallas, Connor, I mean, that's the, that's the, that's the interesting thing about like the argument about Jerry is the GM and everything else it's been a long time this town has been a problem in Dallas.
[SPEAKER_00]: True.
[SPEAKER_00]: One more quick news item before we get to some quick hitters from training camp.
[SPEAKER_00]: Interesting little nugget that came across the wire here is coaches can now deputize someone to throw the challenge flag for them.
[SPEAKER_00]: I reached out to a couple in the immediate aftermath of this and the sense that I got is
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not given that up right like and and it's not like a it's not a power thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's that like Think about the structure that's already in place.
[SPEAKER_00]: I got a challenge guy in the booth Who wires down to my headset that says hey, it's a good idea to challenge this and I throw the flag that's pretty perfect as it is right and so What happens if I deputize someone else two things?
[SPEAKER_00]: we add another person into that chain and then add three or four more seconds to the issue or you know and this is I think what coaches are grappling with do I just trust a guy to handle this totally and then you're in a position where you think do this because
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, if an oh, so I think 10ured head coaches, how many 10ured head coaches give it up?
[SPEAKER_00]: Zero.
[SPEAKER_00]: Right, right.
[SPEAKER_00]: Coaches with, you know, Pelt's on wall, none.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I can't speak comic bay or how I'll stand a hand or Mike variable or Demico Ryan's or Dan Cam.
[SPEAKER_01]: I just can't I mean, maybe not even now I I just can't I I don't know.
[SPEAKER_01]: I I have a hard time seeing many head coaches giving it up.
[SPEAKER_01]: But it does open the door for them to have a
[SPEAKER_01]: This would be a new line in your coaches survival guide, right.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, but, but it's interesting.
[SPEAKER_00]: So that was what I was going to say next.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, dad, don't tell a, you know, you've heard new, new step in there, delegate to delegate the challenge flag.
[SPEAKER_00]: So do you remember when Nathaniel Hackett was the head coach of the Broncos and.
[SPEAKER_00]: the Russell Wilson disaster was underway and there were some clock management issues during that first week where they were struggling to get to plays in an ultimately he opt for a field goal because you know whatever there's a lot going on behind the scenes there but anyway
[SPEAKER_00]: the next week, I think the Broncos made big news by hiring a game management coach and kind of foisting him into the situation there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sure, you're a prosper, yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so what that did, I think in a lot of ways, was place the, now we know who this guy is.
[SPEAKER_00]: And now clock management issues get blamed, I mean, they always kind of got blamed on Nate, but they get blamed on this guy.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so I think that it's interesting that when I was asking around about it, some of the coaches were like, okay, my job is to also protect my assistants like when things go wrong.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm taking the blame for it and so now you have this very clear situation where there's a challengeable moment and we're all looking over at Gary and Gary's just frozen in the moment or not throwing the flag and you have this guy who's at the bottom of the totem pole or whatever it's your analyst which is another thing that coaches want those guys to be far away from the spotlight you know.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whoever it is that's thrown this flag is now going to get hit with a tight away of a shitstorm and death threats and all this kind of stuff It's so a lot of these coaches are like I think I would just rather do it And for that reason, but I'm going to be interested to see if they play with it during the preseason at all, you know, I think
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, the legend was always that Bill Bellich had her knee at him doing it for him, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that was sort of the first one, and then over time, I think we saw more and more, like guys handing it off to someone upstairs, which makes sense, because the guy upstairs is not gonna just have the benefit of what happened on the field, but he's gonna have all of the stuff that's being shown on TV too, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that guy is gonna have a much better idea of whether or not a play is actually
[SPEAKER_01]: So like to me, it's like, you can't give the, if you could give the guy in the booth, the flag, which might be dangerous for the people and like the lower bowl, because you have to like clear the lower bowl with the flag and my hits and my in the back of the head, um, got to have a good arm too, um,
[SPEAKER_01]: You have like rich can and up there is the challenge guy or he's like yeah, fire it, you know like if you didn't have like if you already have that layer you're right like if you already have that layer of like there's a guy up there already looking at all this stuff and now like it goes to head coach me the final call.
[SPEAKER_01]: It just doesn't make sense to me, like, because then does that guy who asked for this?
[SPEAKER_01]: But like, yeah, that's what I do learn.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, but if that guy, now the more that I think of this guy, I'm gonna put a lot of thought in this yet, Connor, but now if the guy up there is the best guy of doing it, does that guy come down onto the field and then lose the... Yeah, but now that guy has no longer as the benefit of all the TV angles.
[SPEAKER_00]: Correct.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I think my ultimate question here is it's a challenge team now.
[SPEAKER_00]: So it's two guys is the challenge team It's like it's like You're certain you do here
[SPEAKER_00]: bad news guys like our restaurant has like a massive salmonella outbreak but we got cool new colors on the plastic forks and spoons and it's like wait we're not asking about that like fix officiating why why we talk about this but the key the key would be Connor is like if you add this to your red your your your hot seat survival guide is making it making that sound innovative
[SPEAKER_01]: Right, right, we're hiring a guy from Microsoft to do it.
[SPEAKER_00]: What would be?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, right, because, okay, when you have no, but not in October that Jets hire someone from Microsoft to the other challenge guy.
[SPEAKER_00]: Or do you have, is it in AI?
[SPEAKER_00]: Is it a robot that just like pumps it out, like shoots it out?
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, the robot would have a better chance of clearing the lower bowl with a flag, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like a thing from battle bots, the just like, it's got like a jugs machine attached.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like instead of an arm, it's got a jugs machine.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right, but like, hold on.
[SPEAKER_01]: So now let me kind of exciting.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like the T-shirt gun, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: Like at the T-shirt cannon.
[SPEAKER_00]: in like 2075, a Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like he was the greatest child.
[SPEAKER_00]: He was so innovative.
[SPEAKER_00]: He was the billbell check of challenge flag throwers.
[SPEAKER_00]: What?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, you bring up a good point.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like if you need an analyst, someone who's great at crunching the numbers, you go to whatever MIT and you hire a data scientist.
[SPEAKER_00]: Where do you go to hire a challenge flag through like specialists who essentially needs to be told throw now and then and then throw it like do you go to like I don't know.
[SPEAKER_01]: a couple teams have done that right.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, but that's not that idea, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a couple of that.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a couple of teams that have former officials on that.
[SPEAKER_00]: A role.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, you want to rules expert, higher f. Oh, and then it would be so much easier for a coach to just fire and
[SPEAKER_00]: I've always hated you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Get out of here.
[SPEAKER_01]: He's wearing a ref uniform on the side line with a team logo on it.
[SPEAKER_01]: I do think that's what everybody can see the challenge flag guy.
[SPEAKER_00]: I would dress like a challenge flag, but then you don't.
[SPEAKER_00]: And this is not.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is not a weight joke.
[SPEAKER_00]: I promise it you would just end up looking like Andy read and rain gear right because when he's got the red rain pants in the red coat he also looks like a challenge like this is not a weight thing it's like a red head to toe thing.
[SPEAKER_00]: So don't don't mistake that.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, let's get to a couple quick hits that I haven't heard this is like.
[SPEAKER_00]: You haven't seen a friend and they went on vacation and I need to know what happened in Detroit, Cincinnati, Indianapolis Denver.
[SPEAKER_00]: Here I am.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to be at it and it's just so everybody knows you're getting me at a really interesting point in my trip.
[SPEAKER_01]: Because last time my flight got delayed for Minneapolis to Cleveland, I'm in Cleveland now.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I got to Cleveland too late to get my rental car.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I got to my hotel at 1.30 in the morning, took an Uber here.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm driving from here to Buffalo, so I can't just Uber around.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I am now after this, going to go back to the Cleveland Airport in an Uber to go get my rental car and then go to Browns from there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, so that's where we're at.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're feeling good right now.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're feeling well rested.
[SPEAKER_01]: You're like, you might, you might get some point of comments here.
[SPEAKER_01]: This might be a good, good, good, good juncture in the tribe to get me 17 camps.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's go to Green Bay.
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought you had an interesting nugget there that I saw making the rounds on the aggregation front, which is always fun.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so I'll make sure that this wasn't taken out of context.
[SPEAKER_00]: But Mike Parsons, the Packers, actually feel pretty good about him getting off pup like soon after he's eligible to get off pup, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, so like they're going to be careful, but
[SPEAKER_01]: Like from what I understand, like part of the reason they made the decision so early to put them on the pop list was because the rules are different now, so you can start practicing them two weeks after they go on pop.
[SPEAKER_00]: They do want to ramp them up and so doing it this way.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like gives them an opportunity.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know what the date would be, but I think it's late September this year because Labor Day is later, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: like late September they can start practicing him and you start practicing him now you got a better chance to ramp him up and I think everyone has every one has weak sticks or both for obvious reasons because the packers, the cowboys and the rites.
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's the obvious one but they feel pretty good that they'll be able to get him back at some point in October I think would be the
[SPEAKER_00]: That feels a lot less.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, obviously not having them for the first month of the season sucks, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: But it's a problem for them because they don't have great depth at the edge spot.
[SPEAKER_01]: They lost for Sean.
[SPEAKER_01]: Gary, this off season, Lucas Van Ness is obviously not been what they had hoped.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so they're going to have to Jerry rig that thing a little bit.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to again, and I think it's creative and does enough defensively to make it work, but it's there's going to be challenging.
[SPEAKER_00]: What what else kind of struck you from camping green bay.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, I think like I said this about the last year, I still feel this way, you know, I thought going into last year before they traded for Parsons, they were a lot like Seattle, and that like, I think both those teams had a lot of good young players and needed a few of them to ascend to great.
[SPEAKER_01]: And if they, if those guys, if they had a few guys ascend to become great players, then
[SPEAKER_01]: then they'd really have something.
[SPEAKER_01]: That happened in Seattle.
[SPEAKER_01]: JSN became a truly great player, whether spoon, cross, Murphy, like they had a bunch of guys that went from good to great.
[SPEAKER_01]: And you could even say it of some of the older veteran players, like I think Leonard Williams had his best year.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I think that's still where the packers are at and the tough thing for them is I think they had two guys that were there last year and they both got hurt and Tucker Kraft and Michael Parsons.
[SPEAKER_01]: Right, so like I think it's it's those guys getting back healthy and what what version of those guys are you getting Can Matthew gold and take a big step, you know, they're top three receivers.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's pretty clear right now.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to be Christian Watson, Jaden Reed and Matthew golden can golden take a step, you know, again, what is craft near to what is Jordan Morgan look like it left tack on now moving out from guard where she'd walk her gone.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, a defense again like can look as vines take a step.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, as you're in Cooper somebody, they think very, very highly up.
[SPEAKER_01]: Can he become one of the best linebackers in football?
[SPEAKER_01]: They think they're safety rooms, one of the best safety rooms in football.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not the best safety room in football.
[SPEAKER_01]: So our Evan Williams and Saviour McKinney all pros.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I think those are the questions.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I don't think it's one of these things where you look at the roster.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like, yeah, they need to, they're really needing something here.
[SPEAKER_01]: There, it's a good balance roster all the way across.
[SPEAKER_00]: Need to get healthy.
[SPEAKER_01]: I, yeah, I think they need to get healthy.
[SPEAKER_01]: They need to get those two guys healthy and those two guys need to play to high level and then they need some of the other guys to take steps.
[SPEAKER_00]: Over in Chicago, I think it's a very interesting situation now that you have the safety injury yesterday which took place that was just kind of just a big punch for this one.
[SPEAKER_01]: They were gonna get Kobe Bryant back in October and now it was worse.
[SPEAKER_01]: They went and had the surgery done and he's out probably until the playoffs if not done for the year.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I mean, that, you know, Ben Johnson is interesting because he hears everything, he uses everything and he, I think that's that thing about the bears being a regression candidate did stick with him, maybe because it came out of the mouth of another NFL head coach, which is a whole another issue altogether, but
[SPEAKER_00]: What do you see when you see the Chicago Bears?
[SPEAKER_00]: Do you see it down?
[SPEAKER_01]: The friends had that problem out going now.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's end coming, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: Because you might remember there was a little dust up between him and another head coach last year.
[SPEAKER_01]: So, right.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, I mean, do you see a regression candidate in Chicago or what's yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that Caleb looks great.
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, I see Colson loved ones.
[SPEAKER_01]: I go real break out candidate.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, he was my keeper in fantasy this year.
[SPEAKER_01]: They feel really good about where they are offensively.
[SPEAKER_01]: I just think the question is, like, did they do enough defensively?
[SPEAKER_01]: They don't have as much investment on that side of the ball.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, we've been talking forever about what they do opposite Montez sweat.
[SPEAKER_01]: now sweat 30, you know, which kind of crept up on everybody, you know, so as it does.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, there it is, you know, and yeah, I mean, the Colby Bryant thing, I think it's a big deal for them because he had really sort of emerged as a leader for them.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think the hope was that he was going to have like a multiplying effect with playing next to Dylan Thineman, you know, that Dylan Thineman was going to come along faster.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think Thineman might have just turned 21, so he's really young.
[SPEAKER_01]: So like you've got all these questions on defense can Dennis Allen make it work.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, you know, I, I, there's somebody that like, you know, I just said Green Bay kind of has what it needs.
[SPEAKER_01]: It just needs a bunch of guys to take another step.
[SPEAKER_01]: It wouldn't stun me if the bears made some sort of move eventually on defense if some sort of player becomes available.
[SPEAKER_00]: Max Crosby.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, I don't know.
[SPEAKER_01]: We've talked about the scenario across be where I think with Crosby it would have to be like the Raiders are two and seven and Crosby's like proven like I'm all the way back from the knee.
[SPEAKER_01]: I've got eight sacks.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, it's not the wildest idea in the world.
[SPEAKER_01]: Who else though?
[SPEAKER_01]: Paris, then you're old on both.
[SPEAKER_01]: You're sort of getting, you've got older players on both edges.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: Who else though would be in your mind?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like, because we talk about making a move.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Jerry Jones talked about that the other day too, about making a move.
[SPEAKER_00]: And like, yes, water is wet.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jerry Jones is like,
[SPEAKER_00]: talking about trade conversations that he may or may not be having with other general managers, but we're telling other people in his organization, he's about to talk about it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Correct.
[SPEAKER_00]: What other moves are out there to make?
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what I mean?
[SPEAKER_00]: Like I'm not, I'm not gonna know.
[SPEAKER_01]: I like so I'm gonna pull this up now, but I think like you have to look at like the
[SPEAKER_01]: 22 or 22 or 23 draft classes and then start to look at who hasn't gotten a contract yet, you know.
[SPEAKER_00]: Wonderful.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, if the cold spot, I mean, I look like, I look at like cave on tibido, right.
[SPEAKER_01]: Like just it's hard to like project these sometimes because you don't know the way the season's going to go You know, it would one of the quite Whether it's supposed not going to be available.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean Christian Gonzalez.
[SPEAKER_01]: I it's a contract negotiation with the wrong way I don't think the Patriots move him though right, but that's what you're talking about is guys who are locked in contract situations We've seen so many of these get done The last couple of weeks where
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, Peter Skaronski is Darnell Wright.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's Beijon Robinson's Jamir Gibb.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like there have been a lot of guys from that 23 draft class that have gotten done.
[SPEAKER_01]: Jalen Carter got done.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, so is there someone will Anderson, obviously earlier in the office these night?
[SPEAKER_01]: Is there someone in that draft class who's seeing all the guys he came in with getting paid?
[SPEAKER_01]: That's not a very good team.
[SPEAKER_01]: gonna make waves, you know, as we get closer to the season around the season, I think that's the sort of thing you want to look at.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think too that the jets are interesting in that regard because I remember GM trying this a couple of years ago, unsuccessfully, and it was a bad team, but they stockpiled a bunch of like guys that they thought that might be factors at the trade deadline, so there was almost like a pick force multiplier, like if you look at the jets, I mean, this team is going
[SPEAKER_00]: and this is actually something that just kind of popped into my head, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: This is going to be a team that is not going to finish the season with a winning record and it has all their eggs, I think, in the basket theoretically of getting a great quarterback next year.
[SPEAKER_00]: But also, if you look at the roster, David on Yamada to Von Reyswet, Harrison Phillips to Mario Davis,
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, Kingsley and Ignorei.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not saying all these guys are going to get to first round picks, but could the like could a team like that kind of just be like your.
[SPEAKER_00]: kind of dollar tree heading into like, especially for teams that need defensive help heading into the trade deadline, you know, because if they're, I mean, even if the jets are three wind team at that point, what's the point of of holding on to David Ommata, you know what I mean?
[SPEAKER_00]: Right.
[SPEAKER_00]: And that could be one.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, that's sort of what you're looking at is it has to be a team that's kind of playing out the string and that position.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's see, where else did Albert go?
[SPEAKER_00]: Since it out, he is interesting to me because this is a remade revamped offense as well.
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, everybody's talking about the run game changes in Minnesota.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jill Burrow's doing a lot of under center stuff here.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're here in about a from Paul Dainer.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was here in about full back stuff, which always gets me very excited.
[SPEAKER_00]: How did the Bengals look?
[SPEAKER_00]: And does that offense look demonstrably different to you when you see it in person?
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I'd say the offense is going to be should be dynamite, and you know, one thing talking to Joe Burrow was there is like, he really felt like the protection got better late in the year.
[SPEAKER_01]: What he said to me was his foot was not right at the end of the year, like he's still dealing with the turf toe, and so he was less mobile at forced him to play from the pocket a little bit more, and he felt really good about how the offensive line came out of the season, you know, getting guys like a marius memstick, another step is obviously a piece of that.
[SPEAKER_01]: Defensively, you know, we're gonna all look at the additions.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I do think like adding Brian Cook to the second area is a big deal as somebody can kind of direct traffic there.
[SPEAKER_01]: So now they have Cook and Battle.
[SPEAKER_01]: And that sort of matches what they had when Lou and Ruma had the defense rolling with Jesse Bates and Von Bell back there.
[SPEAKER_01]: Two smart safeties who can do a lot for you.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, then obviously a front, texture Lawrence and Boya and Motha after make a difference.
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, I think a lot of this though is going to come down to the development of guys who've already pooped in there, right?
[SPEAKER_01]: So like, you know, DJ Turner, somebody who got all pro-mentioned for me last year, because he finished the season really strong, Dax Hill looks better outside on after, you know, he got his footing back coming back.
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he was head in ACL the year before.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, can Shemar Stewart work it out losing the developmental time during camps going to hurt him, but can Shemar Stewart be an impact player and then the two young linebacker's barricarder and demetrious night.
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, I think a lot of this is going to come down to guys they've drafted the last couple of years developing or.
[SPEAKER_01]: create or, you know, building on the momentum they had at the end of last year, you know, and then of course, you know, I think Dexter Lawrence kind of changes everything to because he's going to create matchups for everybody else.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's just what it is when you have an a 370 pound guy in the middle of your defense who isn't Chesteron's stuffer, you know, who can who can who can create.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Like a menace.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, who can really collapse the pocket and really be a problem as far as quarterback stepping up and everything else like either really optimistic about what decks going to be able to do for them all these teeth like I
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's because I do the 272 predictions that like I'm looking at all these teams now that you're visiting and I'm like these teams could all contend for the Super Bowl or like missed the playoffs.
[SPEAKER_00]: No other team I think embodies that better though than the last one we're going to hit here, which is the Indianapolis Colts.
[SPEAKER_00]: you have a quarterback coming off of a ACL tear and a broken and he's playing with a broken femur.
[SPEAKER_00]: You have Alec Pierce who, I mean, listen, I think they'll make two people away.
[SPEAKER_01]: What's that?
[SPEAKER_01]: He's still a week away.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, we're getting close this season now, you know, right.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, you have a lot of turnover on the offensive line again.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, and you're betting on Chris Ballard to again be able to kind of replenish the offensive line unit all that kind of stuff.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, where did you leave?
[SPEAKER_00]: Where was your head at leaving Indianapolis because that one to me is is so fascinating.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, it is and you know, like they played so well offensively at the end at the beginning of the year last year.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I still believe Shane's hiking is a really, really good at coach.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think he's one of the five best play colors in the NFL.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I think if he were to lose his job, it would be a little bit like Kevin's to fansky.
[SPEAKER_00]: It would be, he'd be, he'd line up the interviews.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: So, you know, I think he's, I think offensively as long as Daniel Jones stays healthy, I think they're going to be fine because I think Shane's
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, the third receiver spot is a very real question do they play, you know, more tight end heavy now with, you know, obviously Tyler Warren and Moe Alley Cox and, you know, Ogil Tree and some of the guys that they've assembled over the last couple of years that's possible, but I didn't they'll be okay offensively.
[SPEAKER_01]: Defensively, I think Lou and Romo has as a group now.
[SPEAKER_01]: that he can do a lot more with.
[SPEAKER_01]: The corner position they believe is a legitimate strength with not just sauce gardener and charbearers ward, but also Justin Walley.
[SPEAKER_01]: The young guy they drafted out of LSU AJ Halsey is going to start next to camp by him at safety.
[SPEAKER_01]: He looks really good.
[SPEAKER_01]: Obviously a defensive tackle, they've got a couple of guys into Forest Buckner and Grover
[SPEAKER_01]: So what happens at Edge and what happens at linebacker?
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think those two spots, I mean, it's weird to say like that could determine where the team goes, but I think that could be the debt, could be the difference between being a 7-1 team and some people are losing their jobs or being a 10-1 team and maybe sneaking in as a wild card.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's crazy, because of out of every team in the NFL, like if you were to, if you were to basically input the cults into like an AI search engine and just describe it to them, it's like, because if I were to start a team, Shane would be one of my first five calls as a playmaker.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, like play call or cheapers.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I feel like now you seem like here's the team design.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know I didn't have any coffee at either and it's a it's a dire situation.
[SPEAKER_00]: We got a re we got a restock and I did the thing that's my job when we talk about roles in the house.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's my job to get an espresso delivered.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I, I waited, I was, I ran it right down to the wire and then this morning we just don't have any coffee and that's like, you know, I'm in the dog house for that one.
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, but.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, if you were to ask me to start a team and say, pick your play caller, it's Shane Steikens, one of my first five calls.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you ask me to start a team and say, give me your DC wish list, Louis and Arumos, one of my first five calls, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: You have a dominant defensive tackle, though he's a little bit over the hill, a great edge, a great edge rusher, you have one of the five best offensive linemen in the NFL in Quentin Nelson.
[SPEAKER_00]: And so to me, it's just like, you've sought you traded for SARS-garg unless you're.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a lot of ways in which you can look at this team and be like, this team should be thinking of itself as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
[SPEAKER_00]: But there's like the Alec Pierce of it all.
[SPEAKER_00]: There's the is Daniel Jones, healthy of it all.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know what's wild?
[SPEAKER_00]: Someone told me this and I'd have to go back and double check it.
[SPEAKER_00]: through like the first nine weeks of the season, the cults like EPA per drive was on pace with the greatest show in term.
[SPEAKER_01]: I know, I mean, this is just a great game throughout Rage.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, they were against bad teams.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think the Denver Broncos were like the one good team that they played during that stretch, maybe the Chargers.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I went back and I looked, and I remember I think the cults first nine games,
[SPEAKER_00]: eight of them, the coach has got fired at the end of the season.
[SPEAKER_00]: So there is that part of it, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: But at the same time, it's like, man, I want to love this team.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I think I love them so much last year.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was so out on a limb for them last year that I'm like, I don't know, part of me's hurt by it.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I have to reel it back in a little bit.
[SPEAKER_00]: So I picked them and missed the playoffs.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I fully expect them to go 12 and 5 and...
[SPEAKER_00]: Just dominate the F.C.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know anything else, Albert, from your training camp tour of late that You want to take a little put gun.
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm like 36 hours from beat like less than that for being home.
[SPEAKER_01]: So That'll be good and then I'm immediately going to I've stayed in New York Like it's my world.
[SPEAKER_00]: See everybody now.
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to see my wife's cousin.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's fine, but it's just like I don't know.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean
[SPEAKER_01]: I've been gone for 18 days, so I can't complain, but it's, I wouldn't have minded just sitting at home, but that's totally.
[SPEAKER_00]: You need the Conoror Life Plan, baby.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, thank you to Albert for gutting it through for popping in for checking in.
[SPEAKER_00]: I know everybody was asking.
[SPEAKER_00]: about your trip and how it's going.
[SPEAKER_00]: Check it out on SI.com.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's writing about it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Albert's not just hanging out at these places.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can read everything that we talk about over at SI.com.
[SPEAKER_00]: And just a warning a week out from the football preview as she's coming out.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm telling you, you're going to regret it.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you're not a print subscriber, get on that.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we'll talk to you guys two episodes next week.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're rolling baby.
[SPEAKER_00]: Let's go.