Bruce Arians Steps Down; Baldy on the Big Stuff

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Speaker 1: Be around with the NFL. Podcast is one hundred percent us d A credited me from the Chris Wesling podcast studio. Damn right, not really, it's around the NFL. I'm Dan Kansas. Just got a hero here, a lone wolf, Greg ros not the lone wolf. That's an accurate money drop because the the two biggest meat eaters on the podcast, really the three biggest, including Erica who puts down some steak. Uh, you know, we're here, and the one that does not eating meat. It's not here. That's all I was saying, puts down some steak. I feel like that was that was nice. We were there, We were there saying almos, yeah you think you're not gonna eat my piece of meat? Absolutely, And the only reason it really comes to mindus because you be rated the most of the table, like for who didn't finish their steaks, Well, I just can't. You're just yeah, I guess you're just a little you're just little men. Yes. No, Mark Sessler, who gave us a text early this morning that he was under the weather and that was that's a that's a shame, and he hopes to be back for the TV show tomorrow. I do worry about Mark. You know, he's um very close person to us. In fact, why don't we give him a call? Why don't we just check in on Mark and see? And I know Greg, what you're thinking. You're saying, Oh, what are you doing? You're gonna check to see if he's actually sick like one of those things. But I wouldn't put that out there. But maybe you just check in on him, see how he's doing. This is a surprise, and I could go in a lot of directions. I'm excited you've got his numb. I wouldn't be so bold as doing this plan. This is a damn plan, to be clear. Thank you for cooling NFL expert and podcast extraordinary Mark Sessler. Please old and enjoy these snuzzy tunes. Thank you for holding Mark will be with you. Hey, Mark, what's up, buddy? You got a second? Let's do this? Really? Sorry to hear you're under the weather. I hope it's a quick thing and you're back on your feet soon. Thank you for oh, yeah, no no problem. I know you must be upset to be missing our discussion on Bruce, Bruce Arians and Todd Bowles and Tampa. Anything you want to share there. This is a huge story. Indeed, indeed, I just want to let you know me, me and Greg are holding it down today, but you're missed and I can't wait till you're back. Well, you nailed it, Dan, I think we just we stay right there with that. Greg, Do you have anything you want to chime in with? Oh? Yeah, just just want to know how you're feeling, Mark, Greg an excellent point by you and a great article on the site. Thanks. I didn't know you've been reading. I really appreciate that. Alright, Man, we won't. We won't keep you any longer. I'm annoyed now, got you, got you later, check you later, brock. There you go. So he sounded maybe a little under the weather, but that's the same old Mark. He sounded good, actually, and that encouraged me because I'm worried about I was worried about the broadcast and just how he's feeling. That just sounded like Mark b and Mark. Yeah, we we did indirectly. I wouldn't call it a threat by any means. Last week that we are continuing to cull data from his voice to build a Mark AI bought. And then he misses a show the next week, it's almost like that didn't scare him straight. So just know that we have powers and maybe he'll learn that everyone's replaceable in the future. Maybe he's in a better place right now. He did tweet um seventeen hours ago as we're taping this. It was his last tweet that he was desiring to live in hillside worlds where an entire day is staged around watching a dense karate epic from a lush couch with white wine and takeout meals, which does sound nice. Sounds nice, So it's nice, sounds like something. Jason Sumalton talked this morning, and he did say that he really wasn't feeling well. He really was like I really don't feel good, of course, and why we didn't say that, I know, I know, what are you insinuating? I just want to put put that out on the record that he he was sick this morning. For sure. You spoke with him. Yeah, he sounded better just now than then earlier this morning it was it was text only. Okay, a lot of show to get to today. It's just the two of us with Ricky, So we're gonna have the soldier soldier on Mark Greg. Luckily we have a guest coming in, a friend, a colleague, Brian Baldinger, one of the best in the business, and I liked your idea for how we're gonna dig in with Baldi. Baldi on the big stuff, Baldi on the big stuff. It's been it's been a while. I could hear Baldi talk about anything, the small stuff, the medium stuff. But I would like to get sort of his take on this side. The seismic movement that so many, so many big moves, free agency going wild, the trade tsunami has been just leveling the NFL in a lot of ways. So we're gonna get to all that, the big stuff with Baldi, But before that, let's do some news. I have the job now and I kind of love the title is pretty good. We'll figure out what the hell it means somebody. We're gonna get to Bruce Arians in just a second. That is Bruce Arians from his goodbye I'm no longer a head coach press conference, and I was probably pushed out of the job by my quarterback. Um, but he's right. That is the goal that we should all have, both you and I. Greg, everyone listening at home, everyone behind the glass. You want to get that brass ring. Sure, but what you really want is the senior consultant gig, which means you don't really work, but you get an office and you get a nice, steady paycheck to do nothing at all. John Elway has that role now in Denver. He he used to be the GM right in a much more important role, but he has that role now. That would be nice. I don't know they used to have those sort of roles. Actually at the NFL. Do you remember about about seven eight years ago, there were certain like relatives of people who would just get in office and they would never show up. Uh. And there was, you know, a certain level of management that it wasn't at the top. It was sort of middle top and they weren't really around. It felt like legacy jobs. I feel like they've gotten rid of those jobs. I don't listen and you could speak specifically to our company if you wish to continue down that road, but I will say this, Um, those jobs still exist. It's a major aspect of corporate America. I'm sure it is. And I like the arians is. When he made that joke here, it was sort of admitting like, oh, yeah, this is not a real thing. I don't think anyone anyone. I don't think anyone really sees him as a front office guy who's gonna be grinding. Uh. And even Tom Brady and his Instagram message to Bruce Arians seemed like it had been written a long time before it happened, because I mean he really was. It was well written and and long for have. Right after Arians retired, he he noted how much more time Arians would have with his family. So I don't think it's gonna be a heavy We know that matters to Tom Brady. Yes, so uh Bruce Arians uh reported on Sunday, and then the press conference today Bruce Arians retiring. He'll join the front office and limited capacity. Sixty nine years old, said it had nothing to do with his health. He's had health issues through the years. This is more just about where he is in his life. A year after winning a Super Bowl, Tom Brady comes out of retirement. He leaves in like a Listen. We talked about it on the network. There's a there's some red strings you could take out here and pretty easily piece this together. The season ends for the Bucks, Brady retires. There are reports connecting Bruce Arians level of work, ethic, not connecting with how Tom Brady likes to do things and in general some butting of heads. Brady's retirement last forty days he comes out of retirement and then after are a perfectly acceptable amount of gap time. I believe it's about three weeks. Arians disappears from the picture. Here's Arians speaking on that. Is there uh any riff between Brady and the coach? Brady was sitting in the front row as I understand. No, we have a great relationship. I mean, at all the players who are there are a few in here. Every one of them gotten cast out, including him. So that's just part of me, you know. So that's there's nothing new. But we have a great relationship. I mean as soon as he retired, I think we text every week. Where are you at? What are you doing when you're gonna play golf? When you get back down this way? And so people got it right, I mean, and uh, it couldn't be further from the truth. They ain't playing golf. All right, Well, let's we'll get into this Brady thing first. I do want to get to the Arians legacy of it all. Is a great coach and there's a lot just to give him his flowers there but this stuff is interest How is it not some of the timelines or just don't add up. Ja Glazer reported that Arians started to think about stepping back after Brady returned, but Roy Cummings, who was a Hall of Fame voter Tampa Bay Times has covered that team better than anyone, says Brady knew. Brady knew when he returned, either the day he returned or the day after he officially announced his return, the Arians was leaving. And I just I believe that we we heard a sparrow. I heard a sparrow and it was second hand. I'm like, Dan hansis you gotta have multiple sources? You know? It wasn't. It wasn't something I was comfortable with going publicly. But someone who was a second hand info with with someone inside the building there that said this was gonna happen. A deep throat, Uh, he knows who he is. Maybe he even wants a shout out. I actually, well, don't say, because I texted him and I said, I think you have a role on the show now as our a C N D throat, And I was thinking we could bring him on the show in the future and modulate that would be good I don't know if he has anything beyond Buck's information, but that's still Hey, look they're they're a Super Bowl favorite. They said he said this was coming, and he was absolutely right that Brady. Whether he exercised um an ultimatum or whether it's just like soft power, you know what I mean, like everyone inside that if we're hearing this stuff, everyone inside the building kind of knows the score. Brady goes to London, he talks with ownership. He might not even need to say anything, but he can kind of make it clear where he's at and and then the wheels start going in in motion and maybe it's for the best. Bruce Arians didn't sound like he was as invested last year as you would want your head coach to be. And like what a what a better way to leave than to leave it to all your friends? Todd Bowles Byron Leftwich, he did set it up nicely. Yeah, it's set up well. And Todd Bowles, who's a complete opposite personality to Bruce Arians, which isn't good or bad. He's just very different um as a personality. We'll see how he does in this job. It is it is important to note this is bowls second chance as a head coach. He he was with the Jets for four years and had one winning season and a lot of losses. But he was also with the Jets right in the smack, and I'm hoping, I'm hoping they they're starting to come out of this now. But when they were as dysfunctional as any team in the league and so terrible with their draft record, and it it felt like Bowls had no chance UH in that setup. Now with the Bucks, he has a very good setup in place, with a Hall of Fame quarterback with perhaps the best quarterback ever UH leading the way and back and still motivated. So I like Bowls as chances of of UH picking this up and and continuing the winning. I think the NFC is pretty wide open, Greg, I think there's no clear like in the a f C. You look at all these death big Titans now, Uh, maybe not the actual Titans, sorry Grave digger um. And the NFC is wide open, So the Bucks the windows still open for him. Absolutely. I think that the first are under wind totals were released this week, and I believe the Bucks had the most in the NFC, which totally makes sense to me. They've had some transition in terms of the roster this year, but it still looks great. They're the team with Brady. The Packers were right there next to him, and Bowls is going to call plays, which I like because he's really good at that and you would hate to lose that. Uh. They announced Casey Rogers and Larry Foote will be co defensive coordinators. I mean, it is an incredible staff. A lot of coaches talk about trying to do the right thing in succession and all that, and even if Aaron's hand was forced here, it doesn't change the fact that he's about it. Like he brought these men to Tampa from uh Arizona, and it's not just because they're black and he wants to promote diversity in the NFL. It's because he knows that it's almost like a market inefficiency, that not enough of these great black coaches are getting hired, and so he's going to be the one to do it. And he's benefited. His last two style ops have been incredibly successful. And so there's a lot of Brady fans out there and a lot of sort of Brady wanted arians gone and in that was a tricky relationship, and I buy all that, but Arians also helped Tom Brady a lot, like this was a different offense in a different system that he put Tom Brady into. It helped make Carson Palmer an m VP candidate late in his career, changed his whole career arc. And I think it helped Tom Brady take advantage of his big arm, like he was not throwing these bombs Dan in New England and he was throwing it in Tampa. And yes, maybe it took Tom Brady and Left which kind of putting their foot down after the bye week in the season to fully maximize all Brady, But you can't tell me he's not a different quarterback in Arians system and more effective like and more fun to watch, which is certainly certainly more effective. I wonder if things had gotten a little stale in New England and the personnel was inferior, vastly inferior. Uh, and we learned that a gradual decline in fact was not taking place with Brady from skill set. So I I think at the end though, and I look at this whole situation and how it all played out. Um, first of all, beautifully done by Tom Brady. If if this is what I think it is Uh. It felt like a perfectly orchestrated hit, and and Brady ends up winning because Brady always wins, and Arians retires quote unquote, but he also gets the shiny press conference and he gets the owners saying you're in our ring of honor immediately, even though he only had two good seasons. Uh, he won a super Bowl. You go in the ring of honor, alright, Bowls very neatly elevated to head coach. It just felt like it. It was very pat and handled a sensitive situation, a potentially explosive situation. U if indeed the coach and the quarterback were no longer on the same page, they get their quarterback back, they get the coach out without the coach going nuts about it. They handled this well. It's true. This is how business works. It's like the people at the top don't ever get any blood on their hands. It's just like passive aggressive stuff and everyone knows what everyone wants. One of the the pieces of evidence I think that's strongest in terms of Brady's role in this, it's just listening to Bruce Arians from earlier this month, and if you heard him at the combine, it almost felt like he was trying to score points against Tom Brady, saying how much credit Blaine Gabbert deserves and that there's no chance Brady is coming back. We we have some sound that I that I think speaks to what I'm talking about. Do you find it add at all that he hasn't really firmly slammed the door shut? He slammed the shot and I talked to him, So I like it. I think, like a lot of these guys, and I'd like to have his name out there. I mean, that's not a guy who I think had the inside track of what was actually going on. I do what, uh I do feel bad kind of like raining on his parade on his last day. I think, No, I don't feel too. Yeah, that's true. Like I do think of the joy that he brought uh us, just as football watchers and West specifically, West loved him some Bruce Arians. He loved that Cardinals team, that Bruce Arians coach. I would say, if I had to come up with a team that West loved the most in our entire that in the entire run of the Around the NFL podcast, it was the Bruce Arians Cardinals. And I think part of that was this bombs away. I'm not gonna worry about what's gonna go wrong. I'm gonna go vertical. I'm gonna be fun to watch. I'm gonna let my players, you know, be who they are. And uh, and he really was a great great quarterback whisper, that's what his books called. And he is the dude that did that. Who else helped Peyton Manning, Ben, Roethlisberger, Palmer and Brady. No one else has a resume quite like that, and just made a lot of fun football. So I appreciate that as he retired, the Steelers are already trying to retire. That didn't happen. That that happened once they released this statement that Bruce Arians retired. That's why I forgot the Colts part of it too. Andrew Luck. I mean, this man, this man did touch a lot of great quarterback It's good to be well, I guess, touched by great quarterbacks. Though it all worked out. I like Bruce Arians, I love, I love. He's gonna be missed because the the coaches and again Todd Bowles. He deserves the second chance. He has paid his dues, he has succeeded in that organization. But he will not be giving you any sound bites. That is not what Todd Bowles does. I followed him with the Jets for four years. Bruce Arians is a character, and the more characters the better. Way. What did he say, we lose we booze, but also we win we booze, And Bowls pointed out he Bulls does not smoke, Bowls does not drink, Bolls does not swear. But I think he has the respect of everyone there. And I think you get a little bit of the personality and the offensive genius there in Byron Leftwich in terms of you have kind of the next generation arians uh in left Which and I think he takes over the offense. And I think Brady loves that because it seems like those two dudes were a lot closer than Brady and Arians were. I do have a quick Todd Bowles story to share from the combine in February, walking through the lobby of our hotel, I turned the corner out of the elevator, heading towards the bar and coming in the doors from outside. There he is. Todd Bowles is a big man, by the way, former NFL player, of course, the safety and Todd looks at me, and I can tell you recognizes my face. You must watch NFL Network or something, you know, or maybe he's a huge fan of our podcast or you never know. And he's looking at me and he but he doesn't know my name, and he's like eventually just goes, hey, man, this is a big place. I was like, yeah, it is, Todd, it is. He's like, you know where the front office check in is? I was like, right there, Todd, and Nick tell He's still looking at me, trying to like place the face. He's like, all right, see you later. I said, later, man, that was my Todd Bowls story. It's good. And now he's Tom Brady's head coach. It's a good story, Thank you very much. Todd Bowls was the coach when uh the Ryan Fitzpatrick Jets beat the Patriots in overtime. Remember when Bill Belichick won the coin toss in ot and elected to cough? Oh yeah. Meanwhile, Todd Bowls was just trying to figure out if you worked they're or not. It's just like, can I ask this guy where the checking who was wearing a name tag? All right, anyway, here we go. Let's move on here. Speaking of our league, the NFL. They've heard Nick Shook put it well here in the article on NFL dot com. The NFL has heard your cries and adjusted accordingly. In the postseason. The league's owners approved the change to overtime rules on Tuesday that will ensure both teams will both teams will receive a possession in overtime. NFL network insider Ian Rapport later added that the vote in favor of the rule change was twenty nine to three. This rule only apply to the playoffs where the advantage has statistically been more skewed toward the team winning the ot coin toss their tenant two in such contests since the previous o t format began in two thousand and ten. Then in the regular season. So always good. Speaking in West, he used to applaud that the NFL was a league that was always open to changing and evolving with its rules. Uh. And in this case, once again, they're going for it. They're trying to make this better. And I agree with it. Yeah. I don't have a hot take either way. We don't have to have hot takes in everything. Sometimes you could just agree to yeah, but I I I was set on this podcast. I would have just kept it how it was. But I'm also fine with this. I got like some tweets be like, I hope you slam on this over time rule. It doesn't make sense, like it's fine, Why would you slam it? Why do we have to slam everything? But we don't. But in this case, I I said, I like the tie. I like the time aspect because to me, football has a time element to it and just like who's ahead after ten minutes, to me makes sense. And then maybe sudden death if you wanted to do that, because some of the issues of both teams get it once are still there. I think like people were just realizing this week. You know, if if each team scores, then it's sudden you know what I mean. Yeah, but at least both quarterbacks got in the field, so it's fine. And it doesn't happen that often either. I think there's been eleven overtime games actually since the last rule, so that that's fairly often. It's more than you would have expected. Uh, it's about one a year almost, So it's it's it's not like it's high leverage in that it's the biggest games of the year, and obviously you think about the Super Bowl with the Falcons and and the a f C Championship Pats Chiefs and in Bill's Chiefs last year. So it's huge, but it's also one game a year. Well, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna like go crazy here. And it feels like these big rule changes occur when something crazy happens in the previous playoffs. Remember the past interference rule was a direct reaction in terms of putting it over the top to the Saints getting job in the Rams playoff game. This one obviously is directly connected to Bill's Chiefs and Josh Allen playing a level of quarterback that we've rarely seen, not being able to get the ball in overtime. And you know what else, Greg In sometimes it's just to me, a good I don't I don't think you need it for the regular season, but I think in the playoffs you give yourself that extra cushion to let the best team win that game. UM for it. I'm fine with that. And also, remember when they changed the NFL defensive holding rules because Bill Polian was in charge with the rules committee and he was a big whiney baby. Peyton Manning kept losing. Developing news is this from ESPN. Do they have it first? Because I credited Schefter on different news last week and Ian texted me, what's your deal, dude? Well, it came from Richard Sherman first, that's that we want. Who breaks it? So Richard Sherman and here's Jordan d reconfirmed it. Yea confirmed? Right. Let me see, this is what the news is. Former Seahawks Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner is signing a five year, fifty million dollar deal worth up to sixty five alien with of course the Rams, uh per league sources. So Wagner stays in the NFC West, he goes to the Rams because of course the Rams are if nothing else greg they're predictable. And uh, you knew, like I had, I had connected the dots of Clowney going to Los Angeles because they like veterans that are maybe on the wrong side of thirty but still have juice to take him over the top. And and the latest now is Bobby Wagner one of the great linebackers, perhaps the greatest linebacker in Seahawks history. And this is just ultimate respect from a team that had to go against him the most, like Sean McVeigh knows that Bobby Wagner isn't quite at his peak, but he knows preparing to go against Wagner twice a year for the last five years, what an incredible challenge. That is, what incredible intelligence Bobby Wagner has, how great he is stopping the run, and like, wow, what we could do with that guy, because if he doesn't really fit their team building process in general. In general, they don't pay any off ball linebackers. You've gotta save money somewhere. They just draft guys in the middle rounds. They never pay an off ball linebacker. They did it here because it's Bobby Wagner and just because I think they feel like they know him so well after going against him twice, and I trust their track record. I know the Rams. Uh. You may look at that contract and given that Wagner maybe has fallen off a little bit in recent years, that's too rich, blah blah blah. But they Rams are very upfront. There a year to year organization. They're in it to win it. And if we keep saying that, but they're always in it. So they're the most winning Franich, right, But they've they've been winning. Is my point is since McVeigh showed up their their second and wins behind the Chiefs, and so they've won every year. They haven't had a first round draft pick that whole time, not literally, not once, And to me, it's that they they are inspiring how other teams are doing. And I bet this the when you break it down, will be something like two for eighteen, which is it's just fine. I think the question with the team building of the Rams, and again you can't really be critical of it because the Lombardi Trophy is in their lobby right now. Um, but will the bill eventually come due and they'll be, you know, a shipwrecked franchise for half a decade. I don't think that's how it works, That's what I'm saying. I don't know if that's how it works. If it does, if there actually is a bill to pay. If you build this way where you keep trading all these top draft assets and keep on bringing veterans and putting out spending all this money, is there a downside to it? Or maybe if you run your organization the right way, yes, you are showing people that you can do it this way as well, and that becomes the trend because you know the NFL is filled with followers up and down. I think we've seen it. I think they've impacted how teams have have approached this offseason. And they have these guys that I look at their roster that will be there a long time. I guess that's why I don't see it ending any time soon. The key guys, and they've been fortunate to draft some of them that that's good on them, but they've also been smart to bring some of them in like Stafford uh and Allen Robinson now and now Bobby Wagner, and all these guys are under control for two to three more years. Like I I see this, this current iteration of the Rams at least being very good for the next two to Troy Reader is a free agent. Ernest Jones as a rookie struggled especially against the run, so you imagine that Wagner is going to had a monster moment in the playoffs. Though what was that the forty Niners game where he might have been one of the best players, So I think they're excited about his development, him and Bobby Wagner together. Spicy, good little developing news there. Let's take a break and continue on all right, we're back. Yes, we're in the era of trade. Everybody just make trades. Go crazy, be part of the part of the cool kids. Oh, we have our best player, let's trade him, trade his ass that's cool, that's fun. So maybe now that the Seahawks have already done that, they traded. It's peer pressure, that's what I think. So I think the league is mostly driven by peer pressure. There's something to that. Um And Now, because Davante Adams moves uh in a trade, because Tyreek Hill moves in a trade, now the assumption is dk metcalfs up for a contract, he'll be moved in a trade. And yet Greg, you would think, no, they won't do that. He's young, and he's a stud, and they need to build around some players. You keep on hearing things from both Pete Carroll and John Schneider that make it feel like a trade might be likely or perhaps probable in this situation. Yeah, this is one of the more mystifying stories of this offseason. First of all, Seahawks fans listening to them talk up a Drew Lock Geno Smith quarterback battle. We'll get to that. At the same time that Bobby Wagner's joining their division rivals and Russell Wilson's and the Broncos, and now this that they might not be keeping dk Metcalf. It's tough offseason right now for Sea Box fans. Schneider brought this up, that the money for these wide receivers are just getting crazy, and then you hear this stuff behind the scenes and you think is an agent getting involved looking for the next right place for him? Because they both Pete Carroll and John Schneider at the owner's meeting said it's their intent to bring back dk Metcalf, But like, why is that just an intent like that? It's a strange way to put it. And he said, well, we're having a normal off season and it's part of the normal process and we'll look at everything. And that's weird. That's weird to me. It's the same words they used, by the way, for Russell Wilson, that they intended to keep Russell Wilson. They said that before the owners, I mean before at the combine. So it's very similar there. There's certain buzzwords when you hear them, like okay, we hope, why would they do this that keep good players? All right? I don't know that seems to be smart, but you know, they they are looking at their roster in a different way. Now, speaking of Russell Wilson, yes, he's gone. For the past couple of years, it's been Gino Smith who has backed up the QB. He got some starts when Russell Wilson suffered that finger injury. He's currently a free agent. But uh, well, you know what, I think it's time for another episode. I think we're do hit it, Ricky and now another edition of Sipping. Yes, Pete Carroll. He's trying to figure out who his quarterback is gonna be. And he's thinking to himself, let's not rule out Gino Smith, just the just the way that Greg Rosenthal thinks before he goes to bed every night. And I think it would be a shame if if he misses this opportunity. This is he's invested a lot with us. Uh, he knows our system the best. He performed well at it once he got going last year. You know, can he take off from where he finished up? You know? Unfortunately, you know, the Jacksonville game was his last game, and uh it was almost a perfect football game for him, you know, And so um, we have very high hopes that he can run the system really well, and so he's not gonna miss out. Did you just do the like Bill Clinton, like kind of a thumbs up, black real head nod. Look at both of use. It's like gette. I mean, analytics have suggested it's one of the great starts by any quarterback in the past twenty years. That's will, It's what the numbers say. Pete Carroll wants Gino. Gino does need to make sure in his agent that this deal does happen because he's probably not gonna have any chances to compete to start. But it's funny how Carroll's just putting it out there so obviously just like he's the opportunity has been waiting for has finally arrived. Like he better come in there, and they're trying to probably structure a contract in a way that if he actually is the starter, that he gets compensated better for it. But he's got to be careful here. There are other quarterbacks out there, and uh, I don't know if he has much leverage. I don't He's definitely not getting a chance to start anywhere else. I don't even don't get if he has much leverage. Smith, Well, you gotta at least be fair to your players. They clearly love him, they like him, they want him back, and they want to You were banging the drum on this one about how they do. You got to admit, Oh, he couldn't stand Russell Wilson. And then Dk Metcalf comes out with an Instagram post that's a love letter to his now former teammates, saying Pete Carroll likes Gino. They want to sign him. Yeah, but do you trust seven year old Pete cat will be making the right decisions right now? No? I don't know, but but I don't know. What do you want this to happen? It's been a weird offseason. If they trade away Dk Metcalf to your Jets and Gino smith is is starting week one, someone pointed out to me too, which I guess I knew, But you kind of get so used to the stuff that you forget that the trade offer that I pushed on Tuesday's show or Monday Show about the Jets sending the tenth overall pick to Seattle. That's the Jamal Adams first round pick, so Seattle would get back the pick that they maybe it'll be maybe a tough pill for Seattle to swallow to get back to pick that was there's already. But anyway, that was a good app good app of you know what, And that was another edition of che I mean, I can't wait to see him starting games again. He's officially gonna outlast Rex Ryan's head coaching career. By the way, now, if he makes one more year, he's one more than Rex lasted as a head coach. Well, he's also gotta you know, he's gotta handle some off the field issues, including a suspension. I think that could come down. He did have a d Another reason why it doesn't feel like he has a lot of leverage in this No, I don't. I just don't see the Gino Coasters having a ton of leverage right now. Um. In other quarterback news, Kyle Shanahan still has Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. We gotta talked to Baldi about that this is big stuff um on their roster um and he started, I get annoyed, Greggy. It seems with the constant questions about Jimmy g and his future, that's why we looked into training Jimmy. I mean, because we obviously believe that Tray Cambia starter, and we're ready to do that. But if we can't help upgrade our team in another way, We're not just gonna get rid of a good quarterback because we have other quarterbacks on the roster, and quarterbacks are really hard to come by. Some teams don't have any at all. When Jimmy gets the surgery, and um, we can't help create our team by getting some good picks until the surgery. Tell people feel good about that. I'm all right with that. We're not just getting rid of them to get rid of them. Jimmy is a good player that we all really like as a person and as a teammate, and we're gonna wait to see whatever helps on Ironers anymore. I like the tone of his voice. It's that like, alright, dumbasses, I'm going to explain this to you for the last time. So listen up and listen closely and write down your little notebooks everything I say. Let me just lays it out. I think it's also um informed by the coaches and owners party you've been. We've been to that party. There's night for the interview, the press availability for Kyle Shanahan, and if you saw the I don't know if you saw the video of this clip, but Kyle looked tired. He looked very tired and very annoyed. So you're waking up maybe not on you didn't get the best sleep in the world, and you're mad at the world. And by the way, this also might be a story that UH pokes at some frizzers in your organization between the GM, because supposedly the GM was saying that he got two second round picks offered for Jimmy G. I don't believe that, but this situation I feel like has been bumbled a little. Maybe maybe Kyle didn't get his quarterback in the last draft. Who knows. You're still pumping that Mac Jones conspiracy theory. Yes, until we see Trey Lance thrive or fail, we don't know how this really is getting up playing out, But yeah, they He also said he acknowledged that the shoulder surgery for Jimmy G has kind of foul things up, and I believe that. I think if Jimmy G came out of the season healthy enough to avoid um the hospital, they probably would have pulled this trade off, and still someone would have called. But they were the same people. They were like, Oh, they putting out there all these reports from insiders. I was like, well, I don't think the shoulder injury is going to impact his trade value at all, I John Lynch, I've just kind of noticed they're a little too obvious about their like public positioning of of all this stuff. And I I wouldn't be shocked if Jimmy g is on this roster. I really wouldn't be totally stunned. All Right, maybe they're a little obvious, but they nearly won the Super Bowl a couple of years ago. They had an injury rex season, and then they came within a fourth quarter collapse of going back to the super Bowl. They're doing a good job a tempting to publicly create leverage for your quarterback. And it's not like the biggest deal as GMS though either. I mean, it's not that important. All Right, you want to do a little Scott Fitterer talk. I feel like he doesn't get enough pop pop. I've never talked about him. Alright, who is Scott fitter audience, I'm giving you a little window to respond to yourself or whoever you're with right now. No, you're wrong. He's the general manager of the Carolina Panthers. He acknowledged this week that it would be a tough choice between grabbing one of the top um blockers or playmakers in this draft and and filling the quarterback spot, which obviously continues to be an issue. This is what Fitterer said, according to the team's official website. This is kind of an interesting quote, Greg, So I'm gonna read it in two parts. This will be interesting because the tackles will be the best players on the board, but we do need a quarterback, and at some point you have to take a shot, especially in the top ten. You hate to force it because when you force it, you could make a mistake. Okay, so part one it sounds like they're doomed number one, but that wasn't my point. Now. The second part is where he I don't know. It's just like sometimes you wonder what's going on in Carolina and the people making the decisions. It's a unique quarterback class because there's not a clear number one, number two, number three, like who's the proven starter who can come and play for you. That'll be the conversation we have for the next month. Quarterback or left tackle, And we could always go pass rusher because Brian Burns is coming up, I mean his contract. I mean, we'll do the option, but if that money gets out of hand, it's better to have somebody ready to go in the hopper. What are we talking about? Yeah, that's weird talking so much. Don't talk so much, Scott Fitterer. I think I think they're in a very similar situation to Atlanta in that they passed on the quarterbacks last year. They could have drafted, drafted justin fields. They could have drafted mac Jones. Supposedly, Matt Rule love mac Jones. I mean Matt Rule kept telling us publicly that he loved mac Jones. Everybody loves mac Jones. They decided to take j. C. Horn instead. He got hurt, so that was unfortunate. And now you're in this draft where it's like, we kind of do have to do something at quarterback. This is where you get into trouble, which he alludes to, but he also says you kind of have to do something here. I'd be very nervous of this. This is maybe like when we get David Eally in here um because as a Panther's van, this feels like a very dangerous moment in time because they try to get Stafford, didn't work. Try to get Watson didn't work. Tried to go bring Cam back and didn't work. Try to get Donald didn't work. And now what that desperation. See, it's that desperation again you get Baker. I mean they were talking about that. They think Sam Donald could be better in year two. But I just man, I love I was the number one Donald supporter. He could not put it together with the Jets and then got to clean slate last year. Still couldn't do it. Maybe there's some quality football in him, but they know they need to find another option there. Um alright, And other news, some personnel stuff. Saints Malcolm Jenkins retires. He's a lynch pin for them for many years. Um. Andy Dalton heads there. That's an interesting signing there. He becomes their number two quarterback behind James is Winston, uh most likely and Taysom Hill. Now it's over. No longer is he in this conversation as a quarterback. He is now going to be listed as a tight end and that's where he's gonna do his work. So he's kind of doing the the tebow route, but in slow motion here, I mean, it makes sense and he'll have the money that Sean Payton gave him and guarantees for the rest of his life. I mean, those two guys seem tight. Now he's one of the higher paid tight ends in the NFL. Taysom Hill I, Uh, I love the Dalton signing. You feel like you need a backup for Jamis Winston. And I just find it curious that, uh, that Andy Dalton is added to this team at a time when they have more cap space than almost any team in the league. Like this didn't go according to plan. Remember remember how they were ninety million dollars over the cap cap and they got rid of all of it, and they got rid of even more so that they could fit in Deshaun Watson. And they're like, we're just gonna bring back all the same guys it ecept they didn't. They didn't bring back to Ron Armstead. He's gone. He was great. Malcolm Jenkins, Uh, he was nearing his time, end of his time, but he was an effective player. So they're not as good as they were. Uh, and they have all this cap space. Something seems off. Maybe you bring into Honey Badger at some point, and I know they signed Marcus May, but like you could have both of those guys. Yeah. I think Dennis Allen is thinking to himself right now, Man, I came so close. Now they were gonna just like the Browns are. They would take a beating, uh for getting involved with Watson, but he would have put them on a path toward contention. Now they're kind of stuck in the woods a little bit here, and look here's a man. He's he's done things in the woods. He's he's wrestled alligators in the Amazon, he's climbed mountains, and now he sits in the big chair for the Around the NFL podcast Welcome Back. Brian Baldinger was seamless. I was starting to stutter over my words talking about the Andy Dalton signing because I saw Baldy on the other side, real big news. Well we're getting to we're getting to the very end of it. But there was some saying we didn't toxic in a little while, and Baldy was trying to figure out how to get into this studio. I've never been invitable for. This is the Chris Wesleyan Podcast studio. Welcome So it's uh, it's an honor. It's great to have you Baldi. Yeah, we're at the you know, at the bottom of the cup of coffee where you see some of the grind in it. That's where the Yeah we are, Yes, we are the final news item because we have Baldi on the podcast. We call them sandwich props. Were different wagers and if you win it, you get a sandwich. You lose, you gotta pay apps. And what kind of sandwiches are we talking about? Great question, It depends really where. Well, now they've become hyper most people, it's like non existent. But we used to be near a deli. I bring in burritos that's not even a sandwich, but they're they're very tasty. Yeah, alright, one more break and then we'll finish up the show. So I have wager to sandwich against Greg that Antonio Brown will be back in the league at some point in two And that was before the report connected to TMZ that Antonio Brown wants everyone to know and I am not very happy about this. In my sandwich prop here, he wants everyone to know I will not get surgery on my ankle until someone signs me. Like what's the point, I don't know, Like why wouldn't get like you just don't want to go through rehab if I don't get signed, because you know, I mean, we're starting to get into the off season here where you don't have to start working together with some of these people. I follow Antonio a little bit on social media. I have no idea what he's doing. It looks just very You're much better follow You have a lot of like jumping off of cliffs in in tropical location. I mean I like adventures he does too, but not not necessarily safe ones or catch a Foot's not going to be back in the league. I feel good about this. How could a team give him a job again? But Baldi, is he gonna play another down in the NFL? Well, talent usually wins out, you know, but I can't see. I mean, you just can cross out certain teams right now. It's a deep draft and wide receivers. I can't see that taking place right now. I mean, you go through the teams that are trying to rebuild, you know, the Jets, I mean, the usual suspects. That's not gonna fly Detroit, you know, just go through the teams trying to rebuild here. That's not gonna work. The bat making ball they talk about Antonio Brown. This is the the coffee in the bottom. Let's let's get let's breaking news here. What we got, we got Bobby, I would thoughts, Well, you know, I was just I was just breaking down. It's gonna do a litt breakdown on Bobby. I'm a big fan, and um, you know he has like Seattle owned San Francisco last year, So you think about, okay going to the Rams. Their chief nemesis is the forty Niners in that division. Up to the playoffs, the forty Niners have pretty much had their way with them. But if you watch Wagon these games, like he went against Trey Lance and had some good plays against him. They saw it's a different offense when Trey Lance was in it, so they defended to run pretty good when he was in there. And then you know, first passed the game against Jimmy Garoppolo Week thirteen intercepts. It. I just think like this guy has rare not just skills, but like rare insight and instincts for the game that would help any team. Like I feel like I've watched games this year where like he I felt like he was coaching Jordan Brooks during the play. During the play like you're in the wrong place, Like you gotta see this faster, Like now Jordan Brooks led the league and solo tackles last year, Like that's Bobby Waggoner's influence right there. Now he can do it with with Ernest Jones, I do, and he's from l A. I think it's overrated of like players want to play in a certain city or not. But this is an example of Like he it sounded like he wanted to come to the Rams, and he helped make it happen. And that doesn't That doesn't happen too often, it doesn't Greg, But I feel like the building of these super teams is now much more commonplace than we ever saw, and we're starting to see it, and so teams are players are kind of directing themselves towards things. I think he'd love to play for, you know, Raheem, And I think he'd love to play for McVeigh and play with a d and some of these guys right now, Like it'd a human thing too. You're in the middle of this Hall of Fame career, you've accomplished so much, like a new challenge and and seeing what it's like in another franchise that that can reinvigorate you, just like if you're a great player, like back the clock seat. Yeah, I like that. And it's interesting you you mentioned the super team SOW that is fully in the NFL now, and you could say that Lebron started in perhaps into that ten with a decision and going to the Miami Heat. And I wonder if when we look back at our sports century, remember when ESPN did those at the end of the nineties, We'll look back at what happened with Lebron and see that changed sports in a lot of ways. Because it does feel like these players, these star players is in the NFL, who have never had more leverage, are now dictating the terms of how they want to handle, especially the veterans in the back end of their career when they still have good not even in the back end. I mean Jalen Ramsey wanted out of Jacksonville. Jayla Ramsey got out of Jacksonville. I mean he was he wasn't even beginning his career. He you know, they went to a Super Bowl, like he was the star player. He could line up on Antonio Brown from this guy Dan Well. I thought he quit on his team a little bit. Might look at whatever. I mean, some players are gonna do whatever they have to do to get out of the building. And maybe some of that took place. There was certainly some attitude things that had to be adjusted. But like these players, you know, maybe I don't know, I don't have any intel, but if Kyler Murray wants to get out of Arizona, is their landing spot for Kyler Murray? I don't know, but you know, I think I feel like players now are truly free agents. Like there was free agency since nineteen, but now players feel like, especially if you're a great player or you have potentially a great player, like you can kind of dictate your terms right now. The Sports century thing is really interesting, like one that's that's somewhat optimistic. Even I'm glad, like the environmental apocalypse hasn't ended everything before then, so that's good, but we will be gone most likely. So how let's say the NFL network did it did a show about it that you know, the previous century the NFL. Where does the Around the NFL podcast get mentioned? Well, we haven't even begun to write our story, Greg, all right, So that's the way I spent I always feel like, you know, it's not an appropriate like John Madden passes this year, and you can't write the history of about eight different things without mentioning John Madden. Yeah, So that's how I think you should think about around the century. On the podcast group at the NFL, we're definitely front and center there, all right, Sure, we'll take that. By the way, Jalen Ramsey arrived at Jaguars training camp in two thousand nineteen and an armored truck, uh, demanding a new contract. That was an interesting little error for him. Now Baldi on big stuff, Okay, just getting going on the big stuff. I'm curious. We talked Bruce Arians earlier. Um, we Greg and I were mostly on the same page, But I wondered if arians success, how much was contributed to his style of coaching and his aggressive nature to connecting with Big Ben and his prime then Carson Palmer and then Tom Brady. Um, how much do you think arians exitted picture could change things for the Bucks? Well, I think, um, you know that he's built a culture there. There was a reason why Tom Brady went there, and it wasn't just Arians. I mean that they had been drafting really well, especially on the defensive side of the ball. They had a lot of really talented receivers already in place, so and the structure for the offensive line was was there, especially when they when they hit gold on Tristan worse. So I think Brady kind of these guys do their homework. But I feel like, you know, Bruce arians you know, built the culture. Now we get to see Todd Bowles with a really good team. We saw him with the team that was in transition that became just an ugly mess in New York. Now we get to see him with the really the pressure on him, like you know, he's expected to get deep into the playoffs as the head coach. Can he can he fulfill that? And can he keep this team that has all of this talent in all these expectations? Can he keep him on the rails for eighteen weeks? It's really crazy to think about how they played. They were quite injured, and they played their worst three quarters of the season by far. I mean, they were getting crushed and in the end they lost by three points to the Super Bowl champs. They were right there at the end. How about the Tyreek Hill move. There has been a lot of um speculation here the trade to the Dolphins and gets this massive contract. People saying, oh, but this to his game isn't a good match with Tyreek's game. Are you concerned about that? As someone who studies tape as well as any on the big stuff, Well, I think that the pressures on Mike McDaniel make just China brand. I think the pressure really is on Mike McDaniel to make this all work. You got all these components, um, you know, they're uh, you know on paper there, you know, paper lions right now. And so he's got a factor into and any sort of shortcomings you think he has. I think he's good in the short passing game. There's been a lot of short passes, long runs from Tyreek from Patrick Mahomes over the last five years. So I think all that can still be in place, along with Jayleen Waddle and just Sicky and what they have there. So I think it's up to Mike McDaniel to make this work right now. What about giving up like as a team building process, do you think giving up all those picks for for Hell specifically, Well, they've had a lot of picks break the last two years. They were awful with their picks. You know, where there was Austin Jackson. I mean, you know, you could give a lot of teams a lot of picks and they can screw it up really fast. That's what I feel like the Dolphins did they Hi Tons. I mean, I would still like to have Laramie Tunsel there at left hand now, because like when you make a mistake in the draft, it never goes away, right, you overpay in free agency. That's why Torn armstaves there. If they just stayed with Laramie, who was a great player, like you would never get to turn Armstead. You'd have Laramie Tunsel before moving on from this one though. As a former NFL guard, how many years did you play? Twelve years? You know, a manly man, you know, just sitting next to me, I'm I I'm intimidated. I'm intimidated. Mike McDaniel is your head coach? Yes, cuts a different figure, has a different vibe even when he speaks, than a different than most head coaches I've ever seen. How would you respond as as a player, how do you think he would go over in the offensive line room? You know, like I've had a lot of different offensive line coaches, like Dante Scarneckia was my coach. Now, Dante was a big part of all the success they had in New England. But when you listen to Dante, like he sounded like a physics professor to me when he was in front of the room, you know, and there's gonna be a lot of people that are gonna say he's just an Ivy League guy. You know, this Eli from Yale. But I think Mike, you have to listen to Mike like he's like that nerd that you want to be friend. Okay. You know, like there's some nerves that are just stay on the other side of the room. I don't want any part of you. But then there's the nerves that are like cool nerds, like this is the revenge of the nerds. You know. That's touch why I feel like you get with Mike. You know, I'll tell you want to be That's what That's the lane I was angling for as a kid, that one of the cool nerds. Who but you're making it clear to him that we think you're a nerd as a player. Yeah. No, Look, I I remember in eighth grade I hung out with these nerds that read Scientific American and they were determined to build their own laser and I thought, like I was playing basketball and football and baseball this stuff in eighth grade. But I thought it was cool that they wanted to build a laser. And I spent an hour every day in the library trying to research this should be a whole good balled the episode Baldi on Nerds. Well, that's the thing about Baldi. He's not Ogre, remember Ogre from Revenge of the Nerds. Like you are intellectually curious and you could you could shake hands in both aisles. Yea, we might need you in the well. It would be interesting to see what what Kyle Shanahan is like without Mike mc you've hit on something interesting there too. It as well because your career Baldi ended after the nineties three season. Do you think there's a big difference now in terms of McDaniel figure how he would fit in now compared to thirty years ago. Um no, I think coaches either they can coach and get their information across or they can't. I remember remember Al Grow Yeah, so i'l Grow was, you know, probably the top personnel guy with the Patriots. They won't really tell us who has been okay, but you know how it's like Il was in one of my brother's weddings. I've known al forever. He came to a football camp of mine along Island one time when he was with the Jets, and he put the kids to sleep talking about some of the things he was talking about. But this is this is a great football mind. Like on that day in that camp, Algrels put these kids asleep. Maybe that speaks to his struggles because Belichick. I've read all the books on Belichick, but the one by Halberstam is great the education of and Belichick was intimidated going into this NFL locker room. Initially he bare he played at a D three level, but he said it glanvill a lot of diet. He found out quickly. He found out quickly from a couple of big guys that he was intimidated from. If I can give them one piece of information that that makes them better that day in practice, they won't care if I'm the dorkiest guy in the room, because I'm helping their make money and help them do their job well. And as long as I'm giving it, then they're not gonna worry about you know everything. I remember I spent an off season in Buffalo when Marv Leavy was there, and you know, I remember James Lofton used to sit in the front row. And James Lofton part of his charm was whenever Marv would drop a word that was just way too big for the room, James would turn around and he would give like the meaning of the word, you know, and so like. Because Marv could, he could, he could speak right over your head. He was a very bright guy. McGill University, all this stuff, but like Marv was a nerd. But here he has taken Buffalo to four state championship. Bruce Smith, listen to Marv, you know, and you know that Jim Kelly, listen to Marv Um. He had their attention. He came out of the cfl um but yet he was a great NFL coach. How about two big veteran quarterback changes shifts in the a F C. Russell Wilson to Denver, Matt Ryan to Indie. Uh, how good do you feel about both those spots? One more than the other. Baldi on the Big Star. I think both teams were playoff teams this year. I'm a big fan of Nathaniel Hackett. Um when you can uh make eight Bortles A you know, a f C championship level quarterback. Um, that's that's good coaching. I'm a big fan, so I think he. I think him and Russell are gonna be a good, a good meeting of the mines. And I can't think of a better spot for Matt Ryan to be in than Indianapolis. Like, I think it's just him and Frank Reich are gonna hit the ground running and that's gonna be a really good football What did you see from Matt Ryan on on tape last year? I remember I did one segment with you the QB Index on NFL Now during the seasons, where you literally ripped up the rankings because you thought they were so bad. I was pretty Ryan for most of the season. I thought he played well and if he got any protection whatsoever, he could still do all the ripped up your rankings on live TV. He ripped him up, he thought, because I thought it was good theater, No, and I thought it pretty. But you you understood too that that was gonna hurt him. No. I love I like that. I love that well. I took it as a signers is a sign of respect. He paid enough attention to look at his list, like some people probably were. The two things you're mad about was Matt Jones was too low and Rogers was too loud, too low. He was gonna win the m v P. I just man, it was good theater. It was good for Yeah. Now, I I think Matt Ryan, I think to answer your question, I thought Matt Ryan looked like Matt Ryan and me without a lot of help around him. Like I remember Week one they played the Eagles, Week one, I think, and you know, they're down in the four yard line and Kyle Pitts isn't on the field, and I was trashing, like Arthur Smith because like, how can you have this generational talent not on the field when that's exactly what he's supposed to thrive in, Like put him in the red zone, let him go jump forty inches to go get the ball against whatever it was. And so I didn't feel like, you know, there was a lot of help there. And you know the good thing about Matt is he never complains. Uh, he's the ultimate professional. But he's gonna be on a good football team. And when he was good, he was really good. Last year. There were some games he was sensational. We were at the London game. We were on the field. I know that was against the Jets, but he was taking a lot of pressure and you could just see how well yeah navigate and he everything was into a tiny window and he nailed it. Yeah, Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt's I mean like I was there doing the Falcon preseason games when he got signed in two thousand and eight with Mike Smith, and they turned that thing around. But like you know, they didn't give him the job. He earned the job during training camp and they had a plan and then he hit the He hit the field running in two thousand and eight. He's the m v P of the league in two thousand and fifteen. I think he's had a great career, but unfortunately he has played in Atlanta, where there's not a lot of attention. You could the local Friday night high school game gets more attention than a lot of the Falcon games did, unfortunately. But in Indianapolis, where Peyton put football on the map, Um, he's gonna get a lot of attention and he's gonna have a chance to do what they thought Carson Wentz was supposed to do. All right, Two more quick ones the year two Qbs, Cheval Lawrence, Zack Wilson, Mac Jones, Justin Fields, Trey Lands. Who are your highest on entering year two? And who are you worried about? I think I'm I'm I'm high on Zack Wilson. I think I think. I think Joe Dodges is doing I think can get into shape, Like just get off of the Domino's pizza, you know, like whatever he's doing at midnight with Dominoes. Like if you can get him off that train, like, and mackay can play left tackle the way he did froment you're hearing is the issue? Well, it has been. But he looks like ten pounds of stuff and five pounds of stuff, you know, like last year. If he's in shape and McKay can play like this is gonna be a good offensive line, They're gonna be a good offense. The guy would be worried about. It's just Trey Lambs, you know, because I think there's so much expectations at the forty. Niners are still a deep playoff team and we'll we'll find out if Garoppolo plays, doesn't play get straight or whatever. But you know, it looks like they're ready to turn things over to him and he just hasn't played a lot of football, and so how's that going to translate? And can he in big games make five or six great throws to win those games? I love, I love. It's just like a spin the wheel of Baldi. You give him any topic and he's got some good story, whether it's Matt Ryan's rookie season. During the preseason, I brought up Mac Jones to you in the news room and you mentioned the conversation. We can take this out if you don't want it to be public. It's not live that you said you noticed how he was zoning out a lot at the on the sidelines, and he told you he was practicing meditation. That's that's breaking news. Well, I don't know if it's breaking news, but I'm curious, Like I'm I'm a deep meditator, like I'm a yoga. I'm a yoga, so we meditate. But you know, like that's kind of the look that we have when we're just in Anama State. But I've never seen a player just go into a like a meditative state during the game. I thought, yeah, he almost looked like he was a zone. And you're listening to mcdanie. I'll never forget well sometimes like Daniels sitting there right next to you, but I'll never forget this one sequence at the Cowboys, Like remember that game against Alice, right, Greg, So he throws a pick six Trayvon Diggs takes it to the house, the Cowboys take the lead. He comes back onto the field after his meditation and throws a seventy five yard touchdown past on the next play take the leave right back, Like that's an example of just you know, tabula rasa, just you know, cleaning the slate, and that's what you can do in that spot. And how about that? That is a glowing endorsement of mac Jones by Baldi and yet Greggy he said it was Zack Wilson that he's most excited. I'm not worried we had our mack Jons. We're both, you know, very high ceiling. And finally, because Baldi could talk anything, and he probably knows both these men personally, so perhaps he can give us some inside the slap. Will Smith, Chris Rock your take. We want your unvarnished take on what went down? Was it the Academy Awards, Like unfortunately for the next ninety three years, we're gonna have to see or hear so like it's gonna live in infamy and that's something fortunate for Will Smith. I feel bad for Chris Rock. He's making a joke. He's a comedian, that's what he does. Um, I thought it was misplaced temper by Will Smith. And do you know either men personally? I don't know. I don't. I mean Will Smith is you know, he's the fresh prince of bel Air. He's he's a Philadelphia you know, he's one of our own board and raised. Yes, so on the biggest of stuff. But otherwise you've said it all. Busy man. We always love having you on the show and the first time in the Chris Westling podcast video. Thank you man, I appreciate man. Thanks alright, we're done. Yeah, that was perfect. He rolled in and uh the show. Anything we need to add Ricky before we say goodbye. No, you guys crushed it, absolutely crush it? Did we? Yeah? It's fine. Do you always say that to him? Like do they ever not crush it? And what do you say when they don't? You like coming like Chris Rock and just slap them away? Actually I actually did. I thought Greg was a little presumptive with some of that we're going to be part of the sports Century of NFL stuff. But it was a joke. You know. I know you don't like to think about your mortality, but hey, we gotta we gotta all face our maker at something. I listen, I live life like Baldi. Listen, You're only on the marble for a few spins. I mean, if I jump in a shark cage right now, I would. Yeah, but I'm gonna go do a Bobby Wagon and breakdown right now. There he goes. Thank you. We'll be back on Friday, of course with the Around the NFL broadcast on NFL Network, so make sure you check that out. And then uh and Mark, by the way, he promised via text that he would be back for the television show. So yeah, there's a cell. All right, that's it. Thank you everybody for listening. Thank you to Baldi's Dan hands Is signing off for the old Boss Ricky Hollywood, Randy shop has Lass, the Green Figger. Baldi's funny. He's still that guy. He's a cough