OTA & Minicamp Whispersssss

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Speaker 1: Be Around the NFL podcast. There's nothing but a salary dump. Welcome to another edition of Around the NFL. My name is Dan Kansas. Come to you from a virtual room filled with some heroes. Mark Sessler, Greg Rosenthal. Heyo, summer tour. It's gonna call it a national tour, but that's international, you know. Right now I'm in Texas. We're going to Texas, We're going to New Jersey, We're going to Japan. We're going to various two star motels in the Hollywood area, not star, by the way I operated with myself, have four star territory. I can promise you that with the salary dump being what it is, correcting, I stand corrected. How's everybody doing. It's good. I am looking forward to heading off to Japan next week. But also yeah, Raking Ground as the first NFL media property to tape some podcasts in Japan in a few weeks. This does remind me there are parallels here in terms of what it means, uh to the nineteen twenties when Babe Ruth and a collection of baseball all stars went to Japan and introduced the sport to that country. That's where I put this. I think podcasting, which I'm I'm gonna work under the assumption hasn't made it to Japan yet. It's an island, after all, they're they're always behind on technology. Yeah, I think they're gonna buy all in once they see Greg with a yetti. I mean, d NFL had an office in Japan right near where my wife Emmaka grew up, but it closed down, So I guess, I guess we haven't made as many inroads as we would like. But if if you're out there, if you're a listener from Japan, UM, we love you, but it's speaking of, you know, cutting edge technology. Where you are Dan in Texas? Will there be a follow up article on California man returns to sleepy Texas town to podcast his show. I mean there was an excellent article the first time around. Will there be a second of follow up? Well, not just an excellent article. It was a front page article in the Gatesville Messenger in Texas, uh touting NFL dot Com editor Dan Hansas Um broadcasting from UM the downtown area at a local lawyer's office. UM. I think if I pursue another article, I think I can make it happen. Honestly, but I think it's kind of been there, done that situation for the old user. UM. Now I have more important things, you know, obviously my role is the peacemaker is something that stands out to me now, Greg, A lot of people talking Um and if you missed the Thursday recap of the NFL Talent Summit and the explosive conversation between Rosenthal and rappaport Um, I feel like the feedback on social media was largely positive towards you, Greg, Um, how has that event in that podcast changed you? Um? Well, when we walked out of there, I all jokes aside, I really thought like, I'm really glad we did that, that that was a unique thing that we've done in our timeline as a podcast, Like we've been here long enough that we can get away with doing that and having a conversation with that like that that I'm glad people heard. UM. I don't know if it's changed me though as a human I'm a brit I think we got away with it or is it still on some level even though we found success in this business, and UM and the NFL and we're very grateful for them took care of us in our last contract like, do you think anyone actually heard it? No? No, I mean that is the key. I mean, if I get away with it. I just mean like we're getting to do cool, interesting stuff and no one stopping us from doing it. But you're right, they're not stopping us because they're not aware, because they're not listening. Figure, And this isn't a challenge, This isn't me trying to like the fire authority. If you actually are listening to the show, and you're high up in the company, and I mean you have your own office on I guess now would be the third floor in our new facility. Um, just shoot me an email, you know how to find me and just be like, I'm listening. That's it. You don't even need to need anything in the body, just the subject um. Now, does this end with Roger Goodell? Uh, Brian McCarthy someone of that level hitting me up? I don't know, but just let us know. I'm at it. I'm just curious. That's all. The difference between you and me is you check email. Apparently I haven't looked at email in our company's email system in about three or three or four months, not intentionally. Well, when you're the well, Greg I'm sorry, I'll have to strip you. You're no longer the bad boy of NFL media. It's now Mark Sessler. He kind of always has had that deep within. I need to know Greg, though, because there was a lot of public um raising up of your efforts, but often in many of the tweets that I saw at the expense of rappaport um. To be fair, I I don't know if you guys have communicated post um feud non feud ending like what what. I'm sure he was a little peaked to be continually critiqued at your benefit. I doubt that. I mean, I haven't asked about that. We did talk briefly. I don't um just because I don't think it really registered. I don't think he's too on top of it. Uh, I wouldn't think. I don't know, he wouldn't have come on if like that makes that big of a deal. He's been in that position, and uh, we don't really know what that's exactly like. But he he's had people kind of slamming him for various things he's done for a long time because it kind of comes with the territory. And I and I think most everyone I saw I wasn't like locked in checking everything, but was pretty respectful and was like happy that we had the conversation. Wasn't like tearing him a partner. I'll say this, and Mark, I know you certainly can relate to it because we kind of came up together. Uh, in this business that when you start and if you're writing on a site and there's a comment section, um, you're definitely more sensitive to criticism earlier in your career. Which is not to say now there's nothing someone could say online that will won't get to you, because that could still happen, but you definitely you develop something more close to rhino skin. And if if you're a rapp report who has a platform that is vastly bigger than ours, even uh, you have to If you can't deal with their criticism, you're in the wrong business entirely. And I do give credit whether you agree with where Ian came down in that conversation or not coming on. He didn't have to do that, and that's why I kind of shot him a text afterwards, and I sent out a tweet to that point that he could easily just laid low or after that conversation ended, said hey, I don't want some of that in there, And he didn't do any of that, so that was right. And on that note, the first bylined article that I ever wrote for NFL dot com, way back when before I had this you know, thick skin against criticism that you that you mentioned one of the first comments I've received was you are dumb and your children are dumb. Yeah, don't used to have to clear the comments at Pro Football Talk. For some reason, their method was you had to approve literally every comments. It was like someone's turn whoever was on the shift of like mass approving six d comments at a time. So you started to build up a tougher skin to them. All. Right, today's show, let's get to it. Let's spin forward. Um mandatory minicamps. When's the last one done? When is the when is the summer break for the NFL? If you want to call that were in it ended the day that the summit ended. It was perfect. There you go. And so with that said, we haven't uh, and that's because we've done this show long enough and followed the long enough where it's kind of even if you do a show throughout the offseason, it's kind of a fool's Journey to Live and Die by every update from O t A S. However, we still are in NFL football podcast Mark and this episode will be essentially a roundup of things that caught our eye during O t A S during mandatory mini camps we call them training camp all together. Now, wh where's grave Digger? You know I jumped on. I pretty should know this. Hey, what's up, Boddy? I jumped on to do a sound check from Texas and just checking and chatted with justin a little clerical off the books type stuff. And and then you know, a figure wanders in in the background of the shot. He's from his apartment right now, it looks like or his house. Who knows his condo? And there she goes like a ghost, a blonde ghost, down the hallway and turns the corner. I never saw her face, but there she was again. There she was. You guys all met her at the holiday party. Doesn't she brunette? Am I wrong about this? She blonde? I thought she was had she is brunette, correct, she has brown area. I don't think I met her reporting and storytelling. Wait a second. Years, by the way, I resent that Greg don't come after the peacemaker after he flew that whole thing wide open last week. Wait a second, Wait a second, she's brunette is interesting. Yeah, are you sure I met her at the holiday party? Are you certain? I don't think. I don't think. I don't think. Yeah, maybe not. Anyway, you're a lucky man. Let's get into it. Thank you so much to hit here. Yeah. I usually make fun of Mark for like, you know, he prepares. I'm not making fun. I admire it, but he like will be almost over prepared. Sometime this time, I'm taking Mark's corner. I'm overprepared. I just counted. I have thirty one potential whispers. We're not going to use them off, but I've thirty one spicy. Let's see how many of the thirty two teams we can hit. Graver hit us with a little ding every time we hit a new team, and then uh, we'll see who got screwed like news you know, newsflash will probably be about half of the teams in the southern divisions of the NFL. But let's see. Maybe we'll surprise ourselves. Greg get us going with something that's a good way to kick things off. Okay, I'm gonna go with um kind of a basic one, because it's a quarterback competition. Note that I thought mattered, and that was that Kenny Pickett didn't take a single first team rep throughout the ot ot A process. And you can't draw too much from this, but the fact that Kenny Pickett was third in line, that it was Mason Rudolph taking all the backup reps, that it was Mitch Robinsky taking all the starter reps, and pick It didn't even get in the mix. It's not out of the ordinary, especially for a coach like Mike Tomlin to like work rookies in slowly, But I guess that's sort of my point is that that's what Tomlin always does. And even though those reps will change undoubtedly in training camp and pick It will get a chance to move up a little bit, it just emphasizes that I really think Mr Drabinsky is starting with a huge lead in this and he's probably going to be the Week one starter in the end. That's me. I don't think I'm overrating just too those this from that Canada the offensive coordinator. We've been very clear that this is a real laid out plan of how we're going to evolve and find who our quarterback is going to be for the two thousand two season. Um Man, this is one of the potential conversation points that we're gonna have when we're talking about today's show. Is like it matters, it doesn't matter, Like this to me doesn't matter. I agree with you. But at the same time, I think Mark Kenny Pickett, if he balls out in training camp and shows him a really strong handling of the playbook and we're hearing signs that he's doing that already, um he has a chance to outplay Mitch Drabinsky. But sure, yeah, yeah, I mean, you know, Mark Coboli from The Athletic, who is probably the best Steelers beat writer out there, said that the whole compety Titian is essentially more show than substance. The lining up with what the zero snaps, lining up with what most writers who have covered practice that said, Well, what's I mean, why does he need to start week Why? Why would you need Kenny Pickett to start week one if you're the Steelers this season? Anyways, I think they went and got Mr Robinsky to handle the early load. And like with so many of these if, when, if, and when, Robinsky totally stumbles, then there will be an extra month or two a preparation for Pickett to step in. Can I give my answer to that? Like why because the Steelers are trying to win the af C North and Mitch Drobinsky isn't good. Yeah, but we don't even know if Kenny Pickett will be I mean, Kenny Pickett isn't you know who Mitt Robinsky is? Right or we think we know, and maybe things change in the different surroundings. But like Picket represents that great unknown of maybe some of these quotes, and I saw Chase Claypool talking him up, and it's like, man, I got some like Mac Jones vibes off this guy a little bit, like maybe he ends up being somebody who could step in and immediately upgrade that position from where it was with Raths Roethlisberg. To your point, I think, look, if he showed up and he balls out in camp in Rabinsky is struggling, and then yeah, pick it will wind up starting week one he will have the chance to just be better. But I think it's fair to wonder whether at this point he will be better than than miss Drabinsky just because of experience. All Right, Mark, give us a whisper. All right, I want to build on something that uh, you know, caught a little fire earlier in the off season when Frank Reich said of Matt Ryan, I knew he was good, but his accuracy is insane. There have been new proclamations floating in over this last mini camp scenario. I want to listen to you to listen to some of these quotes that Zach Kiefer, our friend recorded. Uh this from Marcus Brady, offensive coordinator. He's damn near a coach on the field. I mean, you're meant to be the coach. So he's you're essentially saying Matt Ryan could do my job. Um, Gus Bradley said the defensive coordinator. You can feel him in this building. Deforestner said, he reminds me of Philip Rivers and Rookie white Out. Alec Pierce said he could basically run this offense and this team by himself. And then Frank Wright came back around to say one more time, Matt was unbelievable. Really eight a Z he did everything right, just great leadership, great play. I mean the whole way he took command. He's not starting to take command. He simply took command. As we all know, I decided to really go ahead and start to take command. I want to cut that for social because look of intensity in his eyes. This is a this is a former m v P. This is a former first team All Pro, this is a four time Pro bowler. This is the greatest quarterback in Falcon's history. Um, I would assume all those things that you just explained, that's how he would present on a new team. I think it's been a little bit on my radar with the Colts this offseason of how pleased they are with Matt Ryan, acting as if they have found again Matt Ryan of six years ago, which they haven't. So I think this this portion of the football calendar, all the amazing things about Matt Ryan that are still in place are going to be shining very brightly. I would just say that it just needs to be maybe bring it down just a touch. Not you, Mark, You could be as intense as you want, uh Colts fans in terms of expectations of what you're getting in. I am so with you, Dan, because my second note to this was that this lines up to me as a little bit suspicious because a it's June and of course, Matt Ryan's going to play the part role I was played this, Hee's played this on this stage, played for for ten plus years at this point. But something about it um feels like there's a potential behind door number two semi disaster if this doesn't go very well, well, I just worry about you know, the weapons, Alec Pierce you mentioned, Uh, it was kind of lining up as like the number two receiver right now. He needs a rookie that people thought would take some time to get going. They might bring back t Y Hilton. I do think like it's in angible, and I usually don't get too much into that, but I do think there is something about someone like Matt Ryan being in a new place when he's thirty seven, getting away from a franchise that was not at its best right now with the Falcons are really over its tenure in getting the juice flowing again, like Peyton Manning going to Denver or Brady going to Tampa, that it's for such a great, an all time great. I know he's not at that level of like all time great, but he he's excellent and what he does getting that juice going again in Indianapolis with a good coach with a better organization and that you just might see a better Matt Ryan than we saw where we were in February with the Colts to where they ended up. I think it's pretty close to the best case scenario for the mess that they had gotten themselves into. And I thought they made too smart moves, doing the move to say Carson Wentz is not the guy and getting out of that situation and then ending up with Matt Ryan. So I don't take it as overly critical cultination. I think they did very well for them selves overall. And yeah, he could have He's not gonna throw for fifty five touchdowns, you know, like Peyton, but he definitely will present I think an upgrade for them. How about le's head to the Raiders. Let's head to Las Vegas since city Mark, alright, I call it. When we went to Vegas, it was like basically, don't even you know, don't even walk on the carpet in the casino area. This was Harker b Central. Just go be, just go, you know, honor the company and then fly home. It was sinless city for us. But that's in the past now. The athletics, to Sean Reid reports that Davante Adams has quote almost exclusively lined up outside and has worked from the left and right sides of the field. Why does that matter because that's not what Adams did best or how he was used to great, great, historically productive measures with the Green Bay Packers. Um According to Sports Info Solutions charting, Adams drew a hundred and six targets in the slot last year and only seventy out wide. Why is this happening to words? Greg's buddy Hunter Renfro, who is one of the steadier slot guys in the league. He's the new Wayne cribet Uh in the NFL. He's like a guy you just plugged, but he's he's another level up from the game has changed. Maybe just saying yeah, but you can't measure hot, bro, you can't measure heart. Didn't Betts send Dana birthday message over? That was a very nice gesture by costs or something? Do you expense that? No, I did not get an executive did very good anyway, So that's interesting. And I'm not saying that the Raiders made up the wrong move by getting Davante Adams, brilliant to give Derek Carr one of the very best, if not the best wide receiver in the league, but notable that they will be using him differently. It's seeing, uh than the Packers did. And you would think, in it's a typical situation, a team that gives up that much and then pays that much for a wide receiver, you're gonna kind of want to use them in the way that's been proven to be most efficient. But the Raiders, really not by choice, based on roster build out, are going to be going down a different path. It seems. Well. The money they gave renf which we never had a chance to talk about, was really interesting. Two for thirty two million for a slot receiver was kind of a new type of deal, but it was so short, uh and guaranteed like it made a lot of sense, I thought for for both sides. And he's just not someone that's going to play outside that often, and obviously Darren Waller is not going to play outside that often either. I do think, though this is an O t A a bit of an O t A story, because Josh McDaniels is as creative as it gets that the way their roster has built, they can play a lot of big power football with two tight ends and fullbacks and they're gonna play somewhere they really spread you out, and I think they're gonna have Adams as like the only wide receiver on the field, and I just I try Josh McDaniels to be a little more versatile and maybe just the way they want to work on some things of him on the outside at this time of year, but that he'll end up doing a lot. And they've also talked about, you know, Josh Jacobs will not be bellcal material, and he really was showing he shouldn't be anyways, but that they're gonna run the ball with a lot of different sort of heavy sets. One of my thirty one I'm gonna get rid of that one now, Gonna have to have to committee. Do you think, though, that we all realized that Davante Adams should be used in multiple ways, but it's not occurred to Josh McDaniels. And at some point between now and when camp starts, it might and pop into his head. I could be more versatile with this ultra rich wide receiver. I don't know, man, I've already seen Josh McDaniels head coach once, so I'm not getting their benefit of doubt on anything. It's an interesting topic though. I think when you think about their three best players, I think it's this is what O tier whispers is all about, just like getting your mind jogging a little bit, like, huh, that is an interesting fantasy heads out there, don't freak out and now take Davante Adams off your board. It's just no doable, all right, Greg, I feel like we've we've gone for some big swings. I'm just gonna go for a one that's a little more random. But it's interesting to me that Jeff Okuda, the number three overall pick of the draft a few years ago, probably isn't a starter right now in Detroit, even though he's healthy. Um that a are is there kind of their default number one cornerback and they're actually using Will Harris, who's played some safety before, probably has their number two. They have a couple of different guys in the slot, and Okuda is probably a backup on the outside. It's it's a coaching staff that did get to see Okuda relatively healthy at least throughout the off season before he got hurt early in the year, and maybe that changes, maybe it doesn't. But if you're thinking of like, man, how can the Lions really take a big leap up man? Getting a lot out of their number three overall draft pick from two years ago would be nice, but it's it just doesn't seem like it's happening for him. And there were so many people, almost everyone, who just thought he was one of the best cornerback prospects since the al Reevas, and it's just it's interesting to me and hope you hope for him it changes, but right now he's not in that spot. What is more depressing than the scenario where a very highly drafted, highly touted player totally fails as a rookie injuries, whatever it is, just does not produce, and then comes back for this second wave where all the talk is meant to be. Now he's got to figure it out. The game has slowed down, you know, the adversity of year one is past, where it's a shiny sun from here on out. But then the practices begin and he's still not even on the first team, and like the general managers probably walking around depressed. The coaches have to tilt their statements to try to protect him. I don't like it, yeah stuff, And he's coming back off of an injury too, so that's been part of his his story. But that's that the man they could use something out of him. Mark, Well, I want to counter off the Matt Ryan one that I introduced before, Um, because let's talk about the cord bring the same level intensity as you did. This is a little more just. It's it's more of um. It's not a high coocause it's a quote, it's a comment, but it's shorter and I just want you to ponder what has been said UM in Washington about Carson Wentz by QB coach Ken Zampez, who appreciates Carson Wentz is curious nature. According to the headline NFL dot Com, he's intuitive, said Zampeez. He's curious, he's hungry for football. That's part that that's the part that's fun for me. Then he added, he's curious and in a good way, as we all know, decided to really go ahead and start to take command and get curious. No, no, but I definitely think that a man getting curious is gonna like ring some bells for Mark, He's definitely gonna be all over that fine. Never a day that goes by. Yes, I get that, Um, never a day goes by. It seems in the NFL, now without the Washington commanders in the news is for something. Uh, the NFL find Washington head coach Ron Rivera for conducting drills to violate the NFL Z O t A policies. This also happened to Texans coach Lovey Smith and also Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, And I gotta say, like, I kind of like this move. If I was a head coach, I'd bring that kind of I'm a coach who is listen, you want to find me, find me? But my boys play ball. So I'm just gonna I'm gonna mark that down, especially McCarthy, because I just think he's the lead dog. Just like love, you got to find fifty dollars. I mean, I know Love he has made a lot of money in his life, but that's gotta be like if your love you Smith, or if you're just love you Smith, that's gotta be pretty annoying to be like, wait, I just lost fifty thou dollars. I'm not feeling too bad for him. What does he make it? Four million? I don't know, but no, what about daddy? Yeah, but he's SADDI. Okay, yeah, I didn't. I didn't have that information. Yeah, that was like, daddy, stop it, he can't. We're all in different places. I need you to be heavy on the sound drops today. Bring the energy. Um. Speaking of the Cowboys, Uh. Mike McCarthy believes Ezekiel Elliott is completely healthy now. Zeke suffered through a bad season, played through a torn PCL. McCarthy said, he's had a tremendous offseason. Tony Pollard's in that room obviously looked like a better running back last year. I'm curious where we stand with Zeke Elliott as we enter his age seven season. He's only twenty seven, but he certainly looked like a guy about five years older last season. He's heard the talk he knows control actually and just how everyone asked him questions about it that this is probably his last year in Dallas unless he really turned around how effective he is, and he's just been someone that to be real, it seems like his like preparedness and everything that he does like goes up and down and that, and he's been down a couple of years. And I think you could get more out of him by using him a little less it wouldn't shock me if Zeke had one more good season in him, because when he started last year I thought people were a little too hard on him that actually he was doing. He was doing some really positive things, but then the injuries caught up to him, which seemed to happen every year. Like I it wouldn't shock me if he has one more good year. And that backfield is kind of the centerpiece of that offense. There does seem to be like a continual drumbeat and emphasis to get Tony Pollard on the field too. He's been used in slot during these spring summer practices, so it's like whether it's a committee backfield or or him like one o t A trope we haven't mentioned too often is the they're gonna get both running backs on the feet at the same time and like the shiftier running backs taking a lot of snaps. They did do it a little more last year. I mean to be fair, I mean I think Pollard looked better than Zeke at various stretches that was like a similar well, it's just in terms of workload of the running backs where it's just the messaging is all over the place. The Jaguars had said that, Hey, James Robinson when he gets back, he's he's our three down back. I was like, well, what about Travis Atene if he if he's doing all three downs, so let's say doing just punt punt protector? Like, what's well, that's another guy they're putting in the slot here in June. So maybe any meaning like we'll end up breaking all these teams down. But man, they're they're their receiver group is so thin that I think they're gonna need more out of Pollard and and Zeke. They got James Washington and um they're rookie. What now I'm spacing on the named tolber As they're like two and three in neither of them practice throughout the ot A period, and it's just like until Gallup gets back, I think you're gonna need a lot. I'm gonna go right into my whisper because it's Cowboys too, because I thought it was just relevant and it's one I'm falling for. Is like the healthy de Dak moving much better scenario. That's a whisper that like I think is meaningful. Um, because he's not coming off a major surgery and it's worth remembering he what he did injure that ankle against the Patriots, you know, early last season. I don't think it was the biggest reason why he struggled. You know, he even said people gave me too much of an out after a while, like it had worn off, but he was so afraid to run, and like he's not the same guy if he's not willing to take the six seven yards and he gave you nothing as a runner in outside the pocket or as like just a scrambler last year, and they need him to be a lot better. So I'm kind of feeling this this off season trip. Mike McCarthy said he sees Dak Prescott running more this season, So yeah, if his body can handle it and makes him obviously a much better quarterback, I buy into that. Whispers Mark, I want to go to Lauren park Um to Dan's jets where I find this story. Um is one of the more intriguing, like we don't know what's going to happen here, uh, scenarios around the league. And it's obviously McKay Beckton who spoke to the press. Um he described himself as being close to and we'll be ready for training camp. And while he spoke to the press. He wore a self created T shirt UM with a circle slogan in the words inside of it big bust, and the words around that said fat, lazy, out of shape, injury prone. And basically what he said is he's used the critique that he's heard as motivation. UM, and good for him if that's what he's doing. But then Connor Hughes of The Athletic, who is one of the better beat writers around, added this nugget that Jets offensive tackle McKay Beckton showed up for mini camp. Both Sale and offensive coordinator Mike Lafloor offered lukewarm endorsements of his physical shape, conditioning and wait, so TBD on this scenario, because he's battling for the left tackle job, he will get the right tackle if he doesn't beat out George font or maybe he gets nothing if he's weighs six seventy pounds by the end of June. Uh, you're reading this perfectly marked because that was my takeaway as well. If you show up with the T shirt and the T shirt also, also, by the way, had um, I don't know if you had mentioned sucks and overweight. Um. If you wear that T shirt. I would imagine you're going to show up in that shirt in great shape after you spent the offseason trying to defy the haters. So a couple of things stand out that that he wore, that he's wearing that shirt, but he's not physically in a great place. The fact that he said he's close to one. Remember he suffered the knee injury in week one of last season. It was initially called the four to six week injury, and then he missed the entire season. And now we're in middle of June and he's not all the way back yet. And uh yeah, to your point about Sala, who's usually falling over with positive comments like many coaches of his air, as he said of Beckton, he has forty days to continue to work and get himself ready to play football, referring to the start of training camp. So listen, as a Jets fan has been through too many wars, too many lost battles. Um, I feel like this is heading in a certain direction. The positive way to look at it is he is still super young. I think he's twenty three or twenty four, tremendously talented, But you know, is the light going to go on and UM. It seems like he's his rope with the organization is running out. And if he does show up in camp in a bad place physically, I could see him ending up on UM the publist and they're becoming some type of issue behind the scenes and it gets ugly. I don't I think there could be more to this story to come. And my concern is that it's not good. The difference between him and some other high draft picks that go through this, you know, criticism with the media and and everything like that. It's like we've seen McKay beck Din play at a high level, so he he has to be pretty high on any list you came up with for like the biggest X Factor Boomer Busts however you want to put it, because the Jets could either have a difference maker maybe the best player on their offense, you know, if he if he was right right um or nothing, and that's a it's a pretty that's a pretty big difference, and it's it's very hard to guess which I mean. Don't trust us, don't trust the beat writers. Trust the guy like Brian Baldinger who was falling over with abuse of a fusive praise um of Beckton during his rookie season when he was on the field. But you just you haven't seen enough of it. So yeah, I think it's a major subplot. We'll talk about a little later, um in a few weeks, maybe next week we're when we break down the second year quarterbacks and what their prospects look like. But so much is tied with Zach Wilson to how the line plays in front of him, and becked in such a huge part of that. So what one little note though, because if let's say it veers positive, their offensive line after years of ups and down looks looks fantastic because you've got Elijah Vera Tucker, you got lake In, Tomlinson and if and if, if you if McKay Beckton becomes the player you want, I mean they they're gonna be able to run that offense the way they hope to. Yep, let's stick with the offensive line. Whyesper Ravens head coach, do we get the Ravens yet? No? Nailed it? Ravens head coach John Harbaugh says, Ronnie Stanley and his surgically repaired ankle is quote looking great. Ronnie Stanley, remember Ronnie Stanley. He signed a one hundred million dollar extension midway through the season and then a couple of days later suffer just a brutal catastrophic ankle injury required two surgeries, landed him on the pup list to start training camp last year. Then he appeared in one game and then was ruled out the rest of the year, So we'll see. Harball also said that Stanley might miss the beginning of training camp this season as well, but they're hoping he's going to be ready for two thousand twenty two season opener. Now, they added some guys in free agency, Morgan Moses one of them, um to help offset Stanley's loss if he's not able to do it, and to give him some depth. But talk about a big piece. If Ronnie Stanley came back and it was Ronnie Stanley, that's a huge boost for Lamar Jackson and that Baltimore offense that loves to run the rock. Yeah, that's a great point because especially draft drafting linder Bomb, which maybe they had a little more zone running to their offense, like their offensive line could be beastly again. And it's it's sort of a concerned about the Ravens. In general, Yes, they should have better injury luck this year after being decimated last year, but a lot of their season might come back down to, like how quickly and how well these guys come back from their injury. I think there's some concern j K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards might not be fully ready for the start of the season ready to go. Taias Bowser, who was like a key starter for them at a thin position, is coming off of a major injury. They drafted Ojaba who won't be ready, So they have They have a lot of guys kind of like are they going to be ready for the first month. They might be a better team to play in September than than November. They usually are like that too. All right, let's take a break. We'll be right back with more. Yesper alright, Greggy, We're back. I just some I found it interesting that the Beat guys really think Jimmy Garoppolo is gone. The guys who have been in San Francisco for like fifteen years. I'm talking about year old Beat writers. I'm not old, but like they've been around. Matt Myoco and Matt Barrows, these guys that like they they don't just make their little fifty three man roster projection without real inside information after talking to a lot of people, and they really think Jimmy G's gone. And I just reading through some of the coverage, I that it was more meaningful to me than anything that John Lynch or Kyle Shanahan said that they tend to think that that relationship is just over and they'll find they'll find a spot for him. So I tend to believe that too. I thought Jimmy G's comments about how difficult last season was, and you know, he for for all the critique of his play, I mean, he never complained, um in a scenario where it's like, you know, they're basically about to dump you to the corner at some point. For the guy they just sold the franchise to draft, he never complained. He took him to the you know, plays away from the Super Bowl and and said it was one of the toughest years of his life. And so it's like, I think you have to work with Jimmy G at this point and not put him back in this situation. And also let's look at the money, because they have to go deal with Deebo Samuel's contract, like Jimmy G is the chip that needs to be removed for that to be more possible. It is a little concerning how to be one like snap away from Nate Sudfeld starting, you know, for you, it's got to be a little Nick Wessling had texted us we did aren't Dalton Scale episode last week, and he pointed out that he thought that Jimmy G was a guy that should really be considered as the primarity and of NFL quarterbacks, and I said that I see him on that point, and perhaps we should have given Garoppolo a little more conversation toward that. I think that, yeah, I think the injury has made him so difficult to both evaluate, to trade, to even have a conversation um like that. But yeah, I was doing a little research on the Dalton Scale because I was like, oh, that would be good fun kind of offseason right up. So I'm gonna do something on the website connected to the conversation we had last week, and Jimmy Garoppolo's winning percentages over seven hundred as a starter, and I'm not saying every rest of the under Kyle Shanahan are under well under right here, And so that that does speak, and I can hear Chris Nick's brother Um from the Great Beyond, shouting like, it's not just about the quarterback wins and losses. Um, but there's a reason why all you all you hear is all these players praising uh, their teamate Jimmy Garoppolo because the players only care about winning, and he wins when he plays typically. Yeah, I think listen. I mean part of the Andy Dalton experience was it isn't all about wins. But this was something Chris would bring up. I mean he actually did in that episode that Dalton will get you a certain way, but then you get into the playoffs and it's a crumbled nation, and Dalton and George Garoppolo took the Niners to a super Bowl. Secondly, here's my bigger reason why I went with Kirk Cousins. Kirk Cousins gives you a certain aura of frustration of like, uh, like he's good and you can argue for him, but he's still Kirk Cousins. Jimmy G is simply to Kirk, Kirk Cousins is a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Jimmy G is too attractive, um and too spicy as a person to be the Dalton Scale winner. What did interesting argument? But I like it. What if you did this, because again I've been looking up some of these guys and dive in a little deeper. What have you combined Jimmy Garoppolo's winning percentage with Kirk Cousins four years in Minnesota in which he's thrown a hundred and twenty four touchdowns against thirty six interceptions and with a passer rating of one oh three point five, we would be talking about he really is the next Tom Brady and yet there may not be a perfect Dalton right now. That's that's the issue. But the fans, the listeners spoke and they were very solidly in the Kirk Cousins camp. So I don't know what that what we draw from that well, and were drawing that Mark's going to take a W when he can and and he should give it to him. I mean, it's not that's a great point, Mark. I think it's a it's a it's a W for the community, the listening community right right. What was there? There was some other vote recently that I came out on top. It was the oh the when we drafted those rosters with Phoebe. I didn't bring it up really at all, but Marx brought this up about six times now in two episodes. Well, like you said, you don't have to, you have to, you know, ascertain where you scored a W and make sure people know about it. I wasn't on that other episode. I would have praised you had I been there. Trust me, Well, I think the key is I'm owing two in this scenario. That's the key. Go ahead, Mark, I would like to go to I don't like that. I don't like it. That's a drop. That's why you jumped in early create that nonsensical item. Wow. The power that I have at my house is to simply turn off this laptop and go watch a television show and not be part of this show anymore if I wish. Okay, but I'll call you on that bluff. Let's see it. Let's see. I'm just saying, if it gets to that point ahead, Oh yeah, this has become utterly absurd. Um New Orleans, where there are a lot of whispers. Marcus Davenport, you know this off season is what I'm glad you're hitting. Yeah, we're meant to be having um. You know, times are meant to be lighter. It's the summer we go out, especially if you're in New Orleans. You just that you enjoy yourself in a way that most human beings cannot. Marcus Davenport um has not had that offseason of wine and roses. Uh. He has had a nagging left pinky injury. The dates back to his college days when he tore ligaments in his finger. He's had multiple surgeries on it. He had a plate put in it that broke, and ultimately this offseason they had to amputate the top of the finger. And uh, you know, he appeared before beat reporters with um, you know, as heavily bandaged, and he basically said it's down to a nub. At this point, he's also dealing with uh, multiple surgeries to repair an injured shoulder. So this guy is going through it. And I think we think the Saints defense unanimously is a top three type entity and he's a big part of that. And I hope he's healthy by then. I think, you know, for what he has to do, probably losing tip of your finger, you can still operate, but you need those hands. You need those hands. Yeah, you need those hands, you know, there's something gross. There's something gross about the little nug in there that the plate that was inserted broke. That had to be nasty. And it always, if you are a football fan, that goes back a little bit. You always think about when you hear something like this Ronnie Lott, and you remember that story about Ronnie Lott that he was playing in a game in December and he's trying to make a tackle on running back Timmy Newsome of the Cowboys, and um he suffered a broken left pinky finger. The Niners finished ten and sixth that season qualified for the playoffs. They faced a powerhouse Giants team in the wild card round, and Lot was facing a decision from doctors put a pin in the finger and to cast over it and then wait eight weeks for it to heal. So essentially your season's over. Or amputate the tip of the finger off from the first joint up and be able to play against the Giants. A Lot, a great warrior, picked option B, gave up his pinky. Doctors numbed it, sliced it, put it in a cast. He plays in the game, and the Niners, even with Joe Montana, score three points. It's an awesome New York team, one of the great teams ever. Montana. I think Montana got Um had had the life taken out of this game, was removed at one point he was hit, So I if it's the game I'm remembering, Montana was devastated by a Giants defender and left almost lifeless on the floor. Well, I don't know about the eighty six game. I know that happened in the in the nine or ninety game when he got hit I believe by Leonard Marshall and missed two years because of it. So maybe it happened twice though, because that was a ferocious Giant's defense led by lt. But now, the one thing that people don't talk about with a Lot was that he looked back at it as one of the great regrets of his life. And Davenport's are totally different that wuation. But I just thought this was interesting. Here's a quote he told the Associated Press in because the story that everyone knows ends right there, right like, I didn't you know anything about the Lot No, No, I knew that, but I didn't know you regretted. Yeah, that just like he was a total badass, and this is who he was It was so emblematic of what the man was. This is the quote he gave to the Associated Press the next year. I was trying to laugh it off. Oh when he first the first when the cast came off and he looked at what was left of his finger, he said, I was trying to laugh it off, but I felt sick. I tried to stand up, but I broke into a cold sweat. It was just a total shock. I thought, Oh, man, I should have had the pin put in. We're losing the compassionate side of sports. Were becoming gladiators. If I ever become a coach, I hope I never lose sight of the fact that players are people, they feel, they have emotions. I could have I could have all of Eddie De Bartolo's corporations, who was running the Niners at the time, And it isn't going to buy me a new finger. It has given me a new perspective on life. How that wow fact checked by the way in that game divisional playoffs after the eighties six season, Montana was wiped out by Jim Burton replaced by Jeff Kemp, So Montana can't be blamed for the lost he had like a hospitalized concussion scenario. Either way, that's uh yeah, that's a troubling story, and that's it was tough man, Marcus Davenport didn't try to hide it in the moment how difficult this has been. Plus having the shoulder series too. But it's like such an NFL story that's like, you know, it's like you you almost had you. I saw the reaction to It's like, well, they'll be ready for the season. It's not gonna be it's not gonna like affect um whether whether he's gonna play or not. But as um I would say, um the pre eminent Marcus Davenport fan among the national uh football media, I haven't enjoyed, you know, all the injuries yet I've always pushed back, but I liked this guy. They make they make fun of them on the Saints Twitter podcast, calling him to first, he's had a he's had a nice career. He's a good pass rusher, they need him, and he's battled through these injuries to actually last year was was a very good player for them. That you should tell your friends on that podcast that he's he's not just some gladiator. He's a man. Respect This man's humanaged lesson bone and he has emotions. Hey, let's tell a feel good story. This one's for you, Greggy. You know everybody had their little chuckles. Who's the guy? Who's the guy on our show? What's his name? Something? Chuckles? Johnny Chuckles. Wasn't Johnny chuckles? Johnny chuckles? Um? When the Patriots quote unquote reached for Cold Strange late in the first round the guard. But you know I went through an ESPN roundup of how the first round picks have fared so far in their first mini camps, and I came across this nug from Mike Reese. Um, you know, Grever, give me a little Let's give Greggy this. He needs us. He pretends he's not a Patriots man, but you know he wants this guy to really work out well. A plug and place starter at left guard, the U T Chattanooga alum ended one practice at mandatory minicamp by hustling thirty yards to try to recover a fumble and ended up in a spirited mini scroom with outside linebacker Matthew Judon and others. As a result. Judon later credited Strange for his all out approach, which has made a quick impression amongst several inside the Patriots organization. You can see that athleticism. You could see it match up with the Vets who have been here in the NFL, which is really good. Matt Patricia getting some Logan Mankins vibes. I mean, I don't know if we if you can't to draw too much from otiers, it is I think pretty difficult to evaluate guard play when you're doing seven on seven with no tackling or But that's good. I like the I like the vibes. He's certainly gonna start. There's no question they don't have much of a uh any option, so he he is going to play and and you know Bill wants to prove everyone wrong. Um Logan Mankin's very similar vibes, just saying that he didn't show up with some Facata T shirt that he arrived at training camp. Cold strange Dad taking Beckton in a big Jets fan shouldn't be a little annoyed with McKay Beckton. Come on, okay, no free passes here, and that's Patriots play caller Ma Patricia, by the way, So I'm sorry, uh, why why maybe we do something unprecedented and just give Cole strange offensive rookie of the year now because it seems so cemented after that thirty yard um burst into the pile. Well, while while we're there there, actually there was some news from Otiz there It was pretty signif again on their offensive line, which is you're playing Trent Brown at left tackle, who's missed chunks of basically every season almost his entire career, and moving uh their first round pick from four years ago over to right tackle to battle Isaiah Win which would be a pretty big change. And and I think Trent Brown is very different than McKay Beckton, but I think he holds a similar importance to the Patriots season where you could either get all pro type play or you could get very little. And moving him over to left tackle and potentially benching Win and maybe trading Win, I wouldn't totally be shocked by in camp. Is is something to watch because win wind has been okay when when they've played, but their offensive line was has been a strength for a while. I don't know if it's going to be a strength for sure this year. It's pretty up in the year. All right, I'm gonna throw out another one just because that was let's let's throw out a few more attack on I got it, I got it, I got too many, I got too many. We gotta bring up in the show Grave Digger, I know, but we got some real good ones I want to get. We gotta bring up Grave Diggers Guy trail On Burke. So this is this is the type of o t A story that people are like, Hey, it's only OTTs, don't matter at all, and I get that, um, but when he had the conditioning troubles at the first few practices, You're like, Okay. Then when he's just like out of the last couple of weeks of practices and the coaches being very vague about it and they're not trying to put it on the asthma, they're kind of just putting on it like he wasn't really ready for this. A little concerning, especially considering the spot he holds on that roster as someone they kind of need this year. Three words for you, justin as we turned the mic over to you, Spin Baby, Spin, go ahead. Well. On my Titans podcast that came out today, we did Good to Bad and the Ugly from Titans Minicamp, and I mean at least used the name here. This is like Mickey Mouse stuff. You're not even saying the name. It's the Music City Audible podcast. Um hosted by myself and Justin Mellow shout out. Uh yeah, we said that was the Film Room. That's a Twitter. That's my Twitter. We had a podcast a while ago where the co host and I didn't work. You gotta work on your brand so I can mentally process that. The name of your type of podcast is music City, music City Audible, you know, like Music City Miracle, and like an audible is like a football thing. Film really dying on a sideline audio. You're getting the word audio in there too. That's that is on next level play on sort of a good will hunting level play on words. Just that Mark is disgusted with this level of self promotion. Graver, you just need to soldier on. Just keep thank you. Um yeah. So Trailon Burke's pretty it's we called it the ugly from minicamp that he hasn't practiced and like you could be, like you said, you could be like oh it's just so t as, it doesn't matter. But the Titans need him to be a productive player early and this is not an encouraging sign at all. So here's the quote from Rob Moore, former Jet Rob Moore, he was a good receiver. It's unfortunate some of the things he's dealing with are out of his control. The kid has asthma. Now that that's a quote where they're trying to like protect them a little bit. But again, it's like Rabo did less of that. It felt like Rabo was a little more like hardcore coach, like he needs to get his act together, but it was vague why he wasn't there. He also like he really floundered in pre draft workouts for teams from a physical issue. Is at Arkansas where he kind of went up and down right. And this is John Robinson, the GM who totally whipped on Isaiah Wilson in Round one two years ago. It's like some of these gms just hang around no matter what. And he's built a good roster. But I mean they take risky players in round one. One of the reasons Farley a year ago, I was not giving them anything coming off with huge injuries. He's a big X factor too. Yeah. One of the reasons why I love the draft and the shows we do at and around the draft is you know, it's hope season. It's all about optimism. Um, but now we're getting to you know, we're outside that window now. When you spin forward in the draft, including those first thirty two picks in the first round, are littered with guys that aren't gonna make it. Now. That's not gonna say. That's not to say Traylon Burke's is not gonna make it. Once upon a time, Odell Beckham had a pretty messy first training camp with the Giants and turned into one of the more explosive playmakers we've seen in the last thirty years. It's just it's worth noting. It's fair, it's a good whisper. It's not even a whisper, though. I would imagine Titans fans are hearing it a little louder. Yeah, they're not real sprang about it at this point. Yeah, we did our We rated our concerned level. In my level was should I be concerned? It's like, start to ask yourself if you should be concerned about this. It's a little early to be concerned, but definite with a question and a question, you know, classic deferral, classic deferral. All right, let's take one more break and then we'll wrap things up. We'll be all right. Let you check in here. I mentioned that I kind of spun through the some of the rookies, anybody not so much. Obviously, a lot of the first round picks are going to a lot of positive talk around them, um, but you know Burke's as an example as a guy where maybe not so positive around him. I didn't see too much of that elsewhere. One guy to keep an eye on. Let's talk about the Giants real quick here, Evan Neil. I do put something into when a rookie shows up and then people are kind of falling over with praise, and it makes you think, oh, I wonder if they nailed this pick. Evan Neil, the offensive tackle taking seventh overall. UM Veteran guard Mark Lewinski described him as just dominant, and that's a good son. That's the type of stuff you heard around Quentin Nelson when he first came to camp. I'm just saying, when you hear words like that, immediately I'm into that. And our friend Cavon Thibodeau of the Giants, just to keep an eye on it. He spent most of the spring in a red jersey, working out with a train around the side because of an undisclosed injury. He got twisted up on and a rep late and practice during the second week of O t S and they kept him out of the spring. Not a reason to get overly concerned. We'll see as long as he's on the field for the start of training cap it's probably nothing and they're gonna be careful with the number five overall pick. And I'll also mention, unless this has changed, Grave Digger, that Cavon Thibodeaux will be on our podcast for a third appearance next week. Uh, and that's something to look forward to. That was part whisperer, part plug smart and and that Evan Neo Pop is kind of um in contrast to the tackle taken right after him. He kim a Kum which who isn't getting any negative talk, but it Brady Christensen has been lining up at left tackle there and Kno didn't seem like totally happy with the suggestion that there's a chance he could play guard, so and the coach kind of putting it out there that Christensen is maybe one of our best players. Just something to keep an eye on. That Equanmu maybe not stepping in the same way. Alright, Greg, what else you gouts hit us with the that a certain quarterback conversation, Well, I I noted UM that Jacoby Britt hadn't taken any first team reps at all, almost any not just first team, but just any reps that have been all Deshaun Watson at the O T s in minicamp, And I think putting that into context with the reporting and there's been a lot since we last talked that a that uh his side, Watson side is bracing for a potential one year suspension that was in the Washington Post. We don't know if that's going to happen or not. Um. And then also the news that twenty of the twenty four women who were suing Watson in civil courts are now settling uh their suits and that more of them, it sounds like, are going to settle as well. And it really just maybe the original um uh claimant that that when against him, that wants that is going to keep her case going, Ashley solots uh. And so there's a lot going on there. And and I don't think the fact that Brissette didn't take any reps, by the way, is surprising, because I think O T as in mini camp is when you would want Watson just as a as a team to get as much working as he can. And at some point, though, if we know the suspension and it's coming, we just don't know how long it is, And in that point we'll be in training camp. You're gonna have to get Jacoby Brissette ready to start the season because he's gonna be starting a chunk of the season and that's gonna be one of the many awkward things to do with the Browns that that they'll have to do in training camp. Well, also from another angle, if let's say Watson's gone for for a year, which is my personal expectation, the brown season is just wait until next year. Anyways. I mean, I understand they're still gonna probably they're talented roster to some degree, but Jacoby Brissett, your quarterback, Like the plan couldn't be farther afield from what they hoped would be. And there is another note that Albert Brier, while we were gone, reported that the Browns are now willing to pay up to half of Baker Maker Baker Mayfield salary and a trade. So I there's been this little tiny drumbeat that you never know Baker Mayfield could be back with Cleveland. I just think that that relationship from both sides exactly like, it's just not happening. So I think if you don't have Deshaun Watson, if you're Cleveland, you understand this is a lost campaign no matter how they message it, and you think about next season. Yeah. I saw that from Brier also, and the Panthers would only do a Mayfield trade if it's a bargain, according to Brier, and maybe that means they would have to the Browns would have to eat more of that money. Josina Anderson of CBA Sports also reported that the Panthers are quote still doing it's due diligence in terms of looking to QB. Baker Mayfield the football player and the person. So you know, Baker, I wonder, you know not we don't need to delve too far because we've tried to shoot the story into the sun many times this offseason. But I wonder if he learned anything in terms of how to handle the media and what to say and more importantly, what not to say, because it maybe that is playing a role in his being, him being kind of hung up here in between two worlds in this type of upside down purgatory he currently exists. I do think that the settling the civil cases is pretty significant too. I think it might have been a case of what's happened over the last month and the the negative attention that's rightfully evan on Watson from the HBO story and and the new UM cases, that at some point they just decided this needs, this needs to end, to to to move on. And it won't totally end because there will be that one case apparently going against them. But I think it makes a lot of sense that they're they're trying to move on after forever saying that that would never happen, that they would never settle. I saw a report that there could be two more coming UM civil suits, which would take it up to twenty six. And I'm just curious because there had been talked that the NFL might now wait to make an official move, you know, as we're saying, until all the lawsuits were settled, either through the courts or as a pre trial settlement. I'm just curious, like just us, these twenty four gets settled. Potentially, you don't know if the trickle will continue, right, It's it could keep coming. Who knows well, that's where they talked to. There was a there were different opinions inside, like the League office reportedly on what to do with this. But I think if you look at if you say, as a baseline, maybe you're out for the year, then if more, if there's more trickling in cases, I think a year at least from now says we've done. We've viewed this a certain way. Here's the punishment, and it's not six games or eight games where you're thinking, oh, it should have been ten or twelve and I'm not just mine it's gonna be a year either. There's a thought that like they put that out there so that when it becomes when it's ten, then they can act like it's a victory that they're the ones leaking this and there is going to be this one case Ashley Solis, who I think her words it shouldn't take that, but her being on HBO and people are seeing her just say that what happened to her, I think had a big impact because I think people believe her and she's not she's not going to settle. It sounds like she she wants to take this, she doesn't want his money. She wants to take this as far as again espers, Mark, what do you got Arizona? Oh? Sorry, Mark? This again not personal. I don't even know what this is. Who's got it? Sorry? Mark? Um? Rob Gronkowski has announced that he is retiring again. Oh wow wait what really? Yeah? And now he will retire. Look at Graver step it in doesn't even let us know. Um, And he did it with something that's worth it. That is a surprise. I just expected that somehow Tom Brady has this magical power that will keep Rob Gronkowski playing with him as long as Tom Brady wants to play football. But I guess I'm still not ruling out that he'll play at some point this season. Same. But at the same time, I totally agree, and in fact, I've joked about it on the show. Like anyone else that's getting caught up in the will here won't. He isn't paying attention because Gronk is just sitting out. He doesn't want to do training camp, he doesn't want to do O T S. But maybe he's just having too much fun again, you know, doesn't it make sense if it with this situation, if he retires it comes back in November fully healthy, and they roll with him from there. He knows the offense. He is a spiritual link with Tom Brady. You don't need him in July and August. Right he's probably like, I don't want to do O T A. S. And then he's like, I don't want to do mandatory minticamp. And now he's like, I don't want to do training camp, and then he's probably like, I don't want to do September. It's super hot in Tampa. He'll come in right like right around Halloween like roll in and probably be a key factor by January. It's hard. Football is hard, and he's had these back surgeries that people thought were going to be a problem for him his whole life. Um, and the Bucks put him to work. One of the sneaky parts of Gron's value the last couple of years is literally no tight end plays more than Gronkowski. He he is when he is playing, he is on the field, and UM, that's like that that's a lot to ask. I agree with you, Dan, Like, if you're a Gronk, if you're gonna play me sixty seventy snaps the game, maybe I'll wait till like week twelve or even see maybe I won't play then, but um I'll find out how I'm feeling then that would be the way the way where do you get off Greg saying football is hard? You never played the game. It just looks very hard, and they all say it's hard, and I believe him. Frank, Is that a fair point, though? Mark? From me? Yeah, I mean, I you know, I can, I can channel. I remember going to practice five days a week, two hours and nights six to eight p m. And sometimes that I not unders on the beach with my son, and even that that's difficult. You're playing very tiring, right, just like I wouldn't you. Nobody wants to hear about me what it would be like growing up in England. Mark could tell you what I can tell you. I'm drawing from human experience exactly, all right, Mark? With that further, that's a big loss. I mean, I will I will offer a nugget. Are there any semi snarky sound drops or maybe a news update from like China negotiations before before I while there is act, there is one more thing, and I'm sorry with Gronk temporarily or permanently out of the picture, and we know that O j. Howard, who, by the way, was not getting very good reports up there in Buffalo, which is interesting because well he had a bad I think an achilles injury, but he was the can't miss. He was Kyle Pitts a few years back. Again, it shows you injuries and guys can't miss sometimes miss. But anyway, who is going to eat up and gobble up those snaps at tight End? For Tom Brady, Cameron Braids their starter. They did draft a guy in the fourth round I don't know much about and Kate dot And and they'll play, they'll play more receivers. They'll they'll just uh, they'll they'll go four wide and three. You know, they'll they'll give Russell Gauge some of those snaps two and some of the receiver depth. But yeah, they don't really they don't really have a guy like Gronk. Cameron Brady is certainly not a Gronk like figure. They might even a bo Car. They'll probably find someone out there, like a veteran who who isn't signed. I say, I submit you sign Will Fuller and then have him eat a bunch of food and convert him to tight end. Will Fuller to an active roster in two. Let's make it happen, all right without further ado, Mark Sessler, the floor is yours. I'm very smart, Mark, Mark. I just I am tracking, like you know this, this Kyler Murray situation, and every little thing that said to me um matters because I think the whole organizational shift from where we were back in you know, February March, where Kyler Murray was botching this uh salary negotiation trade through social media with his age and all that stuff, and there were reports that he's like a video game addict that doesn't really care about football as much as other things. Well, now you've got Cliff Kingsbury saying at the rap of minicamp that he is praying, praying the Kyler Murray gets a contract extension before camp. So he's there on day one Steve kim and said, we feel confident this can get done. I just think there's been a tone shift where if this was going to turn into some horrible drama, it feels like at least maybe the negotiations take a while, but everyone's on the same page and it's not let's get rid of Kyler Murray or he's not a leader. He's not this or that. They're looking around and saying, we take it anything better right now? He fits this system. Pay them good. They should whisper whispers All right, I'm out. I mean, I have a couple others, but I don't need we don't need to talk about Elgin Jenkins right now. So what what else? Greg Why don't you empty out and some type of oh my gosh, we'll just we'll just do a rapid fire one. Let's go hit me. Uh. Braxton Jones is right now the starting left tackle in Chicago. Uh. He was a fifth round rookie pick right now. Tevin Jenkins, who they drafted very high a year ago, is a backup st Colin Plays. I think that's kind of been uh, under the radar a little bit in Philadelphia. He picked up halfway through last year. Randy Gregory, he's always hurt, coming off a shoulder surgery. Devin Bush. I thought this one was fascinating. I think he's getting replaced by Miles Jack. They're moving him to like strong side linebacker. I don't know if he has a role. Rodney Hudson didn't show up. Watch out for a contract problem. Jarvis Landry healthy names in here. Some of us can't hit every one of these players in their database internally, sure, Devin Bush, that was that was in Pittsburgh's kind of been a bit of a problem maybe getting just full out replaced by Miles Jack, Ernest Jones and Bobby Wagner. Kind of a fun little duo there. That was just like a hype piece that I'm into. Derwin James coming off of shoulder surgery. Jesse Bates, he's not gotten that contract from Cincinnati. Dux Hill, the first round pick, taking all his snaps. Brian Flores. I just Brian Flores is going to be an underrated add to this Pittsburgh Steelers operation. We already did them and that's not a thing. We've done a million Steelers things. Um, Brian, well, this is one where you need more time to do it. It's just it's kind of more like Iran Flores is having a big impact and it's maybe gonna have a sneaky monster impact. He should just the the idea is to just let Greig go until he delivers one that's a little like what and then we down. But then he might have something trench and coming up. It's gonna have to stay for it. I probably can just stop Sam Williams edge pass rusher Dallas buying that hype MVS. Pop in Kansas City. Uh, Tim Kelly taking over in Tennessee passing game coordinator. I think there could be some drama behind the scenes of their coordinator getting fired during the season. That could something I'll watch out for. And then, Uh, finally I got a few more. But I'll just stop the Jimin Davis in Washington. Uh, there's a trope he's not lost anymore, which is not always what you want to really hear from your coach, which, yeah, you were lost. The only thing about that one story is that the players that are comment on how we played last year had some pretty pointed notes about how he was such a muddled mess on the field. Like normally you'd be like, oh, yeah, he was a rookie, he's having a tough time. But if you go read what some of them were saying, it was like, ouch, he was not a popular player in terms of his production. Yeah, and he still might be in trouble. I think I have one more real quick when I just realized it, because it really caught me by surprise. Marcedes Lewis Packers tight end. He is heading into his seventeenth NFL season, and he's just one season away from tying Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten to the greatest ever play the position. For eighteen years in the league, Marcedes Lewis has been around since you know what, Greg, since you were a teenager almost, that's no, I'm not closed. Yeah, early twenties, that's what's wild. That's how kids stays in the picture. Should trade for him? I would? I yeah. I remember writing him up in Road World magazines when he was a rookie. So that is how long I've been in the game. You know, you thought he might have been a little bit more of a receiver, big impact. He was kind of a disappointment from a fantasy perspective. He's been He's entering his seventeenth year. Guys out all the time when they're eight. Oh, he can't play anymore. Zeke Elliott Man, he's gonna get cut this year. He can't move anymore. Seven years old. Very special human, special human being. Anyway, shout out Marcedes Lewis. That's an achievement. He also spells Mercedes in a way that I continually um misspelled. Don't call him Mercedes, No, you can't do it alright? Good stuff? Did you have anything a Mark? I know you felt a little overlooked in the back end of the seg. No, it's more than every time I attempt to speak on the show, Dan is unfurling some new sort of mean spirited drop that tries to knock me down a peg, or or there's some other anthem or breaking news. So it's like, I'm not sure why I prepared for the episode to begin with. You know that we've been doing this long enough. I'm not unfurling these drugs. You're creating them ahead of time. That's how you saw Grave Diggers, you know, one and interest in the background. You think that I met up with Grave Digger before today's show to plot out how to undermind you. I think you're texting him or doing little d M mean during the show. Yeah, absolutely, there's some coordination. Justin More, Justin has simply adopted the Erica playbook. He's just internal conversation about how to take down Mark and make him unhappy today between you and I. No, No, absolutely not. This is what is what is Grave Digger going to say to that question? In a general coaching No, absolutely not. Just trying to make a product. You know, a little conflict is better for entertainment value. How show you conflict? What was that Graver impression there? Mark, No, No, absolutely not. Then I do have to say I'm very into the spot on Graver cecil our heat that continues to simmer on the back of the It's funny because you advertise yourself as a peacemaker, but really you think you're the opposite. I would say that Graver and I, you know, before our show up and who had it, sat down and talked for about twenty five minutes, had a great chat. So there's some nonsense involved with that tick to I've had nothing to do with any tensions that might be building. Once again with nothing at all producers, I have had nothing to do with it. This has all been naturally homegrown. But I am enjoying it. I'll say that, but I'm not responsible Dan. Dan looked at me like a proud father when I hit the Mark whispers dropper herself. That's just nice. I'll be a different type of relative to you. We miss the vikings, the dolphins, the bills, and the falcons unless one of the ones. Greg said covering we got the Bills because O J. Howard he's struggling up there. Arthur Smith has been glowing about Desmond Ritter being like way beyond a rookie, but it felt very tropish to me. So I think, so who's still out now? If we count those two dolphins Vikings Dolphins, Brian Flores kind of Dolphins adjacent, Yeah, I guess we hit Kirk Cousins on the Dalton scale stuff here, you got them? Not really, that's fine. Everyone's talking about, Oh now the Vikings have an updated offense. It's like, damn, like they scored like thirty points a game last year. Here, I got one note. I got one note, which was like it was either left guard or right guard. I forget which one was. Was like the only starting position that was kind of up for grabs for the Vikings right now. And it's like, damn, is this team like coming off of a super Bowl championship. It is this weird team that they have like incredible continuity and so there's very little to talk about, but only like one starting job. Maybe it's like totally up for grabs. Which encounterpoint or a lack of desire to improve. They're like we're good with what we had last year. Just start them again. It's it's a little weird, all right, good stuff. Uh. We will be back on Thursday with another EPISO of Around the NFL the Summer Tour, parent Storming. When are you going to Japan? Greg? Monday? To the Orient? Greg goes, I will miss the cave on Thibodeau in person interview, which is unfortunate because I enjoyed them quite a bit. That is a bummer. That is a bummer. But we'll say hi, We'll say Greg says high from Japan. Maybe he'll he'll say wow, like that's intriguing, like he's in Japan. Good conversation. Yeah, all right, good, all right, thanks everybody for listening. Uh until Thursday. You know what you need to do, need the call. Hey, Danny Wayne Quebec, New York Jet got a message from Ricky Hollywood. I want to reach out to you. Tell me a big Jet fan and a fan of mine. I appreciate it, man, you know how to blast them. Eleven years hopefully gave you a lot to tear about. A big reason I am reaching out to her. You're having your birthday, so very happy birthday to you. Dan. I just want to let you know everybody's thinking about you. Love you, you know, hopefully have a great day's safe day. Wanted me to tell you that you have the best hair out of anyone, and I've ever seen you got a concerned They want people to call you the new old blue Eyes. I'm not sure what's it means, man, but it sounds like you, guys, some great friends are rising you a little bit. Uh Listen, I know it was a tough year of two wins. You know, there's nothing you can do about it now, but they got a great new coach, great new coach, coaching staff. We gotta second to the second pick in the draft. Man, we get a quarterback. I'm not sure wish one, but young guys did well. You know the backed in and uh you know sheould made the Pro Bowl. Quinn should made the Pro Bowl. So there's a lot to be excited about. So look forward to that two thousand twenty one. Hopefully you have a great two thousand twenty one. And I wanted to give a shout out to your get dad. Heard he's the real Jets fan. So enjoy your day. Happy birthday, Dan, and go Jets. Take care, man, Take care man take care man take care man take care man take care man, take care man, take care man