BURNING QUESTIONS for the 2022 NFL Season

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Speaker 1: Be around with the NFL podcast. It's colder than Mattie Eyes from the Chris west Link podcast studio. It's around the NFL. I'm Dan Kansas Heroes to my left, Greg Rosenthal and Mark Sessler. Oh yeah, what's up? Boys? Heroes are plenty. Oh yeah, team in with Heroes. Dan had a variety of technical issues heading into the show today, and I think he's you know when it's rare that Dan seems rattled a little bit, a little rattled a little It's like a laptop. You know, I'm doing some pre show work at the house, is like, let me get to the office a little bit early, get ahead of things. Get their professional computer doesn't turn on. Then I have a backup laptop and then it's like a password from like July of two thousand twenty one. Don't know that I got I t in the mix. Then I got people coming in and saying low and you know, you know how it is, Mark, with people doing the rounds, people do as they say. It really cut into greg My prep time, which I don't like because I like you also just don't like to talk to other people unless they've had had approved I'm okay with talking to people. I do not get a famously um tight the list of people allowed into the inner circle, especially very good Christmas party. That's different, very different different. That's a certain test. They have to be bringing something to the table, can be taking things off the table. But if they're not bringing anything, if they're just like in the middle, they might not get asked backed either. Yeah, it's like and if they're sitting at the table, and then after the party, like oh where the salt, pep, where a salt? You guys see that I had a Tabasco bottle. Here was Larry forks and knives. Where were they? Somebody took some up the table. They don't come back. They've got one chance with you. But that's the thing. I'm a friendly person and I'll talk to anybody here in the office. But in terms of like hanging, yeah, it's a little tighter. I don't I don't see you're you with a huge circle, Greg, Like, buddy, come hang with me. We've been to your house once for your son's like second birthday party, like a prior decade. Yeah, I'm not taking any shots. I know I'm more I feel like i'm more of I'm I'll be happy to talk to the In fact, Mark complains about me walking around the room talking to too many people here but continually and being character assassinated during this. I enjoy many people. I like going out, and we used to be there all day, every day, even at this time of year. Remember that I don't think I'm speaking in a AM to five pm. I don't think I'm speaking, But I think what God on Mark's radar is that he saw that his potential ladder climbing attempts being made. When you're glad handing through the news, what's usually like Jeremy Bergman and David Eally, that's pretty much who it is. I mean, I see Greg in her office for about eight minutes a week at this point. So I'm not try to time it now lunch at the huddle out. Just time it so that you get there right when lunch opens and then have a nice, luxurious, delicious taco. All right, I'm looking forward to that taco. But first we need to deliver a quality podcast to you the listener. Thank you for following us all season long. Here we are deep and May the last day of May, and we're gonna get you caught up to what's going on around the NFL. Also, you know, people people want answers. People want to know what's going to happen in people. They're burning questions and they demand knowledge now, and that's where we come in. We fill in the blank there. You give us questions. We took some from the internet, we have some our of our own, perhaps, and we're gonna be asking each other questions about the season. And here's the thing, a little bit of a spoiler alert. We are answering these questions with the actual answer about what's going to happen. So be ready. Don't turn off the app. Let it play with the volume down so we get the download figures. But understand, the information you're gonna hear about the season is something that will occur, So get ready. And I think for if you're the type of person because you sort of said, you know, generalize that everyone wants answers, and I think that's true. But for some people that maybe the enjoyment of sport is to allow the drama to unfold in real time. This is a dangerous episode. Absolutely, I would say, yes, this is one of the more dangerous episodes because you're messing with the time and space continuum, and people are wondering, how do you how are you gonna know these answers? Are you time travelers? No, it's something like that. It's just something we're gonna look into the abyss and the answers will come to us. Because we've been doing this podcast since two thousand thirteen, we now have all the information experts. A lot of people in this in this day and age who don't really rely on expertise. They think they're the expert, but they're wrong. Thank you. We are the experts. Thank you. It's well said. All right, speaking of well said, we got a lot to do, news wise, let's hit it. Let's hear from a voice that's very near and dear to us. Man, I'd love to see somebody like Matthew Stafford with with Sean McVeigh from the archives of around the NFL. It's the legend Chris Westling And that was dated September six, two thousand nineteen, Week one preview, Uh, Sean McVeigh. You know at that point, I believe Jared Goff was a highly productive starter at that time still, but Matthew Stafford was going through his Detroit Lions career and what season. Was that just signed his mega extension and you were all talking about it, reacting to it, and that's where that they were supporters on this on this podcast, Greg, I thought that you were quite a golf guy for a bit of time there. Really he had a he had he had a stretch where he was talked about the MT when he went to the game, it was mostly that he just threw a pretty ball that he had that beautiful Thursday night game. But I do remember, and this is not anything against you, but when we went to Rams camp, I remember talking on the site and we were all kind of really impressed by his arm strength and just the free and easy way in which he threw the ball. I mean, there was a time or golf seemed like the guy but West to his credit, but what if Matthew Stafford and shown they got together. It's a special connection too, because I know, Um Keisha told me that that was like the last football conversation they ever had. Basically was Stafford getting traded to the Rails and uh and she mentioned to him, you know what had happened. It wasn't like a long talk, but um, but he he was excited for her that that her team got such a great player and then all ended up with her at the SUPERA can't believe the Rams and Bengals played in the Super Bowl. We miss you, Chris Westling. And by the way, shout out to Joe whitehead listener who dug through the archives and found that I love when people send us stuff like that. That's great. We would never have known that I remembered. All right, let's hit the news starting with some sad news. We and this is for the second time in a couple of months now, because we lost Dwayne Haskins Uh due to an accident on the highway down in Florida. And now we get the news that Arizona Cardinals cornerback Jeff Gladney killed in a car accident early Monday morning. His agent confirmed this to ESPN. The Cardinals released a statement Monday afternoon, also confirming the death, which occurred at around two thirty in the morning on Monday. Glad He's twenty, was twenty five years old. He had signed with the Cardinals in March after a jury found him not guilty on a eleny assault charge. It was that assault charge and those legal issues that led to the end of his run with the Minnesota Vikings, who took him in the first round out a TCU in but he was released in August when he was indicted on that charge. So um his NFL career never got off the ground. Off the field issues caused a major strain for him. But at twenty five years old, Jeff Gladen, he passes away very sad and a passenger. Female passenger in the car also lost their life. In other news on the football field, Aaron Donald speaking of the Rams and the Super Bowl champions He is eight years into one of the most legendary careers of any defensive lineman in NFL history. Now he's got his ring, remember him pointing to the finger after he got the big takedown of Joe Burrow. He says he'd be at peace with his career if he Rams can't agree to a new contract this summer. He's signed through the season, but he has no guaranteed money left on his deal. He was on the I Am Athlete. It feels like there's a missing word there, but all right, I Am Athlete podcast. This is what he had to say about the situation. Me talking about retirement that would happen to be Wait before we want to. I've been saying that since I got into the league, I's gonna play eight years and be done. I just, you know, that's just what I've been saying. It just it just came out down. Anybody think that, you know, he's saying, if you want the Super Bowl even retired. Now, I've been talking. I got teammates, coaches, my family know about this. I said, I'm gonna play eight years and now probably be done playing football. But winning the Super Bowl you get kind of get a little addicted to us. I want to go out again, though I ain't gonna lae. That's like that experience is like no none other. So um, if if if I was to play it just to win another super Bowl. But at the end of the day, it's still a business and it got to make sense to me and my family. Mark Donald said that he and the Rams probably will work out a deal, but if one can't be reached, he won't walk away. Mad. I mean, this is different to me than uh Kyler Murray in his anti drama wiping his Instagram account. I think Donald is being truthful. He's he's in a place of individual comfort with where he is in his career. Now do I think that a mega deal from the Rams that will make him the most highly paid defensive player in the league. And the fact that they're sitting right in a wide open Super Bowl window probably will have him um inking a new deal and sitting pat with the Rams a few weeks from now, months from now. Yes, right, he said it's about it's not about the money. But it's a business. So it's a business, and it's just one of those things when you sign a deal that he did, and the teams were looking to get guys to sign long deals. He signed a six year, hundred and thirty five million dollar contract. But it don't add a forty million dollars signing bonus eighties six million dollars guaranteed. I mean it was more than fair. He signed it when he was twenty seven. Now he's thirty one, and now he's underpaid. Like his The money that he's making this year doesn't make any sense. And teams have to understand this. When you sign a guy to that long of a contract, yeah, you get flexibility, but you're gonna have him coming back after four seasons like he is right now. I think he'll get his money. Um, but it's tricky. I mean, what's he worth. He's the best defensive player of all time. I mean, if he was worth eighty six million dollars guaranteed last time, that's pretty double. I mean, it's like he's worth so much, but he's thirty one, So it's a little tricky for them, all right, it's top of whatever the top of the market is in that position group. He should be the top of it because it's like the top, because like, is he worth more than Davante Adams and and those guys the receiver contracts? I think he could certainly make that argument. I would tend to agree more than teach A want more than the salary cap is something easily manipulated. But like, what are the rams in a tough position here where he wants to back up the bringstruck and have a kind of positionally chain aaging type contract. How how that position is judged in and what he's been able to do with that? Is there an impasse? Possibly? I don't think so, And I think it's all ultimately a bargaining tactic and Aaron Donald will be lining up week one. I saw a Brinks truck um during my vacation and the first thing that goes through your mind is, I mean, I don't think I could physically pull this off, but how I would like to rob it and just take a small amount, just take a take a small parcel of money, but in a non violent well not just what So you're thinking, how would I do it? But yeah, that would have to I don't know. I'd have to give it more thought than I did, because too sentment is not a good um piece of evidence to put out there, you know what I mean, if you're going to do it, this is on record, unless they think because I've said it, I won't do it. Now, there's a there was a woman who was convicted for for murder last week in Washington State who had one point written a blog post how to murder your husband, and then she murdered her husband. So it's like, that's the type of digital record you can leave these days. That blog spot will get you every time. In other contract news, the Browns signed David and Joku to a four year, fifty six point eight million dollar extension includes twenty eight million guaranteed. Rap Sheet noted that by the way you and rap sheet ice broken, there was no ice to be Um, I don't know how that works, the ice to break the chill? What is the what is the terminology I'm looking for? Mark, Well, things got a little hot between you and this is not taking off, and I think you should look inside yourself for that. What do you mean not taking off? These are this is gonna be a whole narrative. And this is the first I've heard about it since you last brought it up. Well, I'm asking now that you were aware of it on last show I brought it up? Did were any steps taken? And this will shock you, But that show is the last I thought of it, and I'm sure I'm sure they get even less. It seems chilly, it still seems a little freezing. I'm just saying, you said yourself, he's your number one insider source. You're gonna before the season gets going in earnest, you might want to build a bridge there, because if you build a bridge when training camp starts, he might sniff it out, like, oh now he wants to be friends with me again when I need scoops saying there's other sources out there. Wow, Okay, see, well, I think we moved the story a little bit there. I think you know you're doing the work of a journalist. Stand anyway, and Joeku, according to rap Sheet, is the fifth highest paid tight end in terms of yearly average mark You've watched and Joko his entire career, former first round pick. The money surprised me just because I know he's more a guy that has flashed as opposed to actually put together a big season. Do you think this is money well invested by Cleveland? It's a projection. I think that it shows faith that you know, half the Browns fan base would say he looks the part. He's also been extremely frustrating at times. I will say he's been in a system with multiple coaches, up and down quarterback play. And when he was you know in twy he I thought he made it, took a real big step forward last season, skittish again to some degree, but there's it tells me that there are a dearth of playmaking tight ends around the league. He's getting paid because there aren't just that enough of these guys that I think the Browns look at David d Joku and say, with DeShawn Watson at quarterback, with the year three of Stefanski system, that is a tight end friendly system. For the most part of less you're Austin Hooper. They're saying, we're we believe you're worth the money. I was kind of shocked by it. I mean, he's just every fifth game of his career, he'll make a couple of plays and you'll be like, great is David and Joco? Was he demanding to be cut? Like? He has fifteen touchdowns in five seasons, So it's not yards in five seasons. So that's in average of what Dan seven hundred yards in five seasons. It's not fair. Yeah, but you know, somewhere between three and four. Yeah, definitely either way, it's low. It's um I don't get it. And but it's self scouting. They know him better than anyone else. He's it's basically a two for twenty five deal. But that's that's a lot for that's just got out of the Austin Hooper business and they didn't really judge that contract too well. You know, maybe right maybe he he's improved as a blocker. He certainly adds the versatility that they want. And right now he's their number two receiver. Their wide receiver room is a mess, right they are. There's this whole idea that's like Deshaun Watson's just stepping into like a super Bowl ready roster, and that one of my takeaways from doing Projected Starter was like this roster isn't the same as that was the Browns roster. The offensive line I think has more questions than it did, the secondary a little thing to me, and the receiver group is one of the worst depth wise in the league after Marie Cooper. It's just your I think they'll actually add some more players. One thing they do have a lot of is cap space and money, and that they just spent someone in Joku, but they've got more. You could you could imagine will Fuller potentially going there. They in o t as they've been the only get to bring up will Fuller on this podcast, and you can say it and believe will Fuller would be an excellent fit with the quarterback that they That's a good point. You know, that's a good pointer board. It would be a nice pill Beckham Beckham whatever. That's just sloppy. I don't know about you know, that's not happening. It would be funny though. All right time now four Graybeards News and Notes presented by up Work, where you can build the team that will build your business. Learn more upwork dot com. Achem Hicks. He goes from a fake team, the Graybeards, to a real one, the bucking Ears, a one year contract up to ten million, probably not close to ten million, but if he had like twenty seven sacks, he'd probably get ten million dollars anyway. But he's thirty two years old, Um he has. He was a guy that thrived earlier in his career. He's had some injury issues, Greg and now he slots in I guess will be in the Dominican Sioux spot uh for the Bucks unless they decided to bring Sue back. But that feels like a nice fit for Hicks. Yeah, great fit for Hicks, Great for them. He's someone I think would benefit from playing a little less. That hasn't been by choice lately. He missed most of the last season and most often and even when he played a full season in twenty he wasn't like peak Hicks, which was an All Pro player. But I think they've shown Todd Bowls, especially that they can take these guys towards the end of the career and get a ton of value out of him. I mean it I'm going back to the same thing I keep repeating about the draft. It's like Kim Hicks, if he's healthy, he's gonna make a bigger impact than most first round picks this year, even though he's coming in. I mean, he's gonna give you five hundred good snaps. And in the past when they signed Sue, they got them for good money. I think they got good money and good value. Again right here, I like it. I think Sue is a target for the Cleveland Browns, although they say they are not interested. But if another short coming for that team, that roster, the defensive interior, defensive line is an absolutely off a flaming bandwagon. That's smart, Mark, I mean the roster maybe not so hot. You got the messive quarterback. Maybe you're doing a jump in a forward roll off the wagon as it goes off the cliff and flames potentially. I just think that they're being overvalued because of the what they did at quarterback. In terms of the roster, they're there are problems the defensive of the other spot. I should have mentioned there. You're right, and they I kind of think they are. I give them credit for identifying some values. I think they will they are one of the teams I think are going to sign multiple pretty solid veterans on the rest of the office, Um, where you're at right now in your rounds divorce? Do you have you changed your off season habits? Are you not following the beat reporters anymore beyond what you do for this job? Are you following the team in a different way than the other teams or have you disconnected on that room. I dive so deeply into all thirty two teams that I don't think that there's anything different about the tone of this off season. Very good. That was a great answer. It's a great answer, by the way. Speaking of the graybeards at the wide receiver position, Beckham, Antonio Brown, Jarvis Landry, Julio Jones. Landry landed with the Saints. Antonio Brown came out and said, don't play yourself and think I'm gonna be on the team. That's like whatever, dude, Uh. I still think he'll be in the mix potentially, but doesn't sound like he's we do. I don't. I'm not. I'm not nervous yet, although his attitude is abhorrent. Julio Jones still there. I'm not excited about that I don't know. I mean, if you're the Browns, Like, why wouldn't you bring in Julio Jones? Why not draft him in two thousand nine, Like you should have to begin with Well that was eight Who did they take instead of Hula? Well they traded down and took Alex mac who was a great center for them, but but in shape. You know, they had no answer at wide receiver for the next eight years, So it would have been a better pick than Alex Mack. As much as much as we like Alex Mack. That was Graybeards News and Notes presented by upwork, the world's work marketplace. Learn more at upwork dot com. In other news, the cults, you know, there is a lot of selling going on around the cults right now about they have solved everything now because they have Matt Ryan in two thousand and twenty two. Maybe in two thousand nine that would have been amazing for the cults, but they've you know, they have this version of uh Mr Ryan and Michael Pittman the lone one thousand yard receiver a year ago in indianapolish Man. He's like everything's in play when it comes to Matt Ryan. No rules Matt can pretty much put it wherever he wants, so you kind of just catch it, turn and then run. So, Um, he's gonna put it where it needs to be. Hey, listen, he's got the green light, go, He'll put it there. I was worried for a second, um, that you weren't using this headline just because it delighted the twelve year old boy and me. But now you are using this headline just for that reason to thank you wherever he wants. You got to think about that as a headline where or maybe they did think about that as a headline writer, because now I'm seeing like sites like PFF said at this quote, if they know it's gonna get reaction, they know put it wherever it wants. I'm sure Michael Pittman was the way it's circling the internet, but I understand what he's saying. I don't know he's in the news cycle now. Maybe maybe he came up with this plot to begin with. Finally in the news. This happened early in the holiday weekend. But um, we got a lot of people that wanted our reactions, so let's listen to uh And I know we have a guy built rodal World, brick by Brick, I myself and my former NFL fantasy commissioner for well over a decade. So here's uh, Giants outfielder Jack Peterson discussing what happened with Tommy fam A. I guess he's a Red he's a Cincinnati read Tommy fan. They were in a fantasy league together that involved multiple major league players, and Tommy Fan before the game approach Jack Peterson and slapped him in the face Will Smith style. Uh. And it was about a fantasy football rules dispute. Jack Peterson, when approached by the media for the story, did not spare any detail. Hit it just in a fantasy fantasy league together. Can pause it for one second. I want you Greg as a brick by Brick guy, to try to really kind of let's parse his words and tell me who you think you get to the bottom of this. Okay. I put somebody a player on the andrew reserved when they were listed as out, and um added another player. Uh. And then um uh there's a up message in the group saying that I was cheating because I was stashing players on my bench. And then uh, I don't know. I looked up the rules and send a screenshot out the rules out It says that when the players ruled out, you're allowed to put him on the I R. And uh, that's all I was doing. And then, uh, it just so happened that he had a player, uh, Jeff Wilson, who was out, and he had him on the I R. And I said, he's around the reporters on your team, storyteller. And then I guess he was in two leagues he was on the iron one of them he wasn't, so maybe that was a confusion. But on the US family we were in, it was listens out. So it's like it's it feels very similar to what I did. Uh. And that was basically all of it. There's not much more to it. Um okay, alright, Um. I'll give my take first, Greg, then I want to hear yours and market any thoughts you have the failure here. Well, first of all, some lunatics slapping a guy in the face in the outfield over fantasy football league. I also know that though, because I was in a fantasy football league in my twenties, like these guys are, and it's really there's a lot of bad blood in fantasy leagues. When you got a bunch of like twenty eight year old guys that are way too much invested in it emotionally and financially. Um. But the failures of the commissioner, in my opinion, greggy, because he um set an i R rule that could be easily manipulated. You've got to set this thing hard and fast. You could say, you only go onto the I R unless you're actually on real life I r UM. If you allow people to slide and guys that are simply out, it invites issues exactly like this. Well, I didn't even need to hear him say anything. The guy who slaps another man for a fantasy football crime in the outfield, you're I don't care what happened, and then, oh, by the way, I hate the other guy didn't do anything wrong. The rules are the rules. That's totally typical of a fantasy league. That you can put guys on I R if they're out. That's not right, it's not. It's not a strange rule at all. If the commissioner, if the system lets you do it, you can do it. It's not even like he was looking for some sort of loophole. He was just playing the game. When he sent the screenshot of how the league is being run and he didn't work. And the other issue slapping alone is just like you, you are admitting you're in the wrong, And how he knew that he was never going to face each other on the diamond at some point. How long does the slapper in his mind say to himself when I go visit when I go into this game situation January? I mean Fantasy Football ended in January, Greg, So this sounds like there has to be more to the story. But well, there there's a gift involved where um, the Giants, Dodgers and Padres. There was like a weight thrown in the air and the Padres guy that's where fam was playing for at the time, got crushed by the weight. So there was some you know, making fun of the Padres as well. But he also that guy, the slapper also quit the league over that issue in the middle of the season, which is the biggest no no you do. You never quit a league in the middle of the year unless something heinous went down. It sounds like the slapper should be the slappy on some level because he's quit the league. He's he's a hothead, he's probably so that's the problem here, Like like, what is what are we missing here? Oh? The guy Tommy Fans is a lunatic. It's gotta big. Come on, all right, before we take a break, It's time once again for it came from the internet. All right, So here we go, Mark, you love that old CBS pregame with Brent Musburger. Uh and for a while in in the studio with him was Brown's great Jim Brown. All right. Here is a excerpt of a telecast that I believe was mid eighties, round eighty four. So grave digger, let's listen it have It amazes me that the big sacks in the league were able to take as much punishment as they do. I mean they get whacked coming up the middle of there. What amazes me too, because well a lot of them getting hurt now because I think the conditioning program is great. Yet, as I said earlier, and I hate to say it, there is a cocaine problem within the league. We cannot play the influencial cocaine. What was that, Jim, There is a cocaine problem within the league, and you cannot play und influenzal cocaine. No, Jim Brown, probably not wrong. In the early eighties. And it wasn't just an NFL problem. You you look at the NBA, which was basically torn apart by cocaine use the NFL, I'm sure it was a thing MLB. You at Keith Hernandez and a try Society. I was listening to an interview and they were talking. It was like a director their like their parents would just openly do cocat parties in front of kids back then. But like the Brett Brent Musberger was like, oh uh, this just took a different turn than I was expecting. So I did a little like research Jim Brown, He's he's a legendary player. His his off the field life not always sterling, but he's a very fascinating individual. And I have to say he is someone if you dig into this period of his life the the eighties. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated on December twelfth, three and a full Raiders uniform. Uh. He wanted to come back at age forty seven, but he hadn't been signed. But he just did his photo shoot wearing a Raiders uniform and uh, he he had something he had He had an issue with the modern game at that point. I feel like maybe he thought it had changed. Here's a quote, uh, and it connects to the dialogue with Musburger. Where are the heroes the gladiators? He's also asking, whatever happened to you know who? Absolutely, we need more Jim Plunketts, Ted Hendricks's, Lyle Alzado's, Jack Lambert's, John Riggins's. They are throwbacks to the old old days. Today's heroes are insulated by their money. They're more worried about their women and their drugs. The lady Cocaine he's referring to, and the ladies go together. Cocaine is the prettiest lady of them all. Like he was on this like it was right right. I mean, well, you know he's part of I mean, the most consistent thing in human history is there's always someone telling you that it used to be better. People used to be tougher, the world used to be better. The generation before we're better people. That's like consistent. In this case, Coke was part of it, right. It just kind of interesting. He could not help but shoehorn into every conversation was having about the modern football player. Um. Also also, um, you should know that Frank o' harris at that at that this time was trying to who was very close to the NFL rushing record. Of course, Jim Brown retired after nine seasons with the record. Uh. So that's why he was planning to come out of retirement because he thought it was a great injustice that frank O Harris, a man that ran out of bounds, uh and didn't take punishment whatever, break his record. So he wanted to go back and distance the record, which was broken anyway by Sweetness Walter. It was about two years later that big back Kevin Mack was actually nailed from cocaine. So you know, Jim Brown, Uh, right on topic there. All right, Well that's uh, that's it for It came from the internet, and we'll be right back. All right, here we go, we're back again. Turn it off right now, turn the volume off. At least give us the download data, give us that metadata that we want. We crave it. Uh, we're going to give you. We're gonna give you everything you need to know. And these were these were questions sent in from the listeners on Twitter. Uh. These are questions, uh that we will get to pose to one another. If you have one that's not from Twitter, feel free to throw it out there. So, um, one of our own making, of your own making. Why don't you get it going? Mark, Why don't you ask me a question? And again, if you do not want to know what's gonna happen in two NFL season, turn it off now, volume down this one, Um, I I'd be interested to see what what you think about this? Is there a quarterback that you could see getting benched before Halloween that nobody is talking about? Not you know, someone that's out there in the midst from the wilderness that would shock us right now? There is, Yeah, there is a quarterback. Ah. He plays in the a f C. H. He's connected to a team that people are very high on. He's the first round pick with a journeyman behind him. And yet there's too much smoke, Ah, too much smoke. His struggles will lead to a change that will make Greg Rosenhal very excited to a dunga Bloa will be benched by Halloween. I could see that. So it's like a Miss Cleo situation. You're just like wiping away the cobwebs in a way. I don't I don't want to. We do not Endora magic, We do not endorse the dark Arts. Uh, we are not time travelers as far as anyone knows. That's accurate, but we have done NFL podcasts and with that comes a level of clarity that, like Greg says, if you think hard enough into the abyss, the answer presents itself. And that's what happened. And I see, Yeah, two is not happy on the sideline. Wow, it's a little spicy. You're really asking for two and on to come after you? You have, You have put it out there that TOA is not gonna make it until October. He'll make it to October, but not to November as the starting quarter as a human. Yes, I am almost certain he will. Wait. Yes, he will also make it ad that's very good. But Teddy Bridgewater is exactly the level of backup that the head coach, who you know, first year head coach who's seeing an offense maybe not go how he wants it to go. Maybe two is a little banged up to That's just that's what's happening. She might not be a permanent benching, but I could totally see new coach an owner that I don't think it is totally sold on to A when they could have had justin Herbert that if you have Teddy, you want to give to a break if he gets into one of his little too a slumps, and you could come at me right now. And Alphenson was like, oh man, he was talking about the other thing last week with ownership and all the things behind the scenes. Uh, that's I didn't mean to do that. That was a question presented to me. I didn't know what was coming. That was the answer that came to me. First four games home to New England at Baltimore, home to Buffalo, at Cincinnati. To your point, seeing seeing the future, here Ta has to play at a at a very high level to help the Dolphins start off well, it eases up after that, but if you get into ohen four or one in three whole, I don't think it's been that controversial to say this team might not have as much patience as as they're going to be out there. Expectations are so high now, especially with the Tyreek Hill acquisition. If he doesn't get off to a typical Tyreek Hill start, who knows, he might talk as well. There could be some bad vibes there. So a lot of pressure on two to come out of the gates fast. I will now turn my attention to Greg. Let's say, look, and you know what you need to do here, Greg, You're gonna tell people what's gonna happen. What well Baker Mayfield NFL season look like. I'm looking at this, dig it, baby, Oh that's so clear. It's so easy. He's starting week one for the for the Carolina Panthers. It's so easy, so that the clouds parted me. I don't have to go, like go think about all this. It's like, oh, yeah, hey, we're going into the season with Sam Darnald as our quarterback. It's the most claire you know, it's I don't need to be clairvoyant to see that. It's just um, it's a manufactured joke that Matt Rule would feel comfortable going into the future after almost getting fired because Sam Darneld almost got him fired with no other option, and they're playing this little game here that they don't have to you know, look at They don't have to pay Baker Mayfield salary hopefully in their mind, and they're only gonna pay a worship of it. And that's all fine. They're in no hurry. I just see it. I just don't see him sitting on the bench, and I actually think under Matt Rule he would be a pretty good uh fit. They would have to get the ball out of his hand a little quicker, but it's a lot of short throws. I think he can do it. He can very at the very least represent what Teddy did a couple of years ago, which which is all they might need for a little upgrade at quarterback. I we'll tell you that looking at this question, we're on the same party line number one. What's juice here in the fact that he goes to Carolina Matt Rules under fire Baker Mayfield. It solves that position at least for this year, and they play Cleveland in Week one. That is the set the stepping stone to Baker Mayfield guiding the Panthers to nine and eight, saving Matt Rule's job, and he wins Comeback Player of the Year while the Browns don't make the players. Something's coming to me. Ah. The Progressive ad campaign, Oh no, who is the new spokesman, not Deshaun Watson. I think that's the safe You're a seer, is what you are. I bet they're in a tricky spot right now, Progressive They're they're waiting they're just waiting for this to happen. But I don't know, imagine, I have sympathy for Baker's entire offseason, even though maybe he's a little knucklehead or he talks too much, whatever, but like he uh, not only has he been left out to dry by the Browns, hung out to dry, the entire football world has said we're not so hot on you either. And you've got that progressive phone call that's just kind of you're waiting for that one because they're probably not looking to do business with a guy who's not really a starting quarterback or a guy that's seen as a high octane NFL player. So it's almost like that the last in dignity of the phone call from the progressive higher ups. Counterpoint has a nice guaranteed salary coming his way barring other issues, and he made a lot of money off of commercials. But my clairvoyance that I felt that I had might have been a little off with the whole week one idea that it would be tricky for him to get in there win that job even before playing the Browns, and might want to avoid that. But I just see him, I see him in that uniform. I see it. It all makes sense. All right, why don't you throw them out there? Greg? Al right, Mark, I'll ask you a question here, all right, which defense we'll be seen as the league's most dominant in? Take us there? This is not a tricky to me at all. Well you're not. You're not using your brain to figure out what the answer is. It came to me. It just came to me, and it was a beautiful image. So presented itself. An NFC squad that has gone through changes but remains a team on defense that I think the stamp of who they are is zero fear um, immense swagger. And it's the New Orleans Saints. They've had some changes, you know, some this, some faces have vanished, but some you get. You have. You put Honey Badger, I think, who is one of the best locker room presences in football into the perfect spot. And I know the offense maybe hot and cold next season we'll see Sean Payton not not being there, but the defense has enough carryover. Marcus Davenport, Cam Jordan's c G J Marshawn Lattimore. I love these guys. So I just think the Saints is my answer, and it's very clear to me. There was nothing else that came in there. I saw a little vision for a minute of the Rams, but I but I that's floated away. Well, according to Football Outsiders, as were number three in defensive d v O A, behind Dallas, Dallas and Buffalo and just ahead of New England. And we're top two of the year before too, so that is consistent. And yet, um, I don't know. I think another team in their division was where I'd go. We just signed to keep but he didn't go anywhere. Again, I thought we were experts, and so after doing this show for so long that that it's a little confusing. Look with the Saints defense sometimes it's confusing to Dad, lets us know, it's just it's just it's not this isn't your opinion. That wasn't Mark's opinion. That was it came to him. Can I have a different opinion though, or you know it's wrong though? Right, Well that's a good point. Yeah, but you can opinions the segment to debate, because what we have been given are like, you know, a vision from then that's a veteran who has done ten seasons with the shows. So but if you want to share your opinion. That's incorrect. Please, I love sharing incorrect opinions. I think the Bucks are are the team I would watch out for. There. Well, what does the Saints defense due to Tom Brady year after year? It's a fair point. All right, let's do another round. All right. I want to ask you this one. I don't know if I mentally I'm a little bit I think this is a pressing question. I mean, I this will test your abilities. The San Francisco Forts and what is happening with their quarterback situation. Just take us there and tell us what happens. That's the question. So many one to know. Where are we by week one? Ah? Why does it not hurt you? Guys? I see confusion. I see arguments behind the scenes. I see phone call. So many phone calls. M John Lynch, he wants to trade, he wants to trade, says yes. No one says yes. That's a phone calls. Land lines, so many land lines everywhere. No one using wireless technology now, ah, speeding through training camp. I see two figures. Okay, one is definitely Jimmy Garoppolo and yes tray Lands mm hmm, Trey Lances finger looks okay? Good Week one it's Tray Lance on the field, but by week six it is the veteran Garoppolo who leads the offense from San Francisco. Okay, I can't do another one of those. It's taxing on you, I can say. So that's it seems to really go like inside of you in a way that it just doesn't with Mike ever see Ghost. Yes, it's very exhausting. Yeah whoop, And again we're not seers, were not fortune tellers. But when whoopee, when it when she had to like go in and see things. I mean, it kind of seems like we're sears here when when whoop, when Whoopee was done, she was fatigued afterwards. I think maybe that's potentially where this is coming from, but I don't know. Not every seer goes through the same sort of physical toil. But with you, it's very um, it's taxing, it's visible physically. Yes. I I also think that this answer that you gave it it could have been an answer um to another question that you got which quarterback would get bench sterlely, because if Trey Lance, when Trey Lance gets benched early for Garoppol, unless it's an injury, I guess that's possible here his finger. That would be a seismic move. That would be and I and I'm I I have no reason to doubt any part of your vision. Right there will be a seismic move. They have to start Trey Lands. He's gonna get all the reps this soft season. You've gotta get it ready. And yet can't you just imagine, um, if this team doesn't get out to a fast start like a year ago, it's the Kyle Shanahan type of thing to do. Matters. I think you you heard it time and time again. How much of these guys really like Garoppolo? He um also, for the record, was not healthy Trey Lance that he couldn't throw a spiral last year because of his finger. We know Garoppolo obviously was playing banged up, and you just, yeah, you wonder because the other part of the whole thing the Tray Lance coming out of North Dakota State was he had very limited reps. He was very raw, and he didn't really get any opportunity to really learn the NFL game last year the way he was used, the way apparently he was limited. So now you didn't even get that first developmental year It's a very tough spot for Shanahan and the Niners, who have otherwise very much a win now right. Carl Shanahan, John Lynch have been relatively bulletproofed through a bunch of injury plague seasons. You have the Super Bowl campaign, the loss, but a lot of up and down and this would be nothing short of a gigantic disaster if trade Lance is benched by Meek six. The vision's super imperfect. And what the vision What came to me there is they really want to make the Lance thing may work because of what they invested in him and what he potentially could bring to that offense in terms of his ability to be a two way threat, which Garoppolo is not. He didn't he didn't make a lot of plays. That's the thing I feel like gets lost a little as I was pretty intrigued by the two starts, and they were very different, and there were a lot of ad plays to like, very negative plays, but his great plays were great, um and I thought he looked pretty good in that Houston. We brought up West earlier, I'll bring it up again, and we brought up Fantasy earlier. I'll bring that up again. One thing whenever we did the fantasy extravaganza, which of course will be coming up again later this summer. Um West. One of the advice, the advice he always gave out was don't settle on a guy that has a floor and a low ceiling. I take the chance and the guy that could really win your league. And I think what you could take that principle and take it to the Niners. You know what you have in Jimmy g Right, but what if Trey Lance, healthy in another year in the system, is a stud. San Francisco is the best team in the lance. His mobility fantasy wise makes him like Jalen Hurts, very high floor. Now I'm talking, I'm talking real football, just saying but but but it's but his ability to do everything, I think I think it gives him a higher floor too. I there's a couple and it seems like we're being hard on Kyle Shanahan, But I feel like there's two moments in his career which he probably will almost never get criticized for it, but I'll have it in my mind as a criticism. So just he'll know that if he listens to his UH number one, you didn't draft Patrick Mahomes or any of those guys when you had the chance. It's just like traded down. It took Solomon Thomas and they sort of got a pass for that um when you absolutely need a court. Number two is Trey Lance wasn't gonna play worse than Jimmy g uh in those last five games it was where the worst. I would say that's the worst four game stretch of Jimmy G's entire career. They made it to the NFC Championship Game and a quarter away from the super Bowl despite him, and in some way, I think that got people to believe that's like why I guess it was the right move. It's like, no tray Lance could have given you a pretty low baseline there and not made a lot of mistakes, and who know, they might have been in the super Bowl, they might have won the super Bowl. That's I think it tracks back to the fact that I'm not convinced Kyle Shanahan really ever wanted Trey Lance and probably prefers Jimmy G. And ways that is problematic for the look at the Niner schedule because it is also important, yes that the tray Lance does get this job, that he starts well at Chicago, Okay, home Seattle at Denver Sunday night football. I like that, tray Lance Russell Wilson, Let's give me something. And then Monday night football home against the Rams, that's you know with and then you've got a nice little at Carolina at Atlanta. They call that the like NFC South, like layup machine, just like, hey, you guys need some help. Let's play the Panthers and Falcons and back. But this Panthers team is gonna have Baker. Maybe we've already discussed the Panthers, but in because it's been seen that means in that stretch they're going to go something along the lines of three and three, two and four, leading to a change against the Chiefs in Week seven. So unbelievable. And I hope, I hope everyone uh is holding onto their butts because we're not done yet. Greg. All right, this is another topic. Everyone wants to know. Everyone wants to know who is the rightful victor of the Davante Adams trade. Wow, what everybody wants to know? It feels like an opinion. But okay, okay, I mean yeah, is that the future? Is it the past? Oh? Yes? What jeez, not there, Michael Pittman seeing a lot seeing pain. I'm seeing suffering um, and I'm seeing a lot of happy Las Vegas Raiders fans. The Las Vegas Raiders are the victor of the Davante Adams trade. You want to know why, just look at the name of the trade. It's not called the future picks trade. It's called the Davante Adams trade. I don't think that the Packers are going to fall apart because they got rid of Davante Adams. I think, considering where they were in their team building cycle and Davante Adams wanted out, they got enough and that they're gonna be okay. But I believe that a wide receiver that changes everyone around you. I did uh the PF podcast last week or they put up this week. Steve Palazzolo would call it a force multiplier. I believe in that a top wide receiver makes everyone around him better, including his quarterback like Derek Carr. And they're just they are going to be the winner of that trade. And you want to know why. I know they're gonna be the winner because the Packers didn't want to make it. Davante Adams made them make it. Okay, No, that's that sound theory there that I wanted to be controversial to have him back, and now they're in a position where they're scrambling and they didn't make a big move on draft the Packers to try to replace him. So I think, yeah, I think it makes sense that this is how it's going to play out. Now, will Adams be well, you answer this is good? Greg, You're still in the headspace. I hope if physically you can handle it. Um Davante Adams does he have a hundred catches with Derek Carr looking at the final Oh, that's I'm gonna have to well, I'm not allowed to talk to people about anything because this this would be a true advantage in Vegas. If I knew that, I would say probably. But I did look at the final standings for receptions. Davante Adams only came in fourth, but it's with a hundred and three catches seventeen weeks. He's got that extra game. Famously, terrible gets over a. Greg is still going to use this power for ill right to line his pockets for Raphael Nadal has won the two French Open check out courts of thunder its Um the last four years for Adams, or say the last three years he's played at least fourteen games, he's had a hundred and eleven, hundred and fifteen and a hundred twenty three catches, So even he'd be down twenty catches or he is going to be down twenty catches, and yet I think the Raiders would sign off on that. In a second. I do worry about Josh McDaniels kind of is in a funny spot. Maybe it's a little off topic, and just because he's taking over a team that I think overachieved and made the playoffs, and I feel like they could be like the Davante Adams trade could make sense. They could have had pretty good offseason moves. They could be good, and they could still not make the playoffs. And then people think the Backards won that trade. But I don't care. It's still the right their own division. They play the NFC West. That is thorny. Alright, one more look, what's the juiciest one out here? Which one? Thank you to all the listeners who contributed, who wanted the answers, and we have provided them, whether you're happy about it or not. Again, that has nothing to do with us. This is not an opinion piece. Don't come at us, it's our ability. Will we see the return to glory for Monday Night Football as an entity now that Troy and Buck are there. And I asked this, I I want to learn some real details about how this Monday Night and great question because Mark famously is turned on by Troy Aquman in so many ways, and yet this answer that's coming to him will have nothing to do with that, because it's not about Mark's opinion. This is a perilous one for me because he might He's in a position now Greg where he might have to say something negative about a hero. He really put him in a tough spot. He has no choice. I am not getting painful physical vibrations. I'm getting the opposite because let me tell you what I've seen, Uh what vehicle on television football providing vehicle. It's been more lamb based by this podcast than Monday Night Football that's been telecast that we've been hard run. Two words, problem solved. We already know they can do it. I would say this about Troy Aikman. Yes, he is a handsome man. But one of the reasons that I gravitate towards Troy Agman is just that he was like at the centerpiece for me football wise growing up. And he's one of those last Cowboys quarterbacks. You've got the Tony Romo thing that he has done it with Buck for so long. Uh, they've got great chemistry. I think that Buck is unfairly critiqued by people. Troy Aikman has gotten better the last couple of years. Reason Lily, he you know, he get a little edgy, to get a little bit uh flustered and angry at what he sees on the field. I think this is going to take Monday night football and turn it back into something special. It has not been special in a very long time. They're not taking a risk. They're not rolling the dice with people we've never heard of. They're not sticking a player in the booth that's getting overpaid and never announced a thing that we talked about. The floor and fantasy. The floor here is extremely high. But I think they're going to start to gravitate towards better matchups for Monday night football. I'm giving it it got solid grade. Here's the thing why this surprised me, and it's obviously it happened so it is now going to be a huge story. Andrew Marshahn is gonna be writing endlessly about how huge the ratings are. And what really surprised me that that could be even possible, because it's kind of like this idea that Monday Night Football has to return to glory, like it needs to be a conversation, it needs to be you know, we're around the water cooler on Tuesday and we can't stop thinking about what Joe Buck said to Troy Aikman and like it. This is not the seventies anymore. The idea that Monday Night Football is an important quote unquote telecast is such a product of a bygone era that I think they go ahead. This isn't George This is not George Bush. With the mission accomplished, banner on the aircraft carrier. They can do it, ESPN. Put up the barrier, put up the put it up on the wall on the carrier. The mission is accomplished. I have one vision though that's disturb Well, let me just finish. Like but at the same time, what they accomplished was they have an A plus booth. But it's not gonna be changing the world. It's not gonna be something that the America is talking. There is one disturbing element. Oh and this does this does make me, This does cause me a problem inside um because I think there's a reverse what was happening before. I think that the cat like this, it's as it on its own product will be very successful. And I'm with you on the on the status of television and the fact that it's not the biggest thing on the planet. But you're still dealing with the Manning Cast, which I think is the future of how so many people want to a big chunk of people want to experience football. And I think right away that takes away from bucking ACU. Wait, we're connecting. They said it couldn't be done. Will we see a return to glory from Monday Night Football? It is parts of two telecasts that are creating the best night of analysis and play by player. You've got it all. It is glory if you look at it from that, and it isn't. It isn't just a boomer take on things like the way that they've set it up. They have actually gone and created a type of broadcast that didn't exist a year ago. They've already done it with the Manning cast. I think that we're looking at something special. Well, they were. They were all together like at this Dog and Pony show at the ESPN like I don't know if it was ad sales up front whatever, and the four of them were together, Eli Peyton. So they're all looking at it like they're on there on the same team. I'm sure they look at it like the money makes any sort of um rivalry or eyeballs that are being taken away, you know, not a problem. And I do think Monday Night for I think it matters materially because like, what are we talking about? It needs to return to some glory. NFL's dominant. It's already there. We are talking. Everyone is talking about Monday night football on Tuesday. But there is something that the schedule looks better on paper this year. I don't know if they had to do with Aikman and Buck or if that had to do with Thursday night not getting as good games vision Okay, it did have something to do with with it felt like, uh, they you know, they took some from Thursday gave it to Monday. Uh. And it most importantly is the game. And this is partly why we talk about it so much. It's the one game of the week where we're just watching and there's no distraction. On Sundays, there's no podcast we have to do. We're doing immediately after, like on Thursday's potentially, or like finishing certain columns we're writing that night and all no, I mean, it's it's the time. Yeah you are. I I mixed it up there. Sorry, it's fine. Sorry you're doing over there, Dan. I want to do something real quick before we say goodbye, because we are really it has been and a seismic offseason. In the booth, I want you guys to there are five different teams here ESPN, Fox, CBS, NBC, in Amazon. Five points to your favorite booth, four to your second favorite, three to your third, too, to your second to last, one to your least favorite booth. Well, this is this is tricky because I also need preseast in power rights been okay, how about a use a blue pen? I never used blue man. This is tough, All right, here we go. I want to give a four way tie for first. Sure, here we go, but you can't Greg, you just can't remember. Five points to your favorite. Oh it's tough, Oh tough, okay, not for me. I got mine, all right, turn in your cards. Do you want me to add him up? I think I think I could do. Wait, Number one is the one we like the most, right, the least, the least. I mean, it's so clear, repeated it like three times, so three. The people need to know how it went. All right, here we go, because when I saw Mark's list, I was like, huh, you have him first. All right, you guys speak amongst yourselves while I handle the tabulation. I mean we could. We are edited program after the fact. We are on YouTube though, handling the math. Just do it. Check us out on YouTube. How are things Gregg with you personally? Pretty good? Pretty good? How are things with you personally? By the grave digger? Let it slip the name of his paramore. You can believe it. And that's that's actually kind of what I imagine the name to be. Yeah, that's that's that's that's in the wheelhouse. I feel like you guys knew that. Okay, See, well you don't know how the old zeus are driving the show here. It's getting a little dry and conversated by watching you add the numbers. But I'd like, I mean, sometimes you gotta know strengths and weaknesses of the personnel. It's why I tried to volunteer. I thought you would see what I was doing there. It's not that complicated, like it was a test. But Greg, you would have added it wrong, you would have done it in the opposite. Well, I I flipped it once I realized, all right, we're coming up now, So here we go. We're coming up right. Oh it's really close, really close? Are there stark differences between I guess we can get into that, but okay, here we go. Here the final bring that music back, let's get the tension. Um. Here we go. The power of preseason power rankings of the Red Jigger Boots number one, thirteen points. I already changed my mind, and I want to change my CBS Nansen Romo number two twelve points. Oh so close, Fox, excuse me, ESPN Yeah, okay, three ten points, so very close, which is a good sign that they did a nice job here, Tariko and Collinsworth after that Fox, the Burkhardt Olsen team seven points, and this one hurts al Michaels Car curb Street Amazon three points total. We all were in lockstep. I'm not surprised by then. We just don't know it's like, al um and Greg's gonna do the map. Now, that's fine, I wanna change my answer already, let's do it. Let's do it. I was higher on Buck Aickman, not surprisingly. Then that's of you. That actually makes sense that um, that all adds up to me, maybe incorrectly. All right, good stuff, good app I mean Mark voted Tariko and cons were second to last. I was wondering how they didn't win. My issue is I put it first? You don't like collins Worth. Collins Worth is too folksy for me. I don't find him funny. I used very good at what he does, but it's just taste, right, and you that's your opinion, and that's fine. Right now we're back in the realm of opinion. It seems to differ from the from how the hell YouTube feel, which is, you know, I'll have to reconcile that on my own. No, I would say, there's gonna be a lot of private introspection you'll have immediately following the show. All right, we'll be back on Thursday. Uh so make sure you check that out. Be there and thank you everybody for listening. Great hear Chris Westling's voice there I love it. Until Thursday he the call. See two