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