WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.919 Breaking news, breaking news, breaking news. 00:00:02.060 --> 00:00:04.820 Derek Carr retires, folks. That's right, medically 00:00:04.820 --> 00:00:07.099 retires. We have to put that emphasis in there. 00:00:07.240 --> 00:00:10.300 Medically retires. Justin Tucker is released. 00:00:10.539 --> 00:00:13.300 Matthew Stafford's contract details are finally 00:00:13.300 --> 00:00:16.160 revealed. Shamar Stewart is holding out of rookie 00:00:16.160 --> 00:00:19.980 minicamp. As well as, did Nico Iamalava make 00:00:19.980 --> 00:00:22.719 the right decision from leaving Tennessee and 00:00:22.719 --> 00:00:26.500 going to UCLA? As well as, should rookies be 00:00:26.500 --> 00:00:29.839 allowed to wear Legends numbers? and the white 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:32.700 house is cutting traumatic brain injury education 00:00:32.700 --> 00:00:36.840 and research funding and to put the cherry on 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:39.679 top, folks, draft grades for the AFC North, okay? 00:00:39.719 --> 00:00:42.719 All of this and more on the 77th episode of the 00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:45.359 Football Junkies Podcast, okay? I am your host 00:00:45.359 --> 00:00:48.340 with the most, okay? I am your GM who currently 00:00:48.340 --> 00:00:51.039 is not on the team right now, but don't you worry 00:00:51.039 --> 00:00:53.780 about it, okay? Because don't you worry your 00:00:53.780 --> 00:00:55.659 little junkie head about it, because guess what? 00:00:55.759 --> 00:00:58.299 I am still in the league. I'm still giving my 00:00:58.299 --> 00:01:00.619 opinion on various moves that are being made 00:01:00.619 --> 00:01:03.100 behind closed doors, okay? Because guess what? 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:06.599 I am your... Chief Bagrodamas. Anything and everything 00:01:06.599 --> 00:01:09.459 related to the bag and more. Projections, mock 00:01:09.459 --> 00:01:13.090 drafts, new contract details. All those things 00:01:13.090 --> 00:01:14.609 and more, guess what? We cover that over here 00:01:14.609 --> 00:01:16.230 at the Football Junkies Podcast because guess 00:01:16.230 --> 00:01:19.329 what? I am all these things and more. But most 00:01:19.329 --> 00:01:21.090 importantly, the most important thing that you 00:01:21.090 --> 00:01:24.230 must remember is I am your host, Kale. You already 00:01:24.230 --> 00:01:26.209 know how these episodes are about to go. It's 00:01:26.209 --> 00:01:28.129 going to get a little bit crazy. It's going to 00:01:28.129 --> 00:01:30.390 be a lot of conspiracy theories. I got my tinfoil 00:01:30.390 --> 00:01:32.590 hat on today. So guess what? Let's get this stir 00:01:32.590 --> 00:02:02.030 pot going. One, two, three. Let's lock in. All 00:02:02.030 --> 00:02:03.969 right, folks, let's just get into the meat and 00:02:03.969 --> 00:02:06.510 potatoes of everything that is going on in the 00:02:06.510 --> 00:02:10.349 league right now. So, oh, man, we have a lot 00:02:10.349 --> 00:02:14.550 to talk about. So Derek Carr has medically retired. 00:02:15.909 --> 00:02:18.650 Man, if I would have told you this would have 00:02:18.650 --> 00:02:20.610 happened now, I would have called you a liar, 00:02:20.689 --> 00:02:23.569 but it has happened. So the Saints have put out 00:02:23.569 --> 00:02:26.330 a press release. I think we need to really talk 00:02:26.330 --> 00:02:29.460 about. So here goes in that quote. In late March, 00:02:29.539 --> 00:02:31.960 while ramping up his preparation for the 2025 00:02:31.960 --> 00:02:34.960 season, Derrick experienced pain in his right 00:02:34.960 --> 00:02:37.439 shoulder. It was his first time throwing a football 00:02:37.439 --> 00:02:40.379 at significant volume since recovering from both 00:02:40.379 --> 00:02:43.180 a concussion and left -hand injury during play 00:02:43.180 --> 00:02:47.620 on December 8, 2024. Derrick immediately contacted 00:02:47.620 --> 00:02:49.879 the Saints medical team. Eventually, medical 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:52.580 scans determined objectively that Derrick sustained 00:02:52.580 --> 00:02:57.090 a labral tear and also had significant okay significant 00:02:57.090 --> 00:03:00.310 degenerative changes to his rotator cuff which 00:03:00.310 --> 00:03:02.949 is actually really not that good honestly since 00:03:02.949 --> 00:03:05.370 that time derek his presentation the saints medical 00:03:05.370 --> 00:03:08.210 team and outside medical experts have worked 00:03:08.210 --> 00:03:10.930 together to determine the best path forward surgery 00:03:10.930 --> 00:03:13.729 was an option jeopardizing the entire 2025 season 00:03:13.729 --> 00:03:16.349 yet there was no guarantee derek will return 00:03:16.349 --> 00:03:19.129 to the level of strength function and performance 00:03:19.129 --> 00:03:22.259 of play to which he was accustomed to Upon consultation 00:03:22.259 --> 00:03:24.960 with his wife, Heather, Derek has decided it 00:03:24.960 --> 00:03:27.360 is in the best interest of his family and the 00:03:27.360 --> 00:03:29.639 Saints organization to retire from the National 00:03:29.639 --> 00:03:32.080 Football League. Now, here is the statement that 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:35.500 Derek Carr put out himself, and I quote, Upon 00:03:35.500 --> 00:03:37.780 reflection of prayer and in discussion with Heather, 00:03:37.900 --> 00:03:40.300 I've decided to retire from the National Football 00:03:40.300 --> 00:03:42.620 League. For more than 11 years, we have been 00:03:42.620 --> 00:03:44.960 incredibly blessed and we are forever grateful 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:47.560 and humbled by this experience. It's difficult 00:03:47.560 --> 00:03:49.659 to find the right words to express our thanks 00:03:49.659 --> 00:03:52.659 to all the teammates, coaches, team officials, 00:03:52.879 --> 00:03:55.439 and especially the fans who made this journey 00:03:55.439 --> 00:03:58.560 so special. Your unwavering support has meant 00:03:58.560 --> 00:04:01.840 the world to us. Derek Carr, end quote. My takeaway 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:07.639 with this is Derek Carr never had stability within 00:04:07.639 --> 00:04:11.080 his career. And let me explain why. Your first 00:04:11.080 --> 00:04:14.219 head coach was Jack Del Rio from 2015 to 2017. 00:04:14.990 --> 00:04:18.410 then John Gruner from 2018 to 2021, then Josh 00:04:18.410 --> 00:04:21.569 McDaniels from 2022 to 2023, and then Antonio 00:04:21.569 --> 00:04:24.550 Pierce from 2023 to 2024. And then you go to 00:04:24.550 --> 00:04:27.870 the Saints, Dennis Allen from 2023, and then 00:04:27.870 --> 00:04:30.810 you retire this year. You have not had a lot 00:04:30.810 --> 00:04:34.550 of stability in your career. And with all of 00:04:34.550 --> 00:04:37.430 those coaches, you've gone through a lot of change 00:04:37.430 --> 00:04:40.550 within the offenses as well. So you've never 00:04:40.550 --> 00:04:44.529 really had no real stability. And quarterbacks 00:04:44.529 --> 00:04:48.310 need stability. We have all seen the difference 00:04:48.310 --> 00:04:51.970 in careers when a quarterback does have stability 00:04:51.970 --> 00:04:55.009 and when they don't have stability. Not to mention, 00:04:55.029 --> 00:04:58.589 we also have to factor in that had he went through 00:04:58.589 --> 00:05:01.290 with this surgery, it was not a guarantee that 00:05:01.290 --> 00:05:03.589 he was going to return to the same Derek Carr 00:05:03.589 --> 00:05:06.430 of old. It literally said that in the press release, 00:05:06.589 --> 00:05:10.750 and I quote, surgery was an option. jeopardizing 00:05:10.750 --> 00:05:14.769 the entire 2025 season. Yet, there was no guarantee 00:05:14.769 --> 00:05:17.370 Derek would return to the level of strength, 00:05:17.569 --> 00:05:21.029 function, and performance of play to which he 00:05:21.029 --> 00:05:24.730 was accustomed. That's a 50 -50 chance. I don't 00:05:24.730 --> 00:05:26.649 think Derek Carr really wants to take that at 00:05:26.649 --> 00:05:28.930 this point in his career. Now, if he was a little 00:05:28.930 --> 00:05:32.189 bit younger, maybe. I think he would take that 00:05:32.189 --> 00:05:35.730 risk. But at this point, why take that risk now 00:05:35.730 --> 00:05:38.920 where it could potentially jeopardize your life 00:05:38.920 --> 00:05:41.699 outside of football. When we look at his stats 00:05:41.699 --> 00:05:47.060 for his final season, 279 attempts for 189 completions, 00:05:47.060 --> 00:05:52.259 15 touchdowns, 2 ,145 passing yards, five picks, 00:05:52.439 --> 00:05:56.000 7 .7 yards per attempt, and a 67 .7 completion 00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:59.699 percentage. I think we also have to factor in 00:05:59.699 --> 00:06:02.759 that at some point, Derek Carr was definitely 00:06:02.759 --> 00:06:06.360 going to be moved. Anytime a new head coach is 00:06:06.360 --> 00:06:11.420 hired, The old regime completely will be gone 00:06:11.420 --> 00:06:16.000 from the quarterback to anybody that does not 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:18.660 fit the vision of the new head coach and their 00:06:18.660 --> 00:06:22.899 regime is going to be gone. Now, granted, a quarterback 00:06:22.899 --> 00:06:25.980 specifically can hold off on that decision if 00:06:25.980 --> 00:06:29.220 they're still very productive. But Derek Carr, 00:06:29.420 --> 00:06:31.420 on the other hand, has not been very productive 00:06:31.420 --> 00:06:35.220 since being with the Saints. And so I feel like. 00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:38.560 For the new regime, I feel like it was an easier 00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:42.720 move to make than to just say, okay, yeah, we're 00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:45.199 going to roll with Derek Carr and just see how 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:48.199 this goes. No. Leading up to the draft, I was 00:06:48.199 --> 00:06:49.720 definitely under the impression that they were 00:06:49.720 --> 00:06:52.620 going to draft a quarterback. And the reason 00:06:52.620 --> 00:06:55.060 why I say that is because quarterback was a definite 00:06:55.060 --> 00:06:58.540 need. The last time that they drafted a quarterback 00:06:58.540 --> 00:07:02.899 within the first round was Arch Manning. That 00:07:02.899 --> 00:07:05.990 was the last time. And since then, they have 00:07:05.990 --> 00:07:08.470 never drafted a quarterback in the first round. 00:07:08.689 --> 00:07:12.389 So I say all that to say this. Derek Carr, enjoy 00:07:12.389 --> 00:07:15.790 the fruits of your labor. But we do have to stir 00:07:15.790 --> 00:07:19.930 the pot a little bit. Because Kellen Moore did 00:07:19.930 --> 00:07:22.889 say, if I'm not mistaken, on Saturday, that they 00:07:22.889 --> 00:07:24.810 were going to have an open competition between 00:07:24.810 --> 00:07:27.810 Jake Hayner, Spencer Rattler, and Tyler Shook. 00:07:29.209 --> 00:07:32.170 Sure, that's good, but at the same time, you're 00:07:32.170 --> 00:07:33.829 probably going to want a veteran quarterback 00:07:33.829 --> 00:07:37.629 to lead the quarterback room. Now, the only two 00:07:37.629 --> 00:07:40.670 people that are available, technically speaking, 00:07:40.930 --> 00:07:43.290 quote unquote, well, actually three, if you want 00:07:43.290 --> 00:07:45.990 to add that person there as well, is Carson Wentz, 00:07:46.009 --> 00:07:48.370 Aaron Rodgers, and Kirk Cousins. Now, we all 00:07:48.370 --> 00:07:50.730 know with the Kirk Cousins situation, he has 00:07:50.730 --> 00:07:53.370 already said he does not want to go anywhere 00:07:53.370 --> 00:07:57.939 where he does not have a chance of playing. Whereas 00:07:57.939 --> 00:08:00.240 Aaron Rodgers, he's a free agent, so you can 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:02.259 have open dialogue with him. You can have open 00:08:02.259 --> 00:08:05.079 dialogue with Carson Wentz as well. But let's 00:08:05.079 --> 00:08:08.600 be real here. Out of all those three, who do 00:08:08.600 --> 00:08:10.019 you think is really going to move the needle 00:08:10.019 --> 00:08:12.620 significantly? I don't think Kirk Cousins will. 00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:15.279 I don't think Aaron Rodgers will. And I don't 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:18.060 think Carson Wentz will. Now, they could do one 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:20.199 of two things. They can roll with this young 00:08:20.199 --> 00:08:23.540 core, see what happens, and then next year they 00:08:23.540 --> 00:08:27.459 can make a decision to draft a quarterback. They 00:08:27.459 --> 00:08:30.259 can bring in a veteran, case in point Aaron Rodgers 00:08:30.259 --> 00:08:33.700 or Carson Wentz or Kirk Cousins, and just see 00:08:33.700 --> 00:08:36.179 what happens. Now, with the whole Kirk Cousins 00:08:36.179 --> 00:08:39.700 conundrum, you will have to give away assets 00:08:39.700 --> 00:08:42.779 and resources in order to obtain Kirk Cousins. 00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:45.659 Whereas Aaron Rodgers, he's already said he'll 00:08:45.659 --> 00:08:49.080 play for $10 million. Carson Wentz, I really 00:08:49.080 --> 00:08:51.440 don't know what he really wants to do at this 00:08:51.440 --> 00:08:54.179 point. I wouldn't be surprised if he retires 00:08:54.179 --> 00:08:57.480 as well. But... If you were to take the route 00:08:57.480 --> 00:08:59.519 with Aaron Rodgers, I think it would benefit 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:02.559 both parties because why? For one, you would 00:09:02.559 --> 00:09:04.840 have the second best quarterback in your division. 00:09:05.220 --> 00:09:08.539 And not to mention, you will be able to compete 00:09:08.539 --> 00:09:12.580 with the Buccaneers. Because right now, the Falcons 00:09:12.580 --> 00:09:14.980 are still trying to find their way as well as 00:09:14.980 --> 00:09:17.919 the Panthers. So it's really between the Saints 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:21.080 and the Buccaneers. So I think if you get Aaron 00:09:21.080 --> 00:09:23.299 Rodgers, I think it would benefit both sides. 00:09:23.500 --> 00:09:26.350 Especially for Aaron because why? You will be 00:09:26.350 --> 00:09:28.149 in a situation where you're in a warm climate 00:09:28.149 --> 00:09:32.149 and you probably won't have to go anywhere cold 00:09:32.149 --> 00:09:34.649 until probably the early part of the season, 00:09:34.730 --> 00:09:38.009 which is still great because all the colder spots 00:09:38.009 --> 00:09:42.210 will still be fairly warm. So I say all that 00:09:42.210 --> 00:09:44.570 to say this. I think they're probably going to 00:09:44.570 --> 00:09:47.929 make a move at quarterback around mini camp. 00:09:48.009 --> 00:09:50.820 I mean, a training camp, excuse me. I think that's 00:09:50.820 --> 00:09:52.120 when they're going to make a significant move 00:09:52.120 --> 00:09:54.840 at quarterback, depending on what happens between 00:09:54.840 --> 00:09:57.879 these three. Because I think Jake Hainer is probably 00:09:57.879 --> 00:10:00.980 quarterback number three. I think Spencer Rattler 00:10:00.980 --> 00:10:04.039 and Tyler Shuck, I think they have a real chance 00:10:04.039 --> 00:10:05.940 to be either quarterback one or quarterback two. 00:10:06.019 --> 00:10:09.440 Now, me personally, I think Spencer Rattler may 00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:13.419 have the advantage than Tyler Shuck. But only 00:10:13.419 --> 00:10:16.440 time will tell. Now, let's get into this whole... 00:10:17.059 --> 00:10:19.779 Justin Tucker situation because it low -key is 00:10:19.779 --> 00:10:23.460 a very sad situation but before we get there 00:10:23.460 --> 00:10:27.240 we do have somewhat of breaking news with Trey 00:10:27.240 --> 00:10:30.340 Hendrickson Trey Hendrickson just put out a statement 00:10:30.340 --> 00:10:33.820 to ESPN just a few minutes ago and this is what 00:10:33.820 --> 00:10:36.759 it says and I quote no communication has taken 00:10:36.759 --> 00:10:38.860 place between my camp and the organization post 00:10:38.860 --> 00:10:41.289 -draft The offers prior to the draft did not 00:10:41.289 --> 00:10:43.549 reflect the vision we shared and were promised 00:10:43.549 --> 00:10:45.809 last offseason if I continued to play at a high 00:10:45.809 --> 00:10:48.429 level. Coaches are aware of these past conversations. 00:10:48.690 --> 00:10:51.190 Rather than using collaboration to get us to 00:10:51.190 --> 00:10:54.190 a point to bring me home to the team, they are 00:10:54.190 --> 00:10:57.090 no longer communicating. I have been eagerly 00:10:57.090 --> 00:10:59.950 waiting a resolution of this situation, but that's 00:10:59.950 --> 00:11:02.049 hard to do when there's no discussion and an 00:11:02.049 --> 00:11:05.789 evident lack of interest in reaching mutual goals." 00:11:07.240 --> 00:11:11.100 That is somebody that is pissed off. That is 00:11:11.100 --> 00:11:13.960 somebody that is tired of playing the waiting 00:11:13.960 --> 00:11:18.379 game. That is somebody that is just tired of 00:11:18.379 --> 00:11:23.919 just this run around with the organization. Bengals, 00:11:23.919 --> 00:11:26.840 you have someone that is one of the best pass 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:30.200 rushers in the entire league. You have to compensate 00:11:30.200 --> 00:11:33.309 him for that. You did it with Joe Burrell, no 00:11:33.309 --> 00:11:36.230 problem. You did it with Jamar Chase, no problem. 00:11:36.450 --> 00:11:39.009 You did it with Tee Higgins, no problem. You 00:11:39.009 --> 00:11:41.029 have to take care of Trey Hendrickson. If you 00:11:41.029 --> 00:11:43.350 do not take care of Trey Hendrickson, you will 00:11:43.350 --> 00:11:46.190 not have a defense. It's already bad enough that 00:11:46.190 --> 00:11:48.850 Jamar Stewart and Demetrius Knight are not participating 00:11:48.850 --> 00:11:52.549 in rookie minicamp. But if you lose Trey Hendrickson, 00:11:52.649 --> 00:11:56.629 that is it. Because I guarantee you right now, 00:11:56.750 --> 00:11:59.990 there are teams that are licking their chops. 00:12:00.759 --> 00:12:03.100 at wanting to get somebody like a Trey Hendrickson. 00:12:03.379 --> 00:12:06.000 They'll deal with the whole contract conundrum 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:08.899 later. Adding someone like a Trey Hendrickson 00:12:08.899 --> 00:12:12.820 would be an instant upgrade for a majority of 00:12:12.820 --> 00:12:15.960 defensive lines. I wouldn't be surprised if the 00:12:15.960 --> 00:12:18.080 Eagles are still sniffing around with this. I 00:12:18.080 --> 00:12:20.779 wouldn't be surprised if the Lions are sniffing 00:12:20.779 --> 00:12:23.559 around this. I would not be surprised if there 00:12:23.559 --> 00:12:26.700 are teams within the AFC that are also interested 00:12:26.700 --> 00:12:29.629 in Trey Hendrickson. Stay tuned for that because 00:12:29.629 --> 00:12:32.269 I feel like there will be a resolution soon with 00:12:32.269 --> 00:12:35.330 this whole conundrum. But back to the whole Ravens 00:12:35.330 --> 00:12:38.990 situation. So Justin Tucker was released and 00:12:38.990 --> 00:12:43.169 they called it as a football decision. And I 00:12:43.169 --> 00:12:46.029 quote, Sometimes football decisions are incredibly 00:12:46.029 --> 00:12:48.049 difficult and this is one of those instances. 00:12:48.610 --> 00:12:50.750 Considering our current roster, we have made 00:12:50.750 --> 00:12:52.690 the tough decision to release Justin Tucker. 00:12:53.240 --> 00:12:55.559 Justin created many significant and unforgettable 00:12:55.559 --> 00:12:59.080 moments in Ravens history. His reliability, focus, 00:12:59.340 --> 00:13:03.519 drive, resilience, and extraordinary talent made 00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:05.799 him one of the league's best kickers for over 00:13:05.799 --> 00:13:09.000 a decade. We are grateful for Justin's many contributions 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:12.139 while playing for the Ravens. We sincerely wish 00:13:12.139 --> 00:13:14.840 him and his family the very best in this next 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:17.840 chapter of their lives. Signed by General Manager 00:13:17.840 --> 00:13:21.809 for the Baltimore Ravens, Eric DaCosta. Folks, 00:13:21.830 --> 00:13:26.429 this is a very bad ending to a historic story. 00:13:27.450 --> 00:13:31.210 Justin Tucker will go down in history as one 00:13:31.210 --> 00:13:34.210 of the greatest kickers of all time, but he will 00:13:34.210 --> 00:13:37.370 never get the flowers that he so deserves because 00:13:37.370 --> 00:13:41.009 of the allegations that are still ongoing with 00:13:41.009 --> 00:13:44.659 him right now. Justin Tucker was accused of sexual 00:13:44.659 --> 00:13:47.580 misconduct by 16 massage therapists from eight 00:13:47.580 --> 00:13:49.919 different spas and wellness centers within the 00:13:49.919 --> 00:13:52.559 Baltimore region area. And these all occurred 00:13:52.559 --> 00:13:58.419 from 2012 to 2016. I think they probably caught 00:13:58.419 --> 00:14:02.559 some wind of something maybe coming down from 00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:05.679 the league. And so I think the Ravens made their 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:09.519 decision before the heat comes down. And so if 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:12.370 you're Justin Tucker. You really can't do anything 00:14:12.370 --> 00:14:15.549 right now. You can't go out and get signed by 00:14:15.549 --> 00:14:18.629 another team. You can't go and be a coach because 00:14:18.629 --> 00:14:23.450 your name is too hot. You're tied with 16 instances 00:14:23.450 --> 00:14:26.950 of sexual misconduct. That's not good. And every 00:14:26.950 --> 00:14:30.009 day this does not get resolved is another day 00:14:30.009 --> 00:14:33.070 that makes people feel like you are guilty of 00:14:33.070 --> 00:14:35.629 these crimes. Now, I am not passing judgment 00:14:35.629 --> 00:14:38.230 on Justin Tucker. I would never do that to any 00:14:38.230 --> 00:14:41.820 person. But at the same time, this is not a good 00:14:41.820 --> 00:14:45.340 look for you. You have a Hall of Fame career. 00:14:45.620 --> 00:14:50.860 And I think because of these allegations, I don't 00:14:50.860 --> 00:14:53.620 think he will get in first try. I don't think 00:14:53.620 --> 00:14:56.100 he'll get in second try. I think it's going to 00:14:56.100 --> 00:14:59.740 take him a while before he really gets into the 00:14:59.740 --> 00:15:02.860 Hall of Fame. And it sucks because when you look 00:15:02.860 --> 00:15:06.059 at his stats, I'm going to just read the stats 00:15:06.059 --> 00:15:09.080 for you. He is an eight -time All -Pro, seven 00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:11.519 -time Pro Bowler. He was a part of the 2010's 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:15.080 All -Decade team. He holds the longest record 00:15:15.080 --> 00:15:19.440 for the longest kick in NFL history at 66 yards. 00:15:19.700 --> 00:15:24.019 He was 417 out of 468 in field goals. He has 00:15:24.019 --> 00:15:27.379 the highest field goal percentage in NFL history 00:15:27.379 --> 00:15:32.100 at 89 .1%. He was a dog when it came to kicker. 00:15:32.139 --> 00:15:36.139 You knew? If Justin Tucker went out on that field, 00:15:36.240 --> 00:15:38.519 most likely he's going to make that kick. There 00:15:38.519 --> 00:15:41.919 are very few instances where Justin Tucker did 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:46.679 not make the kick. And so you will not be able 00:15:46.679 --> 00:15:49.500 to transition like how a lot of players have 00:15:49.500 --> 00:15:53.039 been able to, where they can get into the media 00:15:53.039 --> 00:15:55.460 game or they can get into podcasting or they 00:15:55.460 --> 00:15:58.820 can get into different spaces, different areas. 00:15:59.000 --> 00:16:02.279 You can't do that. You're literally going to 00:16:02.279 --> 00:16:05.440 have to lay low. Probably for at least maybe 00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:10.080 one or two years and then maybe start to reemerge. 00:16:10.100 --> 00:16:13.440 And even then, I would do it slowly because right 00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:16.179 now your name is tied to a lot of allegations 00:16:16.179 --> 00:16:20.059 and it would be best if you just let things just 00:16:20.059 --> 00:16:23.039 die down and maybe there will be some resolution 00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:27.940 to this case. But it really does suck for Justin 00:16:27.940 --> 00:16:30.759 Tucker. If I'm not mistaken, I think somebody 00:16:30.759 --> 00:16:34.659 actually found Justin Tucker. at a football field 00:16:34.659 --> 00:16:37.039 somewhere, and he was just working out. That 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:40.940 sucks. He should be getting ready for the season, 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:43.779 but he won't be able to because you know why? 00:16:44.919 --> 00:16:46.480 I'm just going to say Steelers. No, he's not 00:16:46.480 --> 00:16:47.720 playing for Steelers. We have Chris Boswell. 00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:52.659 We have the Bos. But back to Justin Tucker. Justin 00:16:52.659 --> 00:16:54.799 Tucker is supposed to be preparing for this season, 00:16:54.879 --> 00:16:57.779 and he won't be able to do that. Man, man, that 00:16:57.779 --> 00:17:01.559 sucks. That absolutely sucks. We do have to talk 00:17:01.559 --> 00:17:03.879 about Shamar Stewart. We do have to talk about 00:17:03.879 --> 00:17:06.019 the Bengals because why? The Bengals are going 00:17:06.019 --> 00:17:09.359 to continue to be the Bengals. This is what Shamar 00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:12.720 Stewart says. And I quote, I just decided to 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:15.259 not sign those papers. I hate being on the sidelines 00:17:15.259 --> 00:17:17.240 looking at everybody else doing work, end quote. 00:17:19.019 --> 00:17:20.740 This is somebody that does not want to be part 00:17:20.740 --> 00:17:23.339 of the Bengals. This is somebody that wants to 00:17:23.339 --> 00:17:27.000 leave. He did not want to go to the Bengals because 00:17:27.000 --> 00:17:30.339 everybody knows the Bengals do dirty work. They 00:17:30.339 --> 00:17:32.900 are not really good when it comes to business 00:17:32.900 --> 00:17:39.839 and contracts. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. You could 00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:44.180 not make this stuff up, man. Only something like 00:17:44.180 --> 00:17:46.920 this would happen to the Bengals. It wouldn't 00:17:46.920 --> 00:17:49.460 happen with any other team. It would only happen 00:17:49.460 --> 00:17:52.819 to the Bengals. And you know what? They deserve 00:17:52.819 --> 00:17:56.660 it. If Shemar Stewart holds out, I think somebody 00:17:56.660 --> 00:17:59.240 will make a trade for him. I understand he's 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:01.359 on a rookie deal, but I mean, rookie deals really 00:18:01.359 --> 00:18:06.339 aren't that expensive. I'm just, hey, Bengals, 00:18:06.539 --> 00:18:08.640 you guys got to do a better job when it comes 00:18:08.640 --> 00:18:13.000 to business. See, the Bengals to me is like, 00:18:13.220 --> 00:18:16.259 it's like going to that convenience store and 00:18:16.259 --> 00:18:18.519 you try to get like your favorite snacks or your 00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:22.000 favorite chips or your favorite drinks. And they're 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:25.720 just jacking up the prices for no reason. Like, 00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:29.339 why is the Arizona iced tea? three dollars when 00:18:29.339 --> 00:18:32.640 it says 99 cents on the can that's what the bangles 00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:35.900 are the bangles are are those type of people 00:18:35.900 --> 00:18:39.299 where if you ask them to go to the store to get 00:18:39.299 --> 00:18:42.839 you like a bag of ice or bag of chips or pack 00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:45.299 a chicken or something and you give them money 00:18:45.299 --> 00:18:46.920 and you're thinking that they're that you're 00:18:46.920 --> 00:18:48.759 going to get the change back but no they keep 00:18:48.759 --> 00:18:51.940 the change back that's what the bangles are why 00:18:51.940 --> 00:18:54.440 are you doing bad business you don't need to 00:18:54.440 --> 00:18:57.150 do bad business It's already bad enough that 00:18:57.150 --> 00:18:59.109 you have Trey Hendrickson upset with you guys. 00:18:59.369 --> 00:19:01.329 Now you're going to have the rookie upset with 00:19:01.329 --> 00:19:06.529 you as well? Oh, man. It's game over, man. Game 00:19:06.529 --> 00:19:10.190 over. Game over for the Bengals. If I'm Joe Burrow, 00:19:10.309 --> 00:19:16.269 I am losing it right now. I am 100 % just losing 00:19:16.269 --> 00:19:20.400 it right now because... I'm doing all this work 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:23.440 in the background. I'm trying my hardest to try 00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:25.940 to keep this core together, but I can't do it 00:19:25.940 --> 00:19:28.500 because you know why? Business wants to be done 00:19:28.500 --> 00:19:32.779 in a very negative way. But the Bengals will 00:19:32.779 --> 00:19:36.259 be the Bengals. Sorry, Bengals fans, not sorry. 00:19:36.500 --> 00:19:41.140 But we do have the contract details for Matthew 00:19:41.140 --> 00:19:43.859 Stafford. So apparently, according to SpotRack, 00:19:43.940 --> 00:19:46.940 it is a two -year $84 million deal, which is 00:19:46.940 --> 00:19:49.990 $42 million a year. 40 million guaranteed at 00:19:49.990 --> 00:19:54.970 signing and 80 million total. But here's where 00:19:54.970 --> 00:19:57.710 things get a little bit more interesting, okay? 00:19:58.490 --> 00:20:03.190 In 2025, he has an option bonus of 24 million. 00:20:03.450 --> 00:20:06.190 Okay, cool. But let's go a little bit deeper. 00:20:06.390 --> 00:20:10.890 They split the 24 million into four separate 00:20:10.890 --> 00:20:14.990 $6 million bonuses. They also did that for the 00:20:14.990 --> 00:20:20.099 2026 option bonus as well. And to add a cherry 00:20:20.099 --> 00:20:25.559 on top, 2027 and 2030 are instantly voided on 00:20:25.559 --> 00:20:30.019 the final day of the 2026 season. This is a year 00:20:30.019 --> 00:20:34.519 by year contractual structure. This is something 00:20:34.519 --> 00:20:37.880 to where for whatever reason, if next year he 00:20:37.880 --> 00:20:41.140 wants to retire, he can retire and it doesn't 00:20:41.140 --> 00:20:44.240 really affect them as much. Compared to giving, 00:20:44.500 --> 00:20:47.180 you know, the traditional four years or three 00:20:47.180 --> 00:20:50.380 years or, you know, five year deal worth a whole 00:20:50.380 --> 00:20:52.619 bunch of money. And, you know, they'll have a 00:20:52.619 --> 00:20:55.440 whole bunch of dead cap and whatnot. They just 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:57.319 want to do something simple. And I understand 00:20:57.319 --> 00:21:00.160 that because Matthew Stafford last year did not 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:02.660 really look that good until the second half of 00:21:02.660 --> 00:21:06.119 the season. That first half, you really saw his 00:21:06.119 --> 00:21:09.940 age. You really saw the struggles of the offense 00:21:09.940 --> 00:21:14.700 and the defense. It just wasn't good. And so 00:21:14.700 --> 00:21:18.000 if you're Matthew Stafford, you have to be honest 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:20.799 with yourself. If I go to the Giants, it's over 00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:23.200 for me. If I go to the Raiders, it's over for 00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:28.839 me. This is my best place to win. May I remind 00:21:28.839 --> 00:21:31.039 you, this is the same Matthew Stafford that for 00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:32.819 the longest time when he was with the Lions, 00:21:33.099 --> 00:21:38.500 they were in hell. Absolute hell. His best option 00:21:38.500 --> 00:21:41.720 was Megatron. Outside of that, he really didn't 00:21:41.720 --> 00:21:43.880 have a whole lot of weapons. But now that you're 00:21:43.880 --> 00:21:46.920 in the place of weapons, I probably would not 00:21:46.920 --> 00:21:49.779 want to leave that. I don't care how much they're 00:21:49.779 --> 00:21:51.759 trying to swindle me. Listen, I will sign for 00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:54.980 $2 million if it means that I get to stay with 00:21:54.980 --> 00:21:57.359 this great organization and I get to stay with 00:21:57.359 --> 00:21:59.980 Sean McVay. Because I know, guess what? Sean 00:21:59.980 --> 00:22:02.079 McVay is going to give me some weapons. I'm still 00:22:02.079 --> 00:22:04.319 going to have Puka Nakua. And then they're going 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:09.319 to continue to build things for me. Now. When 00:22:09.319 --> 00:22:11.660 we look at things for the Rams, though, this 00:22:11.660 --> 00:22:15.299 buys them some time. Because I think next year, 00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:17.640 they're probably going to go and get a quarterback. 00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:21.599 Now, am I saying they're going to tank? No. But 00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:23.819 what I am saying is this. I would not be surprised 00:22:23.819 --> 00:22:26.779 if their first priority is getting one of those 00:22:26.779 --> 00:22:28.980 quarterbacks next year. Because allegedly, and 00:22:28.980 --> 00:22:31.859 I mean allegedly with big air quotes, the biggest 00:22:31.859 --> 00:22:34.299 air quotes that you could think of and imagine 00:22:34.299 --> 00:22:37.740 of, the quarterback class is supposed to be better. 00:22:38.349 --> 00:22:41.130 You're going to have people like Nussmeyer, Drew 00:22:41.130 --> 00:22:45.309 Aller, Eleanor Sellers, Carson Beck. You're supposed 00:22:45.309 --> 00:22:47.430 to be having a lot of quarterbacks, a lot of 00:22:47.430 --> 00:22:49.829 quote -unquote better quarterbacks in next year's 00:22:49.829 --> 00:22:52.269 draft. The only person that I don't think is 00:22:52.269 --> 00:22:55.190 going to declare for the draft is Archie. And 00:22:55.190 --> 00:22:58.230 I'll go a little bit on the deep end when we 00:22:58.230 --> 00:23:02.230 get to that point. But I think the Rams probably 00:23:02.230 --> 00:23:06.099 do need to get the successor. And I think if 00:23:06.099 --> 00:23:08.819 they just let them sit under Matthew Stafford, 00:23:08.839 --> 00:23:11.200 I think it would help them out a lot compared 00:23:11.200 --> 00:23:13.859 to just, you know, thrusting them into the fire 00:23:13.859 --> 00:23:16.720 just to see what you have in them. But I still 00:23:16.720 --> 00:23:19.559 believe that the Rams are very competitive. I 00:23:19.559 --> 00:23:21.640 still believe that the Rams can make some noise. 00:23:22.200 --> 00:23:24.140 Do I think the Rams can make it to the Super 00:23:24.140 --> 00:23:27.799 Bowl? No. But if I think if they make a few additions 00:23:27.799 --> 00:23:31.140 to both the offense and the defense. specifically 00:23:31.140 --> 00:23:33.700 the defense, I think we may have to change our 00:23:33.700 --> 00:23:37.819 conversation. I think if the Rams get Jalen Ramsey 00:23:37.819 --> 00:23:42.740 again, we may have a problem. Just saying. I'll 00:23:42.740 --> 00:23:46.019 just leave that for you to think about and sleep 00:23:46.019 --> 00:23:48.579 on and all those different things and more. But 00:23:48.579 --> 00:23:51.859 let's get into this Nico Iamalava situation. 00:23:53.629 --> 00:23:56.670 This is a very confusing situation because you 00:23:56.670 --> 00:23:58.890 have one side that's saying it's about money. 00:23:59.089 --> 00:24:00.849 And then you have another side that says it's 00:24:00.849 --> 00:24:02.670 not about money. Then you have this other side 00:24:02.670 --> 00:24:07.069 that says, you know, we were told that we wanted 00:24:07.069 --> 00:24:09.609 certain things in place for the betterment of 00:24:09.609 --> 00:24:11.950 Nico. I don't know who's right. I don't know 00:24:11.950 --> 00:24:13.450 who's wrong. But you know what? Let's just get 00:24:13.450 --> 00:24:15.210 into the meat and potatoes of everything, okay? 00:24:15.569 --> 00:24:18.029 So this is coming from front office boards. Shout 00:24:18.029 --> 00:24:20.410 out to them, by the way. So here's the thing. 00:24:20.509 --> 00:24:24.160 This dates back to 2024. after Tennessee loss 00:24:24.160 --> 00:24:27.420 in the playoffs, in which Nico's reps wanted 00:24:27.420 --> 00:24:29.640 to have a conversation with head coach Josh Hupel 00:24:29.640 --> 00:24:32.200 on what Nico needs in order to be successful. 00:24:32.500 --> 00:24:35.079 He wanted reinsurance that they were going to 00:24:35.079 --> 00:24:38.099 get better O -line and receiver prospects. But 00:24:38.099 --> 00:24:40.599 here's the part that I'm a little bit conflicted 00:24:40.599 --> 00:24:44.059 about. So apparently he was looking to renegotiate 00:24:44.059 --> 00:24:48.299 his NIL deal to around $4 million. And so he 00:24:48.299 --> 00:24:50.859 started to mispractice and decided to enter the 00:24:50.859 --> 00:24:55.220 transfer portal. And so Nico was called by multiple 00:24:55.220 --> 00:24:57.900 coaches to see where his status was. And his 00:24:57.900 --> 00:25:01.019 statement was, and I quote, as long as they brought 00:25:01.019 --> 00:25:03.779 in the recruits he pushed for, everything was 00:25:03.779 --> 00:25:08.740 going to be OK, end quote. And so they decide 00:25:08.740 --> 00:25:11.920 to, you know, to get rid of him. And so Coach 00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:14.900 Hupel puts out a statement and says, and I quote, 00:25:15.019 --> 00:25:16.859 I want to thank him for everything he's done 00:25:16.859 --> 00:25:19.359 since he's gotten here as a recruit and who he 00:25:19.359 --> 00:25:21.539 was as a player and how he competed inside the 00:25:21.539 --> 00:25:25.259 building. But this is the thing that's very interesting, 00:25:25.359 --> 00:25:28.039 though. Obviously, we're moving forward as a 00:25:28.039 --> 00:25:30.660 program without him. I said it to the guys today. 00:25:31.019 --> 00:25:33.619 There's no one that's bigger than the power T. 00:25:34.119 --> 00:25:38.900 That includes me, end quote. And so time goes 00:25:38.900 --> 00:25:41.799 on. And then finally, word breaks that Nico is 00:25:41.799 --> 00:25:44.900 signing with UCLA for undisclosed NIL amount. 00:25:45.079 --> 00:25:48.819 On one hand. I understand that you want better 00:25:48.819 --> 00:25:50.619 prospects, especially when it comes to offensive 00:25:50.619 --> 00:25:53.440 line and receiver prospects. I understand that. 00:25:53.880 --> 00:25:57.519 However, there is a way that you go about it. 00:25:57.700 --> 00:26:01.519 And let me explain a little bit deeper. You know 00:26:01.519 --> 00:26:04.299 that most likely your name is going to be brought 00:26:04.299 --> 00:26:07.640 up in next year's draft. And so with something 00:26:07.640 --> 00:26:11.779 like this happening, there is a chance that your 00:26:11.779 --> 00:26:14.700 draft stock is going to be severely affected. 00:26:15.819 --> 00:26:19.900 Because why would you leave the SEC to go to 00:26:19.900 --> 00:26:23.559 UCLA? When we all know that UCLA really doesn't 00:26:23.559 --> 00:26:26.680 produce a lot of prospects compared to Tennessee, 00:26:26.819 --> 00:26:31.619 where they are a factory when it comes to prospects. 00:26:31.940 --> 00:26:35.619 They at least produce maybe 10 to 15 prospects 00:26:35.619 --> 00:26:39.440 maybe every single year. Now, some of them are 00:26:39.440 --> 00:26:42.769 hits and then some of them are misses. But the 00:26:42.769 --> 00:26:45.769 fact of the matter is they produce NFL caliber 00:26:45.769 --> 00:26:49.450 players. So why would you want to stay in the 00:26:49.450 --> 00:26:54.130 SEC? Granted, I understand the NIL was intended 00:26:54.130 --> 00:26:57.109 for players to make money off of their name, 00:26:57.190 --> 00:27:02.529 image, and likeness. I understand that. However, 00:27:02.809 --> 00:27:07.470 what you cannot do is to make these types of 00:27:07.470 --> 00:27:10.509 requests and then have a hissy fit about it. 00:27:10.730 --> 00:27:13.710 and then just decide to leave. You, sir, are 00:27:13.710 --> 00:27:17.609 no bigger than the school that is the University 00:27:17.609 --> 00:27:21.009 of Tennessee. No one is bigger than any school. 00:27:21.329 --> 00:27:25.049 There is no coach. There is no player. There 00:27:25.049 --> 00:27:28.569 is no anything that is bigger than the university. 00:27:28.789 --> 00:27:31.490 I don't care if you won a Heisman. I don't care 00:27:31.490 --> 00:27:34.230 if you won every single positional award that 00:27:34.230 --> 00:27:37.089 you can win in college football. You are not 00:27:37.089 --> 00:27:40.630 bigger than the school. And Tennessee just proved 00:27:40.630 --> 00:27:42.849 that. And Tennessee is probably going to be perfectly 00:27:42.849 --> 00:27:45.930 fine. Because guess what? They know that there's 00:27:45.930 --> 00:27:48.230 going to be somebody that's going to be willing 00:27:48.230 --> 00:27:52.609 to commit to Tennessee. But you, on the other 00:27:52.609 --> 00:27:56.849 hand, are going to leave a somewhat better situation 00:27:56.849 --> 00:28:03.630 to go where? To UCLA. Really? Really, dawg? That's 00:28:03.630 --> 00:28:06.170 not a good idea. That's going to hurt you significantly. 00:28:06.369 --> 00:28:12.220 So now... Leading into probably last year, you 00:28:12.220 --> 00:28:16.019 were probably slated to be a first round prospect. 00:28:16.920 --> 00:28:20.299 Now, people will probably talk themselves out 00:28:20.299 --> 00:28:22.960 of giving you that first round grade. They'll 00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:25.380 probably now give you a second or third or maybe 00:28:25.380 --> 00:28:29.440 fourth round grade. Players have to be mindful 00:28:29.440 --> 00:28:32.779 of their actions because that's going to carry 00:28:32.779 --> 00:28:36.539 them into the league. We just saw that with Shador 00:28:36.539 --> 00:28:40.609 Sanders. Had Shador Sanders governed himself 00:28:40.609 --> 00:28:43.269 accordingly and a little bit more professionally, 00:28:43.349 --> 00:28:46.109 he probably would have been drafted in the first 00:28:46.109 --> 00:28:50.210 round. But what you cannot do is go on this mini 00:28:50.210 --> 00:28:53.529 run with your daddy and say, we're not going 00:28:53.529 --> 00:28:54.930 to take interviews with this team. We're not 00:28:54.930 --> 00:28:56.630 going to take interviews with that team. And 00:28:56.630 --> 00:28:58.190 we're not going to do this. We're not going to 00:28:58.190 --> 00:29:00.569 do that. We're not going to do all that and do 00:29:00.569 --> 00:29:03.829 that. You have to be on board with the process. 00:29:04.309 --> 00:29:06.630 And if you are not on board with the process, 00:29:06.730 --> 00:29:09.049 guess what? people are not going to rock with 00:29:09.049 --> 00:29:13.289 you. They would rather see you fall or become 00:29:13.289 --> 00:29:15.930 an undrafted free agent before they give you 00:29:15.930 --> 00:29:20.450 a chance. We have seen that multiple times. And 00:29:20.450 --> 00:29:23.730 this was the very thing that Nick Saban was talking 00:29:23.730 --> 00:29:27.829 about on why he decided to retire from coaching. 00:29:28.150 --> 00:29:31.150 Because he realized that once the NIO was in 00:29:31.150 --> 00:29:34.430 place, I can't do my job. Because you know what 00:29:34.430 --> 00:29:37.470 we're going to be talking about? Money. Instead 00:29:37.470 --> 00:29:40.029 of talking about how can I get better so that 00:29:40.029 --> 00:29:42.750 I can be a first round prospect, a second round 00:29:42.750 --> 00:29:47.210 prospect, or a third round prospect. And so that's 00:29:47.210 --> 00:29:50.750 going to jeopardize a lot of coaches moving forward. 00:29:50.789 --> 00:29:52.710 Because why? These players are talking about 00:29:52.710 --> 00:29:54.509 money before they even talk about committing. 00:29:55.309 --> 00:29:58.269 And granted, there are some people you may deserve 00:29:58.269 --> 00:30:01.329 a little bit of money. But I'm sorry. I'm not 00:30:01.329 --> 00:30:05.539 giving you... a $6 or $7 million NIL deal. I'm 00:30:05.539 --> 00:30:08.279 not giving you a boatload of money for no reason. 00:30:08.319 --> 00:30:12.119 No. Because you need to prove that you belong 00:30:12.119 --> 00:30:15.940 on this field. Because guess what? Just how you 00:30:15.940 --> 00:30:18.279 feel that you are a five -star prospect, there 00:30:18.279 --> 00:30:20.319 are at least two or three other five -star prospects 00:30:20.319 --> 00:30:22.200 that can either do the same thing that you're 00:30:22.200 --> 00:30:24.539 doing or even better than what you're doing. 00:30:24.839 --> 00:30:28.380 That would be willing to just take less just 00:30:28.380 --> 00:30:31.700 to be on the field. At some point, the NCAA is 00:30:31.700 --> 00:30:33.039 going to have to step in and they're going to 00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:35.859 have to add regulations to this NIL thing because 00:30:35.859 --> 00:30:38.180 it's starting to get out of hand and you don't 00:30:38.180 --> 00:30:42.259 want that. But hey, let's see how the season 00:30:42.259 --> 00:30:45.140 goes. Maybe Nico proves us wrong and I hope he 00:30:45.140 --> 00:30:49.450 does. I really do. But going. to UCLA is not 00:30:49.450 --> 00:30:52.569 a good idea because why? Your money is not going 00:30:52.569 --> 00:30:54.769 to stretch as long when you're in California, 00:30:55.029 --> 00:30:57.690 one of the places that has some of the highest 00:30:57.690 --> 00:31:02.130 tax rates in the entire country. Everybody knows 00:31:02.130 --> 00:31:05.970 that living in the South or doing anything in 00:31:05.970 --> 00:31:09.450 the South is a little bit more easier than going 00:31:09.450 --> 00:31:12.630 to the West Coast. Because why? The taxes are 00:31:12.630 --> 00:31:15.789 a little bit lower. The price of living is a 00:31:15.789 --> 00:31:18.029 little bit lower. Your money is able to stretch 00:31:18.029 --> 00:31:20.150 a little bit longer in the South compared to 00:31:20.150 --> 00:31:22.569 on the West Coast. But hey, what do I know, right? 00:31:22.750 --> 00:31:26.009 But let's get into this whole conundrum of players 00:31:26.009 --> 00:31:31.029 wanting to play with Legends numbers. So Abdul 00:31:31.029 --> 00:31:34.990 Carter was one of the notable players that was 00:31:34.990 --> 00:31:38.230 reaching out to the team's respective Legends 00:31:38.230 --> 00:31:40.809 and try to ask for their permission to wear their 00:31:40.809 --> 00:31:45.160 numbers. So he asked LT. and he also asked phil 00:31:45.160 --> 00:31:50.160 sims lt said hell no phil sims basically said 00:31:50.160 --> 00:31:53.460 you could have wore it but my family intervened 00:31:53.460 --> 00:31:56.980 and so it's a no for me dog better yet let me 00:31:56.980 --> 00:32:00.440 read the quotes that they put out lt said this 00:32:00.440 --> 00:32:03.019 and i quote i know he would love to wear that 00:32:03.019 --> 00:32:05.960 number but hey i think it's retired get another 00:32:05.960 --> 00:32:08.680 number i don't care if it's double zero and then 00:32:08.680 --> 00:32:11.660 make it famous end quote this is what phil sims 00:32:11.660 --> 00:32:14.700 says And I quote, I told some of my friends and 00:32:14.700 --> 00:32:16.880 people around me, I let him have it in a second. 00:32:17.000 --> 00:32:19.279 Can you just help? Can you just help it a little 00:32:19.279 --> 00:32:24.420 or make it better? You gotta love Phil Simms. 00:32:24.480 --> 00:32:27.079 That's a great response. That's a great response, 00:32:27.319 --> 00:32:31.400 end quote. And he's right. He's right. But guess 00:32:31.400 --> 00:32:36.599 what? You do not have that right to ask to use 00:32:36.599 --> 00:32:38.480 people's numbers that are already established. 00:32:39.279 --> 00:32:42.549 Why do that? Because guess what? The minute that 00:32:42.549 --> 00:32:47.470 you do that, your expectations are going to be 00:32:47.470 --> 00:32:51.650 their expectations. So if you were to get LT's 00:32:51.650 --> 00:32:55.650 number, if you do not have a career similar to 00:32:55.650 --> 00:32:57.970 LT, then you have failed that number. You have 00:32:57.970 --> 00:33:01.710 tarnished that number. Same thing with Phil Simms. 00:33:01.750 --> 00:33:05.450 If you do not do what he did within his career, 00:33:05.549 --> 00:33:08.049 then guess what? You have tarnished the number. 00:33:08.990 --> 00:33:13.349 No player under any circumstance should be allowed 00:33:13.349 --> 00:33:17.690 to wear a Legends number. I don't care what you 00:33:17.690 --> 00:33:20.150 did in college. I don't care how many accolades 00:33:20.150 --> 00:33:22.309 you have. I don't care how many sacks you have. 00:33:22.450 --> 00:33:25.329 I don't care how high you were drafted. I don't 00:33:25.329 --> 00:33:27.529 care about none of that. You should not be allowed 00:33:27.529 --> 00:33:30.789 to wear a Legends number. That's like, for instance, 00:33:31.210 --> 00:33:35.150 I don't know, Trenton Simpson trying to wear 00:33:35.150 --> 00:33:39.400 Ray Lewis's jersey. That's like... Kyle Hamilton 00:33:39.400 --> 00:33:45.940 trying to wear Ed Reed's or who can I think of? 00:33:45.940 --> 00:33:48.579 Who can I think of? Jared Verse wanting to wear 00:33:48.579 --> 00:33:54.279 Aaron Donald's number. No, there are just certain 00:33:54.279 --> 00:33:58.619 numbers that are just off limits under no circumstance. 00:33:59.279 --> 00:34:02.940 That's for instance, Kenny Pickett wanting to 00:34:02.940 --> 00:34:07.200 wear Ben Roethlisberger's jersey when he was 00:34:07.200 --> 00:34:12.059 with the Steelers. No. No. Hell no. That's like 00:34:12.059 --> 00:34:14.260 Drake May trying to wear Tom Brady's number. 00:34:14.780 --> 00:34:18.639 It's a hell no. You cannot do that under any 00:34:18.639 --> 00:34:21.599 circumstance. I don't care if you ask. I don't 00:34:21.599 --> 00:34:23.719 care how much money you put up. I don't care 00:34:23.719 --> 00:34:27.880 what you do. You cannot and will not wear that 00:34:27.880 --> 00:34:31.260 jersey. That jersey is retired for a reason. 00:34:31.760 --> 00:34:34.840 Because they had a historical, legendary career. 00:34:35.099 --> 00:34:38.739 And if you do not do that, then guess what? I 00:34:38.739 --> 00:34:42.119 just said it. You tarnished the number. Cannot 00:34:42.119 --> 00:34:45.360 do that. That's just like how, is it Jalen? It's 00:34:45.360 --> 00:34:47.280 either Jalen Walker or Mike Hill Williams. One 00:34:47.280 --> 00:34:49.699 of the two. Whoever got drafted by the Falcons. 00:34:50.320 --> 00:34:54.139 He's wearing Julio Jones's number. The Julio 00:34:54.139 --> 00:34:57.039 Jones. Future first ballot Hall of Famer Julio 00:34:57.039 --> 00:35:01.500 Jones's number. Why? Why is he allowed to wear 00:35:01.500 --> 00:35:05.480 his number? In no way should nobody be allowed 00:35:05.480 --> 00:35:10.800 to wear Julio Jones's number. Man, please, y 00:35:10.800 --> 00:35:13.659 'all gonna make me lose my mind. But we do have 00:35:13.659 --> 00:35:15.260 to talk about something a little bit more serious, 00:35:15.300 --> 00:35:18.400 and that is the White House proposed budget that 00:35:18.400 --> 00:35:20.800 includes eliminating federal funding for traumatic 00:35:20.800 --> 00:35:24.420 brain injury and education. So here's the thing. 00:35:24.780 --> 00:35:30.239 The CDC is facing a $3 .5 billion deficit. And 00:35:30.239 --> 00:35:31.860 so they're going to have to make major budget 00:35:31.860 --> 00:35:37.139 cuts. Now, here's the thing. 8 .2 million is 00:35:37.139 --> 00:35:40.019 dedicated for brain injury research and public 00:35:40.019 --> 00:35:43.780 education on the dangers of concussions. Now, 00:35:43.820 --> 00:35:47.119 Dr. Owens, who is a part of the board for the 00:35:47.119 --> 00:35:49.619 Brain Injury Association of America and is also 00:35:49.619 --> 00:35:52.079 a brain injury specialist, says, and I quote, 00:35:52.280 --> 00:35:55.239 the budget cuts would roll back decades of progress, 00:35:55.400 --> 00:35:58.380 end quote. Now, one of the programs that are 00:35:58.380 --> 00:36:02.179 targeted for this potential cut is Heads Up, 00:36:02.340 --> 00:36:05.679 which is a concussion prevention program for 00:36:05.679 --> 00:36:08.539 youth and high school coaches and athletic trainers. 00:36:09.380 --> 00:36:12.280 Congress first approved traumatic brain injury 00:36:12.280 --> 00:36:16.739 research and education in 1996. This is one of 00:36:16.739 --> 00:36:20.559 those programs that you just do not cut. And 00:36:20.559 --> 00:36:23.639 the reason why I say that is because the NFL 00:36:23.639 --> 00:36:28.070 has made. so much progress within the last few 00:36:28.070 --> 00:36:31.230 years on bringing more awareness to concussions 00:36:31.230 --> 00:36:36.050 and brain injuries that by making this move you 00:36:36.050 --> 00:36:38.150 would eliminate all the progress that they've 00:36:38.150 --> 00:36:42.110 made so far remember there was a point in time 00:36:42.110 --> 00:36:45.070 where you could go head up with somebody and 00:36:45.070 --> 00:36:46.849 if you had a little concussion they wasn't going 00:36:46.849 --> 00:36:50.250 to pay you no mind but now they had to take action 00:36:50.250 --> 00:36:54.719 especially when You had people in, for instance, 00:36:55.159 --> 00:36:59.559 Aaron Hernandez's brain was shown and you saw 00:36:59.559 --> 00:37:04.380 the impact of all those blows to the head. If 00:37:04.380 --> 00:37:07.500 you've never seen it, go on Google and look up 00:37:07.500 --> 00:37:11.960 Aaron Hernandez's brain and compare it to a normal 00:37:11.960 --> 00:37:17.340 picture of a brain. It looks sick. It looks horrible. 00:37:17.699 --> 00:37:19.980 Better yet, I'm going to give you another brain 00:37:19.980 --> 00:37:22.769 that you need to look up. Mike Webster, he used 00:37:22.769 --> 00:37:24.369 to play for the Steelers. He was the center for 00:37:24.369 --> 00:37:28.329 the Steelers. Look up his brain. Those two brains 00:37:28.329 --> 00:37:35.230 alone are severe cases of CTE. You have to make 00:37:35.230 --> 00:37:37.849 sure that you do not get rid of this program 00:37:37.849 --> 00:37:40.849 because if you get rid of this program, it is 00:37:40.849 --> 00:37:44.849 going to cause a lot of parents to not want to 00:37:44.849 --> 00:37:48.269 have their, not players, to not have their kids 00:37:48.269 --> 00:37:51.840 go into football. Because they know the risks 00:37:51.840 --> 00:37:54.380 that come with playing football. All it takes 00:37:54.380 --> 00:37:56.079 is just one hit, to be honest with you folks. 00:37:56.579 --> 00:38:00.500 One good hit, and your kid could have CTE or 00:38:00.500 --> 00:38:06.940 anything crazy. But with things being as futuristic 00:38:06.940 --> 00:38:10.199 as it has been within the last few years, and 00:38:10.199 --> 00:38:12.980 how people have been able to roll out different... 00:38:13.340 --> 00:38:16.639 helmet models that help lower the risk of concussions 00:38:16.639 --> 00:38:19.420 and you know different tackling techniques and 00:38:19.420 --> 00:38:24.079 just overall more safer game of football you've 00:38:24.079 --> 00:38:28.139 seen a decrease in concussions but by eliminating 00:38:28.139 --> 00:38:31.760 this you may see an uptick in concussions and 00:38:31.760 --> 00:38:35.579 more brain injuries i don't know about this white 00:38:35.579 --> 00:38:37.880 house i probably would not would not look at 00:38:37.880 --> 00:38:41.449 this now if i'm the nfl on the other hand I would 00:38:41.449 --> 00:38:44.650 be in direct communication with the White House 00:38:44.650 --> 00:38:48.329 to figure out, hey, what can we do to keep this 00:38:48.329 --> 00:38:51.929 program going? How much money will it take and 00:38:51.929 --> 00:38:54.909 how long will the money keep the program going? 00:38:55.769 --> 00:38:59.130 Because if this is eliminated, it is going to 00:38:59.130 --> 00:39:02.630 have a catastrophic effect on peewee football, 00:39:03.010 --> 00:39:06.809 college football and professional football. And 00:39:06.809 --> 00:39:09.849 I don't think people want that. But to wrap things 00:39:09.849 --> 00:39:12.989 up, we got grades, folks. That's right, grades 00:39:12.989 --> 00:39:17.409 for the AFC Norths, yes. But this one's going 00:39:17.409 --> 00:39:19.949 to be a little bit different, okay? I'm going 00:39:19.949 --> 00:39:24.010 to incorporate stats, both offensive and defensive 00:39:24.010 --> 00:39:26.849 snaps, so that I can try to make a correlation 00:39:26.849 --> 00:39:29.550 between the draft picks and whatnot. So here 00:39:29.550 --> 00:39:31.929 it goes for the Browns, okay? Their positions 00:39:31.929 --> 00:39:34.150 of need were quarterback, running back, tackle, 00:39:34.250 --> 00:39:36.469 defensive line. So, of course, first round, they 00:39:36.469 --> 00:39:38.289 got Mason Graham. Second round, they got Carson 00:39:38.289 --> 00:39:42.170 Swessinger and Quinson Junkins. Third round, 00:39:42.210 --> 00:39:44.210 they got Harold Fanny Jr. and Dylan Gabriel. 00:39:44.590 --> 00:39:46.550 Fourth round, they got Dylan Sampson. And then 00:39:46.550 --> 00:39:49.449 fifth round, they got Shador Sanders. So you 00:39:49.449 --> 00:39:51.750 can cross off quarterback. You can cross off 00:39:51.750 --> 00:39:53.570 running back. You can cross off defensive line. 00:39:53.789 --> 00:39:56.429 Good. The only thing that they didn't address 00:39:56.429 --> 00:39:58.849 to me that I feel like they should have addressed 00:39:58.849 --> 00:40:02.239 was tackle. Just being honest here, but that's 00:40:02.239 --> 00:40:04.820 just me because I love the offensive line. I 00:40:04.820 --> 00:40:07.179 understand that the offensive line play a very 00:40:07.179 --> 00:40:10.039 foundational role in a lot of things. But when 00:40:10.039 --> 00:40:12.719 we look at their team stats, however, they were 00:40:12.719 --> 00:40:17.059 the 19th ranked defense last year. They averaged 00:40:17.059 --> 00:40:21.710 25 .6 points that were allowed per game. 342 00:40:21.710 --> 00:40:25.630 .1 yards allowed per game, 5 .6 yards allowed 00:40:25.630 --> 00:40:29.909 per play. They allowed 48 touchdowns and they 00:40:29.909 --> 00:40:33.530 had a 38 .4 quarterback pressure percentage with 00:40:33.530 --> 00:40:36.610 226 quarterback pressures. Let's go a little 00:40:36.610 --> 00:40:38.289 bit deeper. Let's break it down a little bit 00:40:38.289 --> 00:40:42.030 more. So they have the 12 passing defense, which 00:40:42.030 --> 00:40:47.570 allowed 212 .4 passing yards per game, 6 .5 passing 00:40:47.570 --> 00:40:51.590 yards per play. 26 passing touchdowns that were 00:40:51.590 --> 00:40:54.030 allowed. Let's go a little bit more deeper. They 00:40:54.030 --> 00:40:59.829 had the 21st run defense, which allowed 129 .7 00:40:59.829 --> 00:41:03.409 rushing yards per game, 4 .5 rushing yards per 00:41:03.409 --> 00:41:07.070 play, and 70 rushes of 10 plus yards or more 00:41:07.070 --> 00:41:11.769 with a run stuff rate at 22 .5%. Now, granted, 00:41:11.909 --> 00:41:14.969 Mason Graham will definitely help out on the 00:41:14.969 --> 00:41:18.030 defensive line. But I still feel like that's 00:41:18.030 --> 00:41:20.230 not enough. I feel like they probably should 00:41:20.230 --> 00:41:23.130 have doubled it at defensive line. And the reason 00:41:23.130 --> 00:41:26.809 why I say that is because outside of Myles Garrett, 00:41:27.130 --> 00:41:30.610 who else can you rely on? Because most likely, 00:41:30.730 --> 00:41:32.409 Mason Graham will probably get double teamed. 00:41:32.650 --> 00:41:34.909 So you're going to need somebody else that can 00:41:34.909 --> 00:41:38.309 come in and create a lot of pressure. Do I think 00:41:38.309 --> 00:41:42.510 this is a major upgrade? No. Do I feel like they 00:41:42.510 --> 00:41:45.090 may have reached for Mason Graham? Just a little 00:41:45.090 --> 00:41:49.079 bit. I think if they drafted Mason Graham maybe 00:41:49.079 --> 00:41:52.579 with the 10th or 11th pick, okay, fine. That's 00:41:52.579 --> 00:41:55.679 a good spot. But drafting him as high as they 00:41:55.679 --> 00:41:58.960 did, I'm a little bit skeptical about that personally, 00:41:59.059 --> 00:42:01.880 but only time will tell. Now, when we look at 00:42:01.880 --> 00:42:04.119 on their offensive side, okay, they have the 00:42:04.119 --> 00:42:08.739 28th ranked offense. They averaged 15 .2 points 00:42:08.739 --> 00:42:13.489 per game. 300 .8 yards per game, and 4 .6 yards 00:42:13.489 --> 00:42:17.349 per play, as well as 27 touchdowns. Let's break 00:42:17.349 --> 00:42:19.989 it down a little bit more. They have the 22nd 00:42:19.989 --> 00:42:24.289 passing offense, which averaged 206 .2 passing 00:42:24.289 --> 00:42:27.570 yards per game, 4 .8 passing yards per play, 00:42:27.710 --> 00:42:35.690 and 19 passing touchdowns. Okay. Eh. Average, 00:42:35.829 --> 00:42:39.639 I would say. Now, they had the 29th rushing offense, 00:42:39.960 --> 00:42:43.760 which averaged 94 .6 rushing yards per game, 00:42:43.940 --> 00:42:47.940 4 .1 rushing yards per play, 8 touchdowns, and 00:42:47.940 --> 00:42:51.239 34 rushes of 10 -plus yards or more. Overall, 00:42:51.500 --> 00:42:54.440 I would give them a B. I'm not saying this is 00:42:54.440 --> 00:42:58.179 a dynamic draft. I'm not saying this is a game 00:42:58.179 --> 00:43:00.059 -changing draft. I'm not saying any of those 00:43:00.059 --> 00:43:03.480 things. I think this is a good meat -and -potatoes 00:43:03.480 --> 00:43:06.809 type of draft. And sometimes you need those type 00:43:06.809 --> 00:43:10.250 of drafts in order to build a great team. It's 00:43:10.250 --> 00:43:13.429 not always going to be a bunch of high flash 00:43:13.429 --> 00:43:17.110 and oohs and ahhs when it comes to your drafting. 00:43:17.230 --> 00:43:19.909 A lot of times it's a lot of meat and potatoes 00:43:19.909 --> 00:43:24.329 type of drafts that carry you on into becoming 00:43:24.329 --> 00:43:27.440 a true contender. And that's perfectly fine. 00:43:27.559 --> 00:43:29.300 I think Quinson -Junkins, I think that's a good 00:43:29.300 --> 00:43:33.019 pick. I think Harold Fanning Jr. paired up with 00:43:33.019 --> 00:43:34.940 David Njoku, I think that's a good pick as well. 00:43:35.300 --> 00:43:37.099 Mason Graham, I think that's also a good pick 00:43:37.099 --> 00:43:39.820 as well. I just feel like where he was drafted 00:43:39.820 --> 00:43:42.760 is a little bit controversial. I feel like Shador 00:43:42.760 --> 00:43:45.800 is a good pick as well because here's the thing. 00:43:46.239 --> 00:43:49.340 Shador Sanders, outside of all the distractions 00:43:49.340 --> 00:43:53.000 and whatnot, he was a good quarterback. He's 00:43:53.000 --> 00:43:57.670 not the... How can I say this? You know what? 00:43:57.710 --> 00:43:59.869 Bump it. I'll just say it. He's not like every 00:43:59.869 --> 00:44:02.670 other black quarterback. Because we all know 00:44:02.670 --> 00:44:05.849 most black quarterbacks, they're athletic. They 00:44:05.849 --> 00:44:08.530 can run real fast. They're just a dual threat. 00:44:09.130 --> 00:44:12.210 That's not Shador. Shador is an old school drop 00:44:12.210 --> 00:44:14.869 back, sit in the pocket type of quarterback. 00:44:15.269 --> 00:44:18.090 And that's perfectly fine. You can still have 00:44:18.090 --> 00:44:22.070 a very successful career in the NFL. He's very 00:44:22.070 --> 00:44:25.829 precise with his throwing. And I think it's only 00:44:25.829 --> 00:44:28.050 going to get better now that he's in the league 00:44:28.050 --> 00:44:30.550 and now that he's in a situation where you have 00:44:30.550 --> 00:44:33.409 someone like Kevin Stefanski who has worked with 00:44:33.409 --> 00:44:35.570 multiple quarterbacks. I think this will work 00:44:35.570 --> 00:44:38.670 significantly well, but only time will tell. 00:44:38.889 --> 00:44:41.449 Now, do I think the offense will improve significantly? 00:44:41.710 --> 00:44:43.110 Yes, I think the running game will definitely 00:44:43.110 --> 00:44:46.329 get better. I think the passing game will definitely 00:44:46.329 --> 00:44:48.909 get better. The passing defense, I'm a little 00:44:48.909 --> 00:44:50.710 bit skeptical about because they really didn't 00:44:50.710 --> 00:44:52.940 make a whole lot of additions there. The run 00:44:52.940 --> 00:44:56.840 defense, I do think, got a little bit better. 00:44:56.900 --> 00:44:59.460 Not significantly, but just a little bit better. 00:44:59.500 --> 00:45:02.239 Just a tad better, to be specific. Now let's 00:45:02.239 --> 00:45:07.900 go to the Bengals. Man, maybe I'll change their 00:45:07.900 --> 00:45:09.820 grade at this point. I might just want to give 00:45:09.820 --> 00:45:11.800 them an F at this point because this is bad. 00:45:12.059 --> 00:45:15.119 So their positions of need were defensive back, 00:45:15.320 --> 00:45:18.159 edge, D -tackle, linebacker, interior offensive 00:45:18.159 --> 00:45:21.219 line. So they drafted Shamar Stewart, Demetrius 00:45:21.219 --> 00:45:24.360 Knight Jr., Dylan Fairchild, Barrett Carter, 00:45:24.480 --> 00:45:27.400 Jalen Rivers, and Taj Brooks. Okay, not bad. 00:45:27.679 --> 00:45:31.280 And so when we look at their team stats and whatnot, 00:45:31.480 --> 00:45:34.820 they had the ninth ranked offense, which averaged 00:45:34.820 --> 00:45:39.400 27 .8 points per game, 365 .5 yards per game, 00:45:39.559 --> 00:45:43.199 5 .8 yards per play, and 54 touchdowns. Let's 00:45:43.199 --> 00:45:46.199 go a little bit deeper. They had the number one 00:45:46.199 --> 00:45:50.480 passing offense. At 272 .9 passing yards per 00:45:50.480 --> 00:45:55.039 game, 6 .6 passing yards per play, and 43 passing 00:45:55.039 --> 00:46:00.159 touchdowns. Not bad. But they had the 30th rushing 00:46:00.159 --> 00:46:04.380 offense, which averaged 92 .6 rushing yards per 00:46:04.380 --> 00:46:08.440 game, 4 .1 rushing yards per play. eight touchdowns, 00:46:08.440 --> 00:46:11.079 and 34 rushes of 10 -plus yards or more. The 00:46:11.079 --> 00:46:13.500 run game really wasn't that strong for them last 00:46:13.500 --> 00:46:15.860 year, and you can definitely tell that they missed 00:46:15.860 --> 00:46:19.219 Joe Mixon significantly. And when we switch things 00:46:19.219 --> 00:46:22.840 over to the defense, however, they had the 25th 00:46:22.840 --> 00:46:27.039 -ranked defense, which averaged 25 .5 points 00:46:27.039 --> 00:46:31.199 allowed per game, 348 .3 yards allowed per game, 00:46:31.400 --> 00:46:35.820 5 .4 yards per play allowed, 50 touchdowns allowed. 00:46:36.429 --> 00:46:41.469 and a 31 .8 quarterback pressure percentage it's 00:46:41.469 --> 00:46:44.010 not really that good and you can we all know 00:46:44.010 --> 00:46:46.530 why their defense wasn't that good okay we don't 00:46:46.530 --> 00:46:49.090 need to go on the soapbox but when we go a little 00:46:49.090 --> 00:46:53.369 bit deeper into this okay they had the 21st passing 00:46:53.369 --> 00:46:57.789 defense which averaged 223 .5 passing yards allowed 00:46:57.789 --> 00:47:01.170 per game 6 .2 passing yards allowed per play 00:47:01.170 --> 00:47:06.320 30 passing touchdowns allowed That is not good, 00:47:06.400 --> 00:47:09.739 folks. And you can tell that they missed their 00:47:09.739 --> 00:47:12.260 defensive backs because they don't have anybody 00:47:12.260 --> 00:47:16.340 in the backfield that people are afraid of. It's 00:47:16.340 --> 00:47:19.679 open season in the backfield. Now let's go a 00:47:19.679 --> 00:47:23.159 little bit more deeper. They had the 19th run 00:47:23.159 --> 00:47:26.539 defense, which allowed 20 rushing touchdowns, 00:47:26.539 --> 00:47:30.809 124 .8 rushing yards per game. 4 .4 rushing yards 00:47:30.809 --> 00:47:34.570 per play and allowed 54 rushes of 10 plus yards 00:47:34.570 --> 00:47:39.210 or more. I would give them a C minus because 00:47:39.210 --> 00:47:42.929 on one hand, yes, you did address defensive line 00:47:42.929 --> 00:47:46.030 and linebacker. Yes, I'm not going to take that 00:47:46.030 --> 00:47:49.510 away from you. However, you did not address defensive 00:47:49.510 --> 00:47:52.530 back and you did not address interior offensive 00:47:52.530 --> 00:47:56.610 line like how you should have. Let's be real 00:47:56.610 --> 00:47:59.739 here, folks. As great as Shamar Stewart was at 00:47:59.739 --> 00:48:03.039 the combine, he is still a question mark. Is 00:48:03.039 --> 00:48:07.460 he an end? Is he interior? What exactly is Shamar 00:48:07.460 --> 00:48:11.780 Stewart in the NFL? And I think him being drafted 00:48:11.780 --> 00:48:13.940 to the Bengals was probably the worst decision 00:48:13.940 --> 00:48:19.219 possibly because he doesn't have a clear path 00:48:19.219 --> 00:48:23.519 of development compared to if he went, for instance, 00:48:23.719 --> 00:48:27.610 to the Eagles, to the Steelers. to places that 00:48:27.610 --> 00:48:31.090 have a reputation of developing really productive 00:48:31.090 --> 00:48:37.769 pass rushers. So, on one hand, I understand that 00:48:37.769 --> 00:48:40.869 you wanted to work on the defensive line a little 00:48:40.869 --> 00:48:43.369 bit, especially at edge, because he can either 00:48:43.369 --> 00:48:45.789 be the replacement for Trey Hendrickson or he 00:48:45.789 --> 00:48:49.670 can be the partner with Trey Hendrickson, but... 00:48:49.929 --> 00:48:53.570 I'm still very skeptical about that move. Demetrius 00:48:53.570 --> 00:48:55.510 Knight, I feel like that's more of a replacement 00:48:55.510 --> 00:49:00.530 for Jermaine Pratt or for the other middle linebacker 00:49:00.530 --> 00:49:03.110 as well. Barrett Carter, same thing. Taj Brooks, 00:49:03.309 --> 00:49:05.429 I feel like that was a good move as well because 00:49:05.429 --> 00:49:07.150 they definitely want to work on the run game 00:49:07.150 --> 00:49:10.489 because I understand that you do have Jamar Chase 00:49:10.489 --> 00:49:13.889 and T. Higgins. I get that. But you also want 00:49:13.889 --> 00:49:17.889 to rely more on the run game. Because we all 00:49:17.889 --> 00:49:20.710 saw when they had Joe Mixon, that run game was 00:49:20.710 --> 00:49:23.050 significantly better. They were able to stretch 00:49:23.050 --> 00:49:26.389 the field out a little bit more compared to just 00:49:26.389 --> 00:49:29.809 throwing it to Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins all 00:49:29.809 --> 00:49:32.610 the time. Just saying. But I gave them a C -. 00:49:32.909 --> 00:49:34.670 I feel like they definitely could have done better. 00:49:34.909 --> 00:49:37.389 I feel like they should have probably addressed 00:49:37.389 --> 00:49:41.789 either DB, edge, D -tackle, or interior offensive 00:49:41.789 --> 00:49:45.710 line in the first round. Or... They should have 00:49:45.710 --> 00:49:48.230 done it in free agency. But all in all, this 00:49:48.230 --> 00:49:50.929 was not a good draft class for the Bengals. And 00:49:50.929 --> 00:49:53.650 especially with everything going on now with 00:49:53.650 --> 00:49:55.710 Demetrius Knight and Shamar Stewart, it really 00:49:55.710 --> 00:49:58.289 doesn't look that good either. Now let's go on 00:49:58.289 --> 00:50:01.150 to the Steelers. So with the Steelers, their 00:50:01.150 --> 00:50:04.670 positions of need were quarterback, corner, defensive 00:50:04.670 --> 00:50:07.460 line, running back. So the first round, Derek 00:50:07.460 --> 00:50:09.079 Harmon, they did not have a second round pick. 00:50:09.280 --> 00:50:11.400 So the third round, they had Caleb Johnson. The 00:50:11.400 --> 00:50:13.480 fourth round, they had Jack Sawyer. Fifth round, 00:50:13.559 --> 00:50:16.760 they had Waiya Black. Sixth round, they had Will 00:50:16.760 --> 00:50:18.519 Howard. And then seventh round, they had Carson 00:50:18.519 --> 00:50:21.559 Bruner and Dante Kent. Now, when we look at their 00:50:21.559 --> 00:50:24.969 team stats, however. They were the 23rd ranked 00:50:24.969 --> 00:50:29.530 offense in averaging 22 .4 points per game, 319 00:50:29.530 --> 00:50:35.110 .4 yards per game, 5 yards per play, and 35 touchdowns. 00:50:35.110 --> 00:50:38.869 Let's go a little bit deeper. 27th in passing 00:50:38.869 --> 00:50:42.210 offense, and they averaged 192 passing yards 00:50:42.210 --> 00:50:46.590 per game, 6 passing yards per play, and 21 passing 00:50:46.590 --> 00:50:49.929 touchdowns. They were the 11th rushing offense. 00:50:50.570 --> 00:50:54.309 and averaged 127 .4 rushing yards per game, 4 00:50:54.309 --> 00:50:57.889 .1 rushing yards per play, 14 touchdowns, and 00:50:57.889 --> 00:51:00.929 64 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. Now let's 00:51:00.929 --> 00:51:04.750 shift over to the defense. They averaged 20 .4 00:51:04.750 --> 00:51:08.989 points allowed per game, 326 .7 yards allowed 00:51:08.989 --> 00:51:14.869 per game, 5 .4 yards per play allowed, 37 touchdowns 00:51:14.869 --> 00:51:18.829 allowed, and a 33 .8 quarterback pressure percentage. 00:51:19.690 --> 00:51:24.630 They were the 25th in passing defense at 228 00:51:24.630 --> 00:51:27.530 passing yards allowed per game, 6 .2 passing 00:51:27.530 --> 00:51:31.409 yards allowed per play, and 23 passing touchdowns 00:51:31.409 --> 00:51:35.070 allowed. They were 6th in run defense and allowed 00:51:35.070 --> 00:51:38.750 14 rushing touchdowns, 98 .7 rushing yards per 00:51:38.750 --> 00:51:42.210 game, 4 .1 rushing yards per play, and allowed 00:51:42.210 --> 00:51:46.010 43 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. We already 00:51:46.010 --> 00:51:49.179 knew that the Steelers were most likely going 00:51:49.179 --> 00:51:52.219 to bolster up the defensive line at some point, 00:51:52.300 --> 00:51:55.380 especially with the whole ending of the season 00:51:55.380 --> 00:51:58.219 and Derrick Henry doing what he did. We all knew 00:51:58.219 --> 00:52:00.480 that they were going to make sure that that defensive 00:52:00.480 --> 00:52:02.820 line was going to be better. And so they did 00:52:02.820 --> 00:52:04.480 that and they doubled it, which I definitely 00:52:04.480 --> 00:52:07.300 expected in getting Derrick Harmon and Wyatt 00:52:07.300 --> 00:52:10.840 Black, which isn't bad. It's not bad at all. 00:52:10.940 --> 00:52:15.639 This isn't a sexy. type of draft class. This 00:52:15.639 --> 00:52:19.599 isn't a dynamic draft class. This is a, once 00:52:19.599 --> 00:52:23.179 again, meat and potatoes type of draft class. 00:52:23.599 --> 00:52:26.460 Derek Harmon, meat and potatoes. Caleb Johnson, 00:52:26.800 --> 00:52:30.699 meat and potatoes. Jack Sawyer. That is the one 00:52:30.699 --> 00:52:32.900 pick that I'm a little bit on the fence about, 00:52:33.000 --> 00:52:35.519 and let me explain why. Because I feel like with 00:52:35.519 --> 00:52:38.900 that pick, if the intentions were still to get 00:52:38.900 --> 00:52:41.400 rid of George Pickens, then I would have used 00:52:41.400 --> 00:52:44.920 that pick to get the replacement for George Pickens, 00:52:44.940 --> 00:52:47.739 so then that way you won't be in the situation 00:52:47.739 --> 00:52:50.719 in which the Steelers are in now where you have 00:52:50.719 --> 00:52:53.079 to go out and you have to get another receiver. 00:52:54.940 --> 00:52:57.199 But outside of that, I think everything else 00:52:57.199 --> 00:52:59.820 was pretty good. I feel like Carson Bruner is 00:52:59.820 --> 00:53:01.619 going to be a really good special teams player. 00:53:01.760 --> 00:53:04.480 I feel like Wyatt Black is going to be a really 00:53:04.480 --> 00:53:07.019 good foundational piece. I feel like Will Howard 00:53:07.019 --> 00:53:10.260 has a lot of upside to his game. But the one 00:53:10.260 --> 00:53:13.739 thing out of all of these guys is this. All of 00:53:13.739 --> 00:53:16.139 them were team captains for their respective 00:53:16.139 --> 00:53:19.480 teams. Put up a bookmark on that for me, please. 00:53:19.960 --> 00:53:24.739 Now, for a grade, I would say a B because you 00:53:24.739 --> 00:53:27.260 addressed corner, even though I feel like they 00:53:27.260 --> 00:53:28.500 should have addressed it a little bit higher. 00:53:28.820 --> 00:53:31.800 You addressed defensive line twice. You addressed 00:53:31.800 --> 00:53:34.699 running back and you addressed quarterback. So 00:53:34.699 --> 00:53:36.960 you addressed all of those positions, which was 00:53:36.960 --> 00:53:39.639 actually really good. I cannot complain about 00:53:39.639 --> 00:53:42.280 this. As much as I want to complain about it, 00:53:42.340 --> 00:53:46.019 I cannot complain about it because this was a 00:53:46.019 --> 00:53:49.619 meat and potatoes type of draft. Let's end it 00:53:49.619 --> 00:53:52.380 with the Ravens. So the positions of need with 00:53:52.380 --> 00:53:55.900 the Ravens. Guard, edge, safety, wide receiver. 00:53:56.300 --> 00:53:59.280 So their first round pick, Malachi Starks. Second 00:53:59.280 --> 00:54:01.500 round, Mike Green, the green machine as I call 00:54:01.500 --> 00:54:04.239 him. Third round, Emory Jones Jr. Fourth round, 00:54:04.440 --> 00:54:08.269 Teddy... Buchanan, if I'm not mistaken. Fifth 00:54:08.269 --> 00:54:10.429 round, Carson Vincent. And then sixth round, 00:54:10.469 --> 00:54:14.250 they had B. Hall Cone, Tyler Lube, LaJontae Wester, 00:54:14.389 --> 00:54:16.449 and Aeneas Peebles, which I was very high on 00:54:16.449 --> 00:54:19.630 Aeneas Peebles. And it definitely sucks that 00:54:19.630 --> 00:54:21.949 we weren't able to get them. But it's okay. So 00:54:21.949 --> 00:54:24.510 when we look at their team stats, they were the 00:54:24.510 --> 00:54:27.230 number one ranked offense. And they averaged 00:54:27.230 --> 00:54:32.030 30 .5 points per game, 424 .9 yards per game. 00:54:32.559 --> 00:54:36.719 6 .8 yards per play and 62 touchdowns. Now, when 00:54:36.719 --> 00:54:39.739 we break this down into the offense and whatnot, 00:54:40.099 --> 00:54:42.119 I'm going to say offense and defense. I don't 00:54:42.119 --> 00:54:44.079 know why. But when we break this down into the 00:54:44.079 --> 00:54:47.480 passing and run offense, they were the seventh 00:54:47.480 --> 00:54:52.199 best passing offense. And they averaged 237 .4 00:54:52.199 --> 00:54:55.099 passing yards per game, 8 .1 passing yards per 00:54:55.099 --> 00:54:58.000 play, and 41 passing touchdowns. And they had 00:54:58.000 --> 00:55:02.739 the number one rushing offense as well. At 187 00:55:02.739 --> 00:55:06.260 .6 rushing yards per game, 5 .8 rushing yards 00:55:06.260 --> 00:55:11.119 per play, 21 rushing touchdowns, and 89 rushes 00:55:11.119 --> 00:55:14.980 of 10 plus yards or more. Folks, this offense 00:55:14.980 --> 00:55:17.400 was unstoppable, but unfortunately it did show. 00:55:17.500 --> 00:55:20.579 Sorry. Now when we go to the defense, however, 00:55:20.679 --> 00:55:24.159 they were a top 10 defense and they averaged 00:55:24.159 --> 00:55:31.010 21 .2 points. They allowed 324 .2 yards per game, 00:55:31.150 --> 00:55:35.110 5 .2 yards per play, and then they allowed 39 00:55:35.110 --> 00:55:39.429 touchdowns and had a 31 .4 quarterback pressure 00:55:39.429 --> 00:55:42.949 percentage. Now, they were 31st in passing defense 00:55:42.949 --> 00:55:46.590 and allowed 244 .1 passing yards per game, 6 00:55:46.590 --> 00:55:50.710 .1 passing yards per play, and 27 passing touchdowns. 00:55:50.710 --> 00:55:53.690 They were the number one rushing defense in which 00:55:53.690 --> 00:55:57.409 they allowed 12 rushing touchdowns, 80 .1 rushing 00:55:57.409 --> 00:56:00.389 yards per game, 3 .6 rushing yards per play, 00:56:00.469 --> 00:56:02.929 and allowed 25 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. 00:56:03.030 --> 00:56:06.849 Folks, this was a home run of a draft class. 00:56:07.190 --> 00:56:10.460 I feel like Malachi Starks, great pick. Simply 00:56:10.460 --> 00:56:12.880 because you did not have to trade up to get him. 00:56:12.880 --> 00:56:16.019 He just fell into your lap, which is great because 00:56:16.019 --> 00:56:18.599 there was a lot of speculation that the Ravens 00:56:18.599 --> 00:56:21.780 may have to trade up to get someone like Malachi 00:56:21.780 --> 00:56:24.780 Starks or Nick Emin Ward. But for Malachi Starks 00:56:24.780 --> 00:56:26.880 to just fall down to the Ravens, that's actually 00:56:26.880 --> 00:56:30.099 great. Mike Green, he was slated to be a first 00:56:30.099 --> 00:56:32.199 rounder, but because of off -field allegations, 00:56:32.500 --> 00:56:34.659 that's why he fell down to the second round. 00:56:34.719 --> 00:56:36.480 But still, I feel like that is a great pick because 00:56:36.480 --> 00:56:39.940 to me, he's pass rusher one. I feel like he is 00:56:39.940 --> 00:56:42.260 the best pass rusher because I feel like he has 00:56:42.260 --> 00:56:47.139 the skill set to be somewhat on the lines of 00:56:47.139 --> 00:56:50.139 like where T .J. Watt may be. Just saying. You 00:56:50.139 --> 00:56:53.179 hate me, love me, whatever. Don't care. He has 00:56:53.179 --> 00:56:56.179 the upside to be great. And I think he's in the 00:56:56.179 --> 00:56:59.260 best situation possible. Emory Jones Jr., he 00:56:59.260 --> 00:57:01.760 has positional flexibility because he can double 00:57:01.760 --> 00:57:05.219 at tackle and guard. Teddy Buchanan, that's a 00:57:05.219 --> 00:57:08.780 good special teams type of pick. Same thing as 00:57:08.780 --> 00:57:12.579 Carson Vinson, as well as B. Hall Cone. Tyler 00:57:12.579 --> 00:57:15.039 Luke, he's going to be the replacement for Justin 00:57:15.039 --> 00:57:17.059 Tucker or Jontae Wester. That could be special 00:57:17.059 --> 00:57:20.579 teams. Aeneas Peebles, that bolsters up the defensive 00:57:20.579 --> 00:57:23.639 line even more. Overall, when we look at this 00:57:23.639 --> 00:57:28.579 entire... division as a whole, everybody made 00:57:28.579 --> 00:57:32.320 significant moves to bolster up their defensive 00:57:32.320 --> 00:57:35.420 line. The Browns used their first round pick 00:57:35.420 --> 00:57:38.719 to do it. The Steelers did it as well. And even 00:57:38.719 --> 00:57:42.639 the Bengals. But I feel like as a whole, everybody's 00:57:42.639 --> 00:57:45.800 number one goal was to prevent the Ravens from 00:57:45.800 --> 00:57:48.260 doing what they did this past season, which is 00:57:48.260 --> 00:57:51.980 basically just run amok over everybody. Now, 00:57:51.980 --> 00:57:55.239 is this probably the best move to make? I don't 00:57:55.239 --> 00:57:58.659 really know. But the fact of the matter is, for 00:57:58.659 --> 00:58:02.880 an entire division to all want to make at least 00:58:02.880 --> 00:58:05.280 one investment into defensive line definitely 00:58:05.280 --> 00:58:08.829 says a lot. We still have a few more divisions 00:58:08.829 --> 00:58:10.809 that we have to talk about and stay tuned because 00:58:10.809 --> 00:58:12.710 we will be talking about them. But I'm going 00:58:12.710 --> 00:58:14.429 to end this episode here. If you guys like what 00:58:14.429 --> 00:58:15.969 you're listening, please, please, please, please, 00:58:16.010 --> 00:58:18.949 please make sure you guys leave a five star, 00:58:19.090 --> 00:58:22.789 five star, five star, five star, five star, five 00:58:22.789 --> 00:58:25.590 star on anywhere and everywhere that you listen 00:58:25.590 --> 00:58:28.949 to podcasts. 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Now, make sure you guys leave a review. 00:58:59.780 --> 00:59:01.639 Make sure you guys leave a comment down below. 00:59:01.780 --> 00:59:04.929 Let me know your... thoughts on my grades. Let 00:59:04.929 --> 00:59:06.789 me know your thoughts on everything that has 00:59:06.789 --> 00:59:09.889 happened so far in the league right now. I know 00:59:09.889 --> 00:59:12.170 things are a little bit slow, but hopefully things 00:59:12.170 --> 00:59:15.530 will pick up sooner than later. What else am 00:59:15.530 --> 00:59:17.889 I forgetting? Make sure you follow us on Instagram, 00:59:18.050 --> 00:59:20.210 football underscore junkies pod. Okay. Football 00:59:20.210 --> 00:59:22.550 underscore junkies pod. Junkies pod is not what? 00:59:26.929 --> 00:59:31.789 It is together, not spaced. Okay. It is together. 00:59:32.900 --> 00:59:36.300 Not spaced. Football underscore junkies pod. 00:59:36.840 --> 00:59:38.880 Now make sure you guys follow us on the TikTok 00:59:38.880 --> 00:59:42.019 as well. Football junkies pod. Football junkies 00:59:42.019 --> 00:59:45.900 pod. The link to the YouTube is located in our 00:59:45.900 --> 00:59:49.380 bio as well. So definitely going to make sure 00:59:49.380 --> 00:59:51.380 I got to put out some clips. I know I have a 00:59:51.380 --> 00:59:53.039 lot of clips that I have to put out, especially 00:59:53.039 --> 00:59:56.039 from the divisional rodeo series and a few other 00:59:56.039 --> 00:59:59.239 episodes in between those as well. What else 00:59:59.239 --> 01:00:01.099 am I forgetting? Follow me on Twitter. Well, 01:00:01.179 --> 01:00:03.659 not Twitter, but it was formerly Twitter, but 01:00:03.659 --> 01:00:06.239 now it's X. I don't know, but just follow me 01:00:06.239 --> 01:00:10.840 on X, G -M -K -L, okay? G -M -K -L, G -M -K -A 01:00:10.840 --> 01:00:13.119 -I -L -E. It's the same thing with Blue Sky as 01:00:13.119 --> 01:00:17.019 well, G -M -K -L, K -A -I -L -E. As always, I 01:00:17.019 --> 01:00:18.940 hope I gave you guys a fix that you guys need. 01:00:19.400 --> 01:00:21.500 I love you guys. I appreciate you guys so much. 01:00:21.659 --> 01:00:23.519 Thank you guys so much for listening to another 01:00:23.519 --> 01:00:26.800 episode of one of the greatest football podcasts 01:00:26.800 --> 01:00:29.300 that you can listen to on a week -to -week, day 01:00:29.300 --> 01:00:32.239 -to -day basis. This is your GM Kel signing out. 01:00:32.260 --> 01:00:33.420 Peace and love. Later.