Double bag alert, double bag alert, double bag
alert, folks. That's right. Derrick Henry stays
in Baltimore. Brock Purdy goes from Mr. Irrelevant
to Mr. Franchise Quarterback. Trey Henderson
continues to hold out and gives a little bit
of the other side of this entire contract holdout
situation that not a lot of people... see, but
I think we finally are able to see it in real
time. As well as Elton Jenkins is holding out
and looking for a new deal. That situation is
a little bit complicated, but we're going to
try our best to explain it. Chris Alave to the
Steelers? Maybe. Tinfoil hat on? Maybe. Thoughts?
On the NFL schedule finally dropping, we finally
know when everybody is going to be facing each
other in this upcoming season, as well as we
have to talk about something a little bit more
serious, and that is the NFL, quote unquote,
revamping the accelerator program, which is supposed
to increase the likelihood. of, for instance,
a minority candidate to be an offensive coordinator
or defensive coordinator or head coach or GM,
any of those high level jobs, it's supposed to
help you be able to get that a little bit easier.
Well, apparently they're going to be revamping
it. So we have to talk about that as well as
grades for the NFC North. OK, all of this and
more on the 78th episode of the Football Junkies
podcast. I am your host who currently is not
on a team right now. But don't you worry about
it because you know why? I still have my ear
to the streets because we still have a few things
that may be brewing in the background. I don't
know. Just stay tuned and just continue to listen
to the Football Junkies podcast. A podcast that
you can listen to on a week -to -week, day -to
-day basis. Because you know what? I'm your chief
bag roll dominance. I'm your chief head of the
table. Everything related to the bag. Anything
and everything related to controversies and potential
things that may affect the very foundation of
the NFL. But guess what? I am all these things
and more. But most importantly, I am your host,
Kale. You already know how... these things are
about to go this is going to be a great episode
so you already know what i'm about to say on
three 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 I'm actively checking my phone
because apparently Fred Warner and the 49ers
are very close to a deal. So at this point, I
would not be surprised if we get news about this.
probably by the end of this episode, or probably
when I'm recording, or probably when I'm done
editing, or just when I'm about to put out this
episode, because we all know every single time
when I'm either recording, about to record, editing,
or getting ready to put out the episode, guess
what happens? Something big always breaks. Would
it be crazy if, for all intents and purposes,
Aaron Rodgers decides to finally make his decision
today by the time I'm done recording this episode?
Okay, that would be great, but then that means
I would have to do another maybe hour -plus episode,
but that's probably not going to happen, so who
cares? So let's just get into these bag alerts
that are happening, okay? And that is Derrick
Henry. inking a two -year $30 million deal, $25
million guarantee, and he'll be making $15 million
a year. And when we look at his stats from this
past season, 325 attempts for 1 ,921 rushing
yards, 16 touchdowns, 5 .9 rushing yards per
carry, 45 rushes of 10 plus yards or more, 53
explosive runs, which is basically runs over
10 plus yards. 3 .6 yards after contact per attempt,
and 1 ,323 yards after contact. He was second
in carries, second in rushing yards, first in
rushing yard touchdowns, and first in forced
missed tackles, according to PFF. Folks, let's
be real here. Under no circumstance were the
Ravens going to let Derrick Henry walk. Derrick
Henry has been a breath of fresh air. for the
run game, or better yet, the entire offense as
a whole. Derrick Henry has literally offened
so much that literally the entire division decided
to invest high into getting a defensive lineman.
The Steelers did it this offseason by getting
Derrick Harmon. The Bengals did it in getting
Jamar Stewart. And then the Browns did it with
Mason Graham. Because you know why? Because Derrick
Henry... plays such a pivotal role in crushing
each and every one of them. Let's be real here,
folks. Derrick Henry is going to be a Hall of
Famer. All he needs now is just a ring. If he
gets a ring, we have to have a whole different
conversation about Derrick Henry, folks. Derrick
Henry still is a game changer, still is a force
to be reckoned with, still is the tank that he
was when he was with the Titans. And so things
are only going to continue to get better with
this Ravens offense. However, time is still ticking
for the Ravens because you still have to win
a rink. Let's be real here, folks. I'm very happy
that the Ravens did take care of Derrick Henry.
However, the clock is still ticking and the clock
is not going to stop. So at some point, the Ravens
have to find a way to breach. That final wall
that they've been trying to breach for the past
three or four years, and they just need to do
it. You have to win. That is the only way you
can justify all the moves that you have made
for the past three to five years. If you don't
win a Super Bowl, all of this was for nothing.
But we'll save that for when we have gut check
time, which there's a good chance I may do a
gut check time before the season even starts.
And then, of course, we'll do one during the
season, then we'll probably do one after the
season and whatnot. So we'll probably do that,
but stay tuned for that. But let's get to the
bigger contract, and that is Brock Purdy inking
a five -year, $265 million contract. $181 million
guaranteed, and he'll be making $53 million a
year. Now, when we look at his stats from this
past season, 455 attempts. For 300 completions,
3 ,864 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, 12 picks,
8 .5 yards per attempt, and a 65 .9 completion
percentage. Folks, this is a dream come true
for Brock Purdy. Brock Purdy went from being
Mr. Irrelevant to now a franchise quarterback.
If that ain't a magical story, I don't know what
is. But my takeaway from this move is, one, Brock
Purdy probably took a discount because I feel
like he probably could have asked for 55. But
the way that he handled this was so professional
that you have to give him kudos for that. He
didn't do what anybody else would do, which is
go public and say that he's not doing this or
he's not doing that. No. Even while they were
still trying to hash out the deal, he showed
up. And that is something that you can hang your
hat on. Brock Purdy isn't this dynamic quarterback
that he's going to wow you with these dynamic
plays no but when you need him to get the job
done guess what he's going to do it and he's
consistently done it since he's been put into
the role of being that guy now we have to look
at this from a different perspective though the
49ers are going to be under a lot of scrutiny
this upcoming season if they don't make it to
the nfc championship Now, for some people, you're
probably saying, why in the world would you say
that, Cal? And this is why. They have the easiest
schedule this upcoming season. Let me say that
again. They have the easiest schedule out of
the entire league. I'm sorry. There are no excuses
at this point. Granted. I understand that your
division is a little bit competitive because
you have to worry about Sean McVay and Mike McDonald
and everybody else. But the fact of the matter
is, the NFL gave you a golden ticket to the NFC
Championship. So there is no excuse for you guys
not to make it to the NFC Championship. I'm sorry.
Everybody has gotten paid. Everybody has gotten
their deals. But it's time to show up. When are
you going to win the big game? Because if you
do not win the big game, John Lynch and Kyle
Shanahan, everything that you have done was a
waste, especially for Kyle Shanahan. John Lynch
will get a little bit of a leeway, but Kyle Shanahan
will not. At some point, you have to win. You
done paid this person. You done paid that person.
You're getting ready to reset the market for
Fred Warner. You got to start winning. You have
to win. Better yet, let me see if I can find
a schedule right now for the 49ers. Just to tell
you how easy their schedule is. And we're back,
folks. So I was finally able to find their schedule.
So here it is. Their first opponent, Seattle.
Then after that, they face the Saints, the Cardinals,
Jacksonville, the Rams, which is probably going
to be a tough game. The Buccaneers, that's going
to be a tough game. Atlanta, a little bit rocky
about that. Houston, somewhat of an even matchup.
New York, the Rams again, the Cardinals, the
Panthers, the Browns. They have a week 14 bye.
What are we talking about? They have positioned
themselves to potentially go on a crazy run.
Everybody knows the later that you have a bye
week, the more refreshed you will be ready when
it comes to the postseason. And then after the
bye week, you face Tennessee, which is still
in shambles, Indianapolis, which we don't even
know what's going to happen with the quarterback
position, Chicago, and then you end it with Seattle.
That's somewhat of an easy schedule to me. Out
of all the teams that I just listed, the Saints,
you could definitely win. The Buccaneers, that
might be... A little bit rocky. Jacksonville,
I definitely think they can beat Jacksonville.
I definitely think they can beat Atlanta. Carolina,
for sure. Tennessee, for sure. There's a few
teams on here that they can definitely crush.
And there are some other teams where it's going
to be somewhat of a fight. Chicago is going to
be a fight. Tampa Bay is probably going to be
a fight. Los Angeles has opened a fight. Not
just because they're division rivals, but just
because Sean McVay has... Always had Kyle Shanahan's
number, but that's not the point, okay? The point
is this. You have to win. I'm happy for Rock
Purdy, but the pressure is now on the entire
team as a whole to win. If you guys do not win,
there's going to be some serious questions that
are going to have to be asked when it comes to
Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch and this entire
team as a whole. Because you guys are giving
out these big old contracts and you guys aren't
winning. It's one thing if you're winning, but
you're not winning. You've been to the Super
Bowl multiple times and you still haven't won.
What are we doing? Let's get into this whole
Chris Alave situation. So according to Adam Crowley,
who was a part of 93 .7 The Fan, a local Pittsburgh
radio show, he was told by someone within the
Steelers organization, Chris Alave. That's the
text message that he got, which was Chris Alave.
And so... He tweets out and he basically says,
you know, the Steelers are interested in Chris
Alave. They made a few calls. And then shortly
afterwards, somebody else says the Steelers are
trading, are trying to trade for Chris Alave.
So instantly when this happens, all of Steelers
Twitter goes crazy. I'm talking about everybody
has mock -ups of Chris Alave in the Steelers
uniform. They got a whole bunch of highlight
clips of Chris Alave. They're just doing the
whole thing with Chris Alave. If I'm not mistaken,
there's probably a Chris Alave Berg account right
now. That's how crazy it was. And then come to
find out, according to Nick Faribault, he clarified
and said that it was just a routine call. It
was nothing significant. It was nothing serious.
Nothing is in the works right now. It was just
a routine call just to see of his availability
and how much would it cost to make that transaction.
Now, something that is worth noting is that the
Saints did pick up Chris Alave's fifth year option.
Now, according to SpotRack, Chris Alave's market
value is three years, $53 .4 million, which is
$17 .8 million a year. Me, personally, I feel
like that's very low. I feel like you could probably
pay him between 23 to maybe 28 a year, personally.
Now, the thing is this. On one hand, I respect
the move that the Seals are making, which is
they're doing their due diligence. They're calling
around just to see the availability of all the
receivers. However, I don't think the Saints
are willing to make that move right now just
because, for one, Chris Alave is the number one
receiver on the team. Two, We don't know exactly
what's going to happen moving forward when it
comes to the quarterback position. And three,
I just don't feel like the Saints are in a position
where they just want to say, screw it. We're
just focusing on next year. Now, maybe by the
middle part of the season, we may have something
a little bit different. But the fact of the matter
is right now, there's no need to make a move.
I know a lot of Steelers fans are probably thinking,
well, we shouldn't make this move. We need to
make this move. We need to do it now, now, now,
now, now. We need a number two receiver. I understand
that. I get that. But the thing is this. If you
make a trade for someone like a Chris Alave,
you're going to have to pay him. This isn't something
where it's a two -year rental, then you can get
rid of him. No, he's going to want to talk about
money. And so if you think you're going to be
able to get him for a discount, you are sadly
mistaken. The same amount of money that you would
have probably had to pay George Pickens, you
may have to pay a little bit more for Chris Alave.
I'm just being completely honest here. I think
the real question that we really need to ask
is, are the Steelers looking for more of a long
-term wide receiver two choice, or are they looking
for something that's more short -term? Because
if they're looking for something long -term,
then this is a great move. But if you're looking
for something short -term, then this probably
isn't the best move for you. And you should probably
go after someone maybe like Amari Cooper or DJ
Chark. Or you could probably pick up anybody
that's cut when it gets down to the point where
everybody has to cut down their rosters to be
in compliance and whatnot. You could take that
route. There's a few different ways that you
could go about this. But I appreciate that Omar
Khan is reaching out and testing the waters and
seeing what exactly will it take for me to make
a major transaction. Now, here's the thing. I
think a lot of teams are very weary when it comes
to making trades, when it comes to receivers,
simply because they all saw what happened with
the whole Chase Claypool situation. And so I
feel like they don't want to get swindled again.
And so when we look at Chris Alave. I feel like
giving up maybe a conditional third that can
turn into a second round pick. I feel like that's
good. Or you could just give them a second round
pick just straight up. Either way, I think this
is somewhat of a seed planting move. And let
me explain why. You're testing the waters now
just to see where things are. We all know that
this could possibly change within the next few
weeks. Probably by minicamp and then training
camp and then maybe even into the regular season.
Things could change because let's be real here.
The Saints are somewhat going through a tough
rebuild again. And so there is a good chance
that some people are going to want out. I wouldn't
be surprised if Chris Alave is one of those people.
So on one hand, this is a good move. But on the
other hand. I'm a little bit concerned about
it because why would you make a significant move
like this when you don't know who your quarterback
is going to be? And granted, I understand it's
a very sensitive subject and I understand a lot
of people are hearing different things, quote
unquote. People are saying, well. I believe that
Aaron Rodgers will make his decision by the end
of the week. Or I believe Aaron Rodgers will
do this and do that. Or, oh, I believe Aaron
Rodgers will be ready by the end of the month.
Or I think he's going to show up for a mini camp.
Or I think he's going to show up for a training
camp. The fact of the matter is, it's time to
move on. Because the longer that you wait, the
worse it's going to look for the team. Because
right now, this is when you need your quarterback
to be in place. So that he can be familiar with
the offense, he can be familiar with his teammates,
and everybody else is familiar with his cadences.
Instead of waiting for a 41 -year -old to make
a decision on if he wants to play football or
not. Granted, I understand he's going through
something that is apparently very serious and
whatnot. I understand that. But at the end of
the day, all of this could have been neglected.
Had you just did one thing correctly. And you
know what that was? Just sign Russell Wilson
or Justin Fields. I would have just done that
because then guess what? You wouldn't have to
worry about none of this. You wouldn't have to
worry about, is he coming? Is he coming? Is he
going? Is he going? What exactly is he doing?
You wouldn't have a whole bunch of people speculating
on, well, I have inside information with people
that are connected to his inner circle that believes
that this is going to happen or that's going
to happen. You wouldn't have to deal with all
that. Granted, I understand the article that
came out about Russell Wilson not agreeing with
Arthur Smith. I understand it was so dredgeful
and it was so odd. It was just so bad. It was
so horrible. It made people feel some type of
way. But guess what? It's true. It's 100 % true.
Russell Wilson is an established veteran quarterback
who will potentially possibly be a Hall of Famer.
why shouldn't he not have the right to make certain
calls to the plate? I'm sorry, but a quarterback's
view of what he sees on the field is different
from what an offensive coordinator's view is.
Because guess what? The offensive coordinator
isn't on the field. He isn't under center. He
doesn't see something different. So if Russell
Wilson changes the call and it actually benefits
the team, then who really cares? But instead,
Everybody was upset with how things ended. Oh,
well. If you guys are that butthurt about this,
go in the locker room, turn off the lights, get
some gloves, hash it out. Y 'all get ice packs
later. Because at this point, the message in
the Steelers organization, the foundation of
the Steelers. is crumbling in front of our eyes,
ladies and gentlemen. Because we have someone
in a Mike Tomlin who does not want to do what's
best for the team. He wants to do what's best
for his ego. He wants his ego stroked every single
season. I'm sorry here, folks. Aaron Rodgers,
in the last three years, has not shown me anything
that would make me want to stay and wait this
long. Now, if this was the Aaron Rodgers of old,
oh, by all means, take as much time as you need
because you know why? And I said this before
in previous episodes. When Aaron Rodgers steps
on that field, you already know that you have
either the best quarterback or the second best
quarterback on that field. You don't have that
anymore with this version of Aaron Rodgers. So
why are we waiting this long? It is time to move
forward. If you're going to make a move for Kirk
Cousins, pick up the phone and call the Falcons
and see exactly what the asking price is. If
not, call Carson Wentz. Or better yet, just run
it with Mason Rudolph. It's not going to hurt
you. Because what sense does it make in getting
someone like a Mason Rudolph and then you're
waiting... All the way towards the point of no
return for somebody who you don't even know if
he's really committed to football or not. It
doesn't make any sense. Aaron Rodgers is not
going to move the needle that much. If we're
all banking on next year to be the year that
we take the quote unquote big swing for quarterback,
then why don't we just use this year to just
say, hey, we're going to lower our expectations
and we're just going to see how the season goes.
There's no need to say, oh, we're trying to compete
for a championship this year. No, we're not.
This roster is not a championship roster on offense
or defense. Sure, you have championship caliber
players. Yes. But you do not have a championship
caliber roster. This roster can't compete with
the Chiefs. This roster can't compete against
the Ravens. This roster cannot compete against
the Bills. This roster can't even compete against
the Eagles. So what makes you think that we are
a championship team? If you are a championship
team, you know what that means? That means that
you are able to go up against someone like the
Chiefs, like the Eagles, like the Bills, like
the Ravens, like any of the other Super Bowl
caliber teams. What happened last year? You got
crushed. You got crushed by the Eagles. You got
crushed by the Chiefs. All the teams that you
should have been beating, you couldn't beat.
And you still cannot beat. But you'll beat up
on all the other teams who are at a crossroads
or still trying to get their act together. It's
time that we be serious about winning. And if
you are not serious about winning, give it to
somebody else. TJ Watts still has not won a playoff
game. As great as TJ Watt is, he should have
been able to win at least one playoff game. Am
I wrong? Because at this point, if Aaron Rodgers
is not signed by OTAs, it's time we had that
conversation, folks. It's time we move forward.
It's time that we do something different. It's
time to admit that we waited too long. We did
the exact same thing last year for Brandon Iyuk,
thinking that Brandon Iyuk was going to be a
part of the team. And at the very last minute,
the very last minute, guess what he did? I'm
going to stay with the 49ers. What are we doing?
See, I can go on almost a 30 or 45 minute rant.
just off of the Steelers and the moves that they're
making. But I don't think nobody really wants
to listen to that, so I'm just going to continue
to move forward. But I will say this, and this
will just be the last question that I ask. Are
we focused on the present or are we focused on
the future? You answered that question for me
on our Instagram, football underscore junkies
pod. You can answer that for me on X. Follow
me there, GMKale. You can answer that for me
on TikTok, footballjunkiespie. You could also
answer that for me on the YouTube as well, footballjunkiespie.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments, please.
I want to have a healthy debate about this. But
let's move forward to some other things that
are a little bit more pressing, and that is this
Trey Hendrickson situation. So we did catch word,
if I'm not mistaken, last episode or the episode
before that where Trey Hendrickson puts out this
statement. And so now... We finally understand
why he put out that statement. So apparently
he was informed by head coach Zach Taylor that
missing mandatory minicamp will result in fines.
And this is what Trey Hendrickson says. And I
quote, we've tried to keep it as least amount
as personal as possible. But at some point in
this process, it becomes personal. Being sent
30 days before mandatory minicamp or how many
ever days it is, that if I don't show up, I will
be fined alludes to the fact that something won't
get done in that time frame, end quote. He also
puts out another statement that also says, end
I quote, and when there's a lack of communication
in any relationship, if it's business or personal
relationship, lack of communication leads to
animosity. And that leaves my narrative only
to me with no clear direction, end quote. At
this point, this is bad business for the Bengals.
And if you are not willing to pay Trey Henderson
the money that he so deserves, then move on from
him. Trade him away. Because you just crossing
your arms and just saying, oh yeah, we're not
going to pay you that. Oh yeah, we're not going
to pay you that. It's not going to solve anything.
If you're not going to pay him, just move on.
Who cares? Use that draft capital to try to get
somebody else that can play the role of Trey
Hendrickson. Because right now, all you're doing
is just wasting each other's time. There is a
team right now, I guarantee you, that will give
up possibly a first -round pick for Trey Hendrickson.
Or maybe a conditional second that can turn into
a first -round pick. I'm just being honest here.
The Eagles would be interested in him. The Lions
would be interested in him. I would guarantee
you the 49ers would be interested in getting
someone like a Trey Hendrickson. Because right
now, his market value, according to SpotRack,
is two years, $62 .9 million, which is $31 .5
million a year. Now, do I think he could probably
get a little bit more than that? Yes. Just because
Trey Hendrickson has been one of the more consistent
pass rushers in the last few years. Not to mention,
he's been a defensive player of the year finalist.
The last two years, if I'm not mistaken. So it's
just time for you to go in a different direction.
But at the same time, I'm not surprised that
the Bengals are doing this because why? The Bengals
have always had a reputation of just doing bad
business. You can go as far back as, I don't
know, the 80s. They're doing bad business. They've
always done bad business. So just move on. If
you're not going to pay him, recoup that draft
capital and use it for another position. But
just know this. If you move on from Trey Hendrickson,
your defense is going to be atrocious. Or better
yet, you just won't have a defense at all. Now
let's get into the Elton Jenkins situation. So
this one is a little bit more complicated. And
I'm going to try to see if I can break it down
as best as possible. So apparently... Elton Jenkins
is not participating off -season workouts because
he's looking for a new deal. Okay, cool. But
here's the problem. Apparently, they want him
to transition to center. So these are just some
of the junkie nuggets that I was able to find
after reading a few different articles. So Elton
Jenkins doesn't have a problem moving to center,
but would like to be financially compensated
when making that transition. Now here's the thing.
He has two years left of a four -year $68 million
deal that he signed in 2022. The deal was designed
to pay him as a guard while making him quote
-unquote competitive if he moved to tackle because
Elton Jenkins coming into the league had positional
flexibility. So it was only right for the Packers
to basically pay him the money that they paid
him because they realized that they could use
him at tackle, guard, or anywhere else. The highest
paid centers right now, Creed Humphrey at $18
million. Then you have Eric McCoy at $12 million.
And then I think there's one more, I think, that
recently just got paid as well. So you have a
pretty decent market when it comes to centers.
Now the question is, how much money is Elton
Jenkins looking for? Because currently he is
scheduled to make $12 .8 million this year and
then $20 next year. Here's the thing with this.
When you have someone like an Elton Jenkins who
has positional flexibility and actually plays
very well, things could get a little bit tricky.
Because if you move him to center, there's a
possibility that you may have to reset the center
market. Now, granted, the center market is only
at 18 right now. Could you get him maybe to 19,
maybe 19 .5? Do you want to take it up to 20?
Because right now, Elton Jenkins has probably
been one of your better offensive linemen in
the last few years. And so I think it's only
right that you possibly compensate him for that.
Now, here's the thing. Are you going to have
to basically scrap the last two years of his
current deal and then just give him a whole new
deal? Or are you going to have to move some money
around? Because this is a little bit complicated.
Now, do I think this is going to be elevated
even further? No. I do believe some resolution
will come fairly soon, but the question is, what
is it going to be? Because if you're having to
move him at center, it might cost you a little
bit more. Just saying. Now, let's get into something
that's a little bit more controversial, and that
is the NFL revamping the accelerator program.
So here's the background behind this program.
So it started in 2022 after the league believed
that owners were passing over qualified individuals
of color. And so when we look at this program,
it really hasn't been super successful. And let
me explain why. Out of all the people that have
been in this program, there's only been two people
that have had success. Rand Carthorne, who was
the former Titans GM and was fired last year.
And then Aaron Glenn, who is now the Jets head
coach. That's not good. If only two people out
of probably a thousand or more who actually try
to go through this program to actually have a
better shot at possibly getting hired or possibly
getting an elevator role within an organization,
and nobody is getting it but just two people,
that's not good numbers. And so here is the statement
that was put out by the league concerning the
whole accelerator program. And I quote, we believe
diversity of thought and background is essential
to our success and it's reflected in these policies,
programs, and partnerships that help us attract,
develop, and retain top talent at every level
on and off the field. We recently executed a
number of programs, including the general manager
accelerator at the December league meeting in
Dallas. a three -day candidate development program
at Combine, and the ninth annual Women's Forum,
where 40 women advance career opportunities in
football. Every offseason, we take a step back
to reflect on the positives and areas for improvement
of our programs and assess ways to make them
more impactful. This year, we assessed and identified
additional opportunities with the accelerator,
including combining the coaching and front office
programs to ensure the accelerator continues
to be as impactful as possible. We have decided
to hold the next iteration of the Accelerator
in May 2026. This will allow us to reimagine
the program, reflecting on the feedback and engaging
with stakeholders so we can ensure a successful
program in the future. We're steadfast in our
commitment to strengthening our talent pipeline
and create an environment that reflects the diversity
of our fan base. The NFL strives to be a unifying
force, and we are confident the next evolution
of our efforts will take us one step closer to
that goal." Now, with all the controversy going
on with DEI and whatnot, there is a good chance
they may have probably done this because they
may have gotten word that they will probably
be targeted with all the programs that they have
in place. But here's the thing, though, folks.
Everyone needs to just admit it. A lot of these
programs aren't successful. A lot of these programs
are not giving minorities of color a true legitimate
chance. of being a GM, of being a high -level
scout, of being a head coach or offensive or
defensive coordinator, we all know that their
leashes are much shorter than those of white
counterparts. And this is me not trying to play
the race card. This is me not trying to be black
and white and whatnot. But let's just call it
for what it is. We have seen a lot of qualified
candidates of color be overlooked for white counterparts.
And mind you, a lot of times the white counterparts
are not as qualified or have not been qualified
in recent years to be eligible for this position.
But they still get it because they may have connections
with this person, that person within the front
office. But the fact of the matter is, these
programs are not doing enough to really show
that, hey, we are serious about promoting minorities
of color. And giving them a legitimate chance
of being the next great GM, the next great head
coach, the next great offensive or defensive
coordinator or whatever. Even when it comes to
the Rooney Rule, everybody knows that all 32
teams are going to make sure that they're Rooney
Rule compliant by doing what? Make sure that
they get rid of all the minority candidates first
and then go after the real candidates that they
really want to go after. We see it every single
year. There are some people that I feel like
that should be in the league right now. And they're
not for whatever reason. Eric Bien -Ami, I feel
like he should have at least tried to be a head
coach by now. Is there something behind closed
doors that people know that is preventing him
from being a head coach? It's a possibility.
But why is it that a lot of teams... make sure
that they're Rooney Rule compliant first before
making their decision. And I understand some
people want to say, well, it's a football decision
or it's tied to this or it's tied to that. I
don't believe you one bit because a lot of times
the minority candidates are twice or maybe three
times as qualified as their white counterparts.
Brian Flores by now should have been a head coach
again. And granted, I understand. That whole
experience with Tua in Miami wasn't the best.
I understand that. But this is a league of second
chances. So if this is a league of second chances,
and we all saw what Brian Flores did with that
Vikings defense last season, there is no reason
under the sun why he has not gotten another head
coaching job. Same thing with Leslie Frazier.
I can continue to go down the list of people
that should have gotten... a chance to be a head
coach or coordinator or GM or whatever the case
may be. There are a lot of people that deserve
chances, that have worked hard and continue to
prove the naysayers that they belong wherever
they belong. But you have people like Matt Iberflues
who continue to get chance after chance after
chance. For what? He was horrible as a head coach
and he still was able to get another job before
a lot of other people were able to. That's why
you saw a lot of people that were candidates
go back into the college realm. Because why?
There wasn't no legitimate chances. Same thing
for Byron Leftwich. Byron Leftwich should be
somebody's offensive coordinator this year or
somebody's quarterback coach. Pep Hamilton is
a sleeper of somebody that not a lot of people
talk about. Pep Hamilton was the reason why Justin
Herbert had that great rookie year. He was the
reason why Davis Mills did what he did before
they got CJ Stroud. People don't even realize
that. So if we really want to be serious about
giving people of color a chance, then we have
to put more pressure on the owners to be more
open to it. Now, there are some teams that are
more open to process, I would say, but you also
have others who continue to show year after year
that they're really not. Same thing with the
Patriots. Gerard Mayo should have had a chance.
Gerard Mayo did not get a legitimate chance.
And he basically got fired because they didn't
get the first pick. It still doesn't matter because
why? You still had a really high pick. Same thing
as Rand Carthorne. Rand Carthorne positioned
this team in order to get their first pick. It
wasn't because of Mike Borgonzi. No disrespect
to him. No, it's because of Rand Carthorne. Rand
Carthorne was trying to build this team, but
there's only so much that you can do when you
guys expect these GMs and whatnot to rebuild
this team overnight. It doesn't work like that
if you don't have everything in place. It doesn't
work if you don't have a solid franchise quarterback.
It doesn't work if you don't have a solid offensive
line, weapons, coaches, all those different things
and more. It doesn't work like that. But nobody
wants to give people a legitimate chance. Instead,
it's we'll give you two years and after those
two years, you're gone. The only minority head
coach that has been able to coach as long as
he's had is Mike Tomlin. That is sad, folks.
According to an ESPN article that came out this
year, the Associated Press surveyed more than
65 black players from 25 teams. about the lack
of black head coaches throughout the entire league,
36 % of them were discouraged or disappointed
by the number of black coaches. Miami's linebacker,
Anthony Walker Jr. said, and I quote, until you
see more coaches, we're all going to look at
it the same way. There aren't enough black coaches,
end quote. But let's go a little bit deeper than
this, okay? Over 25 seasons, From 2000 to 2024,
an Associated Press count shows 31 of the 173
new NFL head coaches, 18 % of them were black.
In that same span, 8 of the 19 head coaches,
which is 42%, were fired after the first full
season. Let's just call it for what it is. The
NFL has a major problem when it comes to hiring
minority coaches, GMs. Wherever they have a major
problem and it's and it feels like at times it's
never going to get resolved, even when it came
with the recent interview process with the Jaguars.
Some red flags should have been waving. Somebody
should have intervened with that process because
that's not right. And granted, if it's if you're
looking at this from, oh, this person is more
qualified than that person. Whatever. But we
can clearly see that black coaches have a shorter
leash than everybody else. We see that black
offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators,
quarterback coaches, running back coaches, tight
end coaches, old line coaches, GMs, assistant
GMs. All of them have a shorter leash than their
white counterparts. And I am not trying to be
that person that wants to play the race game.
I do not want to do that and I do not like doing
that. But what we need to address here, folks,
is that this accelerator program needs to have
serious, serious changes in order to improve
the likelihood of people being able to get these
positions. Because it shouldn't just be Rand
Carthorne and Aaron Glenn. We should be seeing
at least 15 to 20 new hires each and every single
offseason. And they don't have to be head coaches.
It can be offensive coordinators. It can be defensive
coordinators. It can be assistant GMs. It can
be whomever. But there needs to be an effort
in place to do it. And I understand that the
Rooney Rule is in place. And I understand that
the Rooney Rule was intended to increase the
likelihood of minorities to get a chance. But
they will never get a chance. It's always going
to be an uphill battle every single time. Because
you know why? Because it's who you know. It's
never about... well, I'm a little bit more qualified
because I worked with this position or I'm a
little bit more qualified because I led this
team here or there. No, it's who you know at
the end of the day. It's a damn shame, folks.
It's a damn shame. Now let's talk about this
schedule because this schedule is great for some
and it's horrible for others, okay? Because When
we look at the strength of schedule for all the
teams, the teams with the easiest schedules,
the 49ers, the Patriots, Saints, Falcons, and
Bills. The teams with the hardest schedules,
Giants, Browns, Lions, Eagles, Vikings. Let's
just look at some of these schedules, okay? So
for the Giants, they have to go up against the
Commanders first, the Cowboys, the Chiefs, the
Chargers, the Saints, the Eagles again, the Broncos,
the Eagles again. Did I say the Eagles twice?
I did say the Eagles twice. Okay, the 49ers,
the Bears, the Packers, the Lions, the Patriots.
Then they have their week 14 bye. The Commanders,
the Vikings, the Raiders, and then the Cowboys.
That's a gauntlet. Man, oh man, that is a gauntlet.
Now, granted, it's great if they have a late
bye because then they're able to at least get
themselves somewhat healthy to maybe make a...
A late playoff run, but geez Louise, man, just
to get to that point is difficult. Week 8, the
Eagles. Week 9, the 49ers. Week 10, the Bears.
Week 10, I mean, Week 11, the Packers. This is
not looking good, folks. Now when we look at
the Eagles, you got the Cowboys, the Chiefs,
the Rams, the Buccaneers, the Broncos, the Giants,
the Vikings, the Giants again. Then you have
your bye week, which is in week nine, which really
isn't that good. Week 10, you got the Packers,
the Lions, the Cowboys, the Bears, the Chargers,
the Raiders, the Commanders, the Bills, and then
the Commanders again. That is the fourth hardest
schedule in the entire league. Now, some of these
Sunday night football games, it's a little bit
of a hit or miss. Just being honest here. Who
really wants to see the Falcons and the Vikings
on Sunday night? Raise your hand. Better yet,
don't raise your hand. Chiefs and Giants, that
could be something. Packers and Cowboys, that
actually might be pretty good. Patriots and Bills
are definitely going to be good. Bills and Ravens
are going to be really good. There's a few good
sleepers for the Sunday night football lineup.
And then when we look at the Amazon Thursday
night games, which, man, these are tough. These
are really, really, really tough. Even the Christmas
night game, I feel like that's going to be a
really good game. The Black Friday game, I think
that's going to be really good as well. And then
Thanksgiving, of course, we all know the Cowboys
are going to be playing. But Chiefs and Cowboys,
oh, that might actually be good. I might have
to skip the Thanksgiving meal and just watch
football. I don't know. And then you've got the
Packers and Lions, Bengals and Ravens, Bears
and Eagles. Folks, this is going to be a really
tough year for a lot of teams. But at the same
time, this shows you that a lot of teams are
starting to become more competitive, which I
think is better for the league as a whole, because
you just don't want a whole bunch of teams that
are just subpar. You want some teams that are
really competitive. You want some matchups that
are going to be memorable. And so I think a lot
of these schedules are going to be really good,
especially when it comes to that second half
of the season. Oh, man, you won't be able to
miss a game. just because of how great these
games are going to be just oh my god cannot wait
for the season i am ready for the season to start
now if it was possible but we can't we still
have to wait a few more months but let's get
into the grades so nfc north you already know
lions vikings bears and packers so let's start
with the lions so their positions of need Defensive
back, edge, interior offensive line, defensive
line. So first round, they got Tyleek Williams.
Second round, they got Tate Ratliff. Third round,
they got Isaac Tesla. Fifth round, they got Miles
Frazier. Sixth round, they got Ahmed Hassanein.
Seventh round, they got Dan Jackson, as well
as Dominic LeVette. Now, when we look at their
team stats and we break it down by offense and
defense, they have the second ranked offense,
which averaged 30 .5 points per game. 424 .9
yards per game, 6 .8 yards per play, and 62 touchdowns.
When we break this down into passing and running,
they were the second passing offense in the league
and averaged 263 .2 passing yards per game, 7
.7 passing yards per play, and 39 passing touchdowns.
Whereas when you look at the rushing side, they
had the sixth rushing offense that averaged 146
.4 rushing yards per game, 4 .7 rushing yards
per play, 29 rushing touchdowns, and 68 rushes
of 10 plus yards or more. We all know that the
Lions really didn't have to make a lot of investments
into the offense. And all the investments that
were made into the offense were mainly just to
show up the deaf pieces. It wasn't necessarily
to address a starter caliber role. When we shift
things over to the defense, though, that's where
things get a little bit weird. So they were the
20th ranked defense, which averaged 20 .1 points
allowed per game, 342 .4 yards allowed per game,
5 .7 yards per play allowed, 36 touchdowns allowed,
and had a 35 .2 quarterback pressure percentage
rate. Now, when we look at their passing defense,
they were 30th in the league, and they averaged
244 passing yards allowed per game, 6 .4 passing
yards allowed per play, and 18 passing touchdowns
allowed. When we look at the run defense, they
were fifth in the league and allowed 18 rushing
touchdowns, 98 .4 rushing yards per game, 4 .5
rushing yards per play, and allowed 46 rushes
of 10 plus yards or more. Here's the thing with
the Lions. So you really can't give them an A.
I would venture to say probably a B plus. And
this is why. For starters, Tyleek Williams, to
some, you could probably say is a reach. To me,
I probably would say really isn't that high of
a reach because they were low enough in the draft
where they wasn't going to be able to get a Derek
Harmon or any of those other high caliber defensive
linemen. And so getting someone like a Tyleek
Williams. It's not necessarily bad. It's somewhat
good just because of the positioning. Now, if
they were, I don't know, in the teens or like
high 20s and you take Tyleek Williams, it may
be a little bit of a head scratcher. But because
you're so low in the draft, I can understand
it. Because Tyleek Williams, by some people's
accounts, was either a late first round pick,
early second round pick, or early second round
pick, late third round pick, depending on who
you listen to. But when we look at everything
else, I think they had a pretty solid draft.
Tate Rydledge, that's a really good pick. Isaac
Tesla, that's a really good pick. Miles Frazier,
so you're doubling down at interior offensive
line. Edge, you're addressing that, which you
really do need. Wide receiver, maybe it was a
want over a need. I think it was probably just
somebody that they really loved his intangibles
and they feel like they couldn't pass over, so
they just got him. So overall, my takeaway from
the Lions is... It's a B -plus draft. It's not
a draft where it's just oohs and ahhs. It's a
really solid foundational type of draft, which
they needed to address the defensive line significantly
because it took a beating late last season. That
was one of the factors that we didn't make such
a deep playoff run because that defensive line
took a beating. You had Hutch that was out of
the season. You had a lot of the defensive linemen
that were there who were also out for the rest
of the season. You had some that were unable
to be ready for the next game, so they just had
to use people from the practice squad and whatnot
in order to hold things together. So I can understand
why they made that investment in getting Tyleek
Williams. Now, when we shift things over to the
Vikings, okay, They didn't have a lot of draft
picks. They didn't have a lot of draft needs.
So most likely, I'm probably going to give them
a B plus as well. But let's go a little bit deeper
in this. So their positions of need. Corner,
inside linebacker, safety, running back, defensive
line, interior offensive line, and tight end.
With that being said, with their first pick,
they had Donovan Jackson. Their third round pick,
they had Ty Felton. Their fifth round pick, they
had Tyrion Ingram Dawkins. And their sixth round
pick, they had Gavin Bartholomew. Overall, this
was a very solid draft, and the reason why I
say that is because you address interior offensive
line with Donovan Jackson, which was really good.
You address wide receiver depth with Ty Felton,
which was great. You also address edge as well
as tight end, which was also really good as well.
So overall, this was a B -plus type of draft.
Sure, you probably didn't have a whole lot of
draft picks, but you were hitting well in free
agency, so that minimized... the needs as much.
So all in all, I would say this was a B+. Now,
could you have dressed maybe cornerback or safety?
Sure. But all in all, I think they did a really
solid job. Again, the reason why I'm not giving
a lot of teams very high grades is because a
lot of these teams really didn't have to do as
much in the draft because they made all of their
decisions in free agency. So they didn't have
to be as aggressive as what they needed to be.
I feel like at best, there are probably maybe
less than 10 teams that I would probably give
an A plus grade on. Outside of that, everybody
would probably get a B minus to a B plus. Because
why? It's a meat and potatoes type of draft.
This wasn't a draft where it was spectacular
and, you know, it was just box office. No, this
was more of a draft, as I call it, a meat and
potatoes. And sometimes you need a meat and potatoes
type of draft. That is the only way that you
can appreciate those blockbuster type of draft
classes. Meat and potato draft classes are what
makes up championship caliber teams. It's not
always flashes and oohs and ahs. A lot of times
it's meat and potatoes. Remember that. When we
look at their team stats, they were the 12th
ranked offense, which averaged. 25 .4 points
per game, 346 .9 yards per game, and 5 .6 yards
per play, as well as 44 touchdowns. Now, when
we break this down a little bit more, they have
the sixth. passing offense, which averaged 237
.8 passing yards per game, 6 .8 passing yards
per play, and 35 passing touchdowns. Let's keep
on going. They had the 20th rushing offense,
which averaged 109 .1 rushing yards per game,
4 .1 rushing yards per play, 9 rushing touchdowns,
and 49 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. When
we look over to the defensive side, however,
they have the 16th ranked defense, which averaged
19 .5 points per game, 335 .4 yards per game,
5 .3 yards per play, and 36 touchdowns, as well
as having a 35 .7 quarterback pressure percentage.
When we look at their passing defense, they were
28th in the league and allowing 242 passing yards
per game, 6 passing yards per play, and 24 passing
touchdowns. When we shift things over to the
run defense, they were second in the league.
They allowed 12 rushing touchdowns, 93 .4 rushing
yards per game, 4 .1 rushing yards per play,
and allowed 39 rushes of 10 plus yards or more.
So all in all, they were in a really good spot.
They re -signed a lot of their free agent players.
They made additions with Javon Hargrave as well
as Jonathan Allen. So the defensive line got
stronger. They made a lot of moves in free agency.
So they were good. They just had to just patch
up a few different things, which really isn't
that bad. Getting someone like a Tyrion Ingram
Dawkins, I think that was a good pick. Ty Felton,
great pick, as I said before. Donovan Jackson,
even Gavin Bartholomew. I think that's a really
good of a sleeper pick because why? along with
TJ Hawkinson is great because I think they've
been looking for another productive tight end.
So having Gavin would definitely help out as
well. So again, I'll give them a B plus. I'm
not going to be somebody that's going to say,
oh yeah, A plus, A plus for sure. Oh yeah, A
plus. No, B plus. Let's go over to the Bears.
So their positions of need, defensive line, running
back, edge, wide receiver, interior offensive
line. So their first round, Colston Loveland.
Their second round, they got Luther Burden, Ozzy
Triple O, and Shamar Turner. Their fourth round,
they got Ruben Hypelitz. I think I just butchered
your last name. I'm so sorry. The fifth round,
they got Zah Frazier. The sixth round, they got
Luke Newman. The seventh round, they got Kyle
Monegai. Kyle Monaghan. I was finally able to
pronounce his last name. Now, when we look at
the team stats, they were the 32nd ranked offense
that averaged 18 .2 points per game, 283 .5 yards
per game, 4 .5 yards per play, and 33 touchdowns.
When we look over their passing offense, they
were 31st in the league and averaged 181 .5 passing
yards per game, 4 .9 passing yards per play,
and 20 passing touchdowns. When we shift things
over to their rushing offense, they were 25th
in the league and averaged 102 rushing yards
per game, 4 rushing yards per play, 13 rushing
touchdowns, 42 rushes of 10 plus yards or more.
When we look over the defense, however, they
were 27th in the league and averaged 21 .8 points
per game, 354 .2 yards per game, 5 .9 yards per
play. 37 touchdowns, and had a quarterback pressure
percentage of 36 .5. Shift things over to the
passing defense. Atrocious. 31st in the league.
They averaged 217 .9 passing yards per game,
6 .8 passing yards per play, and 17 passing touchdowns.
They were 28th in run defense and allowed 20
rushing touchdowns, 136 .3 rushing yards per
game. 4 .8 rushing yards per play, and allowed
64 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. All in all,
this was a dynamic draft class. For this to be
Ben Johnson's first year, great. I would venture
to say this is probably an A plus draft class.
And let me explain why. For one, you get Colston
Loveland, which is a great weapon. You get Luther
Burden as well. So you have two really great
weapons. Because technically speaking, Luther
Burden was supposed to be your first -round pick.
But I think the reason why he fell was because
of the whole attitude issues and that he took
off plays or whatever. Something crazy. But then
you also address tackle with Ozzie Tripolo as
well as defensive tackle with Shamar Turner,
which is great. You get Zah Frazier in a really
good corner. You get Luke Newman, who is a pretty
good tackle that I think he can develop over
time. All in all, this was a really great draft
class. You would dress tight in, which is great
because now you have Colston Loveland and Cole
Komet. You now have Roma Dunzay, DJ Moore, and
Luther Burden. You have Ozzy Tripolo. You have
Shamar Turner. You have Zaha Frazier, Luke Newman.
You have it all. I can venture to say this is
probably a B plus, maybe an A. You know what?
Bump it. I'll give him an A. Now, I already know
there's probably a lot of fans that are probably
saying, well, that's not fair. That's not fair.
Listen, for this to be Ben Johnson's first draft,
it started off really well. You get Colston Loveland
and you get Luther Burden. What? What? Caleb
Williams, there is no excuse for you, which speaking
of which, we will be talking about that whole
situation in the next episode. You thought I
forgot, but I'm not going to. We will be addressing
that in the next episode for sure, because I
have to go a little bit deeper into what exactly
occurred with that entire situation, because
it really doesn't make any sense. And some people
are leaving out details, but I really need to
know exactly what happened. So stay tuned for
that. But back to this whole draft. Great. Absolutely,
100 % great. Just saying. So let's end things
with the Packers. So their positions of need
were cornerback, wide receiver, interior offensive
line, and edge. So they drafted Matthew Golden,
Anthony Belton, Savion Williams, Baron Sorrell,
Colin Oliver, Warren Brinson, Micah Robinson,
and John Williams. Yeah, Micah Robinson. I knew
I was pronouncing that right. And when we look
at their team stats, okay, they were the fifth
-ranked offense, and they averaged 27 .1 points
per game, 370 .8 yards per game, 6 .1 yards per
play, and 51 touchdowns. When we break this down
a little bit more, they had the 12th passing
offense, which averaged 223 .9 passing yards
per game, 7 .6 passing yards per play, and 28
passing touchdowns. When we shift things over
to the rushing offense, they were fifth in the
league, and they averaged 146 .8 rushing yards
per game. 4 .7 rushing yards per play, 23 rushing
touchdowns, and 70 rushes of 10 plus yards or
more. When we shift things over to the defense,
however, they were fifth in the league. Allowed
19 .9 points per game, 314 .5 yards per game,
5 .2 yards per play. 36 touchdowns, and had a
quarterback pressure percentage of 32 .3. They
had the 13th passing defense, which allowed 215
.2 passing yards per game, six passing yards
per play, and 23 passing touchdowns. When we
shift things over to the run defense, however,
they were seventh in the league, and they allowed
13 rushing touchdowns, 99 .4 rushing yards per
game. four rushing yards per play, and allowed
46 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. Overall,
this was a really solid draft class for the Packers.
For them to get Matthew Golden and Savion Williams,
I think is great. And the reason why I say that
is because you have a Swiss Army Knife and Savion
Williams who could potentially be the next Cordell
Patterson. As well as a burner in Matthew Golden,
who ran a 4 -2, which was honestly great. You
have Anthony Belton in the second round, which
we all know that the Packers have had a lot of
success in developing second and third and fourth
round offensive linemen, so I'm not surprised.
And then you get a quarter in Micah Robinson.
You also get another tackle. You get another
edge rusher. All in all, they had a very solid
draft class. I cannot complain about their draft
class at all. I feel like they addressed a lot
of positions of need, and I think they did fairly
well. Now, the question is this. Do we give them
a B plus? You know what? I will let you guys
make that decision for me. Let me know in the
comments on the YouTube Football Junkies pod
on if the Packers should get a B plus or A. And
please give me a good enough answer. If you do,
then I will change my grade. But as of right
now, I think I probably would give them... Let's
think, let's think, let's think. I'll give them
a B plus. Eh, who cares? I'll give them a B plus.
But just let me know in the comments, okay? Please.
Please, I would definitely appreciate that. But
I'm going to end this episode here. If you guys
like what you are listening, please, please,
please, please, please make sure you guys download
the episodes. Leave a five star, five star, five
star, five star, five star, five star. five -star
review on anywhere and everywhere that you listen
to podcasts. We are available on Apple Podcasts.
We're available on Spotify, RSS feed, as well
as a slew of other podcasting platforms. Now,
if you want access to those set platforms, all
you have to do is go on our RSS feed page and
you will have access to all the other platforms
that we are available on when it comes to podcasting.
Now, for my YouTube people, Football Junkies
Pod. Football Junkies Pop. When you go on our
YouTube page, in our bio, we have a link to the
link tree. When you click on that link tree,
it will take you to anywhere and everywhere that
we have Football Junkies content. We are also
available on TikTok as well. Football Junkies
Pop. Football Junkies Pop. Clips. I know. Most
likely, I'm probably going to have to go on a
break fairly soon because for one, I need to
start working on a lot of clips. And two, I need
to start working on planning my exam for one
of my certifications. So yeah, there's that.
But back to everything else. For my Instagram
people, football underscore junkies pod, okay?
Football underscore junkies pod. Junkies pod
is not what? It is together, not spaced. It is
together, not spaced. You can follow me on X.
And on Blue Sky, same handle, GMKale, all right?
GMKale, G -M, and then Kale, K -A -I -L -E. As
always, I hope I gave you guys the fix that you
guys need. I love you guys. I appreciate you
guys so much. Thank you guys so much for listening.
For all my football junkies, I appreciate you
guys. We are almost hitting 80 episodes, folks,
80 episodes. I would not be surprised by the
time I am done editing this episode. We won't
have something else to talk about. Maybe Fred
Warner inks his deal. Maybe he resets the market.
Maybe a certain quarterback makes his decision.
Maybe a team that doesn't have a quarterback,
quote unquote, finally makes up a decision and
probably wakes up and realizes they should probably
just move on. I don't know. I don't know. But
guess what? Stay tuned because guess what? We
got some things that are coming on the way. I
have caught word that. There may be some moves
that are going to be made fairly soon. Stay tuned.
But just know, your GM, who currently is not
on the team right now, but don't you worry about
it, will be there to cover this all. So guess
what? This is your GM Kel signing out. Peace
and love. Later. Breaking news, breaking news,
breaking news. I told you so. I told you it was
going to happen. And guess what? It happened,
folks. That's right. Fred Warner gets the bag.
He recessed the linebacker market again, folks.
That is right. I called it once again. It happens
either when I'm editing, when I'm recording,
or when I'm done. I got more work to do, but
that's perfectly fine because I love doing it.
So Fred Warner inks a three -year $63 million
deal, $56 million guarantee, and he'll be making
$21 million a year. When we look at his stats,
98 tackles, one sack, four forced fumbles, 11
.9 missed tackle percentage. Folks, he is the
one, not the two. He is one of the best middle
linebackers in the league right now. And it was
only right for the 49ers to make sure that they
take care of their guy, which is great because
what we're starting to see now is somewhat of
a resurgence in the middle linebacker position.
Because for the longest time, middle linebackers
really weren't as useful, I think, is the best
way to say it, because of the rule changes. Everybody
knows prior to this point, you had the Ray Lewis's
of the world, the Derrick Brooks's of the world,
London Fletcher's and Larry Foots and all of
those great middle linebackers. But then we went
through a period where, of course, the rules
changed. And so you couldn't be as physical as
how you used to be in the early 2000s. And so
in doing so, everybody began to diminish. how
high they wanted to draft middle linebackers.
Not to mention, we also started to see a lot
of busts when it comes to drafting first round
middle linebackers as well. But now what you're
starting to see is a lot of middle linebackers
such as Patrick Queen, Roquan Smith, Fred Warner,
just to name a few, who are getting paid, who
are really effective. Now, when you probably
look at those stats from Fred Warner, you're
probably thinking, you mean to tell me they reset
at the market for this? When you turn on that
tape, Fred Warner is a beast. Fred Warner is
everywhere near the football. Football goes,
Fred Warner is in five feet away from it. He's
either making the tackle, making the pick, making
the fumble. He's doing something. That is who
Fred Warner is. And he plays such a pivotal role,
not only on this team, but on the defense. He
is the heart and soul of this defense. So it
was only right that they do so. Now, as I've
said before with the whole Brock Purdy thing,
the clock is ticking. It's time for this team
to start winning. It's time for them to really
show that they are a true dominant team. You
have the easiest schedule in the league. It's
time for you to win a championship. If you don't
win a championship this year, I'm going to have
to have a lot of serious conversations about
Kyle Shanahan moving forward. Because right now,
The deck is stacked in your favor. You have the
easiest schedule, you don't have a lot of tough
opponents that you have to face, and you have
a late bye week. So you are in a good position.
The only team that you really have to worry about
in your division is who? The Rams. The Seahawks,
I feel like, are still trying to find themselves
offensively, as well as the Cardinals. So if
you can get past the Rams, or at least break
even with the Rams, then all you really have
to worry about is who? The Vikings, possibly,
the Lions, the Bears, and the Eagles. That's
it. And all those other teams, they can hash
it out within their own divisions as well. But
I told you so. Remember, I told you so. Stay
tuned. Another episode should be coming out fairly
soon. Got to work on the talking points. Got
a few things we have to talk about. Grades and
all that other stuff and more. As always, I love
you guys. I appreciate you guys so much. Back
to editing. I go. If this episode doesn't come
out the same day that I recorded it, then it
will be coming out tomorrow around eight o 'clock.
All right. Peace and love. Later.