WEBVTT 00:00:03.049 --> 00:00:05.669 Double bag alert, double bag alert, double bag 00:00:05.669 --> 00:00:08.349 alert, folks. That's right. Derrick Henry stays 00:00:08.349 --> 00:00:12.490 in Baltimore. Brock Purdy goes from Mr. Irrelevant 00:00:12.490 --> 00:00:15.910 to Mr. Franchise Quarterback. Trey Henderson 00:00:15.910 --> 00:00:18.969 continues to hold out and gives a little bit 00:00:18.969 --> 00:00:22.489 of the other side of this entire contract holdout 00:00:22.489 --> 00:00:26.039 situation that not a lot of people... see, but 00:00:26.039 --> 00:00:28.899 I think we finally are able to see it in real 00:00:28.899 --> 00:00:32.179 time. As well as Elton Jenkins is holding out 00:00:32.179 --> 00:00:34.840 and looking for a new deal. That situation is 00:00:34.840 --> 00:00:36.460 a little bit complicated, but we're going to 00:00:36.460 --> 00:00:39.920 try our best to explain it. Chris Alave to the 00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:45.359 Steelers? Maybe. Tinfoil hat on? Maybe. Thoughts? 00:00:45.740 --> 00:00:49.539 On the NFL schedule finally dropping, we finally 00:00:49.539 --> 00:00:52.060 know when everybody is going to be facing each 00:00:52.060 --> 00:00:54.840 other in this upcoming season, as well as we 00:00:54.840 --> 00:00:56.640 have to talk about something a little bit more 00:00:56.640 --> 00:01:00.100 serious, and that is the NFL, quote unquote, 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:03.659 revamping the accelerator program, which is supposed 00:01:03.659 --> 00:01:07.230 to increase the likelihood. of, for instance, 00:01:07.430 --> 00:01:11.530 a minority candidate to be an offensive coordinator 00:01:11.530 --> 00:01:14.569 or defensive coordinator or head coach or GM, 00:01:14.750 --> 00:01:19.170 any of those high level jobs, it's supposed to 00:01:19.170 --> 00:01:22.290 help you be able to get that a little bit easier. 00:01:22.829 --> 00:01:24.730 Well, apparently they're going to be revamping 00:01:24.730 --> 00:01:27.109 it. So we have to talk about that as well as 00:01:27.109 --> 00:01:30.250 grades for the NFC North. OK, all of this and 00:01:30.250 --> 00:01:33.209 more on the 78th episode of the Football Junkies 00:01:33.209 --> 00:01:36.250 podcast. I am your host who currently is not 00:01:36.250 --> 00:01:38.769 on a team right now. But don't you worry about 00:01:38.769 --> 00:01:40.870 it because you know why? I still have my ear 00:01:40.870 --> 00:01:43.489 to the streets because we still have a few things 00:01:43.489 --> 00:01:45.989 that may be brewing in the background. I don't 00:01:45.989 --> 00:01:49.450 know. Just stay tuned and just continue to listen 00:01:49.450 --> 00:01:52.409 to the Football Junkies podcast. A podcast that 00:01:52.409 --> 00:01:55.109 you can listen to on a week -to -week, day -to 00:01:55.109 --> 00:01:57.390 -day basis. Because you know what? I'm your chief 00:01:57.390 --> 00:02:00.049 bag roll dominance. I'm your chief head of the 00:02:00.049 --> 00:02:03.310 table. Everything related to the bag. Anything 00:02:03.310 --> 00:02:06.150 and everything related to controversies and potential 00:02:06.150 --> 00:02:09.289 things that may affect the very foundation of 00:02:09.289 --> 00:02:12.150 the NFL. But guess what? I am all these things 00:02:12.150 --> 00:02:14.669 and more. But most importantly, I am your host, 00:02:14.770 --> 00:02:16.569 Kale. You already know how... these things are 00:02:16.569 --> 00:02:18.270 about to go this is going to be a great episode 00:02:18.270 --> 00:02:20.189 so you already know what i'm about to say on 00:02:20.189 --> 00:02:48.030 three one two three let's lock in All right, 00:02:48.030 --> 00:02:50.030 folks, let's just get into the meat and potatoes 00:02:50.030 --> 00:02:52.150 of everything that is going on in the league 00:02:52.150 --> 00:02:55.590 right now. So I'm actively checking my phone 00:02:55.590 --> 00:02:59.069 because apparently Fred Warner and the 49ers 00:02:59.069 --> 00:03:02.430 are very close to a deal. So at this point, I 00:03:02.430 --> 00:03:05.310 would not be surprised if we get news about this. 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:08.000 probably by the end of this episode, or probably 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:11.460 when I'm recording, or probably when I'm done 00:03:11.460 --> 00:03:13.800 editing, or just when I'm about to put out this 00:03:13.800 --> 00:03:17.300 episode, because we all know every single time 00:03:17.300 --> 00:03:20.800 when I'm either recording, about to record, editing, 00:03:20.919 --> 00:03:22.620 or getting ready to put out the episode, guess 00:03:22.620 --> 00:03:27.180 what happens? Something big always breaks. Would 00:03:27.180 --> 00:03:29.759 it be crazy if, for all intents and purposes, 00:03:30.240 --> 00:03:32.759 Aaron Rodgers decides to finally make his decision 00:03:32.759 --> 00:03:35.020 today by the time I'm done recording this episode? 00:03:35.300 --> 00:03:37.340 Okay, that would be great, but then that means 00:03:37.340 --> 00:03:40.319 I would have to do another maybe hour -plus episode, 00:03:40.360 --> 00:03:42.919 but that's probably not going to happen, so who 00:03:42.919 --> 00:03:45.659 cares? So let's just get into these bag alerts 00:03:45.659 --> 00:03:48.159 that are happening, okay? And that is Derrick 00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:53.280 Henry. inking a two -year $30 million deal, $25 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:56.460 million guarantee, and he'll be making $15 million 00:03:56.460 --> 00:03:59.280 a year. And when we look at his stats from this 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:05.020 past season, 325 attempts for 1 ,921 rushing 00:04:05.020 --> 00:04:08.560 yards, 16 touchdowns, 5 .9 rushing yards per 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:12.460 carry, 45 rushes of 10 plus yards or more, 53 00:04:12.460 --> 00:04:15.000 explosive runs, which is basically runs over 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:19.329 10 plus yards. 3 .6 yards after contact per attempt, 00:04:19.509 --> 00:04:23.889 and 1 ,323 yards after contact. He was second 00:04:23.889 --> 00:04:26.750 in carries, second in rushing yards, first in 00:04:26.750 --> 00:04:29.310 rushing yard touchdowns, and first in forced 00:04:29.310 --> 00:04:31.649 missed tackles, according to PFF. Folks, let's 00:04:31.649 --> 00:04:34.430 be real here. Under no circumstance were the 00:04:34.430 --> 00:04:37.689 Ravens going to let Derrick Henry walk. Derrick 00:04:37.689 --> 00:04:40.920 Henry has been a breath of fresh air. for the 00:04:40.920 --> 00:04:44.100 run game, or better yet, the entire offense as 00:04:44.100 --> 00:04:47.939 a whole. Derrick Henry has literally offened 00:04:47.939 --> 00:04:52.319 so much that literally the entire division decided 00:04:52.319 --> 00:04:55.720 to invest high into getting a defensive lineman. 00:04:55.879 --> 00:04:57.899 The Steelers did it this offseason by getting 00:04:57.899 --> 00:05:00.139 Derrick Harmon. The Bengals did it in getting 00:05:00.139 --> 00:05:03.959 Jamar Stewart. And then the Browns did it with 00:05:03.959 --> 00:05:06.680 Mason Graham. Because you know why? Because Derrick 00:05:06.680 --> 00:05:09.589 Henry... plays such a pivotal role in crushing 00:05:09.589 --> 00:05:13.110 each and every one of them. Let's be real here, 00:05:13.170 --> 00:05:15.509 folks. Derrick Henry is going to be a Hall of 00:05:15.509 --> 00:05:20.610 Famer. All he needs now is just a ring. If he 00:05:20.610 --> 00:05:22.790 gets a ring, we have to have a whole different 00:05:22.790 --> 00:05:24.930 conversation about Derrick Henry, folks. Derrick 00:05:24.930 --> 00:05:29.910 Henry still is a game changer, still is a force 00:05:29.910 --> 00:05:33.430 to be reckoned with, still is the tank that he 00:05:33.430 --> 00:05:37.750 was when he was with the Titans. And so things 00:05:37.750 --> 00:05:40.949 are only going to continue to get better with 00:05:40.949 --> 00:05:45.290 this Ravens offense. However, time is still ticking 00:05:45.290 --> 00:05:47.689 for the Ravens because you still have to win 00:05:47.689 --> 00:05:51.470 a rink. Let's be real here, folks. I'm very happy 00:05:51.470 --> 00:05:54.250 that the Ravens did take care of Derrick Henry. 00:05:54.410 --> 00:05:58.889 However, the clock is still ticking and the clock 00:05:58.889 --> 00:06:02.709 is not going to stop. So at some point, the Ravens 00:06:02.709 --> 00:06:06.629 have to find a way to breach. That final wall 00:06:06.629 --> 00:06:08.470 that they've been trying to breach for the past 00:06:08.470 --> 00:06:11.250 three or four years, and they just need to do 00:06:11.250 --> 00:06:14.550 it. You have to win. That is the only way you 00:06:14.550 --> 00:06:17.709 can justify all the moves that you have made 00:06:17.709 --> 00:06:21.470 for the past three to five years. If you don't 00:06:21.470 --> 00:06:24.629 win a Super Bowl, all of this was for nothing. 00:06:25.769 --> 00:06:28.329 But we'll save that for when we have gut check 00:06:28.329 --> 00:06:31.769 time, which there's a good chance I may do a 00:06:31.769 --> 00:06:34.509 gut check time before the season even starts. 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:37.319 And then, of course, we'll do one during the 00:06:37.319 --> 00:06:39.100 season, then we'll probably do one after the 00:06:39.100 --> 00:06:41.160 season and whatnot. So we'll probably do that, 00:06:41.180 --> 00:06:43.459 but stay tuned for that. But let's get to the 00:06:43.459 --> 00:06:46.920 bigger contract, and that is Brock Purdy inking 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:53.699 a five -year, $265 million contract. $181 million 00:06:53.699 --> 00:06:56.939 guaranteed, and he'll be making $53 million a 00:06:56.939 --> 00:06:59.319 year. Now, when we look at his stats from this 00:06:59.319 --> 00:07:03.459 past season, 455 attempts. For 300 completions, 00:07:03.500 --> 00:07:07.939 3 ,864 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, 12 picks, 00:07:08.120 --> 00:07:11.779 8 .5 yards per attempt, and a 65 .9 completion 00:07:11.779 --> 00:07:14.759 percentage. Folks, this is a dream come true 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:17.379 for Brock Purdy. Brock Purdy went from being 00:07:17.379 --> 00:07:20.579 Mr. Irrelevant to now a franchise quarterback. 00:07:21.879 --> 00:07:24.939 If that ain't a magical story, I don't know what 00:07:24.939 --> 00:07:30.120 is. But my takeaway from this move is, one, Brock 00:07:30.120 --> 00:07:32.240 Purdy probably took a discount because I feel 00:07:32.240 --> 00:07:35.019 like he probably could have asked for 55. But 00:07:35.019 --> 00:07:38.720 the way that he handled this was so professional 00:07:38.720 --> 00:07:41.839 that you have to give him kudos for that. He 00:07:41.839 --> 00:07:44.319 didn't do what anybody else would do, which is 00:07:44.319 --> 00:07:47.800 go public and say that he's not doing this or 00:07:47.800 --> 00:07:50.540 he's not doing that. No. Even while they were 00:07:50.540 --> 00:07:52.839 still trying to hash out the deal, he showed 00:07:52.839 --> 00:07:55.500 up. And that is something that you can hang your 00:07:55.500 --> 00:07:59.399 hat on. Brock Purdy isn't this dynamic quarterback 00:07:59.399 --> 00:08:03.459 that he's going to wow you with these dynamic 00:08:03.459 --> 00:08:06.360 plays no but when you need him to get the job 00:08:06.360 --> 00:08:08.879 done guess what he's going to do it and he's 00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:12.040 consistently done it since he's been put into 00:08:12.040 --> 00:08:15.439 the role of being that guy now we have to look 00:08:15.439 --> 00:08:19.339 at this from a different perspective though the 00:08:19.339 --> 00:08:22.300 49ers are going to be under a lot of scrutiny 00:08:22.300 --> 00:08:25.819 this upcoming season if they don't make it to 00:08:25.819 --> 00:08:28.689 the nfc championship Now, for some people, you're 00:08:28.689 --> 00:08:30.269 probably saying, why in the world would you say 00:08:30.269 --> 00:08:34.669 that, Cal? And this is why. They have the easiest 00:08:34.669 --> 00:08:38.690 schedule this upcoming season. Let me say that 00:08:38.690 --> 00:08:42.990 again. They have the easiest schedule out of 00:08:42.990 --> 00:08:49.149 the entire league. I'm sorry. There are no excuses 00:08:49.149 --> 00:08:53.279 at this point. Granted. I understand that your 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:54.940 division is a little bit competitive because 00:08:54.940 --> 00:08:57.480 you have to worry about Sean McVay and Mike McDonald 00:08:57.480 --> 00:09:01.120 and everybody else. But the fact of the matter 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:05.879 is, the NFL gave you a golden ticket to the NFC 00:09:05.879 --> 00:09:10.179 Championship. So there is no excuse for you guys 00:09:10.179 --> 00:09:13.279 not to make it to the NFC Championship. I'm sorry. 00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:17.019 Everybody has gotten paid. Everybody has gotten 00:09:17.019 --> 00:09:20.710 their deals. But it's time to show up. When are 00:09:20.710 --> 00:09:24.129 you going to win the big game? Because if you 00:09:24.129 --> 00:09:27.149 do not win the big game, John Lynch and Kyle 00:09:27.149 --> 00:09:30.649 Shanahan, everything that you have done was a 00:09:30.649 --> 00:09:36.289 waste, especially for Kyle Shanahan. John Lynch 00:09:36.289 --> 00:09:40.129 will get a little bit of a leeway, but Kyle Shanahan 00:09:40.129 --> 00:09:45.529 will not. At some point, you have to win. You 00:09:45.529 --> 00:09:47.750 done paid this person. You done paid that person. 00:09:47.889 --> 00:09:49.909 You're getting ready to reset the market for 00:09:49.909 --> 00:09:54.389 Fred Warner. You got to start winning. You have 00:09:54.389 --> 00:09:57.649 to win. Better yet, let me see if I can find 00:09:57.649 --> 00:10:02.389 a schedule right now for the 49ers. Just to tell 00:10:02.389 --> 00:10:06.929 you how easy their schedule is. And we're back, 00:10:06.970 --> 00:10:09.490 folks. So I was finally able to find their schedule. 00:10:09.570 --> 00:10:12.129 So here it is. Their first opponent, Seattle. 00:10:12.679 --> 00:10:16.000 Then after that, they face the Saints, the Cardinals, 00:10:16.100 --> 00:10:18.360 Jacksonville, the Rams, which is probably going 00:10:18.360 --> 00:10:20.259 to be a tough game. The Buccaneers, that's going 00:10:20.259 --> 00:10:23.019 to be a tough game. Atlanta, a little bit rocky 00:10:23.019 --> 00:10:26.559 about that. Houston, somewhat of an even matchup. 00:10:26.600 --> 00:10:30.600 New York, the Rams again, the Cardinals, the 00:10:30.600 --> 00:10:33.860 Panthers, the Browns. They have a week 14 bye. 00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:36.940 What are we talking about? They have positioned 00:10:36.940 --> 00:10:41.259 themselves to potentially go on a crazy run. 00:10:42.460 --> 00:10:44.899 Everybody knows the later that you have a bye 00:10:44.899 --> 00:10:48.360 week, the more refreshed you will be ready when 00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:51.000 it comes to the postseason. And then after the 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:53.179 bye week, you face Tennessee, which is still 00:10:53.179 --> 00:10:55.559 in shambles, Indianapolis, which we don't even 00:10:55.559 --> 00:10:56.740 know what's going to happen with the quarterback 00:10:56.740 --> 00:11:00.100 position, Chicago, and then you end it with Seattle. 00:11:00.539 --> 00:11:03.460 That's somewhat of an easy schedule to me. Out 00:11:03.460 --> 00:11:06.679 of all the teams that I just listed, the Saints, 00:11:06.860 --> 00:11:10.440 you could definitely win. The Buccaneers, that 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:13.860 might be... A little bit rocky. Jacksonville, 00:11:13.960 --> 00:11:15.799 I definitely think they can beat Jacksonville. 00:11:15.940 --> 00:11:18.320 I definitely think they can beat Atlanta. Carolina, 00:11:18.440 --> 00:11:21.480 for sure. Tennessee, for sure. There's a few 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:23.480 teams on here that they can definitely crush. 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:26.220 And there are some other teams where it's going 00:11:26.220 --> 00:11:28.480 to be somewhat of a fight. Chicago is going to 00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:31.120 be a fight. Tampa Bay is probably going to be 00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:35.259 a fight. Los Angeles has opened a fight. Not 00:11:35.259 --> 00:11:36.960 just because they're division rivals, but just 00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:40.360 because Sean McVay has... Always had Kyle Shanahan's 00:11:40.360 --> 00:11:42.799 number, but that's not the point, okay? The point 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:46.679 is this. You have to win. I'm happy for Rock 00:11:46.679 --> 00:11:50.200 Purdy, but the pressure is now on the entire 00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:53.759 team as a whole to win. If you guys do not win, 00:11:53.860 --> 00:11:56.899 there's going to be some serious questions that 00:11:56.899 --> 00:11:59.299 are going to have to be asked when it comes to 00:11:59.299 --> 00:12:01.360 Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch and this entire 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:04.059 team as a whole. Because you guys are giving 00:12:04.059 --> 00:12:06.659 out these big old contracts and you guys aren't 00:12:06.659 --> 00:12:09.929 winning. It's one thing if you're winning, but 00:12:09.929 --> 00:12:12.110 you're not winning. You've been to the Super 00:12:12.110 --> 00:12:13.870 Bowl multiple times and you still haven't won. 00:12:14.029 --> 00:12:15.830 What are we doing? Let's get into this whole 00:12:15.830 --> 00:12:19.950 Chris Alave situation. So according to Adam Crowley, 00:12:20.049 --> 00:12:23.629 who was a part of 93 .7 The Fan, a local Pittsburgh 00:12:23.629 --> 00:12:28.250 radio show, he was told by someone within the 00:12:28.250 --> 00:12:32.870 Steelers organization, Chris Alave. That's the 00:12:32.870 --> 00:12:35.110 text message that he got, which was Chris Alave. 00:12:35.330 --> 00:12:38.850 And so... He tweets out and he basically says, 00:12:38.870 --> 00:12:41.289 you know, the Steelers are interested in Chris 00:12:41.289 --> 00:12:43.750 Alave. They made a few calls. And then shortly 00:12:43.750 --> 00:12:47.309 afterwards, somebody else says the Steelers are 00:12:47.309 --> 00:12:49.909 trading, are trying to trade for Chris Alave. 00:12:50.070 --> 00:12:54.629 So instantly when this happens, all of Steelers 00:12:54.629 --> 00:12:58.789 Twitter goes crazy. I'm talking about everybody 00:12:58.789 --> 00:13:02.450 has mock -ups of Chris Alave in the Steelers 00:13:02.450 --> 00:13:05.029 uniform. They got a whole bunch of highlight 00:13:05.029 --> 00:13:08.149 clips of Chris Alave. They're just doing the 00:13:08.149 --> 00:13:10.669 whole thing with Chris Alave. If I'm not mistaken, 00:13:10.730 --> 00:13:13.669 there's probably a Chris Alave Berg account right 00:13:13.669 --> 00:13:18.590 now. That's how crazy it was. And then come to 00:13:18.590 --> 00:13:21.470 find out, according to Nick Faribault, he clarified 00:13:21.470 --> 00:13:25.120 and said that it was just a routine call. It 00:13:25.120 --> 00:13:27.220 was nothing significant. It was nothing serious. 00:13:27.940 --> 00:13:30.460 Nothing is in the works right now. It was just 00:13:30.460 --> 00:13:32.740 a routine call just to see of his availability 00:13:32.740 --> 00:13:36.519 and how much would it cost to make that transaction. 00:13:37.059 --> 00:13:40.419 Now, something that is worth noting is that the 00:13:40.419 --> 00:13:42.899 Saints did pick up Chris Alave's fifth year option. 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:46.320 Now, according to SpotRack, Chris Alave's market 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:49.600 value is three years, $53 .4 million, which is 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:52.570 $17 .8 million a year. Me, personally, I feel 00:13:52.570 --> 00:13:54.529 like that's very low. I feel like you could probably 00:13:54.529 --> 00:13:58.169 pay him between 23 to maybe 28 a year, personally. 00:13:58.549 --> 00:14:02.570 Now, the thing is this. On one hand, I respect 00:14:02.570 --> 00:14:04.830 the move that the Seals are making, which is 00:14:04.830 --> 00:14:06.350 they're doing their due diligence. They're calling 00:14:06.350 --> 00:14:09.509 around just to see the availability of all the 00:14:09.509 --> 00:14:12.769 receivers. However, I don't think the Saints 00:14:12.769 --> 00:14:16.070 are willing to make that move right now just 00:14:16.070 --> 00:14:18.149 because, for one, Chris Alave is the number one 00:14:18.149 --> 00:14:21.779 receiver on the team. Two, We don't know exactly 00:14:21.779 --> 00:14:24.419 what's going to happen moving forward when it 00:14:24.419 --> 00:14:26.840 comes to the quarterback position. And three, 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:30.740 I just don't feel like the Saints are in a position 00:14:30.740 --> 00:14:33.919 where they just want to say, screw it. We're 00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:38.059 just focusing on next year. Now, maybe by the 00:14:38.059 --> 00:14:41.379 middle part of the season, we may have something 00:14:41.379 --> 00:14:43.940 a little bit different. But the fact of the matter 00:14:43.940 --> 00:14:46.519 is right now, there's no need to make a move. 00:14:47.240 --> 00:14:49.340 I know a lot of Steelers fans are probably thinking, 00:14:49.480 --> 00:14:51.519 well, we shouldn't make this move. We need to 00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:53.159 make this move. We need to do it now, now, now, 00:14:53.299 --> 00:14:56.720 now, now. We need a number two receiver. I understand 00:14:56.720 --> 00:15:00.639 that. I get that. But the thing is this. If you 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:02.320 make a trade for someone like a Chris Alave, 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:05.580 you're going to have to pay him. This isn't something 00:15:05.580 --> 00:15:07.860 where it's a two -year rental, then you can get 00:15:07.860 --> 00:15:10.299 rid of him. No, he's going to want to talk about 00:15:10.299 --> 00:15:13.980 money. And so if you think you're going to be 00:15:13.980 --> 00:15:16.220 able to get him for a discount, you are sadly 00:15:16.220 --> 00:15:18.929 mistaken. The same amount of money that you would 00:15:18.929 --> 00:15:21.429 have probably had to pay George Pickens, you 00:15:21.429 --> 00:15:23.370 may have to pay a little bit more for Chris Alave. 00:15:23.809 --> 00:15:26.309 I'm just being completely honest here. I think 00:15:26.309 --> 00:15:28.090 the real question that we really need to ask 00:15:28.090 --> 00:15:31.690 is, are the Steelers looking for more of a long 00:15:31.690 --> 00:15:34.590 -term wide receiver two choice, or are they looking 00:15:34.590 --> 00:15:37.250 for something that's more short -term? Because 00:15:37.250 --> 00:15:38.789 if they're looking for something long -term, 00:15:38.889 --> 00:15:41.070 then this is a great move. But if you're looking 00:15:41.070 --> 00:15:43.840 for something short -term, then this probably 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:45.980 isn't the best move for you. And you should probably 00:15:45.980 --> 00:15:49.460 go after someone maybe like Amari Cooper or DJ 00:15:49.460 --> 00:15:52.200 Chark. Or you could probably pick up anybody 00:15:52.200 --> 00:15:54.899 that's cut when it gets down to the point where 00:15:54.899 --> 00:15:57.659 everybody has to cut down their rosters to be 00:15:57.659 --> 00:16:00.460 in compliance and whatnot. You could take that 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:02.100 route. There's a few different ways that you 00:16:02.100 --> 00:16:05.240 could go about this. But I appreciate that Omar 00:16:05.240 --> 00:16:07.919 Khan is reaching out and testing the waters and 00:16:07.919 --> 00:16:10.460 seeing what exactly will it take for me to make 00:16:10.460 --> 00:16:13.440 a major transaction. Now, here's the thing. I 00:16:13.440 --> 00:16:16.279 think a lot of teams are very weary when it comes 00:16:16.279 --> 00:16:18.080 to making trades, when it comes to receivers, 00:16:18.259 --> 00:16:21.240 simply because they all saw what happened with 00:16:21.240 --> 00:16:23.740 the whole Chase Claypool situation. And so I 00:16:23.740 --> 00:16:26.940 feel like they don't want to get swindled again. 00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:30.769 And so when we look at Chris Alave. I feel like 00:16:30.769 --> 00:16:32.769 giving up maybe a conditional third that can 00:16:32.769 --> 00:16:34.529 turn into a second round pick. I feel like that's 00:16:34.529 --> 00:16:36.850 good. Or you could just give them a second round 00:16:36.850 --> 00:16:40.309 pick just straight up. Either way, I think this 00:16:40.309 --> 00:16:44.029 is somewhat of a seed planting move. And let 00:16:44.029 --> 00:16:47.289 me explain why. You're testing the waters now 00:16:47.289 --> 00:16:51.629 just to see where things are. We all know that 00:16:51.629 --> 00:16:54.690 this could possibly change within the next few 00:16:54.690 --> 00:16:57.769 weeks. Probably by minicamp and then training 00:16:57.769 --> 00:17:00.190 camp and then maybe even into the regular season. 00:17:00.690 --> 00:17:03.110 Things could change because let's be real here. 00:17:03.330 --> 00:17:07.329 The Saints are somewhat going through a tough 00:17:07.329 --> 00:17:11.930 rebuild again. And so there is a good chance 00:17:11.930 --> 00:17:15.089 that some people are going to want out. I wouldn't 00:17:15.089 --> 00:17:17.410 be surprised if Chris Alave is one of those people. 00:17:18.190 --> 00:17:22.529 So on one hand, this is a good move. But on the 00:17:22.529 --> 00:17:24.849 other hand. I'm a little bit concerned about 00:17:24.849 --> 00:17:28.130 it because why would you make a significant move 00:17:28.130 --> 00:17:29.950 like this when you don't know who your quarterback 00:17:29.950 --> 00:17:32.329 is going to be? And granted, I understand it's 00:17:32.329 --> 00:17:34.029 a very sensitive subject and I understand a lot 00:17:34.029 --> 00:17:36.869 of people are hearing different things, quote 00:17:36.869 --> 00:17:40.140 unquote. People are saying, well. I believe that 00:17:40.140 --> 00:17:42.640 Aaron Rodgers will make his decision by the end 00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:45.319 of the week. Or I believe Aaron Rodgers will 00:17:45.319 --> 00:17:48.319 do this and do that. Or, oh, I believe Aaron 00:17:48.319 --> 00:17:49.940 Rodgers will be ready by the end of the month. 00:17:49.940 --> 00:17:51.839 Or I think he's going to show up for a mini camp. 00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:53.119 Or I think he's going to show up for a training 00:17:53.119 --> 00:17:56.259 camp. The fact of the matter is, it's time to 00:17:56.259 --> 00:18:00.920 move on. Because the longer that you wait, the 00:18:00.920 --> 00:18:04.119 worse it's going to look for the team. Because 00:18:04.119 --> 00:18:06.940 right now, this is when you need your quarterback 00:18:06.940 --> 00:18:10.019 to be in place. So that he can be familiar with 00:18:10.019 --> 00:18:13.180 the offense, he can be familiar with his teammates, 00:18:13.440 --> 00:18:16.299 and everybody else is familiar with his cadences. 00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:21.140 Instead of waiting for a 41 -year -old to make 00:18:21.140 --> 00:18:23.119 a decision on if he wants to play football or 00:18:23.119 --> 00:18:25.880 not. Granted, I understand he's going through 00:18:25.880 --> 00:18:29.880 something that is apparently very serious and 00:18:29.880 --> 00:18:33.380 whatnot. I understand that. But at the end of 00:18:33.380 --> 00:18:36.500 the day, all of this could have been neglected. 00:18:37.259 --> 00:18:40.140 Had you just did one thing correctly. And you 00:18:40.140 --> 00:18:42.240 know what that was? Just sign Russell Wilson 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:45.640 or Justin Fields. I would have just done that 00:18:45.640 --> 00:18:47.779 because then guess what? You wouldn't have to 00:18:47.779 --> 00:18:50.519 worry about none of this. You wouldn't have to 00:18:50.519 --> 00:18:52.500 worry about, is he coming? Is he coming? Is he 00:18:52.500 --> 00:18:54.440 going? Is he going? What exactly is he doing? 00:18:54.519 --> 00:18:56.819 You wouldn't have a whole bunch of people speculating 00:18:56.819 --> 00:18:59.839 on, well, I have inside information with people 00:18:59.839 --> 00:19:03.619 that are connected to his inner circle that believes 00:19:03.619 --> 00:19:05.059 that this is going to happen or that's going 00:19:05.059 --> 00:19:07.589 to happen. You wouldn't have to deal with all 00:19:07.589 --> 00:19:10.710 that. Granted, I understand the article that 00:19:10.710 --> 00:19:13.289 came out about Russell Wilson not agreeing with 00:19:13.289 --> 00:19:15.829 Arthur Smith. I understand it was so dredgeful 00:19:15.829 --> 00:19:18.470 and it was so odd. It was just so bad. It was 00:19:18.470 --> 00:19:21.950 so horrible. It made people feel some type of 00:19:21.950 --> 00:19:26.769 way. But guess what? It's true. It's 100 % true. 00:19:27.130 --> 00:19:29.910 Russell Wilson is an established veteran quarterback 00:19:29.910 --> 00:19:33.450 who will potentially possibly be a Hall of Famer. 00:19:34.730 --> 00:19:38.029 why shouldn't he not have the right to make certain 00:19:38.029 --> 00:19:43.049 calls to the plate? I'm sorry, but a quarterback's 00:19:43.049 --> 00:19:45.990 view of what he sees on the field is different 00:19:45.990 --> 00:19:48.269 from what an offensive coordinator's view is. 00:19:48.450 --> 00:19:50.349 Because guess what? The offensive coordinator 00:19:50.349 --> 00:19:53.950 isn't on the field. He isn't under center. He 00:19:53.950 --> 00:19:56.690 doesn't see something different. So if Russell 00:19:56.690 --> 00:19:59.529 Wilson changes the call and it actually benefits 00:19:59.529 --> 00:20:03.890 the team, then who really cares? But instead, 00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:08.839 Everybody was upset with how things ended. Oh, 00:20:08.839 --> 00:20:15.720 well. If you guys are that butthurt about this, 00:20:15.900 --> 00:20:20.880 go in the locker room, turn off the lights, get 00:20:20.880 --> 00:20:24.839 some gloves, hash it out. Y 'all get ice packs 00:20:24.839 --> 00:20:28.400 later. Because at this point, the message in 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:31.140 the Steelers organization, the foundation of 00:20:31.140 --> 00:20:34.089 the Steelers. is crumbling in front of our eyes, 00:20:34.130 --> 00:20:36.730 ladies and gentlemen. Because we have someone 00:20:36.730 --> 00:20:40.410 in a Mike Tomlin who does not want to do what's 00:20:40.410 --> 00:20:42.789 best for the team. He wants to do what's best 00:20:42.789 --> 00:20:47.490 for his ego. He wants his ego stroked every single 00:20:47.490 --> 00:20:52.069 season. I'm sorry here, folks. Aaron Rodgers, 00:20:52.109 --> 00:20:55.950 in the last three years, has not shown me anything 00:20:55.950 --> 00:20:59.069 that would make me want to stay and wait this 00:20:59.069 --> 00:21:02.690 long. Now, if this was the Aaron Rodgers of old, 00:21:02.829 --> 00:21:05.829 oh, by all means, take as much time as you need 00:21:05.829 --> 00:21:07.490 because you know why? And I said this before 00:21:07.490 --> 00:21:10.769 in previous episodes. When Aaron Rodgers steps 00:21:10.769 --> 00:21:12.809 on that field, you already know that you have 00:21:12.809 --> 00:21:15.910 either the best quarterback or the second best 00:21:15.910 --> 00:21:19.410 quarterback on that field. You don't have that 00:21:19.410 --> 00:21:23.009 anymore with this version of Aaron Rodgers. So 00:21:23.009 --> 00:21:28.140 why are we waiting this long? It is time to move 00:21:28.140 --> 00:21:30.660 forward. If you're going to make a move for Kirk 00:21:30.660 --> 00:21:33.299 Cousins, pick up the phone and call the Falcons 00:21:33.299 --> 00:21:36.599 and see exactly what the asking price is. If 00:21:36.599 --> 00:21:40.859 not, call Carson Wentz. Or better yet, just run 00:21:40.859 --> 00:21:43.819 it with Mason Rudolph. It's not going to hurt 00:21:43.819 --> 00:21:48.839 you. Because what sense does it make in getting 00:21:48.839 --> 00:21:51.559 someone like a Mason Rudolph and then you're 00:21:51.559 --> 00:21:56.039 waiting... All the way towards the point of no 00:21:56.039 --> 00:21:58.920 return for somebody who you don't even know if 00:21:58.920 --> 00:22:02.220 he's really committed to football or not. It 00:22:02.220 --> 00:22:05.900 doesn't make any sense. Aaron Rodgers is not 00:22:05.900 --> 00:22:08.339 going to move the needle that much. If we're 00:22:08.339 --> 00:22:11.299 all banking on next year to be the year that 00:22:11.299 --> 00:22:13.700 we take the quote unquote big swing for quarterback, 00:22:13.900 --> 00:22:15.799 then why don't we just use this year to just 00:22:15.799 --> 00:22:18.000 say, hey, we're going to lower our expectations 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:20.460 and we're just going to see how the season goes. 00:22:21.130 --> 00:22:23.690 There's no need to say, oh, we're trying to compete 00:22:23.690 --> 00:22:24.930 for a championship this year. No, we're not. 00:22:25.009 --> 00:22:29.490 This roster is not a championship roster on offense 00:22:29.490 --> 00:22:33.269 or defense. Sure, you have championship caliber 00:22:33.269 --> 00:22:38.230 players. Yes. But you do not have a championship 00:22:38.230 --> 00:22:41.849 caliber roster. This roster can't compete with 00:22:41.849 --> 00:22:44.329 the Chiefs. This roster can't compete against 00:22:44.329 --> 00:22:46.930 the Ravens. This roster cannot compete against 00:22:46.930 --> 00:22:50.609 the Bills. This roster can't even compete against 00:22:50.609 --> 00:22:54.890 the Eagles. So what makes you think that we are 00:22:54.890 --> 00:22:56.930 a championship team? If you are a championship 00:22:56.930 --> 00:22:59.349 team, you know what that means? That means that 00:22:59.349 --> 00:23:02.109 you are able to go up against someone like the 00:23:02.109 --> 00:23:04.809 Chiefs, like the Eagles, like the Bills, like 00:23:04.809 --> 00:23:07.069 the Ravens, like any of the other Super Bowl 00:23:07.069 --> 00:23:10.349 caliber teams. What happened last year? You got 00:23:10.349 --> 00:23:13.569 crushed. You got crushed by the Eagles. You got 00:23:13.569 --> 00:23:17.069 crushed by the Chiefs. All the teams that you 00:23:17.069 --> 00:23:18.750 should have been beating, you couldn't beat. 00:23:18.869 --> 00:23:21.650 And you still cannot beat. But you'll beat up 00:23:21.650 --> 00:23:24.230 on all the other teams who are at a crossroads 00:23:24.230 --> 00:23:28.849 or still trying to get their act together. It's 00:23:28.849 --> 00:23:33.390 time that we be serious about winning. And if 00:23:33.390 --> 00:23:36.569 you are not serious about winning, give it to 00:23:36.569 --> 00:23:40.710 somebody else. TJ Watts still has not won a playoff 00:23:40.710 --> 00:23:44.130 game. As great as TJ Watt is, he should have 00:23:44.130 --> 00:23:47.990 been able to win at least one playoff game. Am 00:23:47.990 --> 00:23:51.549 I wrong? Because at this point, if Aaron Rodgers 00:23:51.549 --> 00:23:57.130 is not signed by OTAs, it's time we had that 00:23:57.130 --> 00:23:59.549 conversation, folks. It's time we move forward. 00:23:59.609 --> 00:24:02.920 It's time that we do something different. It's 00:24:02.920 --> 00:24:05.819 time to admit that we waited too long. We did 00:24:05.819 --> 00:24:09.279 the exact same thing last year for Brandon Iyuk, 00:24:09.440 --> 00:24:11.740 thinking that Brandon Iyuk was going to be a 00:24:11.740 --> 00:24:14.579 part of the team. And at the very last minute, 00:24:14.779 --> 00:24:18.319 the very last minute, guess what he did? I'm 00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:21.059 going to stay with the 49ers. What are we doing? 00:24:21.299 --> 00:24:26.119 See, I can go on almost a 30 or 45 minute rant. 00:24:26.569 --> 00:24:28.950 just off of the Steelers and the moves that they're 00:24:28.950 --> 00:24:31.210 making. But I don't think nobody really wants 00:24:31.210 --> 00:24:32.710 to listen to that, so I'm just going to continue 00:24:32.710 --> 00:24:35.430 to move forward. But I will say this, and this 00:24:35.430 --> 00:24:39.670 will just be the last question that I ask. Are 00:24:39.670 --> 00:24:42.410 we focused on the present or are we focused on 00:24:42.410 --> 00:24:44.589 the future? You answered that question for me 00:24:44.589 --> 00:24:48.289 on our Instagram, football underscore junkies 00:24:48.289 --> 00:24:51.710 pod. You can answer that for me on X. Follow 00:24:51.710 --> 00:24:54.210 me there, GMKale. You can answer that for me 00:24:54.210 --> 00:24:56.750 on TikTok, footballjunkiespie. You could also 00:24:56.750 --> 00:24:59.369 answer that for me on the YouTube as well, footballjunkiespie. 00:24:59.430 --> 00:25:01.190 Let me know your thoughts in the comments, please. 00:25:01.250 --> 00:25:03.150 I want to have a healthy debate about this. But 00:25:03.150 --> 00:25:05.210 let's move forward to some other things that 00:25:05.210 --> 00:25:07.450 are a little bit more pressing, and that is this 00:25:07.450 --> 00:25:11.289 Trey Hendrickson situation. So we did catch word, 00:25:11.430 --> 00:25:14.730 if I'm not mistaken, last episode or the episode 00:25:14.730 --> 00:25:17.609 before that where Trey Hendrickson puts out this 00:25:17.609 --> 00:25:20.549 statement. And so now... We finally understand 00:25:20.549 --> 00:25:23.950 why he put out that statement. So apparently 00:25:23.950 --> 00:25:28.789 he was informed by head coach Zach Taylor that 00:25:28.789 --> 00:25:31.630 missing mandatory minicamp will result in fines. 00:25:31.930 --> 00:25:34.930 And this is what Trey Hendrickson says. And I 00:25:34.930 --> 00:25:37.769 quote, we've tried to keep it as least amount 00:25:37.769 --> 00:25:40.569 as personal as possible. But at some point in 00:25:40.569 --> 00:25:43.980 this process, it becomes personal. Being sent 00:25:43.980 --> 00:25:47.039 30 days before mandatory minicamp or how many 00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:49.660 ever days it is, that if I don't show up, I will 00:25:49.660 --> 00:25:51.940 be fined alludes to the fact that something won't 00:25:51.940 --> 00:25:54.759 get done in that time frame, end quote. He also 00:25:54.759 --> 00:25:57.440 puts out another statement that also says, end 00:25:57.440 --> 00:25:59.759 I quote, and when there's a lack of communication 00:25:59.759 --> 00:26:03.119 in any relationship, if it's business or personal 00:26:03.119 --> 00:26:06.000 relationship, lack of communication leads to 00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:09.059 animosity. And that leaves my narrative only 00:26:09.059 --> 00:26:13.160 to me with no clear direction, end quote. At 00:26:13.160 --> 00:26:17.400 this point, this is bad business for the Bengals. 00:26:17.880 --> 00:26:20.440 And if you are not willing to pay Trey Henderson 00:26:20.440 --> 00:26:23.880 the money that he so deserves, then move on from 00:26:23.880 --> 00:26:28.960 him. Trade him away. Because you just crossing 00:26:28.960 --> 00:26:30.720 your arms and just saying, oh yeah, we're not 00:26:30.720 --> 00:26:32.519 going to pay you that. Oh yeah, we're not going 00:26:32.519 --> 00:26:33.940 to pay you that. It's not going to solve anything. 00:26:34.759 --> 00:26:37.039 If you're not going to pay him, just move on. 00:26:37.339 --> 00:26:41.039 Who cares? Use that draft capital to try to get 00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:43.359 somebody else that can play the role of Trey 00:26:43.359 --> 00:26:45.980 Hendrickson. Because right now, all you're doing 00:26:45.980 --> 00:26:49.440 is just wasting each other's time. There is a 00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:52.140 team right now, I guarantee you, that will give 00:26:52.140 --> 00:26:54.099 up possibly a first -round pick for Trey Hendrickson. 00:26:54.319 --> 00:26:57.079 Or maybe a conditional second that can turn into 00:26:57.079 --> 00:27:00.619 a first -round pick. I'm just being honest here. 00:27:00.779 --> 00:27:04.200 The Eagles would be interested in him. The Lions 00:27:04.200 --> 00:27:06.640 would be interested in him. I would guarantee 00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:09.819 you the 49ers would be interested in getting 00:27:09.819 --> 00:27:12.200 someone like a Trey Hendrickson. Because right 00:27:12.200 --> 00:27:14.420 now, his market value, according to SpotRack, 00:27:14.420 --> 00:27:18.359 is two years, $62 .9 million, which is $31 .5 00:27:18.359 --> 00:27:20.759 million a year. Now, do I think he could probably 00:27:20.759 --> 00:27:24.220 get a little bit more than that? Yes. Just because 00:27:24.220 --> 00:27:27.359 Trey Hendrickson has been one of the more consistent 00:27:27.359 --> 00:27:30.099 pass rushers in the last few years. Not to mention, 00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:33.160 he's been a defensive player of the year finalist. 00:27:33.500 --> 00:27:37.720 The last two years, if I'm not mistaken. So it's 00:27:37.720 --> 00:27:40.619 just time for you to go in a different direction. 00:27:41.559 --> 00:27:45.680 But at the same time, I'm not surprised that 00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:48.000 the Bengals are doing this because why? The Bengals 00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:50.839 have always had a reputation of just doing bad 00:27:50.839 --> 00:27:55.579 business. You can go as far back as, I don't 00:27:55.579 --> 00:27:58.460 know, the 80s. They're doing bad business. They've 00:27:58.460 --> 00:28:02.220 always done bad business. So just move on. If 00:28:02.220 --> 00:28:05.859 you're not going to pay him, recoup that draft 00:28:05.859 --> 00:28:08.980 capital and use it for another position. But 00:28:08.980 --> 00:28:12.599 just know this. If you move on from Trey Hendrickson, 00:28:12.720 --> 00:28:16.180 your defense is going to be atrocious. Or better 00:28:16.180 --> 00:28:19.059 yet, you just won't have a defense at all. Now 00:28:19.059 --> 00:28:21.700 let's get into the Elton Jenkins situation. So 00:28:21.700 --> 00:28:25.059 this one is a little bit more complicated. And 00:28:25.059 --> 00:28:26.519 I'm going to try to see if I can break it down 00:28:26.519 --> 00:28:30.009 as best as possible. So apparently... Elton Jenkins 00:28:30.009 --> 00:28:34.109 is not participating off -season workouts because 00:28:34.109 --> 00:28:37.289 he's looking for a new deal. Okay, cool. But 00:28:37.289 --> 00:28:40.369 here's the problem. Apparently, they want him 00:28:40.369 --> 00:28:44.289 to transition to center. So these are just some 00:28:44.289 --> 00:28:46.910 of the junkie nuggets that I was able to find 00:28:46.910 --> 00:28:50.150 after reading a few different articles. So Elton 00:28:50.150 --> 00:28:52.569 Jenkins doesn't have a problem moving to center, 00:28:52.690 --> 00:28:55.269 but would like to be financially compensated 00:28:55.269 --> 00:28:57.700 when making that transition. Now here's the thing. 00:28:57.799 --> 00:29:01.039 He has two years left of a four -year $68 million 00:29:01.039 --> 00:29:05.240 deal that he signed in 2022. The deal was designed 00:29:05.240 --> 00:29:08.359 to pay him as a guard while making him quote 00:29:08.359 --> 00:29:12.200 -unquote competitive if he moved to tackle because 00:29:12.200 --> 00:29:15.119 Elton Jenkins coming into the league had positional 00:29:15.119 --> 00:29:18.839 flexibility. So it was only right for the Packers 00:29:18.839 --> 00:29:21.019 to basically pay him the money that they paid 00:29:21.019 --> 00:29:23.160 him because they realized that they could use 00:29:23.160 --> 00:29:26.890 him at tackle, guard, or anywhere else. The highest 00:29:26.890 --> 00:29:29.690 paid centers right now, Creed Humphrey at $18 00:29:29.690 --> 00:29:33.170 million. Then you have Eric McCoy at $12 million. 00:29:33.369 --> 00:29:36.490 And then I think there's one more, I think, that 00:29:36.490 --> 00:29:40.049 recently just got paid as well. So you have a 00:29:40.049 --> 00:29:41.970 pretty decent market when it comes to centers. 00:29:42.549 --> 00:29:45.950 Now the question is, how much money is Elton 00:29:45.950 --> 00:29:49.029 Jenkins looking for? Because currently he is 00:29:49.029 --> 00:29:51.509 scheduled to make $12 .8 million this year and 00:29:51.509 --> 00:29:56.089 then $20 next year. Here's the thing with this. 00:29:56.289 --> 00:29:58.509 When you have someone like an Elton Jenkins who 00:29:58.509 --> 00:30:00.890 has positional flexibility and actually plays 00:30:00.890 --> 00:30:04.289 very well, things could get a little bit tricky. 00:30:04.890 --> 00:30:08.430 Because if you move him to center, there's a 00:30:08.430 --> 00:30:10.450 possibility that you may have to reset the center 00:30:10.450 --> 00:30:14.609 market. Now, granted, the center market is only 00:30:14.609 --> 00:30:18.089 at 18 right now. Could you get him maybe to 19, 00:30:18.390 --> 00:30:21.609 maybe 19 .5? Do you want to take it up to 20? 00:30:22.359 --> 00:30:25.319 Because right now, Elton Jenkins has probably 00:30:25.319 --> 00:30:28.279 been one of your better offensive linemen in 00:30:28.279 --> 00:30:31.539 the last few years. And so I think it's only 00:30:31.539 --> 00:30:34.619 right that you possibly compensate him for that. 00:30:34.700 --> 00:30:37.980 Now, here's the thing. Are you going to have 00:30:37.980 --> 00:30:40.880 to basically scrap the last two years of his 00:30:40.880 --> 00:30:42.980 current deal and then just give him a whole new 00:30:42.980 --> 00:30:46.119 deal? Or are you going to have to move some money 00:30:46.119 --> 00:30:47.880 around? Because this is a little bit complicated. 00:30:48.910 --> 00:30:51.170 Now, do I think this is going to be elevated 00:30:51.170 --> 00:30:54.650 even further? No. I do believe some resolution 00:30:54.650 --> 00:30:59.670 will come fairly soon, but the question is, what 00:30:59.670 --> 00:31:02.910 is it going to be? Because if you're having to 00:31:02.910 --> 00:31:06.650 move him at center, it might cost you a little 00:31:06.650 --> 00:31:09.930 bit more. Just saying. Now, let's get into something 00:31:09.930 --> 00:31:11.950 that's a little bit more controversial, and that 00:31:11.950 --> 00:31:15.210 is the NFL revamping the accelerator program. 00:31:15.769 --> 00:31:17.829 So here's the background behind this program. 00:31:18.480 --> 00:31:22.119 So it started in 2022 after the league believed 00:31:22.119 --> 00:31:24.859 that owners were passing over qualified individuals 00:31:24.859 --> 00:31:28.980 of color. And so when we look at this program, 00:31:29.279 --> 00:31:32.220 it really hasn't been super successful. And let 00:31:32.220 --> 00:31:35.519 me explain why. Out of all the people that have 00:31:35.519 --> 00:31:38.700 been in this program, there's only been two people 00:31:38.700 --> 00:31:42.259 that have had success. Rand Carthorne, who was 00:31:42.259 --> 00:31:45.480 the former Titans GM and was fired last year. 00:31:45.900 --> 00:31:48.160 And then Aaron Glenn, who is now the Jets head 00:31:48.160 --> 00:31:54.500 coach. That's not good. If only two people out 00:31:54.500 --> 00:31:58.819 of probably a thousand or more who actually try 00:31:58.819 --> 00:32:00.839 to go through this program to actually have a 00:32:00.839 --> 00:32:04.200 better shot at possibly getting hired or possibly 00:32:04.200 --> 00:32:07.240 getting an elevator role within an organization, 00:32:07.539 --> 00:32:10.240 and nobody is getting it but just two people, 00:32:10.380 --> 00:32:13.990 that's not good numbers. And so here is the statement 00:32:13.990 --> 00:32:17.130 that was put out by the league concerning the 00:32:17.130 --> 00:32:20.470 whole accelerator program. And I quote, we believe 00:32:20.470 --> 00:32:22.970 diversity of thought and background is essential 00:32:22.970 --> 00:32:26.210 to our success and it's reflected in these policies, 00:32:26.430 --> 00:32:28.910 programs, and partnerships that help us attract, 00:32:29.130 --> 00:32:31.470 develop, and retain top talent at every level 00:32:31.470 --> 00:32:34.650 on and off the field. We recently executed a 00:32:34.650 --> 00:32:36.789 number of programs, including the general manager 00:32:36.789 --> 00:32:39.089 accelerator at the December league meeting in 00:32:39.089 --> 00:32:41.799 Dallas. a three -day candidate development program 00:32:41.799 --> 00:32:44.640 at Combine, and the ninth annual Women's Forum, 00:32:44.740 --> 00:32:47.339 where 40 women advance career opportunities in 00:32:47.339 --> 00:32:50.200 football. Every offseason, we take a step back 00:32:50.200 --> 00:32:52.740 to reflect on the positives and areas for improvement 00:32:52.740 --> 00:32:55.420 of our programs and assess ways to make them 00:32:55.420 --> 00:32:58.619 more impactful. This year, we assessed and identified 00:32:58.619 --> 00:33:00.900 additional opportunities with the accelerator, 00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:03.559 including combining the coaching and front office 00:33:03.559 --> 00:33:05.960 programs to ensure the accelerator continues 00:33:05.960 --> 00:33:09.740 to be as impactful as possible. We have decided 00:33:09.740 --> 00:33:12.220 to hold the next iteration of the Accelerator 00:33:12.220 --> 00:33:15.279 in May 2026. This will allow us to reimagine 00:33:15.279 --> 00:33:17.980 the program, reflecting on the feedback and engaging 00:33:17.980 --> 00:33:20.619 with stakeholders so we can ensure a successful 00:33:20.619 --> 00:33:23.220 program in the future. We're steadfast in our 00:33:23.220 --> 00:33:25.319 commitment to strengthening our talent pipeline 00:33:25.319 --> 00:33:28.039 and create an environment that reflects the diversity 00:33:28.039 --> 00:33:31.200 of our fan base. The NFL strives to be a unifying 00:33:31.200 --> 00:33:33.400 force, and we are confident the next evolution 00:33:33.400 --> 00:33:36.359 of our efforts will take us one step closer to 00:33:36.359 --> 00:33:40.190 that goal." Now, with all the controversy going 00:33:40.190 --> 00:33:44.269 on with DEI and whatnot, there is a good chance 00:33:44.269 --> 00:33:47.029 they may have probably done this because they 00:33:47.029 --> 00:33:49.509 may have gotten word that they will probably 00:33:49.509 --> 00:33:51.950 be targeted with all the programs that they have 00:33:51.950 --> 00:33:54.950 in place. But here's the thing, though, folks. 00:33:55.930 --> 00:33:59.569 Everyone needs to just admit it. A lot of these 00:33:59.569 --> 00:34:02.789 programs aren't successful. A lot of these programs 00:34:02.789 --> 00:34:07.089 are not giving minorities of color a true legitimate 00:34:07.089 --> 00:34:10.940 chance. of being a GM, of being a high -level 00:34:10.940 --> 00:34:13.480 scout, of being a head coach or offensive or 00:34:13.480 --> 00:34:16.440 defensive coordinator, we all know that their 00:34:16.440 --> 00:34:20.679 leashes are much shorter than those of white 00:34:20.679 --> 00:34:23.219 counterparts. And this is me not trying to play 00:34:23.219 --> 00:34:25.860 the race card. This is me not trying to be black 00:34:25.860 --> 00:34:28.019 and white and whatnot. But let's just call it 00:34:28.019 --> 00:34:31.179 for what it is. We have seen a lot of qualified 00:34:31.179 --> 00:34:36.579 candidates of color be overlooked for white counterparts. 00:34:37.289 --> 00:34:39.889 And mind you, a lot of times the white counterparts 00:34:39.889 --> 00:34:43.429 are not as qualified or have not been qualified 00:34:43.429 --> 00:34:47.650 in recent years to be eligible for this position. 00:34:48.329 --> 00:34:51.829 But they still get it because they may have connections 00:34:51.829 --> 00:34:54.030 with this person, that person within the front 00:34:54.030 --> 00:34:57.909 office. But the fact of the matter is, these 00:34:57.909 --> 00:35:02.289 programs are not doing enough to really show 00:35:02.289 --> 00:35:05.250 that, hey, we are serious about promoting minorities 00:35:05.250 --> 00:35:08.710 of color. And giving them a legitimate chance 00:35:08.710 --> 00:35:12.090 of being the next great GM, the next great head 00:35:12.090 --> 00:35:14.469 coach, the next great offensive or defensive 00:35:14.469 --> 00:35:18.130 coordinator or whatever. Even when it comes to 00:35:18.130 --> 00:35:22.510 the Rooney Rule, everybody knows that all 32 00:35:22.510 --> 00:35:24.530 teams are going to make sure that they're Rooney 00:35:24.530 --> 00:35:27.369 Rule compliant by doing what? Make sure that 00:35:27.369 --> 00:35:30.289 they get rid of all the minority candidates first 00:35:30.289 --> 00:35:33.630 and then go after the real candidates that they 00:35:33.630 --> 00:35:36.829 really want to go after. We see it every single 00:35:36.829 --> 00:35:40.170 year. There are some people that I feel like 00:35:40.170 --> 00:35:43.590 that should be in the league right now. And they're 00:35:43.590 --> 00:35:48.630 not for whatever reason. Eric Bien -Ami, I feel 00:35:48.630 --> 00:35:51.030 like he should have at least tried to be a head 00:35:51.030 --> 00:35:53.550 coach by now. Is there something behind closed 00:35:53.550 --> 00:35:56.030 doors that people know that is preventing him 00:35:56.030 --> 00:35:57.849 from being a head coach? It's a possibility. 00:35:58.489 --> 00:36:02.019 But why is it that a lot of teams... make sure 00:36:02.019 --> 00:36:04.179 that they're Rooney Rule compliant first before 00:36:04.179 --> 00:36:07.960 making their decision. And I understand some 00:36:07.960 --> 00:36:09.739 people want to say, well, it's a football decision 00:36:09.739 --> 00:36:12.760 or it's tied to this or it's tied to that. I 00:36:12.760 --> 00:36:15.880 don't believe you one bit because a lot of times 00:36:15.880 --> 00:36:19.739 the minority candidates are twice or maybe three 00:36:19.739 --> 00:36:22.940 times as qualified as their white counterparts. 00:36:24.420 --> 00:36:28.039 Brian Flores by now should have been a head coach 00:36:28.039 --> 00:36:31.139 again. And granted, I understand. That whole 00:36:31.139 --> 00:36:34.179 experience with Tua in Miami wasn't the best. 00:36:34.219 --> 00:36:36.380 I understand that. But this is a league of second 00:36:36.380 --> 00:36:39.000 chances. So if this is a league of second chances, 00:36:39.059 --> 00:36:41.519 and we all saw what Brian Flores did with that 00:36:41.519 --> 00:36:44.460 Vikings defense last season, there is no reason 00:36:44.460 --> 00:36:47.300 under the sun why he has not gotten another head 00:36:47.300 --> 00:36:50.239 coaching job. Same thing with Leslie Frazier. 00:36:50.260 --> 00:36:52.860 I can continue to go down the list of people 00:36:52.860 --> 00:36:55.980 that should have gotten... a chance to be a head 00:36:55.980 --> 00:36:59.820 coach or coordinator or GM or whatever the case 00:36:59.820 --> 00:37:03.360 may be. There are a lot of people that deserve 00:37:03.360 --> 00:37:06.079 chances, that have worked hard and continue to 00:37:06.079 --> 00:37:09.139 prove the naysayers that they belong wherever 00:37:09.139 --> 00:37:12.159 they belong. But you have people like Matt Iberflues 00:37:12.159 --> 00:37:15.099 who continue to get chance after chance after 00:37:15.099 --> 00:37:18.880 chance. For what? He was horrible as a head coach 00:37:18.880 --> 00:37:22.320 and he still was able to get another job before 00:37:22.320 --> 00:37:24.719 a lot of other people were able to. That's why 00:37:24.719 --> 00:37:27.219 you saw a lot of people that were candidates 00:37:27.219 --> 00:37:29.900 go back into the college realm. Because why? 00:37:30.380 --> 00:37:33.539 There wasn't no legitimate chances. Same thing 00:37:33.539 --> 00:37:35.679 for Byron Leftwich. Byron Leftwich should be 00:37:35.679 --> 00:37:37.760 somebody's offensive coordinator this year or 00:37:37.760 --> 00:37:41.420 somebody's quarterback coach. Pep Hamilton is 00:37:41.420 --> 00:37:43.780 a sleeper of somebody that not a lot of people 00:37:43.780 --> 00:37:47.239 talk about. Pep Hamilton was the reason why Justin 00:37:47.239 --> 00:37:50.679 Herbert had that great rookie year. He was the 00:37:50.679 --> 00:37:53.639 reason why Davis Mills did what he did before 00:37:53.639 --> 00:37:56.179 they got CJ Stroud. People don't even realize 00:37:56.179 --> 00:38:00.980 that. So if we really want to be serious about 00:38:00.980 --> 00:38:05.980 giving people of color a chance, then we have 00:38:05.980 --> 00:38:08.780 to put more pressure on the owners to be more 00:38:08.780 --> 00:38:12.380 open to it. Now, there are some teams that are 00:38:12.380 --> 00:38:17.059 more open to process, I would say, but you also 00:38:17.059 --> 00:38:20.619 have others who continue to show year after year 00:38:20.619 --> 00:38:23.690 that they're really not. Same thing with the 00:38:23.690 --> 00:38:27.389 Patriots. Gerard Mayo should have had a chance. 00:38:27.809 --> 00:38:30.210 Gerard Mayo did not get a legitimate chance. 00:38:31.690 --> 00:38:34.250 And he basically got fired because they didn't 00:38:34.250 --> 00:38:36.510 get the first pick. It still doesn't matter because 00:38:36.510 --> 00:38:38.849 why? You still had a really high pick. Same thing 00:38:38.849 --> 00:38:42.289 as Rand Carthorne. Rand Carthorne positioned 00:38:42.289 --> 00:38:47.409 this team in order to get their first pick. It 00:38:47.409 --> 00:38:50.570 wasn't because of Mike Borgonzi. No disrespect 00:38:50.570 --> 00:38:54.570 to him. No, it's because of Rand Carthorne. Rand 00:38:54.570 --> 00:38:57.809 Carthorne was trying to build this team, but 00:38:57.809 --> 00:39:00.190 there's only so much that you can do when you 00:39:00.190 --> 00:39:03.710 guys expect these GMs and whatnot to rebuild 00:39:03.710 --> 00:39:05.969 this team overnight. It doesn't work like that 00:39:05.969 --> 00:39:08.750 if you don't have everything in place. It doesn't 00:39:08.750 --> 00:39:11.550 work if you don't have a solid franchise quarterback. 00:39:11.650 --> 00:39:14.170 It doesn't work if you don't have a solid offensive 00:39:14.170 --> 00:39:17.269 line, weapons, coaches, all those different things 00:39:17.269 --> 00:39:20.719 and more. It doesn't work like that. But nobody 00:39:20.719 --> 00:39:23.699 wants to give people a legitimate chance. Instead, 00:39:23.960 --> 00:39:25.940 it's we'll give you two years and after those 00:39:25.940 --> 00:39:29.840 two years, you're gone. The only minority head 00:39:29.840 --> 00:39:33.260 coach that has been able to coach as long as 00:39:33.260 --> 00:39:36.800 he's had is Mike Tomlin. That is sad, folks. 00:39:37.420 --> 00:39:40.239 According to an ESPN article that came out this 00:39:40.239 --> 00:39:43.320 year, the Associated Press surveyed more than 00:39:43.320 --> 00:39:47.900 65 black players from 25 teams. about the lack 00:39:47.900 --> 00:39:50.260 of black head coaches throughout the entire league, 00:39:50.460 --> 00:39:54.320 36 % of them were discouraged or disappointed 00:39:54.320 --> 00:39:58.880 by the number of black coaches. Miami's linebacker, 00:39:58.880 --> 00:40:02.699 Anthony Walker Jr. said, and I quote, until you 00:40:02.699 --> 00:40:05.519 see more coaches, we're all going to look at 00:40:05.519 --> 00:40:08.480 it the same way. There aren't enough black coaches, 00:40:08.619 --> 00:40:11.699 end quote. But let's go a little bit deeper than 00:40:11.699 --> 00:40:16.469 this, okay? Over 25 seasons, From 2000 to 2024, 00:40:16.949 --> 00:40:22.250 an Associated Press count shows 31 of the 173 00:40:22.250 --> 00:40:25.989 new NFL head coaches, 18 % of them were black. 00:40:26.230 --> 00:40:30.869 In that same span, 8 of the 19 head coaches, 00:40:30.949 --> 00:40:34.730 which is 42%, were fired after the first full 00:40:34.730 --> 00:40:37.929 season. Let's just call it for what it is. The 00:40:37.929 --> 00:40:40.670 NFL has a major problem when it comes to hiring 00:40:40.670 --> 00:40:46.099 minority coaches, GMs. Wherever they have a major 00:40:46.099 --> 00:40:49.059 problem and it's and it feels like at times it's 00:40:49.059 --> 00:40:51.800 never going to get resolved, even when it came 00:40:51.800 --> 00:40:55.219 with the recent interview process with the Jaguars. 00:40:55.780 --> 00:40:59.420 Some red flags should have been waving. Somebody 00:40:59.420 --> 00:41:02.679 should have intervened with that process because 00:41:02.679 --> 00:41:08.300 that's not right. And granted, if it's if you're 00:41:08.300 --> 00:41:11.679 looking at this from, oh, this person is more 00:41:11.679 --> 00:41:15.780 qualified than that person. Whatever. But we 00:41:15.780 --> 00:41:20.320 can clearly see that black coaches have a shorter 00:41:20.320 --> 00:41:24.400 leash than everybody else. We see that black 00:41:24.400 --> 00:41:26.619 offensive coordinators, defensive coordinators, 00:41:26.679 --> 00:41:29.579 quarterback coaches, running back coaches, tight 00:41:29.579 --> 00:41:33.000 end coaches, old line coaches, GMs, assistant 00:41:33.000 --> 00:41:36.920 GMs. All of them have a shorter leash than their 00:41:36.920 --> 00:41:39.139 white counterparts. And I am not trying to be 00:41:39.139 --> 00:41:41.619 that person that wants to play the race game. 00:41:41.760 --> 00:41:44.519 I do not want to do that and I do not like doing 00:41:44.519 --> 00:41:47.179 that. But what we need to address here, folks, 00:41:47.280 --> 00:41:50.860 is that this accelerator program needs to have 00:41:50.860 --> 00:41:55.940 serious, serious changes in order to improve 00:41:55.940 --> 00:41:59.639 the likelihood of people being able to get these 00:41:59.639 --> 00:42:02.920 positions. Because it shouldn't just be Rand 00:42:02.920 --> 00:42:06.119 Carthorne and Aaron Glenn. We should be seeing 00:42:06.119 --> 00:42:10.199 at least 15 to 20 new hires each and every single 00:42:10.199 --> 00:42:13.000 offseason. And they don't have to be head coaches. 00:42:13.719 --> 00:42:16.380 It can be offensive coordinators. It can be defensive 00:42:16.380 --> 00:42:19.800 coordinators. It can be assistant GMs. It can 00:42:19.800 --> 00:42:23.360 be whomever. But there needs to be an effort 00:42:23.360 --> 00:42:26.119 in place to do it. And I understand that the 00:42:26.119 --> 00:42:29.219 Rooney Rule is in place. And I understand that 00:42:29.219 --> 00:42:32.739 the Rooney Rule was intended to increase the 00:42:32.739 --> 00:42:36.139 likelihood of minorities to get a chance. But 00:42:36.139 --> 00:42:38.619 they will never get a chance. It's always going 00:42:38.619 --> 00:42:40.860 to be an uphill battle every single time. Because 00:42:40.860 --> 00:42:45.519 you know why? Because it's who you know. It's 00:42:45.519 --> 00:42:48.730 never about... well, I'm a little bit more qualified 00:42:48.730 --> 00:42:51.710 because I worked with this position or I'm a 00:42:51.710 --> 00:42:53.730 little bit more qualified because I led this 00:42:53.730 --> 00:42:57.090 team here or there. No, it's who you know at 00:42:57.090 --> 00:43:01.550 the end of the day. It's a damn shame, folks. 00:43:02.090 --> 00:43:05.070 It's a damn shame. Now let's talk about this 00:43:05.070 --> 00:43:11.210 schedule because this schedule is great for some 00:43:11.210 --> 00:43:14.650 and it's horrible for others, okay? Because When 00:43:14.650 --> 00:43:17.309 we look at the strength of schedule for all the 00:43:17.309 --> 00:43:19.530 teams, the teams with the easiest schedules, 00:43:19.789 --> 00:43:23.570 the 49ers, the Patriots, Saints, Falcons, and 00:43:23.570 --> 00:43:26.090 Bills. The teams with the hardest schedules, 00:43:26.389 --> 00:43:30.590 Giants, Browns, Lions, Eagles, Vikings. Let's 00:43:30.590 --> 00:43:33.250 just look at some of these schedules, okay? So 00:43:33.250 --> 00:43:35.869 for the Giants, they have to go up against the 00:43:35.869 --> 00:43:38.809 Commanders first, the Cowboys, the Chiefs, the 00:43:38.809 --> 00:43:41.630 Chargers, the Saints, the Eagles again, the Broncos, 00:43:41.869 --> 00:43:45.289 the Eagles again. Did I say the Eagles twice? 00:43:45.469 --> 00:43:48.010 I did say the Eagles twice. Okay, the 49ers, 00:43:48.170 --> 00:43:50.849 the Bears, the Packers, the Lions, the Patriots. 00:43:50.869 --> 00:43:53.889 Then they have their week 14 bye. The Commanders, 00:43:53.889 --> 00:43:55.829 the Vikings, the Raiders, and then the Cowboys. 00:43:56.789 --> 00:44:01.170 That's a gauntlet. Man, oh man, that is a gauntlet. 00:44:01.389 --> 00:44:03.989 Now, granted, it's great if they have a late 00:44:03.989 --> 00:44:07.349 bye because then they're able to at least get 00:44:07.349 --> 00:44:09.909 themselves somewhat healthy to maybe make a... 00:44:10.239 --> 00:44:13.619 A late playoff run, but geez Louise, man, just 00:44:13.619 --> 00:44:17.719 to get to that point is difficult. Week 8, the 00:44:17.719 --> 00:44:21.039 Eagles. Week 9, the 49ers. Week 10, the Bears. 00:44:21.280 --> 00:44:26.860 Week 10, I mean, Week 11, the Packers. This is 00:44:26.860 --> 00:44:29.159 not looking good, folks. Now when we look at 00:44:29.159 --> 00:44:32.099 the Eagles, you got the Cowboys, the Chiefs, 00:44:32.099 --> 00:44:34.679 the Rams, the Buccaneers, the Broncos, the Giants, 00:44:34.679 --> 00:44:37.400 the Vikings, the Giants again. Then you have 00:44:37.400 --> 00:44:39.559 your bye week, which is in week nine, which really 00:44:39.559 --> 00:44:42.019 isn't that good. Week 10, you got the Packers, 00:44:42.039 --> 00:44:44.320 the Lions, the Cowboys, the Bears, the Chargers, 00:44:44.380 --> 00:44:47.239 the Raiders, the Commanders, the Bills, and then 00:44:47.239 --> 00:44:51.239 the Commanders again. That is the fourth hardest 00:44:51.239 --> 00:44:55.039 schedule in the entire league. Now, some of these 00:44:55.039 --> 00:44:57.579 Sunday night football games, it's a little bit 00:44:57.579 --> 00:45:00.340 of a hit or miss. Just being honest here. Who 00:45:00.340 --> 00:45:02.400 really wants to see the Falcons and the Vikings 00:45:02.400 --> 00:45:06.369 on Sunday night? Raise your hand. Better yet, 00:45:06.469 --> 00:45:09.530 don't raise your hand. Chiefs and Giants, that 00:45:09.530 --> 00:45:13.429 could be something. Packers and Cowboys, that 00:45:13.429 --> 00:45:16.150 actually might be pretty good. Patriots and Bills 00:45:16.150 --> 00:45:19.289 are definitely going to be good. Bills and Ravens 00:45:19.289 --> 00:45:21.429 are going to be really good. There's a few good 00:45:21.429 --> 00:45:24.269 sleepers for the Sunday night football lineup. 00:45:24.469 --> 00:45:27.030 And then when we look at the Amazon Thursday 00:45:27.030 --> 00:45:32.110 night games, which, man, these are tough. These 00:45:32.110 --> 00:45:35.550 are really, really, really tough. Even the Christmas 00:45:35.550 --> 00:45:37.090 night game, I feel like that's going to be a 00:45:37.090 --> 00:45:39.389 really good game. The Black Friday game, I think 00:45:39.389 --> 00:45:41.489 that's going to be really good as well. And then 00:45:41.489 --> 00:45:43.469 Thanksgiving, of course, we all know the Cowboys 00:45:43.469 --> 00:45:46.150 are going to be playing. But Chiefs and Cowboys, 00:45:46.289 --> 00:45:47.929 oh, that might actually be good. I might have 00:45:47.929 --> 00:45:49.769 to skip the Thanksgiving meal and just watch 00:45:49.769 --> 00:45:51.610 football. I don't know. And then you've got the 00:45:51.610 --> 00:45:54.650 Packers and Lions, Bengals and Ravens, Bears 00:45:54.650 --> 00:45:58.849 and Eagles. Folks, this is going to be a really 00:45:58.849 --> 00:46:02.239 tough year for a lot of teams. But at the same 00:46:02.239 --> 00:46:04.460 time, this shows you that a lot of teams are 00:46:04.460 --> 00:46:07.019 starting to become more competitive, which I 00:46:07.019 --> 00:46:10.139 think is better for the league as a whole, because 00:46:10.139 --> 00:46:12.099 you just don't want a whole bunch of teams that 00:46:12.099 --> 00:46:14.440 are just subpar. You want some teams that are 00:46:14.440 --> 00:46:16.940 really competitive. You want some matchups that 00:46:16.940 --> 00:46:20.460 are going to be memorable. And so I think a lot 00:46:20.460 --> 00:46:22.900 of these schedules are going to be really good, 00:46:22.960 --> 00:46:24.579 especially when it comes to that second half 00:46:24.579 --> 00:46:27.500 of the season. Oh, man, you won't be able to 00:46:27.500 --> 00:46:31.480 miss a game. just because of how great these 00:46:31.480 --> 00:46:34.519 games are going to be just oh my god cannot wait 00:46:34.519 --> 00:46:38.460 for the season i am ready for the season to start 00:46:38.460 --> 00:46:42.059 now if it was possible but we can't we still 00:46:42.059 --> 00:46:44.039 have to wait a few more months but let's get 00:46:44.039 --> 00:46:47.860 into the grades so nfc north you already know 00:46:47.860 --> 00:46:52.659 lions vikings bears and packers so let's start 00:46:52.659 --> 00:46:56.059 with the lions so their positions of need Defensive 00:46:56.059 --> 00:46:58.420 back, edge, interior offensive line, defensive 00:46:58.420 --> 00:47:01.199 line. So first round, they got Tyleek Williams. 00:47:01.599 --> 00:47:04.139 Second round, they got Tate Ratliff. Third round, 00:47:04.179 --> 00:47:06.860 they got Isaac Tesla. Fifth round, they got Miles 00:47:06.860 --> 00:47:09.900 Frazier. Sixth round, they got Ahmed Hassanein. 00:47:10.179 --> 00:47:12.920 Seventh round, they got Dan Jackson, as well 00:47:12.920 --> 00:47:15.500 as Dominic LeVette. Now, when we look at their 00:47:15.500 --> 00:47:18.000 team stats and we break it down by offense and 00:47:18.000 --> 00:47:20.619 defense, they have the second ranked offense, 00:47:20.719 --> 00:47:25.980 which averaged 30 .5 points per game. 424 .9 00:47:25.980 --> 00:47:30.099 yards per game, 6 .8 yards per play, and 62 touchdowns. 00:47:30.760 --> 00:47:33.800 When we break this down into passing and running, 00:47:33.840 --> 00:47:36.239 they were the second passing offense in the league 00:47:36.239 --> 00:47:40.980 and averaged 263 .2 passing yards per game, 7 00:47:40.980 --> 00:47:44.699 .7 passing yards per play, and 39 passing touchdowns. 00:47:44.820 --> 00:47:47.719 Whereas when you look at the rushing side, they 00:47:47.719 --> 00:47:52.960 had the sixth rushing offense that averaged 146 00:47:52.960 --> 00:47:56.460 .4 rushing yards per game, 4 .7 rushing yards 00:47:56.460 --> 00:48:00.840 per play, 29 rushing touchdowns, and 68 rushes 00:48:00.840 --> 00:48:04.119 of 10 plus yards or more. We all know that the 00:48:04.119 --> 00:48:06.659 Lions really didn't have to make a lot of investments 00:48:06.659 --> 00:48:10.260 into the offense. And all the investments that 00:48:10.260 --> 00:48:13.519 were made into the offense were mainly just to 00:48:13.519 --> 00:48:16.179 show up the deaf pieces. It wasn't necessarily 00:48:16.179 --> 00:48:20.110 to address a starter caliber role. When we shift 00:48:20.110 --> 00:48:22.309 things over to the defense, though, that's where 00:48:22.309 --> 00:48:24.489 things get a little bit weird. So they were the 00:48:24.489 --> 00:48:29.030 20th ranked defense, which averaged 20 .1 points 00:48:29.030 --> 00:48:33.010 allowed per game, 342 .4 yards allowed per game, 00:48:33.190 --> 00:48:37.230 5 .7 yards per play allowed, 36 touchdowns allowed, 00:48:37.409 --> 00:48:40.389 and had a 35 .2 quarterback pressure percentage 00:48:40.389 --> 00:48:42.969 rate. Now, when we look at their passing defense, 00:48:43.250 --> 00:48:46.070 they were 30th in the league, and they averaged 00:48:46.880 --> 00:48:50.719 244 passing yards allowed per game, 6 .4 passing 00:48:50.719 --> 00:48:54.260 yards allowed per play, and 18 passing touchdowns 00:48:54.260 --> 00:48:57.000 allowed. When we look at the run defense, they 00:48:57.000 --> 00:48:59.920 were fifth in the league and allowed 18 rushing 00:48:59.920 --> 00:49:04.079 touchdowns, 98 .4 rushing yards per game, 4 .5 00:49:04.079 --> 00:49:07.000 rushing yards per play, and allowed 46 rushes 00:49:07.000 --> 00:49:09.920 of 10 plus yards or more. Here's the thing with 00:49:09.920 --> 00:49:13.219 the Lions. So you really can't give them an A. 00:49:14.510 --> 00:49:17.710 I would venture to say probably a B plus. And 00:49:17.710 --> 00:49:22.030 this is why. For starters, Tyleek Williams, to 00:49:22.030 --> 00:49:24.670 some, you could probably say is a reach. To me, 00:49:24.670 --> 00:49:27.570 I probably would say really isn't that high of 00:49:27.570 --> 00:49:30.250 a reach because they were low enough in the draft 00:49:30.250 --> 00:49:32.849 where they wasn't going to be able to get a Derek 00:49:32.849 --> 00:49:37.090 Harmon or any of those other high caliber defensive 00:49:37.090 --> 00:49:40.670 linemen. And so getting someone like a Tyleek 00:49:40.670 --> 00:49:44.480 Williams. It's not necessarily bad. It's somewhat 00:49:44.480 --> 00:49:47.340 good just because of the positioning. Now, if 00:49:47.340 --> 00:49:50.679 they were, I don't know, in the teens or like 00:49:50.679 --> 00:49:54.400 high 20s and you take Tyleek Williams, it may 00:49:54.400 --> 00:49:56.760 be a little bit of a head scratcher. But because 00:49:56.760 --> 00:49:59.199 you're so low in the draft, I can understand 00:49:59.199 --> 00:50:02.920 it. Because Tyleek Williams, by some people's 00:50:02.920 --> 00:50:05.460 accounts, was either a late first round pick, 00:50:05.599 --> 00:50:08.199 early second round pick, or early second round 00:50:08.199 --> 00:50:10.880 pick, late third round pick, depending on who 00:50:10.880 --> 00:50:13.780 you listen to. But when we look at everything 00:50:13.780 --> 00:50:15.940 else, I think they had a pretty solid draft. 00:50:16.219 --> 00:50:19.019 Tate Rydledge, that's a really good pick. Isaac 00:50:19.019 --> 00:50:21.400 Tesla, that's a really good pick. Miles Frazier, 00:50:21.480 --> 00:50:23.400 so you're doubling down at interior offensive 00:50:23.400 --> 00:50:26.519 line. Edge, you're addressing that, which you 00:50:26.519 --> 00:50:29.579 really do need. Wide receiver, maybe it was a 00:50:29.579 --> 00:50:32.800 want over a need. I think it was probably just 00:50:32.800 --> 00:50:34.980 somebody that they really loved his intangibles 00:50:34.980 --> 00:50:37.079 and they feel like they couldn't pass over, so 00:50:37.079 --> 00:50:39.900 they just got him. So overall, my takeaway from 00:50:39.900 --> 00:50:43.590 the Lions is... It's a B -plus draft. It's not 00:50:43.590 --> 00:50:46.469 a draft where it's just oohs and ahhs. It's a 00:50:46.469 --> 00:50:49.690 really solid foundational type of draft, which 00:50:49.690 --> 00:50:52.889 they needed to address the defensive line significantly 00:50:52.889 --> 00:50:56.579 because it took a beating late last season. That 00:50:56.579 --> 00:50:58.699 was one of the factors that we didn't make such 00:50:58.699 --> 00:51:01.619 a deep playoff run because that defensive line 00:51:01.619 --> 00:51:03.980 took a beating. You had Hutch that was out of 00:51:03.980 --> 00:51:06.320 the season. You had a lot of the defensive linemen 00:51:06.320 --> 00:51:08.579 that were there who were also out for the rest 00:51:08.579 --> 00:51:11.199 of the season. You had some that were unable 00:51:11.199 --> 00:51:14.420 to be ready for the next game, so they just had 00:51:14.420 --> 00:51:16.420 to use people from the practice squad and whatnot 00:51:16.420 --> 00:51:19.579 in order to hold things together. So I can understand 00:51:19.579 --> 00:51:21.880 why they made that investment in getting Tyleek 00:51:21.880 --> 00:51:24.059 Williams. Now, when we shift things over to the 00:51:24.059 --> 00:51:26.530 Vikings, okay, They didn't have a lot of draft 00:51:26.530 --> 00:51:28.190 picks. They didn't have a lot of draft needs. 00:51:28.449 --> 00:51:31.010 So most likely, I'm probably going to give them 00:51:31.010 --> 00:51:33.710 a B plus as well. But let's go a little bit deeper 00:51:33.710 --> 00:51:36.070 in this. So their positions of need. Corner, 00:51:36.250 --> 00:51:38.849 inside linebacker, safety, running back, defensive 00:51:38.849 --> 00:51:41.130 line, interior offensive line, and tight end. 00:51:41.250 --> 00:51:43.190 With that being said, with their first pick, 00:51:43.250 --> 00:51:45.530 they had Donovan Jackson. Their third round pick, 00:51:45.590 --> 00:51:47.809 they had Ty Felton. Their fifth round pick, they 00:51:47.809 --> 00:51:50.989 had Tyrion Ingram Dawkins. And their sixth round 00:51:50.989 --> 00:51:53.900 pick, they had Gavin Bartholomew. Overall, this 00:51:53.900 --> 00:51:55.940 was a very solid draft, and the reason why I 00:51:55.940 --> 00:51:58.860 say that is because you address interior offensive 00:51:58.860 --> 00:52:00.840 line with Donovan Jackson, which was really good. 00:52:01.039 --> 00:52:03.980 You address wide receiver depth with Ty Felton, 00:52:04.139 --> 00:52:07.260 which was great. You also address edge as well 00:52:07.260 --> 00:52:09.539 as tight end, which was also really good as well. 00:52:09.699 --> 00:52:14.239 So overall, this was a B -plus type of draft. 00:52:15.500 --> 00:52:17.280 Sure, you probably didn't have a whole lot of 00:52:17.280 --> 00:52:20.059 draft picks, but you were hitting well in free 00:52:20.059 --> 00:52:24.139 agency, so that minimized... the needs as much. 00:52:24.519 --> 00:52:28.340 So all in all, I would say this was a B+. Now, 00:52:28.360 --> 00:52:31.440 could you have dressed maybe cornerback or safety? 00:52:31.900 --> 00:52:35.599 Sure. But all in all, I think they did a really 00:52:35.599 --> 00:52:39.760 solid job. Again, the reason why I'm not giving 00:52:39.760 --> 00:52:42.940 a lot of teams very high grades is because a 00:52:42.940 --> 00:52:45.380 lot of these teams really didn't have to do as 00:52:45.380 --> 00:52:47.539 much in the draft because they made all of their 00:52:47.539 --> 00:52:50.429 decisions in free agency. So they didn't have 00:52:50.429 --> 00:52:52.829 to be as aggressive as what they needed to be. 00:52:53.050 --> 00:52:56.130 I feel like at best, there are probably maybe 00:52:56.130 --> 00:52:58.929 less than 10 teams that I would probably give 00:52:58.929 --> 00:53:01.369 an A plus grade on. Outside of that, everybody 00:53:01.369 --> 00:53:03.969 would probably get a B minus to a B plus. Because 00:53:03.969 --> 00:53:06.269 why? It's a meat and potatoes type of draft. 00:53:06.570 --> 00:53:09.110 This wasn't a draft where it was spectacular 00:53:09.110 --> 00:53:12.630 and, you know, it was just box office. No, this 00:53:12.630 --> 00:53:15.449 was more of a draft, as I call it, a meat and 00:53:15.449 --> 00:53:18.699 potatoes. And sometimes you need a meat and potatoes 00:53:18.699 --> 00:53:21.679 type of draft. That is the only way that you 00:53:21.679 --> 00:53:25.599 can appreciate those blockbuster type of draft 00:53:25.599 --> 00:53:31.139 classes. Meat and potato draft classes are what 00:53:31.139 --> 00:53:35.079 makes up championship caliber teams. It's not 00:53:35.079 --> 00:53:38.900 always flashes and oohs and ahs. A lot of times 00:53:38.900 --> 00:53:41.260 it's meat and potatoes. Remember that. When we 00:53:41.260 --> 00:53:43.539 look at their team stats, they were the 12th 00:53:43.539 --> 00:53:47.519 ranked offense, which averaged. 25 .4 points 00:53:47.519 --> 00:53:52.679 per game, 346 .9 yards per game, and 5 .6 yards 00:53:52.679 --> 00:53:56.500 per play, as well as 44 touchdowns. Now, when 00:53:56.500 --> 00:53:58.820 we break this down a little bit more, they have 00:53:58.820 --> 00:54:03.599 the sixth. passing offense, which averaged 237 00:54:03.599 --> 00:54:07.000 .8 passing yards per game, 6 .8 passing yards 00:54:07.000 --> 00:54:10.280 per play, and 35 passing touchdowns. Let's keep 00:54:10.280 --> 00:54:13.280 on going. They had the 20th rushing offense, 00:54:13.539 --> 00:54:16.679 which averaged 109 .1 rushing yards per game, 00:54:16.900 --> 00:54:20.519 4 .1 rushing yards per play, 9 rushing touchdowns, 00:54:20.519 --> 00:54:23.650 and 49 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. When 00:54:23.650 --> 00:54:25.530 we look over to the defensive side, however, 00:54:25.710 --> 00:54:29.130 they have the 16th ranked defense, which averaged 00:54:29.130 --> 00:54:34.690 19 .5 points per game, 335 .4 yards per game, 00:54:34.849 --> 00:54:38.730 5 .3 yards per play, and 36 touchdowns, as well 00:54:38.730 --> 00:54:42.949 as having a 35 .7 quarterback pressure percentage. 00:54:44.039 --> 00:54:46.539 When we look at their passing defense, they were 00:54:46.539 --> 00:54:50.619 28th in the league and allowing 242 passing yards 00:54:50.619 --> 00:54:54.619 per game, 6 passing yards per play, and 24 passing 00:54:54.619 --> 00:54:57.260 touchdowns. When we shift things over to the 00:54:57.260 --> 00:54:59.599 run defense, they were second in the league. 00:54:59.780 --> 00:55:04.920 They allowed 12 rushing touchdowns, 93 .4 rushing 00:55:04.920 --> 00:55:07.679 yards per game, 4 .1 rushing yards per play, 00:55:07.800 --> 00:55:10.960 and allowed 39 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. 00:55:11.099 --> 00:55:13.219 So all in all, they were in a really good spot. 00:55:13.840 --> 00:55:16.059 They re -signed a lot of their free agent players. 00:55:16.320 --> 00:55:19.579 They made additions with Javon Hargrave as well 00:55:19.579 --> 00:55:21.699 as Jonathan Allen. So the defensive line got 00:55:21.699 --> 00:55:24.920 stronger. They made a lot of moves in free agency. 00:55:25.320 --> 00:55:28.260 So they were good. They just had to just patch 00:55:28.260 --> 00:55:30.179 up a few different things, which really isn't 00:55:30.179 --> 00:55:32.980 that bad. Getting someone like a Tyrion Ingram 00:55:32.980 --> 00:55:35.400 Dawkins, I think that was a good pick. Ty Felton, 00:55:35.579 --> 00:55:37.340 great pick, as I said before. Donovan Jackson, 00:55:37.619 --> 00:55:40.400 even Gavin Bartholomew. I think that's a really 00:55:40.400 --> 00:55:44.440 good of a sleeper pick because why? along with 00:55:44.440 --> 00:55:48.500 TJ Hawkinson is great because I think they've 00:55:48.500 --> 00:55:51.199 been looking for another productive tight end. 00:55:51.260 --> 00:55:53.760 So having Gavin would definitely help out as 00:55:53.760 --> 00:55:58.000 well. So again, I'll give them a B plus. I'm 00:55:58.000 --> 00:55:59.460 not going to be somebody that's going to say, 00:55:59.539 --> 00:56:01.900 oh yeah, A plus, A plus for sure. Oh yeah, A 00:56:01.900 --> 00:56:05.679 plus. No, B plus. Let's go over to the Bears. 00:56:06.119 --> 00:56:08.719 So their positions of need, defensive line, running 00:56:08.719 --> 00:56:11.400 back, edge, wide receiver, interior offensive 00:56:11.400 --> 00:56:13.800 line. So their first round, Colston Loveland. 00:56:13.960 --> 00:56:16.980 Their second round, they got Luther Burden, Ozzy 00:56:16.980 --> 00:56:19.420 Triple O, and Shamar Turner. Their fourth round, 00:56:19.460 --> 00:56:23.780 they got Ruben Hypelitz. I think I just butchered 00:56:23.780 --> 00:56:26.059 your last name. I'm so sorry. The fifth round, 00:56:26.139 --> 00:56:28.219 they got Zah Frazier. The sixth round, they got 00:56:28.219 --> 00:56:30.179 Luke Newman. The seventh round, they got Kyle 00:56:30.179 --> 00:56:34.199 Monegai. Kyle Monaghan. I was finally able to 00:56:34.199 --> 00:56:36.300 pronounce his last name. Now, when we look at 00:56:36.300 --> 00:56:39.360 the team stats, they were the 32nd ranked offense 00:56:39.360 --> 00:56:44.400 that averaged 18 .2 points per game, 283 .5 yards 00:56:44.400 --> 00:56:48.039 per game, 4 .5 yards per play, and 33 touchdowns. 00:56:48.039 --> 00:56:50.079 When we look over their passing offense, they 00:56:50.079 --> 00:56:54.420 were 31st in the league and averaged 181 .5 passing 00:56:54.420 --> 00:56:57.139 yards per game, 4 .9 passing yards per play, 00:56:57.219 --> 00:56:59.809 and 20 passing touchdowns. When we shift things 00:56:59.809 --> 00:57:02.670 over to their rushing offense, they were 25th 00:57:02.670 --> 00:57:05.329 in the league and averaged 102 rushing yards 00:57:05.329 --> 00:57:08.809 per game, 4 rushing yards per play, 13 rushing 00:57:08.809 --> 00:57:12.110 touchdowns, 42 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. 00:57:12.289 --> 00:57:14.510 When we look over the defense, however, they 00:57:14.510 --> 00:57:18.650 were 27th in the league and averaged 21 .8 points 00:57:18.650 --> 00:57:23.710 per game, 354 .2 yards per game, 5 .9 yards per 00:57:23.710 --> 00:57:26.730 play. 37 touchdowns, and had a quarterback pressure 00:57:26.730 --> 00:57:30.710 percentage of 36 .5. Shift things over to the 00:57:30.710 --> 00:57:33.710 passing defense. Atrocious. 31st in the league. 00:57:33.829 --> 00:57:37.510 They averaged 217 .9 passing yards per game, 00:57:37.650 --> 00:57:42.210 6 .8 passing yards per play, and 17 passing touchdowns. 00:57:42.210 --> 00:57:45.570 They were 28th in run defense and allowed 20 00:57:45.570 --> 00:57:48.889 rushing touchdowns, 136 .3 rushing yards per 00:57:48.889 --> 00:57:51.940 game. 4 .8 rushing yards per play, and allowed 00:57:51.940 --> 00:57:55.880 64 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. All in all, 00:57:56.000 --> 00:58:00.599 this was a dynamic draft class. For this to be 00:58:00.599 --> 00:58:05.119 Ben Johnson's first year, great. I would venture 00:58:05.119 --> 00:58:08.019 to say this is probably an A plus draft class. 00:58:08.159 --> 00:58:11.019 And let me explain why. For one, you get Colston 00:58:11.019 --> 00:58:13.940 Loveland, which is a great weapon. You get Luther 00:58:13.940 --> 00:58:17.219 Burden as well. So you have two really great 00:58:17.219 --> 00:58:19.559 weapons. Because technically speaking, Luther 00:58:19.559 --> 00:58:21.239 Burden was supposed to be your first -round pick. 00:58:21.400 --> 00:58:24.340 But I think the reason why he fell was because 00:58:24.340 --> 00:58:27.619 of the whole attitude issues and that he took 00:58:27.619 --> 00:58:29.719 off plays or whatever. Something crazy. But then 00:58:29.719 --> 00:58:33.840 you also address tackle with Ozzie Tripolo as 00:58:33.840 --> 00:58:35.880 well as defensive tackle with Shamar Turner, 00:58:36.119 --> 00:58:39.199 which is great. You get Zah Frazier in a really 00:58:39.199 --> 00:58:42.000 good corner. You get Luke Newman, who is a pretty 00:58:42.000 --> 00:58:43.820 good tackle that I think he can develop over 00:58:43.820 --> 00:58:47.050 time. All in all, this was a really great draft 00:58:47.050 --> 00:58:50.170 class. You would dress tight in, which is great 00:58:50.170 --> 00:58:52.590 because now you have Colston Loveland and Cole 00:58:52.590 --> 00:58:56.590 Komet. You now have Roma Dunzay, DJ Moore, and 00:58:56.590 --> 00:58:58.969 Luther Burden. You have Ozzy Tripolo. You have 00:58:58.969 --> 00:59:01.829 Shamar Turner. You have Zaha Frazier, Luke Newman. 00:59:02.269 --> 00:59:05.510 You have it all. I can venture to say this is 00:59:05.510 --> 00:59:10.250 probably a B plus, maybe an A. You know what? 00:59:10.309 --> 00:59:13.460 Bump it. I'll give him an A. Now, I already know 00:59:13.460 --> 00:59:15.119 there's probably a lot of fans that are probably 00:59:15.119 --> 00:59:17.280 saying, well, that's not fair. That's not fair. 00:59:17.659 --> 00:59:21.099 Listen, for this to be Ben Johnson's first draft, 00:59:21.400 --> 00:59:24.739 it started off really well. You get Colston Loveland 00:59:24.739 --> 00:59:29.909 and you get Luther Burden. What? What? Caleb 00:59:29.909 --> 00:59:32.809 Williams, there is no excuse for you, which speaking 00:59:32.809 --> 00:59:34.630 of which, we will be talking about that whole 00:59:34.630 --> 00:59:36.530 situation in the next episode. You thought I 00:59:36.530 --> 00:59:38.829 forgot, but I'm not going to. We will be addressing 00:59:38.829 --> 00:59:40.949 that in the next episode for sure, because I 00:59:40.949 --> 00:59:44.010 have to go a little bit deeper into what exactly 00:59:44.010 --> 00:59:47.150 occurred with that entire situation, because 00:59:47.150 --> 00:59:49.110 it really doesn't make any sense. And some people 00:59:49.110 --> 00:59:51.570 are leaving out details, but I really need to 00:59:51.570 --> 00:59:53.710 know exactly what happened. So stay tuned for 00:59:53.710 --> 00:59:57.949 that. But back to this whole draft. Great. Absolutely, 00:59:58.070 --> 01:00:02.969 100 % great. Just saying. So let's end things 01:00:02.969 --> 01:00:06.170 with the Packers. So their positions of need 01:00:06.170 --> 01:00:08.650 were cornerback, wide receiver, interior offensive 01:00:08.650 --> 01:00:11.389 line, and edge. So they drafted Matthew Golden, 01:00:11.630 --> 01:00:15.570 Anthony Belton, Savion Williams, Baron Sorrell, 01:00:15.789 --> 01:00:19.610 Colin Oliver, Warren Brinson, Micah Robinson, 01:00:19.949 --> 01:00:24.539 and John Williams. Yeah, Micah Robinson. I knew 01:00:24.539 --> 01:00:26.440 I was pronouncing that right. And when we look 01:00:26.440 --> 01:00:29.000 at their team stats, okay, they were the fifth 01:00:29.000 --> 01:00:32.940 -ranked offense, and they averaged 27 .1 points 01:00:32.940 --> 01:00:37.340 per game, 370 .8 yards per game, 6 .1 yards per 01:00:37.340 --> 01:00:40.309 play, and 51 touchdowns. When we break this down 01:00:40.309 --> 01:00:42.289 a little bit more, they had the 12th passing 01:00:42.289 --> 01:00:46.530 offense, which averaged 223 .9 passing yards 01:00:46.530 --> 01:00:49.650 per game, 7 .6 passing yards per play, and 28 01:00:49.650 --> 01:00:51.949 passing touchdowns. When we shift things over 01:00:51.949 --> 01:00:53.989 to the rushing offense, they were fifth in the 01:00:53.989 --> 01:00:57.590 league, and they averaged 146 .8 rushing yards 01:00:57.590 --> 01:01:01.480 per game. 4 .7 rushing yards per play, 23 rushing 01:01:01.480 --> 01:01:04.260 touchdowns, and 70 rushes of 10 plus yards or 01:01:04.260 --> 01:01:06.480 more. When we shift things over to the defense, 01:01:06.559 --> 01:01:09.280 however, they were fifth in the league. Allowed 01:01:09.280 --> 01:01:13.880 19 .9 points per game, 314 .5 yards per game, 01:01:14.039 --> 01:01:18.110 5 .2 yards per play. 36 touchdowns, and had a 01:01:18.110 --> 01:01:21.489 quarterback pressure percentage of 32 .3. They 01:01:21.489 --> 01:01:26.030 had the 13th passing defense, which allowed 215 01:01:26.030 --> 01:01:28.789 .2 passing yards per game, six passing yards 01:01:28.789 --> 01:01:32.170 per play, and 23 passing touchdowns. When we 01:01:32.170 --> 01:01:34.269 shift things over to the run defense, however, 01:01:34.510 --> 01:01:36.789 they were seventh in the league, and they allowed 01:01:36.789 --> 01:01:40.610 13 rushing touchdowns, 99 .4 rushing yards per 01:01:40.610 --> 01:01:43.329 game. four rushing yards per play, and allowed 01:01:43.329 --> 01:01:47.030 46 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. Overall, 01:01:47.389 --> 01:01:50.989 this was a really solid draft class for the Packers. 01:01:51.030 --> 01:01:53.489 For them to get Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, 01:01:53.849 --> 01:01:56.329 I think is great. And the reason why I say that 01:01:56.329 --> 01:01:59.090 is because you have a Swiss Army Knife and Savion 01:01:59.090 --> 01:02:01.210 Williams who could potentially be the next Cordell 01:02:01.210 --> 01:02:04.559 Patterson. As well as a burner in Matthew Golden, 01:02:04.679 --> 01:02:08.019 who ran a 4 -2, which was honestly great. You 01:02:08.019 --> 01:02:09.980 have Anthony Belton in the second round, which 01:02:09.980 --> 01:02:13.360 we all know that the Packers have had a lot of 01:02:13.360 --> 01:02:17.099 success in developing second and third and fourth 01:02:17.099 --> 01:02:19.179 round offensive linemen, so I'm not surprised. 01:02:19.519 --> 01:02:22.820 And then you get a quarter in Micah Robinson. 01:02:22.980 --> 01:02:25.480 You also get another tackle. You get another 01:02:25.480 --> 01:02:28.800 edge rusher. All in all, they had a very solid 01:02:28.800 --> 01:02:32.050 draft class. I cannot complain about their draft 01:02:32.050 --> 01:02:34.510 class at all. I feel like they addressed a lot 01:02:34.510 --> 01:02:37.570 of positions of need, and I think they did fairly 01:02:37.570 --> 01:02:41.769 well. Now, the question is this. Do we give them 01:02:41.769 --> 01:02:44.329 a B plus? You know what? I will let you guys 01:02:44.329 --> 01:02:47.139 make that decision for me. Let me know in the 01:02:47.139 --> 01:02:49.420 comments on the YouTube Football Junkies pod 01:02:49.420 --> 01:02:52.800 on if the Packers should get a B plus or A. And 01:02:52.800 --> 01:02:55.400 please give me a good enough answer. If you do, 01:02:55.400 --> 01:02:57.840 then I will change my grade. But as of right 01:02:57.840 --> 01:03:05.099 now, I think I probably would give them... Let's 01:03:05.099 --> 01:03:08.960 think, let's think, let's think. I'll give them 01:03:08.960 --> 01:03:11.300 a B plus. Eh, who cares? I'll give them a B plus. 01:03:11.480 --> 01:03:14.579 But just let me know in the comments, okay? Please. 01:03:15.289 --> 01:03:17.409 Please, I would definitely appreciate that. But 01:03:17.409 --> 01:03:19.449 I'm going to end this episode here. If you guys 01:03:19.449 --> 01:03:20.869 like what you are listening, please, please, 01:03:20.969 --> 01:03:23.650 please, please, please make sure you guys download 01:03:23.650 --> 01:03:26.630 the episodes. Leave a five star, five star, five 01:03:26.630 --> 01:03:30.349 star, five star, five star, five star. five -star 01:03:30.349 --> 01:03:32.789 review on anywhere and everywhere that you listen 01:03:32.789 --> 01:03:35.570 to podcasts. We are available on Apple Podcasts. 01:03:35.570 --> 01:03:38.889 We're available on Spotify, RSS feed, as well 01:03:38.889 --> 01:03:42.170 as a slew of other podcasting platforms. Now, 01:03:42.210 --> 01:03:44.969 if you want access to those set platforms, all 01:03:44.969 --> 01:03:47.670 you have to do is go on our RSS feed page and 01:03:47.670 --> 01:03:49.690 you will have access to all the other platforms 01:03:49.690 --> 01:03:52.309 that we are available on when it comes to podcasting. 01:03:52.309 --> 01:03:55.630 Now, for my YouTube people, Football Junkies 01:03:55.630 --> 01:03:58.539 Pod. Football Junkies Pop. When you go on our 01:03:58.539 --> 01:04:02.300 YouTube page, in our bio, we have a link to the 01:04:02.300 --> 01:04:04.139 link tree. When you click on that link tree, 01:04:04.199 --> 01:04:06.320 it will take you to anywhere and everywhere that 01:04:06.320 --> 01:04:08.679 we have Football Junkies content. We are also 01:04:08.679 --> 01:04:11.679 available on TikTok as well. Football Junkies 01:04:11.679 --> 01:04:15.920 Pop. Football Junkies Pop. Clips. I know. Most 01:04:15.920 --> 01:04:17.400 likely, I'm probably going to have to go on a 01:04:17.400 --> 01:04:21.559 break fairly soon because for one, I need to 01:04:21.559 --> 01:04:24.469 start working on a lot of clips. And two, I need 01:04:24.469 --> 01:04:27.949 to start working on planning my exam for one 01:04:27.949 --> 01:04:30.590 of my certifications. So yeah, there's that. 01:04:30.750 --> 01:04:33.550 But back to everything else. For my Instagram 01:04:33.550 --> 01:04:35.989 people, football underscore junkies pod, okay? 01:04:36.030 --> 01:04:38.090 Football underscore junkies pod. Junkies pod 01:04:38.090 --> 01:04:46.530 is not what? It is together, not spaced. It is 01:04:46.530 --> 01:04:50.309 together, not spaced. You can follow me on X. 01:04:50.829 --> 01:04:54.469 And on Blue Sky, same handle, GMKale, all right? 01:04:55.230 --> 01:04:59.610 GMKale, G -M, and then Kale, K -A -I -L -E. As 01:04:59.610 --> 01:05:01.550 always, I hope I gave you guys the fix that you 01:05:01.550 --> 01:05:03.710 guys need. I love you guys. I appreciate you 01:05:03.710 --> 01:05:06.130 guys so much. Thank you guys so much for listening. 01:05:06.329 --> 01:05:08.829 For all my football junkies, I appreciate you 01:05:08.829 --> 01:05:12.570 guys. We are almost hitting 80 episodes, folks, 01:05:12.730 --> 01:05:16.869 80 episodes. I would not be surprised by the 01:05:16.869 --> 01:05:20.739 time I am done editing this episode. We won't 01:05:20.739 --> 01:05:24.300 have something else to talk about. Maybe Fred 01:05:24.300 --> 01:05:27.780 Warner inks his deal. Maybe he resets the market. 01:05:28.460 --> 01:05:31.119 Maybe a certain quarterback makes his decision. 01:05:31.579 --> 01:05:33.480 Maybe a team that doesn't have a quarterback, 01:05:33.659 --> 01:05:35.599 quote unquote, finally makes up a decision and 01:05:35.599 --> 01:05:37.460 probably wakes up and realizes they should probably 01:05:37.460 --> 01:05:40.940 just move on. I don't know. I don't know. But 01:05:40.940 --> 01:05:43.340 guess what? Stay tuned because guess what? We 01:05:43.340 --> 01:05:45.599 got some things that are coming on the way. I 01:05:45.599 --> 01:05:49.019 have caught word that. There may be some moves 01:05:49.019 --> 01:05:51.820 that are going to be made fairly soon. Stay tuned. 01:05:51.980 --> 01:05:54.760 But just know, your GM, who currently is not 01:05:54.760 --> 01:05:56.360 on the team right now, but don't you worry about 01:05:56.360 --> 01:05:59.199 it, will be there to cover this all. So guess 01:05:59.199 --> 01:06:02.039 what? This is your GM Kel signing out. Peace 01:06:02.039 --> 01:06:05.559 and love. Later. Breaking news, breaking news, 01:06:05.659 --> 01:06:10.739 breaking news. I told you so. I told you it was 01:06:10.739 --> 01:06:13.860 going to happen. And guess what? It happened, 01:06:13.920 --> 01:06:17.199 folks. That's right. Fred Warner gets the bag. 01:06:17.280 --> 01:06:20.900 He recessed the linebacker market again, folks. 01:06:21.099 --> 01:06:24.780 That is right. I called it once again. It happens 01:06:24.780 --> 01:06:27.579 either when I'm editing, when I'm recording, 01:06:27.780 --> 01:06:30.150 or when I'm done. I got more work to do, but 01:06:30.150 --> 01:06:31.869 that's perfectly fine because I love doing it. 01:06:31.989 --> 01:06:35.809 So Fred Warner inks a three -year $63 million 01:06:35.809 --> 01:06:39.269 deal, $56 million guarantee, and he'll be making 01:06:39.269 --> 01:06:42.769 $21 million a year. When we look at his stats, 01:06:42.949 --> 01:06:47.429 98 tackles, one sack, four forced fumbles, 11 01:06:47.429 --> 01:06:52.809 .9 missed tackle percentage. Folks, he is the 01:06:52.809 --> 01:06:57.099 one, not the two. He is one of the best middle 01:06:57.099 --> 01:07:00.219 linebackers in the league right now. And it was 01:07:00.219 --> 01:07:02.860 only right for the 49ers to make sure that they 01:07:02.860 --> 01:07:06.059 take care of their guy, which is great because 01:07:06.059 --> 01:07:08.880 what we're starting to see now is somewhat of 01:07:08.880 --> 01:07:12.159 a resurgence in the middle linebacker position. 01:07:12.519 --> 01:07:15.119 Because for the longest time, middle linebackers 01:07:15.119 --> 01:07:19.300 really weren't as useful, I think, is the best 01:07:19.300 --> 01:07:22.349 way to say it, because of the rule changes. Everybody 01:07:22.349 --> 01:07:26.170 knows prior to this point, you had the Ray Lewis's 01:07:26.170 --> 01:07:28.489 of the world, the Derrick Brooks's of the world, 01:07:28.530 --> 01:07:31.949 London Fletcher's and Larry Foots and all of 01:07:31.949 --> 01:07:35.550 those great middle linebackers. But then we went 01:07:35.550 --> 01:07:37.849 through a period where, of course, the rules 01:07:37.849 --> 01:07:41.090 changed. And so you couldn't be as physical as 01:07:41.090 --> 01:07:43.349 how you used to be in the early 2000s. And so 01:07:43.349 --> 01:07:47.179 in doing so, everybody began to diminish. how 01:07:47.179 --> 01:07:49.239 high they wanted to draft middle linebackers. 01:07:49.239 --> 01:07:51.860 Not to mention, we also started to see a lot 01:07:51.860 --> 01:07:55.420 of busts when it comes to drafting first round 01:07:55.420 --> 01:07:58.679 middle linebackers as well. But now what you're 01:07:58.679 --> 01:08:00.940 starting to see is a lot of middle linebackers 01:08:00.940 --> 01:08:03.679 such as Patrick Queen, Roquan Smith, Fred Warner, 01:08:03.960 --> 01:08:06.519 just to name a few, who are getting paid, who 01:08:06.519 --> 01:08:08.800 are really effective. Now, when you probably 01:08:08.800 --> 01:08:10.539 look at those stats from Fred Warner, you're 01:08:10.539 --> 01:08:12.579 probably thinking, you mean to tell me they reset 01:08:12.579 --> 01:08:15.719 at the market for this? When you turn on that 01:08:15.719 --> 01:08:20.579 tape, Fred Warner is a beast. Fred Warner is 01:08:20.579 --> 01:08:23.500 everywhere near the football. Football goes, 01:08:23.640 --> 01:08:27.399 Fred Warner is in five feet away from it. He's 01:08:27.399 --> 01:08:30.460 either making the tackle, making the pick, making 01:08:30.460 --> 01:08:33.600 the fumble. He's doing something. That is who 01:08:33.600 --> 01:08:35.800 Fred Warner is. And he plays such a pivotal role, 01:08:35.939 --> 01:08:38.539 not only on this team, but on the defense. He 01:08:38.539 --> 01:08:42.140 is the heart and soul of this defense. So it 01:08:42.140 --> 01:08:44.699 was only right that they do so. Now, as I've 01:08:44.699 --> 01:08:46.539 said before with the whole Brock Purdy thing, 01:08:46.720 --> 01:08:50.600 the clock is ticking. It's time for this team 01:08:50.600 --> 01:08:53.239 to start winning. It's time for them to really 01:08:53.239 --> 01:08:56.239 show that they are a true dominant team. You 01:08:56.239 --> 01:08:58.600 have the easiest schedule in the league. It's 01:08:58.600 --> 01:09:01.000 time for you to win a championship. If you don't 01:09:01.000 --> 01:09:03.920 win a championship this year, I'm going to have 01:09:03.920 --> 01:09:07.500 to have a lot of serious conversations about 01:09:07.500 --> 01:09:10.460 Kyle Shanahan moving forward. Because right now, 01:09:10.960 --> 01:09:14.920 The deck is stacked in your favor. You have the 01:09:14.920 --> 01:09:17.220 easiest schedule, you don't have a lot of tough 01:09:17.220 --> 01:09:19.239 opponents that you have to face, and you have 01:09:19.239 --> 01:09:22.479 a late bye week. So you are in a good position. 01:09:22.680 --> 01:09:25.000 The only team that you really have to worry about 01:09:25.000 --> 01:09:28.399 in your division is who? The Rams. The Seahawks, 01:09:28.460 --> 01:09:30.000 I feel like, are still trying to find themselves 01:09:30.000 --> 01:09:33.819 offensively, as well as the Cardinals. So if 01:09:33.819 --> 01:09:36.399 you can get past the Rams, or at least break 01:09:36.399 --> 01:09:39.479 even with the Rams, then all you really have 01:09:39.479 --> 01:09:42.520 to worry about is who? The Vikings, possibly, 01:09:42.640 --> 01:09:46.579 the Lions, the Bears, and the Eagles. That's 01:09:46.579 --> 01:09:49.000 it. And all those other teams, they can hash 01:09:49.000 --> 01:09:51.439 it out within their own divisions as well. But 01:09:51.439 --> 01:09:55.199 I told you so. Remember, I told you so. Stay 01:09:55.199 --> 01:09:57.720 tuned. Another episode should be coming out fairly 01:09:57.720 --> 01:10:00.100 soon. Got to work on the talking points. Got 01:10:00.100 --> 01:10:02.319 a few things we have to talk about. Grades and 01:10:02.319 --> 01:10:04.850 all that other stuff and more. As always, I love 01:10:04.850 --> 01:10:06.770 you guys. I appreciate you guys so much. Back 01:10:06.770 --> 01:10:09.609 to editing. I go. If this episode doesn't come 01:10:09.609 --> 01:10:11.949 out the same day that I recorded it, then it 01:10:11.949 --> 01:10:14.510 will be coming out tomorrow around eight o 'clock. 01:10:14.670 --> 01:10:16.390 All right. Peace and love. Later.