Double bag alert, double bag alert, double bag
alert, folks. That's right. A .J. Cole resets
the punter market. Ryan Newsle stays in Atlanta.
Terry Bradshaw speaks on the whole Aaron Rodgers
debacle, as well as Kenny Pickett taking a jab
at the Steelers. And we're doing a double draft
grade for both the NFC and AFC South. OK, all
of this and more on the 80th episode of Football
Junkies podcast. OK, that's right. We have made
it to 80 episodes, folks. And we still got a
whole lot more episodes to go. So guess what?
You already know my spill. So let's just get
into it. Because guess what? I'm your chief bag
roll dominance. I'm your chief head of the table.
Anything and everything related to the bag and
more. I am also your GM who currently is not
on a team right now. But don't you worry about
it, okay? Don't you worry about it. Because guess
what? I am all these things and more. But most
importantly, the most important thing that you
must remember is I am your host, Kale. You already
know how these... episodes are about to go i
don't know how long or short this episode is
going to go but guess what we're just going to
see how it goes so guess what on three one two
three let's lock in The rifles are just getting
to the meat and potatoes of everything that is
going on in the league right now. So we have
to get into these bag alerts before we get into
the controversy and the destruction that is going
on in the Steelers right now. Because man, oh
man, is the Steelers fan base on fire. It is
a heaping pile of burning trash right now. And
people are trying to put it out with water. People
try with flour. People have tried it with everything.
And guess what? The fire is still burning because
we still got a lot to talk about when it comes
to the Steelers. So before we get into that,
let's get into these bag words. Former three
-time Pro Bowler, two -time All -Pro punter for
the Raiders, A .J. Cole, inks a four -year $15
.8 million deal, $11 million guaranteed, and
he'll be making $3 .9 million a year. When we
look at his stats from this past season, 65 punts
for 3 ,304 puntage yards. 50 .8 yards per punt.
He had his longest punt, which was 71 yards,
eight touchbacks, and his inside to 20 percentage
was 41 .5%. Folks, this is somebody who actually,
believe it or not, is a sleeper of a punter.
I had to look at some of the clips from this
past season. He got a leg, all right? He can
punt it. And I'm just talking about just do just
enough. Like, no, when you need him to punt at
a certain yardage, he gets it. I see why the
Raiders gave him the deal that they gave him
because he is definitely one of the best punters
in the league right now. Am I saying he's probably
top five? I don't know. I would have to look
at all the other punters in the league because
punters really don't get talked about as much,
unfortunately. They probably should. But the
fact of the matter is what we're starting to
see now is teams starting to really value special
teams. When it comes to punters, when it comes
to kickers, placeholders, whomever, they're all
starting to get a bag because usually they'll
be the ones that'll be making pennies on the
dollar. No, they're making some legitimate money.
4 .7 million a year, that's not bad. It's not
bad at all. So all in all, congratulations to
him. Now let's get to the second bag alert, and
that is Ryan Neusel, Center for the Falcons,
inks a two -year $9 .5 million deal, $6 .2 million
guaranteed, and he'll be making $4 .7 million
a year. When we look at this, this was probably
going to happen at some point, especially with
the departure of their other center, who was
a free agent as well. This was the more cheaper
option, team -friendly deal, doesn't break the
bank. really productive player. That's it. That's
all. But I will say this just briefly about,
you know, OTAs and whatnot. There are a few people
that are holding out because they're looking
for a new deal. And then there's others that,
you know, are just aren't going to OTAs at all
because they're just doing their own thing and
that's perfectly fine. But For the majority,
a lot of people are at OTAs right now getting
themselves prepared for, you know, mandatory
minicamp and then training camp and then eventually
the season. So former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback
Terry Bradshaw was on a local radio show and
gave his thoughts about the whole Aaron Rodgers
debacle. And I think he has said what everybody
has been thinking this entire time. So here's
what he says. And I quote, that's a joke. That
is just, to me, a joke. What are you going to
do? Bring him in for one year? Are you kidding
me? That guy needs to stay in California, go
somewhere, and chew on bark and whisper to the
gods out there, end quote. If that is the most
country -est thing I've ever heard in my life,
I don't know what is. I've said some country
things before, but that right there, that takes
the cake. When we look at this from the outside
looking in, Everybody is just tired of talking
about Aaron Rodgers. Everybody is just tired
of talking about the Steelers and their quarterback
woes. And granted, I understand everyone is going
to say, well, it's just OTAs. It's optional.
You don't have to be there. Well, here's the
thing. You would want your quarterback to be
there because if the quarterback is there, that
means there is no excuse for anybody else to
not be there. Now, granted. If you're in a contract
negotiation, you probably want to be there. Okay,
fine. If you have something already pre -planned,
okay, fine. But the fact of the matter is your
supposed quarterback one is not there. But the
person who should be quarterback one is there.
Day in and day out and has been there for a while.
And the fact that this team has not moved on.
And it's continuing to show grace to Aaron Rodgers.
Shows you how weak and how small this team is.
I'm sorry, folks. This is the worst the Steelers
have looked in all the 29 years that I've been
on this earth. This is the worst that I've ever
seen the Steelers be. Because why are you continuing
to wait for a 41 -year -old to make his decision?
At this point... It is time to pull the plug.
It is time to move forward and go in a different
direction. Am I saying go after Kirk Cousins?
No. Bring in Ryan Tannehill. Bring in Carson
Wentz. Because right now what you have is a quarterback
who is showing you his ass every single chance
that he gets. He can make time to go on Joe Rogan
and do a three -hour podcast with him. He has
time to go to people's concerts. He has time
to go to Q &As. He has time for everything else
but commit to football. That is not somebody
that I want in my locker room. And granted, this
is somebody who supposedly is very detail -oriented
and expects his wide receivers to know exactly
what he wants. Well, guess what? Nobody will
be able to be on the same page as you if you're
not there, if you're not building rapport with
your teammates. The one thing I can say about
Russell Wilson is that the minute that he signed,
he was fully committed. From the moment that
he inked his name on that piece of paper, he
was committed through and through with the Steelers.
He made it a priority to develop chemistry with
each and every one of his teammates. He took
them out to dinner, took them out to games, was
around them a lot, practiced with them, worked
on reps, did everything you could possibly think
of to develop that chemistry with each and every
one of his players. Where is that? Because Mason
Rudolph is there. Where's Aaron Rodgers? Because...
Here is for all the people that want to say,
well, it's not really that serious and OTAs are
just optional. Let me tell you something. Championships
are not built in the regular season. Championships
are built in OTAs. They are built in mandatory
minicamp. They are built in training camp. So
if you want to be a championship caliber team,
which this team is not. You would have needed
to start that process in OTAs because that's
when you begin to become closer with everybody.
That's when you are able to understand what makes
people tick, what people like, what people don't
like. But you can't do that when you're just
sitting on your hands and just saying, well,
you know, I may go to Chicago. I know there's
a team that's going to face Chicago late in the
season. I don't know. I mean, you. You tell me.
I don't know. I don't really want to go to New
Orleans or whatnot. Cut the shit, okay? Cut it.
Either you want to play football or not. It's
as simple as that. Because right now, the Steelers
are hitting a point where if this continues to
draw out into mandatory minicamp, this is going
to look bad on both Mike Tomlin And Omar Khan,
especially on Omar Khan. I would have expected
by now that Omar Khan would have picked up the
phone and at least brought in Ryan Tannehill,
brought in Carson Wentz. Because right now, this
is looking bad on the team. Because you're going
to bring in somebody who could legitimately destroy
your locker room. And you have tried so hard
to eliminate all the outside noise and the nonsense
and the drama and all of those negative players.
You've tried to eliminate all of that. And now
you're about to bring in somebody who is just
as negative as anybody that you would have thought.
That was more negative than Aaron Rodgers. What
sense does that make? It doesn't. You have to
move on. It is time to stop playing this game
of patty cake with Aaron Rodgers. Either you
want to sign with the Steelers or you don't.
The longer that this draws out, the less time
the offense will have to develop chemistry with
their quarterback. You still need to develop
chemistry with your center. You need to know
exactly how you want things hyped to you. You
still need to know how Pat Fryer move runs his
routes, how this receiver runs his routes, how
that running back pass blocks. You need to understand
and learn how this offense ticks. But you cannot
do that when you are not showing that you are
not serious. And you know what? Aaron Rodgers
realizes that. That's why he is not making any
moves because he realizes, listen, I have the
Steelers right where I want them. And as long
as the Steelers are looking for a quarterback,
I will always be in pole position, as Mike Tomlin
says, pole position of this entire situation.
But let me go a little bit back to go a little
bit forward though. This is what Darius Slay
had to say on why he showed up to OTAs, and I
quote, This is where championship football starts.
Everybody has to buy in, and this is the time
to buy in. I know guys have family and stuff,
and I have got one as well, but if you want to
be a champion, there are some things you have
to sacrifice. I want to be here on time, be present,
let guys see my face, and show guys it is important
to be here, and I am here to win. End quote.
Darius Slay already said it. You have to sacrifice.
Everyone is sacrificing to be here. And granted,
I understand that what Aaron Rodgers is going
through is super traumatic and whatnot. Thoughts
and prayers to you, brother. But let me tell
you something. If you are really, really, really
in a really bad spot and it's a really bad situation
that is really accompanying your time. You would
not make time to go to a concert. You would not
make time to go on a podcast. You would not make
time to do a Q &A after a concert. You would
not do that. You would be right there in the
middle of that situation, making sure that everything
is taken care of. So what's the excuse? Somebody
please tell me what's the excuse at this point?
Because guess what? You are not just the only
person that's probably going through some real
serious stuff right now. There are probably other
people on this team currently who are going through
some very serious stuff. But you know what they
did? They put that to the side. They have people
in place to make sure that it's taken care of.
And guess where they are? They are at OTAs, showing
up every single day to make sure that they put
their best foot forward. What are you doing?
What are you doing to show that you're serious
about football? Nothing. And yes, I hold Aaron
Rodgers to a high standard because you know why?
I saw Tom freaking Brady during the middle of
COVID. When COVID was running rampant, where
everyone had to stay in the house, this man risked
his life and his family's life. To learn to be
comfortable with his receivers. To be comfortable
with his running back. To be comfortable with
everybody on the offense at a park. A public
park. So what's the excuse at this point? If
you don't want to play football, retire. Go ahead,
go on the Pat McAfee show, do a little video.
However, if you want to do it under the stars,
if you want to do it at the beach, if you want
to do it at the park, if you want to do it at
your local McDonald's, go ahead and just retire.
Because right now, the standard is broken in
Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh was once a place where
it was no nonsense. You put your head down and
you go to work. Now that standard is broken.
And I don't know when that standard will ever
be rebuilt. Because we have a team who continues
to wait on the word of a 41 -year -old to make
his decision. You are about to enter into mandatory
minicamp without a supposed quarterback one.
You have Mason Rudolph, you have Skyler Thompson,
you have Will Howard. Bring in Ryan Tannehill
or Carson Wentz and move forward. It's time that
you stop waiting for people to make their decision.
Clearly, if they was really serious about this
team, if they was really serious about actually
wanting to play football, they would have already
signed a deal by now. Because right now, I can
make a strong case that if Aaron Rodgers was
to make an appearance, he would not be welcomed
within that locker room. He would not be welcomed
in Pittsburgh. People are actually more behind
Mason Rudolph than Aaron Rodgers. And granted,
I understand Aaron Rodgers is four -time MVP
and he's a champion, future Hall of Famer, all
these great accolades. But that was with the
Packers. What has he done lately? Nothing. All
he has done lately is destroy locker rooms, throw
people under the bus, and be toxic. I understand
there are people that are probably saying, well,
Ben really didn't show up a whole lot for OTAs
and this person didn't do it and that person
didn't do it. You want to know the difference
between those players and Aaron Rodgers? Those
were already established on this team. So they
didn't have to show up to OTAs because why? They
already knew everything. There was no new change.
And if there was change, it wasn't a significant
amount of change to where, hey. I need to be
able to learn the cadences for this and learn
the cadences for that and the switches for this
and that. You don't need to do all that. But
if you are learning a whole new offense, if you've
never played with any of these receivers, offensive
linemen, tight ends, or running backs, then you
need to put in as possibly can so that you are
able to be ready for the season. Clearly, the
league is trying to send a message as well because
why? The league literally gave you a revenge
game to start off the season. They literally
gave you the Jets week one. That should have
been more of a reason to say, you know what?
Where do I sign? Send me the contract right now.
I'll sign it right now. I get to get my revenge.
I get to start off the season with possibly getting
my revenge against the Jets, the team that supposedly
did me wrong. What? Man, give me a pen. Bernie,
give me a pencil. I'll sign it in pencil if I
need to. But no, you have somebody that is lackluster,
toxic, and is just never going to change and
is never willing to change. And that is exactly
why I always hold people like a Tom Brady, a
Peyton Manning, a Drew Brees, people that are
committed to the process than somebody who he
just uses his physical traits. to win him games,
his physical traits to win people over. That's
not good enough, especially in Pittsburgh. Now
let's get into this other thing that Terry Bradshaw
also had to say when it came to the whole Kenny
Pickett thing. So this is what he also says as
well. And I quote, I like Kenny Pickett. I liked
him at Pitt. I knew him. I know what he's like.
When they got him to Pittsburgh, they didn't
protect him. They didn't get him an offensive
line. They wanted to run the football. but they
didn't have an offensive line that could protect
and they didn't have weapons. He had no wide
receivers to speak of. Then they throw a kid
in there for two years and you've got an offense
that doesn't fit and doesn't work and they can't
run because their offensive line's not even good
enough for a run -blocking team. Now they're
saying Kenny Pickett is a failure. He wasn't
a failure. The Steelers were a failure, end quote.
Granted, I was one of those people that... was
100 % against getting Kenny Pickett. I did not
want to get Kenny Pickett at all because I knew
that he did not meet the standards of what this
team needs. He's not someone that is proficient
at throwing the deep ball. That's not his game.
His game is middle to small range, okay? He doesn't
have that big of an arm like how Ben used to
have. So why would you get him? I'll explain
why. They got him because... They wanted to rewrite
a wrong and I'll continue to beat this dead horse
until my last breath. They got Kenny Pickett
because they wanted to rewrite a wrong and not
getting Dan Marino, who, by the way, they could
have just asked, hey, Dan, are you using coke
in college? They could have just easily done
that, but they didn't want to do that. And so.
20 some years has passed. You have another pick
quarterback that's had a great season. And so
you're like, you know what? We can't pass over
him. We got to get him. And in doing so, you
failed him. 1000 % of the way. After that first
season, there should have been significant changes
to that offense. Case in point, Matt Canada should
have been fired. But you decided to run it back
with Matt Canada for another year. And in doing
so, it made Kenny Pickett look worse. It did
not help Kenny Pickett's development at all.
Kenny Pickett really didn't really develop until
he went to Philly. Really think about that for
a second here, folks. You didn't have anything
in place to really support him. On top of that,
you just decided to say, hey, okay, fine, we'll
just let you go. We'll let you go. It's no problem.
No problem whatsoever. No, it doesn't work like
that. You didn't give him an adequate chance.
You didn't give him a support system to really
bring the best out of him. This man was thrusted
into the quarterback position role because Mitchell
Trubisky wasn't able to do his job, which even
then you messed up with that because why? Mitchell
Trubisky asked you, are you going to draft a
quarterback? And y 'all told him something different.
And then guess what? He finds out just like how
everybody else found out that you guys were taking
a quarterback. It was a nasty situation from
the beginning. They did not do the most that
they could have done when it came to Kenny Pickett.
If you would have done everything in your power
to maximize the potential of Kenny Pickett and
it still didn't do anything, it still didn't
create significant change. OK, fine. You did
everything that you could have done, but you
didn't do enough to really say, hey, we gave
our best foot forward for Kenny Pickett. Instead,
all you did was just enough just to get you by.
And now look, you're now in the same situation
that you just were in a few years ago looking
for another quarterback. That's why I'm very
skeptical on if this team can really develop
a quarterback moving forward. Because they failed
so horribly with Kenny Pickett. And now next
year, you're going to have Lenore Sellers. You're
going to have Nussmeier. You're going to have
Drew Aller. You're going to have Carson Beck.
You're going to have a slew of different quarterbacks.
And you have to hit on this quarterback. Because
if you don't hit on this quarterback, people
are going to lose their jobs. Mike Tomlin is
going to be the first person. Mike Tomlin is
under hot water right now. I know a lot of media
people are not going to say it, but I'm going
to be the one to say it. Mike Tomlin is under
fire right now because he has not shown enough
attention to the most important position on the
entire team. He has been very lackluster in addressing
quarterback. You brought in Mitchell Trubisky.
That was a horrible move. You drafted Kenny Pickton
in the first round with a draft class, by the
way, that was not strong that a lot of people
were saying. Don't do it. Wait till next year.
And you still did it with the first pick. Two
years later, guess what? He's gone. Now, you
brought back Mason Rudolph, and now you're waiting
for a 41 -year -old to figure out if he wants
to play or not. You've been whiffing on the quarterback
position. It's not good. At some point, you are
going to have to admit that, listen, it's just
time to go. And that's fine. But what you cannot
do is continue to sell this hopeless dream of
saying, oh yeah, it's championship or butts.
We are a championship minded team. We're going
to make the moves that we need to make so we
can try to compete for a championship. We are
not a championship caliber team. In no ways is
the Steelers on. The Steelers are at least maybe
three years away from possibly being a quote
unquote Super Bowl contender. And by then, TJ
Watt will be up in age. Cam Hayward would possibly
retire. A lot of people in that defense are going
to get up in age. And so you, you're in a situation
right now, have to hit on your quarterback. If
you do not hit on your quarterback, you have
pushed this team back another three to five years.
Now, this is what Kenny Pickett had to say yesterday.
And I quote, I'm extremely grateful for my time
in Philly. I think I was just shown how it's
supposed to be done really from the top down.
So when you get a chance to see what it's supposed
to look like and how it should look like on a
day -to -day basis, not just on Sundays, you
know, I think it'll pay dividends for me in the
future, end quote. That is a direct jab at Mike
Tomlin. That is a direct jab at the Steelers.
Because Philly showed him, hey, listen. This
is how we do things on a day -to -day basis.
This is how we do this. This is how we do that.
This is how we prepare ourselves for the upcoming
game. This is how we prepare ourselves for the
bye week. They have a process. The Steelers do
not have a process that they can go to. And for
all the people that were ridiculing Ryan Clark
when he said that Mike Tomlin's message has gone
stale, he is 100 % right. The message has gone
stale. They're not... They're buying into the
process of Mike Tomlin. Instead, they are just
winging it every single season. And that's not
what's going to win you a championship. That
is what's going to destroy a culture. Well, can
you even say a culture? I don't want to make
this a Steelers -based episode because I have
other things to talk about. But they're the number
one team everyone's talking about. This is the
one headline that everybody has been talking
about. since the draft. Everybody would have
thought by now that there would have been some
type of resolution, whether it be him retiring
or signing with the team or something. But clearly
it hasn't. And clearly it's going to continue
to linger. If I'm a player for the Steelers,
I don't want to always have to be asked this
question every time I do an interview. I don't
want to be asked about this when I go to the
grocery store. Where I go to pump my gas. I don't
want to be asked this a thousand times. So it's
time for the team to come to a decision and to
move forward. Roll with Mason Rudolph. You guys
aren't going to win this year. You guys aren't
even in a position to really compete against
the Chiefs, the Ravens, the Bills, any of the
other Super Bowl caliber teams within the AFC.
You won't be able to compete with them. So you
know what you need to do? Wing it this year.
Do the best that you can do. And however the
season goes, guess what? You're in a good spot.
You can go and get Lenore Sellers, Drew Aller,
Carson Beck, Gary Nussmeyer, whichever quarterback
that you want to. But I will say this, and I
said this previously, before we get to talking
about quarterback, significant changes are going
to need to be made for the offensive coaching
staff. They're going to need to bring in somebody
who has experience developing a quarterback.
You need to bring in someone like a Pep Hamilton
or bring in someone like a Byron Leftwich who
has experience being a Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback
so that he can show the new quarterback, hey,
this is how the Steelers run this type of cadence.
This is how they do when it comes to this play.
This is how you execute this play. This is how
you throw the ball. And by the way, and this
is the last thing I want to say, then we're going
to get into the grades and whatnot. For all the
people that say, oh, we should just go after
Kirk Cousins. Kirk Cousins is a good idea. Kirk
Cousins had a horrible season last year. Kirk
Cousins went through a period where he did not
throw a touchdown. Do you really want that on
your team? Not to mention, you're going to have
to give up some significant draft compensation
in order for the Falcons to take on a lot of
that money. Do you really want that? No. I'm
looking at his contract right now according to
SpotRack. He has a $40 million cap hit this year.
His base salary this year is $27 .5 million.
Do you really want that on your team? No. It's
not worth it because most likely the Falcons
are going to be looking for either a day two
or day three pick. High. Not to mention they're
probably going to be looking for maybe a player
as well. You are in no position. to make that
type of move. So Steelers, I'm going to say this
again one more time. Move the hell on. The hell
with Aaron Rodgers. The hell with waiting for
a 41 -year -old to make his decision. Move on.
Now let's get into something a little bit more
positive, and let's get into these draft grades.
So we're going to start with the AFC South. So
with the Colts, their positions of need, defensive
back, defensive line, offensive line, tight end,
linebacker, edge. So they got Tyler Warren, tight
end, JT Tula Malau, defensive end, Justin Wiley,
cornerback, Jalen Travis, tackle, DJ Giddings,
running back, Riley Leonard, quarterback, Tim
Smith, defensive line, and Hunter Wohler, linebacker.
When we look at their team stats, however, they
had the 29th ranked defense, which allowed 25
.1 points per game, 361 .2 yards per game, 5
.5 yards per play, and allowed 45 touchdowns.
Now, when we break this down into pass and run
defense, they were 26th in pass defense, which
allowed 229 .4 passing yards per game, 6 .7 yards
per play, and 27 passing touchdowns. Moving over
to the run defense, they were 24th in the league
and they allowed 18 rushing touchdowns, 131 .8
rushing yards per game, 4 .2 rushing yards per
play, and allowed 68 rushes of 10 plus yards
or more. Moving over to the offense, however.
They were the 13th ranked offense, which averaged
22 .2 points per game, 334 .8 yards per game,
5 .5 yards per play, and 40 touchdowns. They
were 25th in passing offense, which averaged
197 .7 passing yards per game, 6 .2 passing yards
per play, and 20 passing touchdowns. They were
8th in rushing offense, which averaged 137 .1
rushing yards per game, 4 .7 rushing yards per
play, 20 rushing touchdowns, and 64 rushes of
10 plus yards or more. All in all, I would probably
give them an A, and this is why. So for one,
you get Justin Wiley, so you address defensive
back, okay? Defensive line by getting JT Tolomawo,
as well as getting Tim Smith. So that's, you
know, kill two birds with one stone. You get
Hunter Waller, so that's linebacker death. I
can make a strong case. that this is definitely
one of the better draft classes in the entire
league. You get Tyler Warren, which is great,
because you're pairing him with Mo 'Ali Cox,
and you're giving whoever the quarterback is
another weapon. You have JT Tulumawau, which
was a really productive defensive end. You got
Justin Wally, who was a really productive corner.
Jalen Travis, a tackle def. DJ Giddens, a really
good backup running back. You have done a lot
in this draft class, and it's great. These are
the type of draft classes that you need to have
in order to really position yourself for the
future. So I can't really hate them for that.
Now, when we shift things over to the Jaguars,
though, it's a little bit more difficult to really
break down their draft. Let's just see what happens.
So their positions of need, interior offensive
line, tight end, wide receiver, DB, running back,
defensive line. So the first round pick, they
got Travis Hunter. Their third round pick, they
got Caleb Ransault and Wyatt Millam. Their fourth
round, they got Bashaw Tuan and Jack Kaiser.
Their sixth round pick, they got Jalen McLeod,
if I'm not mistaken, and Rayon Lane. Sorry if
I butchered your name. Seventh round, they got
Jonah Monaheim and then LaQuint Allen. So when
we break things down based off of their team
stats, they had the 31st ranked defense, which
allowed 25 .6 points per game, 389 .9 yards per
game, 5 .9 yards per play, and allowed 48 touchdowns.
They were 32nd in pass defense and allowed 257
.4 passing yards per game, 7 .1 yards per play,
and 29 passing touchdowns. They were 25th in
run defense and allowed 19 rushing touchdowns,
rushing yards per game 4 .4 rushing yards per
play and allowed 64 rushes of 10 plus yards or
more as well as having a run stuff rate at 14
.7 percent shifting things over to the offense
they have the 25th ranked offense which averaged
18 .8 points per game All in all, I really didn't
like the Jaguars draft class, and this is why.
We pardon to give you this interruption and say...
According to Adam Schefter, the Dolphins have
had trade discussions with the Pittsburgh Steelers
about their lone pro bowl selection last season,
tight end John New Smith, per league sources.
Those talks came after Smith expressed an interest
in reworking his deal that is scheduled to pay
him $4 .8 million this season. With Smith seeking
a new contract, Miami has sought a trade partner.
Last season, Smith set the franchise record for
tight end in receptions, receiving yards, and
touchdowns. Smith's preference, per sources,
is to stay in Miami under a week. reworked deal
a couple thoughts you know this um this just
dropping and whatnot on one hand okay this is
another move by the steelers this would possibly
shore up the offense a little bit more you have
john new smith who has been very successful especially
under arthur smith okay great all those things
and more but does this substitute wide receiver
See, I have a lot of questions about this, and
I'm trying to find a way to really ask them because
I'm so confused right now. Because right now,
you have Pat Frymuth, Darnold Washington, and
Darnold Parham. Well, you also have to throw
in Conor Hayward as well, but he's more of a
gadget player. But that's not the case, all right?
So you have all those tight ends. John New Smith
is looking for a new contract. So exactly what
are you going to do to possibly facilitate this
trade? I would not be surprised by the end of
this episode, by the time this episode actually
comes out, that we will have a resolution between
these two teams. I think if you're the Steelers,
it's a good move. If you're the Dolphins... Not
so much because that's another weapon that's
not going to be with Tua. I don't know. I really
don't know how to feel about this. I'm a little
bit more confused. I don't know. Somebody help
me, please. Please. Please. Why? Steelers. Why?
Just when you think the Steelers aren't going
to do something, guess what? They do it. They're
going to do something crazy. But... What do I
say every single time? Everything crazy always
happens when I'm doing what? Either when I'm
about to record, I'm currently recording, or
after I'm done recording. We already know. But
let's get into this Jaguars draft class. So here's
the thing. I wouldn't be as cautious with their
draft class. If they only used day two and day
three picks just to move up to get Travis Hunter.
But because they gave up next year's first just
to get Travis Hunter, I'm a little bit more skeptical
about. Simply because if Travis Hunter doesn't
have a dynamic rookie season, that first round
pick is going to be a waste. And granted, I understand
he comes from the Rams and the Rams are very
aggressive in a lot of the moves that they make.
You really don't make a lot of sense and whatnot.
I understand all that and more. However, when
you make these type of moves, that is basically
you saying, guess what? We believe in this prospect
so much that we are willing to give up our next
year's first round pick. And granted, sometimes
it works, sometimes it doesn't work. But the
thing is this, you really won't be able to know.
if that move was the right move or the wrong
move within a short amount of time it's going
to probably take you the length of his rookie
deal to really see hey was this a good move was
this a bad move so i would just give them an
a i know it's probably be controversial but i
really don't care On to the Texans. Positions
of need. Offensive line, wide receiver, D -tackle.
So with their draft picks, they chose Jaden Higgins,
receiver, Ariance Ertry, offensive tackle. Then
Jalen Noel, wide receiver, Jalen Smith, cornerback,
Willie Marks, running back, Jalen Reed, safety,
and Graham Mertz, quarterback. Keontae Hamilton,
defensive tackle, and Luke Lake at tight end.
But when we look at their team stats, however,
they had the sixth -ranked defense. which allowed
21 .9 points per game, 315 yards per game, 5
.1 yards per play, and allowed 42 touchdowns.
They were sixth in pass defense, and they allowed
201 passing yards per game, 5 .7 yards per play,
and 31 passing touchdowns. They were 11th in
run defense, and they allowed 11 rushing touchdowns,
114 rushing yards per game, 4 .3 rushing yards
per play, and allowed 56 rushes of 10 plus yards
or more with a run stuff rate of 19 .2%. They
had the 22nd ranked offense, which averaged 21
.9 points per game, 319 .7 yards per game, 5
.1 yards per play, and 35 touchdowns. They were
21st in passing offense, which averaged 207 .4
passing yards per game, 5 .7 passing yards per
play, and 20 passing touchdowns. They were 15th
in rushing offense, which averaged 112 .3 rushing
yards per game, 4 .4 rushing yards per play,
15 rushing touchdowns, and 52 rushes of 10 plus
yards or more. All in all, believe it or not,
I would give them an A plus. And this is why.
For them to make the aggressive moves that they
made by trading down, I think it was great. because
they don't have a lot of holes on their team.
So they were in a position where, hey, listen,
for one, we're not going to be able to really
choose who we really want to in the first round
because of where we're positioned. So we might
as well just want to trade down, collect a whole
bunch of picks, and just keep it pushing. And
in doing so, you get Jaden Higgins and you get
Jalen Noel, which is great. You get Uriante Ursery,
which was great as well. Jalen Smith is a really
good pick. Woody Marks is a really good pick.
I love Jalen Reed coming out of Penn State. Graham
Mertz is a backup quarterback. That's a work
in progress. Kevontae Hamilton, that's a rotational
defensive lineman that can work with everybody
else that's on that defensive line as well. And
then Luke Lakely, that could be tied in three
right there. That's a good draft class right
there. And for them to double dip that wide receiver
lets me know that, hey, listen, for one, they're
not too confident on Tank Dell's injury. So they
want to make sure that they have a safety net
just in case. And I don't blame them. Jaden Higgins
is a really good prospect. Jaden Higgins, to
me, and I said this in previous episodes, I feel
like he could have been a late first rounder.
Just because he has the size, he has the speed,
he has the quickness, he has the route running,
he had it all. I can't be mad at them for making
the moves that they made. On to the Titans. So,
with their positions of knee, quarterback, wide
receiver, edge, safety, and kicker. So... They
drafted Cam Moore, quarterback, Alwafami Aladijo,
edge, Kevin Winston, safety, Chamary Dyke, wide
receiver, Gunnar Elm, tight end, Ali Kayubanor,
wide receiver, Jackson Slater, guard, Marcus
Harris, quarterback, and Kyle Mullings, running
back. When we look at their team stats, they
had the second -ranked defense, which allowed
27 .1 points per game, 311 .2 yards per game,
5 .2 yards per play, and 48 touchdowns. They
were second in pass defense, which allowed 212
.4 passing yards per game, six passing yards
per play, and 27 passing touchdowns. They were
26th in run defense. which allowed 21 rushing
touchdowns, 133 .9 rushing yards per game, 4
.5 rushing yards per play, and allowed 54 rushes
of 10 plus yards or more with a run stuff rate
at 20 .1%. When we look over the offense, however,
they had the 26th ranked offense, which averaged
18 .3 points per game, 304 .2 yards per game,
five yards per play, and 33 touchdowns. They
were 26th in passing offense, which averaged
195 .1 passing yards per game, 5 .7 passing yards
per play, and 22 passing touchdowns. They were
19th in rushing offense, which averaged 109 .1
rushing yards per game, 4 .1 rushing yards per
play, 11 rushing touchdowns, and 53 rushes of
10 plus yards or more. For this to be Mike Proganzi's
first draft as GM for the Titans, he actually
did really well. Cam Ward, we all knew he was
going to be the first pick. Alwafami Oladijo
is a pretty good pass rusher. Kevin Winston was
another safety from Penn State that I had my
eye on. Chamari Dyke, I feel like he has a lot
of upside with his game. Gunnar Helm was definitely
one of the better tight ends in this past draft
class. Jackson Slater, I feel like he's a sleeper
of a guard. Marcus Harris, he's a work in progress.
Same thing as Kyle Mullins, but... All in all,
I feel like this was a really solid draft class
for the Titans. I feel like this is the type
of draft class that can definitely put them in
a really great spot for years to come. You get
your franchise quarterback. You get a really
good safety. You get a really good edge rusher.
You get two really good wide receivers and a
really good tight end as well. I feel like the
Titans are definitely going to improve with their
passing game, and I definitely feel like their
run game will definitely get a lot better, but
only time will tell at this point. point here's
the thing with the titans the titans are in the
spot where for one i think getting cam ward will
definitely improve just the team as a whole because
cam war brings leadership and i feel like he
also brings another level when it comes to being
a quarterback and this is no slight at will levis
or anybody else but i just feel like cam war
can take this offense to the next level pairing
him with Calvin Ridley and then everybody else
that's on that offense, I think it would be great
because the offensive line is still in a really
good place. You pay for Dan Moore. You got JC
Latham. You got Peter Skowronski. You got Lloyd
Cushenberry. You've done a lot. But let's stay
in the South, but let's transition over to the
NFC side. You already know Panthers, Falcons,
Saints, and Buccaneers. So with the Panthers,
their positions of need, wide receiver, edge,
and running back. So they chose Tetrell McMillian,
wide receiver. Nick Scorton, edge. Prince Lee,
you met an alien. I think I pronounced your name
correctly. Edge. Trevor Intian, running back.
Latham Ransom, safety. Cam Jackson, defensive
line. Mitchell Evans, tight end. And Jimmy Horn,
wide receiver. Here's the thing, before I get
into all their team status. I don't care who
anyone says, this is an A+. You get Tetsuroa
McMillan, as well as Jimmy Horn, who, from what
I've heard, Jimmy Horn has been cooking. You
get Trevor Etienne, who is a Swiss Army knife
at running back, just like his brother. You get
Latham Ransom, who's really good safety. You
get two, two edge rushers who were actually really
productive last year as well. You get another
defensive lineman. You get another tight end.
The Panthers, I don't know. I see what the Panthers
are doing this year. I see what you're doing.
I like it. I like this. This is the type of draft
that they needed to have before they got Bryce
Young. Not this point, but... That's a whole
nother story for a whole nother day. But let's
get into their team stats. So they had the 32nd
ranked defense, which allowed 31 .4 points per
game. 404 .5 yards per game, six yards per play
and 59 touchdowns. They were 23rd in pass defense,
which allowed 224 .7 passing yards per game,
6 .8 passing yards per play and 35 passing touchdowns.
They were 26th in run defense, which allowed
24 rushing touchdowns, 179 .8 rushing yards per
game, 5 .2 rushing yards per play. and allowed
83 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. They were
the 29th ranked offense, which averaged 20 .1
points per game, 298 yards per game. 5 .1 yards
per play, and 40 touchdowns. They were 30th in
passing offense, which averaged 187 .5 passing
yards per game, 5 .5 passing yards per play,
and 22 passing touchdowns. They were 18th in
rushing offense, which averaged 110 .5 rushing
yards per game, 4 .6 rushing yards per play,
18 rushing touchdowns, and have 40 rushes of
10 plus yards or more. I think adding Trevor
Etienne along with Trevor Hubbard is great. And
I think getting Tetrell McMillan and pairing
him with Xavier Leggett and Adam Thielen and
Hunter Renfro. Folks, this offense is going to
be crazy. They got weapons. You got a solid run
game and a solid pass game. That pass game is
going to be better this year. That run game is
going to be better this year. Overall, this entire
team is going to be better than what it was the
last two or three years. I think they have made
a lot of investment into this offseason to really
show that, hey, we are serious about Bryce Young.
He is the future. He is our guy. And it shows.
And I can't hate him for it, so I have to give
them an A+. Now let's go over to the Falcons.
Their positions of need, defensive line, wide
receiver, tight end, center, and safety. Their
first round picks, Jalen Walker, linebacker,
and James Pierce, defensive end, Xavier Watts,
which I really did want. I wish he would have
went to the Steelers, but it's okay. Billy Bowman,
safety, and Jack Nelson, tackle. So here's the
thing. Leading up to the draft, word had gone
out that a lot of the Falcons scouts and personnel
people were more focused on the defensive side
than the offensive prospects. And clearly it
shows because, They only drafted one offensive
prospect, and he was in the seventh round. But
let's just get into the team stats. So they have
the 23rd ranked defense, which allowed 24 .9
points per game, 345 .2 yards per game, 5 .5
yards per play, and 45 touchdowns. They were
22nd in pass defense, which allowed 224 .5 passing
yards per game, 6 .3 passing yards per play,
and 34 passing touchdowns. They were 15th in
run defense, which allowed 11 rushing touchdowns,
120 .6 rushing yards per game, 4 .5 rushing yards
per play, and allowed 57 rushes of 10 plus yards
or more with a run stuff rate at 15 .1%. They
had the sixth ranked offense, which averaged
22 .9 points per game. 369 .8 yards per game,
5 .8 yards per play, and 39 touchdowns. They
were fifth in passing offense, which averaged
239 .3 passing yards per game, 6 .9 passing yards
per play, 21 passing touchdowns, which really
isn't that bad if we're being real here. But
they were 10th in rushing offense, which averaged
130 .5 rushing yards per game. 4 .5 rushing yards
per play, 18 rushing touchdowns, and had 56 rushes
of 10 plus yards or more. On one hand, I understand
that their defense was atrocious last year, but
doing what they did in the draft, especially
in the first round, I think is a little bit more
extreme. And let me explain why. And this is
the same thing that I said with the whole Travis
Hunter thing. When you give up next year's first
round pick, You are placing a bet that says,
listen, we are so confident in James Pierce that
we are willing to give up next year's first round
pick. I don't know if I really would have done
that. Same thing with Jalen Walker. I feel like
those two are question marks at this point because
Jalen Walker, they used him in a way of. I don't
want to say Derrick Brooks, but I feel like he's
the only person I could really reference. It's
like, sure, they used him at edge as well as
inside linebacker. And so where is he actually
going to be? Is it going to be edge rusher? Is
it going to be inside linebacker? What is he
exactly going to be? Now, James Pierce, James
Pierce is an edge rusher through and through.
But my only concern is, sure, he wins with his
speed. But when it comes to his hand usage and
whatnot, I just really didn't see that whole
lot. And I really wasn't as high on James Pierce.
Me personally, I felt like James Pierce was going
to fall out the first round. Then you go and
you double dip back -to -back rounds with safety.
And you get Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman. I
would have just stuck with Xavier Watts and then
addressed another position. Because you still
need help with wide receiver. You still need
help at center. You still need help at different
spots on the team. And granted, I understand
that that defensive line wasn't able to create
a lot of pressure. It wasn't creating a lot of
sacks. I understand that. But the moves that
they made in both the first round, third round,
and fourth round is a little bit of a head scratcher.
So I feel like I have to give them a C plus at
this point. Because... There's no direction.
I feel like that's the best way to describe the
Falcons. There was no clear direction on how
they were going to address their positions of
need. Because getting Jalen Walker, I'm going
to be honest, I really wasn't high on. I'll continue
to say it. My green to me was pass rusher one
to me. I can be 100 % wrong and I probably will
be wrong. But I just didn't see it with Jalen
Walker and I didn't see it with James Pierce.
but I could be 1 ,000 % wrong. Now let's go over
to the Saints. Their positions of need, wide
receiver, edge, cornerback, tight end, interior
offensive line, and running back. So they chose
Calvin Banks, tackle, Tyler Shuck, quarterback,
Vernon Broughton, defensive tackle, Jonas Sanker,
safety, Danny Strutsman, linebacker, Quincy Riley,
cornerback, Devin Neal, Molokai, Matavo, tight
end, and Fadil Diggs, defensive end. So here's
the thing. And I think I said it on one of the
episodes. If I didn't, then I probably just had
a conversation with Mook and whatnot. But I was
definitely under the impression that the Saints
weren't going to get Shador Sanders. And this
is why. I think based off of the move that they
made with Trevor Penning, I feel like that was
the crumb that everybody should have followed
leading into the draft. Because I always had
a theory that they were most likely going to
move Tyler Weiss -Fuaga back in his natural position
at right tackle and then draft another tackle
because I don't think they were super high on
a lot of the quarterback prospects. In case in
point, that's exactly what they did. You draft
Calvin Banks. He's going to be your left tackle.
You move Tyler Weiss -Fuaga at right tackle.
Those are your two tackle positions. You get
Tyler Shuck, who is a little bit more of a older
prospect. and you just continue to go with everything
else, which there are some picks that I'm a little
bit more in love with, and there are other picks
where I'm just like a little bit of a head scratcher,
but I may be able to wrap my head around. But
when we look at their team stats, however, they
were the 30th ranked defense, which allowed 23
.4 points per game, 379 .9 yards per game, 5
.8 yards per play, and 39 touchdowns. They were
27th in pass defense, which... which allowed
238 .5 passing yards per game, 6 .4 passing yards
per play, and 19 passing touchdowns. They were
31st in run defense, which allowed 20 rushing
touchdowns, 141 .4 rushing yards per game, 4
.9 rushing yards per play, and allowed 60 rushes
of 10 plus yards or more with a run stuff rate
of 11 .9%. They had the 21st ranked offense,
which averaged 19 .9 points per game, 320 .1
yards per game. 5 .3 yards per play and 36 touchdowns.
They were 23rd in passing offense, which averaged
205 .2 passing yards per game, 5 .9 passing yards
per play and 21 passing touchdowns. They were
14th in rushing offense, which averaged 114 .9
rushing yards per game, 4 .4 rushing touchdowns,
excuse me, and 48 rushes of 10 plus yards or
more. So here's the thing with the Saints. So
they started off a little bit hot in the early
parts of the season. And then it just nosedived
straight into the ground. And so we all know
that the Saints really wanted to improve just
the team as a whole, especially with them getting
a new head coach in Kellen Moore. They just want
to do a whole makeover of the entire team, which
I understand. Tyler Shaw, a little bit of a head
scratcher. I definitely didn't believe he was
a second round pick. I feel like he was probably
between a third to maybe sixth round pick at
best. Quincy Riley, I feel like that's a sleepover
pick. Danny Stutzman was a really good linebacker
out of Oklahoma. To me, this is more of a meat
and potatoes type of draft class. This isn't
a oohs and aahs. This isn't a wow, this is going
to be the most craziest draft class of all time.
No, this is more of a solid foundation for the
start of a new regime type of draft class. Devin
Neal, really great draft pick. Tyler Shuck. a
question mark, especially with everything going
on with the quarterback position. Calvin Banks,
I feel like he's your left tackle for the future.
Jonas Sanker, I feel like that's a really good
pick as well because he can learn under Tyron
Matthew. Fidel Diggs, he gets time to learn under
Cam Jordan as well as Chase Young. So they did
a pretty good job. I'll give them a B. And the
only reason why I'm giving them a B is because
it wasn't draft class where it was great or it
was horrible. it was just in the middle which
sometimes you need that sometimes you need those
type of draft classes to really put you in a
really great spot for the next three to five
years now on to the buccaneers which i have a
lot to say about the buccaneers believe it or
not so But I'll save that stuff for later. So
their positions of need, edge, interior offensive
line, tight end, cornerback, safety. So we all
know they got Emeka Abuka, wide receiver, Benjamin
Morrison, cornerback, Jacob Parrish, cornerback,
David Walker, edge, Elijah Roberts, defensive
line, Tez Johnson, wide receiver. When we look
at their team stats, they have the 18th ranked
defense. which allowed 22 .6 points per game
341 .8 yards per game 5 .5 yards per play and
40 touchdowns they were 29th and pass defense
which allowed 243 .9 passing yards per game 6
.1 passing yards per play and 27 passing touchdowns
they were fourth and run defense which allowed
13 rushing touchdowns, 97 .8 rushing yards per
game, 4 .3 rushing yards per play, and allowed
37 rushes of 10 plus yards or more with a run
stuff rate of 19 .5%. They had the third ranked
offense, which averaged 29 .5 points per game.
This is an A+. I don't care what media head you
listen to. I don't care what journalists you
listen to. This is an A -plus draft right here.
From drafting Emeka Ibuka to Benjamin Morrison
to Jacob Parrish to David Walker, all of these
are great picks. Especially Benjamin Morrison
because Benjamin Morrison was supposed to be
a first -round pick, but he only fell because
of injury concerns. But Jacob Parrish, that's
a really good slot corner. Elijah Roberts, that's
a work in progress. Tez Johnson, I feel like
he could be really effective in special teams
as well as possibly wide receiver four. I really
don't see a lot of holes with their draft. I
feel like this is a great draft. Let's be real
here, folks. And I just had this conversation
with Moob before I did this. The Buccaneers could
be a sleeper of a Super Bowl pick. I am willing
to die on that hill. Today, folks, I think if
they get Jalen Ramsey, I think that is a Super
Bowl team. You have the quarterback. The quarterback
has weapons. You have the offensive line. You
have the run game. You have a really great defensive
line. You have Desmond Watson, Vita Vea, Shaq
Bear, and Hassan Reddy. And now you also have
David Walker and Elijah Roberts. Your cornerback
room. If you add in Jalen Ramsey and you pair
him with Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish,
yo, that's crazy. And then you have Antoine Winfield
Jr. as well? Are you serious? Because the Buccaneers
is one of the only teams to really give the Eagles,
the Lions, and all the other top NFC teams problems.
They've been doing it for the last few years.
I feel like if Baker Mayfield just stays consistent,
and if they don't have as many injuries as they
had last season, I guarantee you they will be
a sleeper of a pick when it comes to the Super
Bowl. You heard it here first, episode 80 of
the Football Junkies podcast. You heard it here
first. I said it, all right? But I'm going to
end this episode here. If you guys like what
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-M -K -L, K -A -I -L -E. As always, I hope I
gave you guys the fix that you guys need. I love
you guys. I appreciate you guys so much. We're
80 episodes in, baby. 80 episodes in. We are
only 40 episodes away from 100 episodes, guys.
And we are only a few more downloads from reaching
800 downloads. I cannot thank you guys so much
for your support. I cannot thank you guys for
just interacting with the content. I can't thank
all the people that support me in the background,
from my parents to my friends. to everybody that
I have a personal relationship. I just want to
thank you guys. Most importantly, got to thank
God for this because if it wasn't for him, I
definitely would have quit probably after the
fifth episode. But he's given me the strength
each and every episode to continue to do this.
And I love this and I'll continue to do this
as long as I can. So this is your GM Kale signing
out. Peace and love. Later. Or who knows? We
might have another breaking news because Jonu
Smith maybe went to the Steelers. Who knows?
But guess what? This is your GM. Once again,
peace and love. I'm out, guys.